I Am a Traveler - Visiting Vancouver, BC

We had a timeshare exchange that needed to be used before the end of April so here we are north of the lower 48 in one of our favorite cities...Vancouver, BC. Since this is our third trip to Vancouver, we approached our visit with a sense of familiarity. We are staying on the 29th floor of the Sheraton Wall Center hotel, where the top three floors are part of the Intrawest Timeshare organization.

View from our Room

It is not easy to find an urban timeshare that gives you access to all the delights a city has to offer so we are happy to be here. We are downtown, near Burrard and Robson, so can walk to most places...and walk we do.  We average about 4 miles a day...which helps to counter the meals and the brew we enjoy!

Maybe it is the economic times but we are much more aware of the high cost of living here than in times past.  First of all 12% sales tax puts a crimp on most expenditures. (Fortunately we are not shoppers when we travel!)  In addition to that, most items are priced much higher than in Los Angeles.  While at the Visitor Center we were approached by a local news team interviewing tourists from the states about how the exchange rate was impacting their vacation. Our comment was that it was not so much the exchange rate (though a stronger dollar would be helpful) but that everything was just priced so much higher.  And...Vancouver is not for wine lovers!  Most wines are 2 to 3 times higher in cost than in the US.

So we set out sights on simplier, less costly pleasures and enjoy what is free to us...like the beautiful surroundings.

Once settled in our room we walked across the street to the Relish Gastropub and enjoyed British Columbia Oysters, brew and the Canuck's hockey game.

Day 1 was drizzly so between intermittent showers, we walked the local neighborhood and the waterfront.

Jay discovered the Japadog!

Day 2 showed some blue sky so we walked to Gastown and Chinatown and watched the city deal with their hockey fever as they prepared for the evening final first round playoff game against the Chicago Blackhawks. They won and the horns went on until about 1 am!

Jay with Gassy Jack!

Patricia at Sun Yat Sen Garden

Local buses even shout..."Go Canucks Go!"

Day 3 promised more rain so we headed to one of our favorite places in this city...the Central Public Library.

We fell in love with this library on our first visit here and return whenever we can.  Seven floors of stacks all connected by a central escalator system and the entire building buzzing with energy of patrons using all its features. So user friendly that once you arrive at a floor the first thing you see is the info desk for that floor with helpful librarians smiling at you!

We both have research projects we are delving into and spent a good part of the day using their resources.  I received MUCH help from the reference librarian in my research on the changing role of Women in Emerging China.

Later we took the bus to the University of BC campus and spent some time at the extraordinary Museum of Anthropology. 

When we got out it was raining again, so we put up our hoods and set off to the University Book Store. Dinner later that night was at the wonderful Sala Thai restaurant near the hotel. In all, we walked almost 6 miles today.

Day 4 - Guess what! Sun broke thru... After spending time downtown we headed off for a treat...dinner at the renown Indian restaurant, Vij's. It did not disappoint!!  Others could learn from the friendly attentive service, appetizers passed out liberally to all diners. We ate lamb and goat and loved every morsel.

Dinner at Vij's Restaurant - Lamb Popsicles in Curry and Braised Goat!

Day 5 - there were clear skies and sun and we indulged in a Day's pass on the public transport. We went down to the waterfront and rode the seabus across to Vancouver North and Lonsdale Quay.  We walked the lovely waterside terrace park and the Native Trail of Wisdom.

 

Lonsdale Quay with Downtown Vancouver in the background

It was very peaceful and lovely here. We grabbed lunch in the Quay marketplace at the Soupmeister and then headed back to Downtown on the seabus.  The sun was out and we grabbed the #50 bus for Queen Elizabeth Park. The highest point of the city we walked up to the Conservatory and the views were spectacular.  It is spring in the park with daffodils and tulips abounding!

Daffodils at Queen Elizabeth Park

Jay joining a Seward Johnson sculpture

Even though we had the bus pass, we ended up putting 4.2 miles on the pedometer. Dinner was the Italian Kitchen on Alberni St. where we shared a Pasta Platter...what a great idea!

Pasta Platter at the Italian Kitchen

Day 6 - Last full day in town and we signed up for a free walking tour with Tour Guys of the West End and Granville Island. It was fantastic and our guide, Max, kept our interest high. 

We toured areas of the city we had not yet walked and ended on the False Creek Ferry to Granville Island. At English Bay we especially liked the wonderful sculptures of Yue Minyun, a Beijing artist entitled "A-Maze-in Laughter" and the glorious tulips!

A Maze-in Laughter at English Bay

Tulips at English Bay

After an early seafood dinner at The Sandbar on Granville Island, we headed back to the hotel.

Dinner at Sandbar Restaurant

Waiting for the False Creek Ferry...great bridges!

Pedometer logged almost 6 miles today.  We ended the day at the placed where we started the trip...the Relish Gastropub across the street for our last plate of $1 BC Oysters and some ale.

As always, it was a memorable trip. We enjoy time to get away, recharge batteries, see new things, think new ideas and remember how good we are together.  Happy....happy....