My family firmly believes in wearing masks in public spaces, especially indoor public spaces and we were so relieved when I phoned the Chrysallis Inn that their employees wear masks, they have protective plastic screens at the front desk, there is keyless check in available and room service from the restaurant downstairs which was only open for takeout. I know there are so many opinions out there right now on how we should social distance, or wear masks or eat in restaurants or take out. ![]() I ended up booking a room at the Chrysallis Inn in Bellingham so we would have two days of chances just in case and I thought having a place to stop and stay would minimize our time in restaurants, bathrooms and communities outside our own. We were also worried if we drove all the way there (it’s about 3 hours each way) that the park might be too full or closed and we would feel even more devastated to be that close to family and not get to see them at all. We drive electric and would also need to charge at the Superchargers along the way. We now have a 3 month old puppy, a teeny tiny yorkie poo and I read that when you drive with a pup you should limit their car rides to about an hour or so at a time before a bathroom break. The Chrysallis Inn in Bellingham, a dog-friendly hotel We also brought our passports just in case. I was thankful that the bathrooms were also open when we visited. We also brought lawn chairs and blankets to sit on so that we had more options of where we could hang out. On the US side, if you have a Discover Pass you do not have to pay the parking fee and when we went on a busy sunny day there was ample parking. ![]() ![]() Suddenly, I was filled with hope that I could see my family for the first time in months and I needed to figure out how to responsibly make the 2.5 hour trip up north. And then an Instagram friend messaged me and said she was going to meet her family there, and that maybe it would be a place where I could see family too. I think we’ve only been to Peace Arch Park on a few other occasions when we were passing through the area but it has never been a destination for us. The park closed when the borders closed but as social distancing measures are easing in both countries and parks are opening again, Peace Arch Park is open now too. My aunt read an article in a Vancouver newspaper that Peace Arch Park recently opened up and couples trapped apart on both sides of the border were able to meet there. Peace Arch Park is a park that straddles the border between Canada and the United States We were more than overjoyed when we heard about Peace Arch Park and that this park might give us a chance to see our families again. And in this physical distancing era where we need to stay 6 feet from everyone in Seattle we have become completely distanced from even driving by the houses of our families who we usually see at least once a month and we have lost so much time with them in our lives. So for nearly 20 years we have spent hundreds of weekends driving between Seattle and Vancouver and Vancouver and Seattle until suddenly in 2020 the border closed and it’s been closed now for way too many days to count. My husband and I are the only people in our immediate families who don’t live in Vancouver BC, and we chose to live in Seattle WA because it fulfilled our career and life dreams but still allowed us to be within a few hours drive of all the people we love up north. ![]() We have always lived a life with our suitcases packed. ***AS OF 8pm June 18th 2020 Peace Arch Park on the Canadian side will be closed until further notice***
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