Vancouver Part 2

You might have noticed from the title that this is my second blog on Vancouver. I strongly recommend reading the previous entry first ... Trust me, it's the right thing to do!

This is the Museum of Anthropology on the University of British Columbia campus. We had quite an enjoyable morning here where we learned a whole lot about the Haida and other aboriginal people of the Northwest. The museum building itself is quite an experience - designed by a famous Vancouver architect called Arthur Erickson - to optimally display the museum's collection of totem poles and other incredible carvings.

Inside the museum there are about 30 totem poles. I have to say in Vancouver you see Totem poles all over the city.

Among other carvings and sculptures displayed in the Great Hall, is a canoe carved out of a single cedar tree trunk. It looked impressive.

Just outside the museum is a model Haida "village" with Haida buildings, longhouses, and more totem poles.

This modern sculpture is the museum's showpiece. It's called The Raven and the First Men and is displayed in a separate rotunda. The artist, Bill Reid, drew his inspiration from a Haida legend about the appearance of the first people on earth. The raven is coaxing the humans out of the clamshell.

This is Wreck Beach. After the museum we walked around campus in search of a pretty place to have our lunch (cherries and blueberries, of course). We saw a trailhead by a forest and got on it. Next thing we knew we were descending an endless flight of stairs. Four hundred steps later we found ourselves on an isolated clothing optional beach. A heron perched on a rock in the water stood guard while we munched our fruit. Notice the huge logs on the beach. Every beach has them. We gazed out across the peaceful bay. It felt like a whole world away from the city.

In the afternoon we returned to the downtown area and explored Chinatown. I was amazed at how shabby it was. The stores looked dull and uninviting. Not a place for lingering. The Dr. Sun Yat Sen park and garden brightened up the area, though.
I noticed a significant Asian population in Vancouver. People of many different cultures call this city home, giving it a truly cosmopolitan feel.

I saw this poem on a bus. Vancouver is special in so many ways. It was so easy to get around the city, with frequent buses, helpful drivers, and every so often, a poem to keep you going!

Two striking things about Vancouver come to mind. The people were extraordinarily friendly and goodnatured. They struck up conversations easily and were always offering to help. The other striking feature was how clean the city was. No graffiti, hardly any trash on the streets, strong recycling programs, and an acute awareness of environmental issues. Which just reminded me of a third striking feature: cycling. The downtown area had a well planned network of dedicated bicycle lanes away from car traffic. Many of the locals got around by bike.

On our last evening in Vancouver we had another memorable dinner.   Luck was on our side. We managed to get a table at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on Granville Island. It was a Friday evening when they do a special buffet. Our three course meal was satisfying in every way. For the first course we had a selection of summer vegetables, each prepared in a uniquely inventive way. The main course was tofu in a light sauce with roast potato and steamed carrots. Two wine flights featuring superb British Columbia reds and rosés accompanied this fine meal. The dessert course was a whole experience unto itself. I could write an entire chapter on it - but I won't - lest I embarrass the person not writing this blog! Suffice it to say the dessert table heaved from the weight of around 15 utterly amazing desserts. Luckily they were all smallish - so multiple visits to the table weren't completely outrageous. In addition to the usual tarts, mousses, and cakes, there were several truffles and other chocolates. I enjoyed the crepe with flambéed peach, chantilly, and cream.

On our last morning we went to the Vancouver Art Gallery, another gorgeous building. I had both good luck and bad luck on this visit. There was a special Matisse exhibition on and I just relished the works on display. These were from the private collection of the Cone sisters who had donated these works to the Boston Museum. Matisse is one of my favorite artists and I was overjoyed to see so many of his paintings (all from the 1920's). Thinking I was getting my money's worth ($20 admission fee) I eagerly went up the escalators to take in the works of BC's most famous artist, Emily Carr. Imagine my disappointment when I saw only four of her works on display! I was gobsmacked. It practically wiped out my excitement from the Matisse exhibition. C'est la vie!

Our flight back home was late in the day so we decided to have an indulgent lunch. VIJ's is open only for dinner, but they have a casual cafe next door (Rangoli) which is open for lunch, dinner, and take out. We sat out on the terrace of Rangoli and enjoyed one last gourmet meal in this city. I can safely say that the spinach paneer dish I had was thé best I'd ever eaten.

Actually, that's the fourth striking feature about this city. The food scene. It's obvious all over the city that fine dining is a high priority.

And as we zipped up our bags and headed for the Canada line, we knew we'd be talking about our gourmet food experiences for a long time.

Au revoir, Vancouver.

Oh yes, a fifth striking feature. The prevalence of French.

Vancouver Visit

I finally made it to Canada after 25 years of living in North America. I would've had a week in Montreal years ago, but I got called for a job interview a couple days before my flight and even though I got the job, I still harbor bitterness over that episode. Daryl and I chose to spend a few days in Vancouver because it was an easy flight from home, in the same time zone, and would be sufficiently interesting to give us the feeling that we were on vacation. The two hour flight provided some terrific views. This was a view of Mt. St. Helens. Before that, the snow capped cascades were clearly visible. Just before landing we had excellent views of the islands off Seattle and Vancouver.

This was our hotel - the Executive Hotel Vintage Park. We were near False Creek, close to the sea wall. The best feature of this pretty comfortable hotel was the daily wine tastings - free for guests. Every day they served wines from various British Columbia wineries.

The wines were pretty decent. I especially enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon. Sitting out on the terrace provided an enjoyable setting. In our four days in Vancouver we had outstanding weather. Warm, sunny, and comfortable enough for strolling through the various neighborhoods.

After sampling the wines on our first afternoon we strolled through the downtown area of Vancouver. There was a summer vibe in the air. Robson Square (below), outside the Vancouver Art Gallery was especially lively - with a large outdoor cafe, a tourist information booth, and a skating rink. People were sitting on the steps of the beautiful gallery building. Others just milled around. We continued our walk down to the waterfront. 

The building with the sails, vaguely reminiscent of Sydney's Opera House, is Canada Place. Cruise ship terminal, fancy hotel, convention center are all here in this glitzy building. We got our first good views of North Vancouver from here.

Most fascinating to us at the waterfront was watching seaplanes taking off and landing. This would be a pretty cool way to get to the islands.

I was amazed at how mellow this most touristic part of the city was. Again and again I was aware of how laid back this city is. Even in the peak of summer the city wasn't overrun with tourists. The locals also seemed relaxed and notably friendly. 

We did our research on restaurants before leaving home and number one on our list was VIJ's. Jamie Oliver claims it's the best restaurant in all of Canada. This Indian restaurant with a modern, avant garde menu, doesn't take reservations. It's always packed and typical wait time is an hour and a half. But they make the wait an experience too. We sat out on their attractive, atmospheric terrace with cold beer and they served us hot from the pan appetizers every so often. We struck up a conversation with a young couple who were sitting next to us. We learned from them that VIJ's wins all kinds of restaurant awards in Vancouver all the time. After our long, but enjoyable wait, we were seated inside the elegant restaurant. The menu was unlike anything we'd seen before. Daryl had some combination of vegetables and dumplings in a pomegranate curry. I had shitake mushrooms and other seasonal vegetables in a creamy sauce served with some sort of pilaf involving rice, almonds, and spices. We were totally transported to heaven. Clearly a lot of thought and creativity went into the flavors, textures, and variety. After the meal, as we sauntered across the Granville Street Bridge back to our hotel, we felt satisfied that  Day 1 had worked out so incredibly well.

We started Day 2 on Granville Island. We stumbled upon the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. We noticed their bakery was open and decided to have breakfast there. Turned out to be a most memorable breakfast. The coffee was strong and hot. I had an almond croissant which was so unbelievably light, flaky, and not too sweet. Daryl had a healthy scone studded with seeds and nuts and it was also superb.

We spent the morning wandering through picturesque Granville Island. Loved the views of downtown across False Creek. We truly felt far away from home poking into the shops and arts and crafts galleries displaying Canadian and Northwest native products. Out in the park the totem poles, conifers, and canada geese were further reminders that we were in Canada.

Most prominent on Granville Island is the produce market. Colorful, huge, and vibrant. All the fruit and vegetables in season available in vast quantities. Cherries, blueberries, and raspberries were at their peak. We bought a huge bag of each for our lunch. There were also numerous little restaurants and other specialty food stalls (cheeses, olives, breads, etc.) We sat outside beside the little harbor and ate our sweet, juicy cherries and blueberries. Fringing the water across from us were attractive restaurants and hotels.

We spent the afternoon walking along the seawall promenade in Stanley Park. We saw this iconic northwest "sculpture"just as we entered the park. It's called an Inukshuk and was used by the Inuits as a navigational tool. Entering the park you feel like you've entered the wilderness - in some sense. The park is so big and heavily forested with various pines. Along the promenade you look out to English Bay. Then as you go around Prospect Point you get a terrific view of the Lions Gate Bridge. Now you face the Burrard Inlet and the mountains and skyscrapers of North Vancouver look back at you.

Other highlights of Stanley Park were two lakes - Beaver Lake and the Lost Lagoon Lake.

See that hump in the middle? It's a Beaver lodge. Behind it we saw a beautiful great blue heron.

We started Day 3 in Gastown, where we had a so-so breakfast at a place called Brioche, which did not have any of its namesake. Sigh! The gas powered clock is this neighborhood's most famous sight. On the hour it releases steam and makes a steam engine type noise.

It was a perfect summer day and we decided to head out to North Vancouver.

The views from the ferry we took to get across Burrard Inlet were quite sensational. Vancouver has such an incredible setting that every photo you take of the city is going to look great. Cape Town is similar with its setting at the foot of dramatic mountains beside the sea.

In North Vancouver we stocked up on cherries and blueberries at the lovely London Quay Market, then took a bus to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. We'd been on some pretty memorable suspension bridges in Costa Rica so this park didn't knock our socks off. It was incredibly crowded. Even though the scenery made us feel like we were in the wilderness, the crowds reminded us that the city was close. I have to say the place had a Disneyfied feel to it. Still, it was pretty remarkable to be immersed in a rainforest, trekking beside sheer cliffs, with views of mountain peaks, appearing above the lanky conifers.

After Capilano we hopped on a bus to Grouse Mountain. In the winter Vancouverites come out here for the day to ski or snowboard. In midsummer the main purpose of going up this mountain is to take in the views of downtown Vancouver. We got on a gondola, along with 90 others and were lifted 4000 feet up. Then we got on a chairlift to get to the actual summit of this mountain. Since it was a cloudless day we had great views of the city and the water around it. Downtown, across the Burrard Inlet was a bit hazy, but it all looked beautiful anyway. We were disappointed at the lack of hiking trails at the top. 

However, we did get to meet a local. I got to see grizzly bears at a sanctuary up in Grouse Mountain.

Before leaving the mountain we had a beer at a café. Sitting on the terrace we had an excellent view of Burrard Inlet and downtown.

For dinner that evening we had a decent wood fired pizza in Gastown. Back at the hotel we relaxed in the jacuzzi, which was on the terrace of the 9th floor. We could see the sails of boats in False Creek between gleaming skyscrapers. The water was a bit too hot for summer so a five minute soak was all we could handle. But it did cap off a pretty pleasant day.

I'll call this part one of the Vancouver trip. Part 2 should appear in the very near future.