Exploring Vancouver

Vancouver

The 5 hour flight from Toronto was delayed an hour for de-icing and then we sat on the runway for another hour because of a backlog of flights waiting to leave so by the time we arrived in Vancouver and I picked up my luggage and found my rental car it had already been a long afternoon. Rolling down the windows as I pulled out of the garage and and into the warm Vancouver evening I was anything but tired, I had been looking forward to my first trip to the west coast and was anxious for my first sights of the city.I craned my head to see part of the city skyline as I passed over the Fraser River and then turned down Granville and headed downtown to my hotel.

I checked in and headed up to my home away from home for the next few days. The room had a small balcony that gave me a great view north of a sparkling line of condos and east towards the downtown core. Due to the time difference I had a few extra hours in the day and decided to hit the streets and explore at least far enough to find something to eat. From the hotel lobby I could see what turned out to be Robson Square, a public area with a skating rink. The area was under construction with many areas blocked off with caution tape but I wandered where I could and snapped some night time photos.

The next morning I met two colleagues at the hotel restaurant for breakfast where we made plans for the morning. Steve had spent time in the city and volunteered to take us on a tour down to the docks so we ate quickly and were on our way. We walked north through several blocks of high end retail shops, office towers and condos until we turned a corner and were stopped dead by our first glimpse of the mountains. The mountains! I had forgotten about the mountains. I had flown in after dark so I hadn’t seen them coming in and now they appeared before me and I stood with my eyes wide.

Holy shit that was something... majestic- I was totally gobsmacked by what I was looking at. We continued towards the water until we were looking across at an incredible vista that included the famous Lions Gate Bridge, the soaring trees of Stanley Park, those majestic Rocky Mountains and the mouth of the Fraser River. We continued along the waterfront, public spaces mixed with quaint shops and although the the soaring condos were omnipresent, as in any major waterfront city, they weren't a barrier to the waterfrount. Toronto would've been smart to visit Vancouver before we made such a mess of our waterfront. One amazing example of eco-building we saw was a massive convention/adventure center featureing a roof covered with growing grass. Steve had to head back as he was on-shift at noon while Lisa and I had until four so after walking back to the hotel we agreed the two of us would meet in a couple of hours to drive over to Stanley Park.

If I didn’t get to do anything else while I was in Vancouver I wanted to see the totem poles in Stanley Park. We pulled into the park after a short drive from the hotel and followed the road for a couple of kilometers until we could see them rising through the trees. Then we somehow got lost. Following one sign for parking took us right back to the entrance, on our second attempt and following a different sign we ended up at a utility shed. We then drove down a one way road until we got stopped by security so I decided to park where we were and we hiked about two kilometers through an amazing forest of massive trees to the site where the poles had been erected. The totems were very cool although having them all in one small roped off area made it seem a little to touristy.. seemingly removing some of the allure of the monuments. The weather was amazing, such a refreshing change from the dreariness of Ontario in February, so we continued our walk down to the water and spent some time looking at sea shells and the mountains on the horizon.

With the afternoon slipping away we hiked back to the car and started into town for our afternoon shifts. Driving crosstown we passed through what locals referred to as the ‘street of lost souls.’ Hastings St is a magnet for the homeless, the unemployed/underemployed, and the addicted. Literally hundreds of men and women clogged the sidewalks along the road, possessions piled in corners and shopping carts. It was a real counter balance to the beauty we had experienced earlier and sobered our thoughts as we headed to work.

The next day after work I wanted to take advantage of my last night in Vancouver. Most of the group I was working with had already scattered to their homes across the country so I headed out alone. I explored more of the city, this time wandering through areas containing clubs, the famous Orpheum Theatre, tattoo parlors and tourist shops. I walked for a couple hours and then stopped at a local, and very authentic Mexican restaurant for dinner. I headed back to the hotel where I ate on the balcony in a t-shirt and sampled some local beers. Relaxing later as the sun set I sighed at the thought of returning home the following day. I’ve spent time in dozens of towns and cities across the country and there have been many times that I’ve got the sense that no matter how long I was to spend in town I would never feel at home- but after just a few days I felt completely comfortable in Vancouver.

The flight out of the city and over the Rockies was absolutely astounding. The clouds and the snow and the water merging into some very surreal landscapes. I love flying because of the amazing scenery (shots of incredible cloud formations and brilliant sunsets take up many megs on my various computer drives) but I don't think I've ever seen such natural beauty as that ascent from Vancouver.

24 hours later and I'm stepping put of Pearson airport in Toronto and back into a typical night in February. Wind almost blows off my hat off and I curse, remembering my gloves packed away in my suitcase. It has snowed and the highway is down to one lane, creating a backup even after midnight. Welcome back to Toronto.

My next trip is across the country to Cornerbrook, NFLD. Here's hoping someone offers to 'screetch me in!'

Freezing in the'Peg

I stepped out of the Winnipeg Airport and into a winter evening like I had never experienced before. Snow blew sideways at a wicked pace, snowblasting my face and freezing my fingers. I felt like the typical southern Ontario idiot as I waded through knee high snowdrifts enroute to the rental car in my dress shoes, dragging my suitcase behind me.

The winter experience continued when I hit the roads in my rental with all-season tires. Winnipeg, like many of the northern Ontario towns that I have visited, doesn’t plow the roads or make use of ice melting salt and by middle of January the streets have risen to the height of the curbs with packed snow covering any visible lane markers. Wind swept snow covers most of the road signs and my GPS keeps losing the signal which adds a sense of sport to the challenge of navigating my way to the hotel, which I finally spot conveniently located on the other side of Portage Ave which is divided by a concrete meridian. After a driving a series of circles around the hotel which paid off by leading me past a Liquor Mart I made my way to the hotel parking garage the wrong way down a one way street. The hotel was a Best Western with tacky fishtanks in the elevators housing some of the saddest looking fish I’ve seen, and a cocktail lounge that could’ve been a set from ‘The Graduate’.

One of the things I like about the job I’m doing for the next year is that I’m travelling with a team. It pretty much sucks eating dinner by yourself in a hotel room, which I’ve done at least a hundred times in the last few years. Travelling solo has its rewards as well which is why I love hiking solo so passionately. Having to acquiesce to the wants of a group can be, at best, trying for me. The group choose the Keg for dinner and again, for at least the hundredth time, I ordered the zesty Ahi tuna. Limited choices for a vegetarian at a steakhouse...

I had a couple of hours free the next morning and decided I would brave the ridiculous cold and drive downtown and check out a bit of the city. I slid into the street in my 2011Dodge Avenger rental (love the Avenger and I feel like a superhero every time I get in it), tires spinning on the snow road, and headed down Portage Ave trying to guess how many lanes were on the road. 20 minutes later I was standing at the corner of the Portage and Main. I snapped a picture of the iconic intersection and sang Propaghandi tunes in my head as I shivered my way around the city. The ‘Peg ‘s main streets feature a mix of new and old and it looks like a rebirth of sorts in underway with generic retailers and chain hotels common to any city mixing with mom and pop restaurants, hand painted signs and century old buildings. As I wandered down some side-streets it didn’t take much imagination to picture the streets as they were generations ago.

The timing was great for the trip as I had just finished reading Pierre Berton’s novel about the Depression and the history of the city during those times was fresh in my mind. I could almost picture ‘tincanners’ on the corners and General Strikers carrying placards.

It was cold though... the wind was bitter and dry, sucking the moisture out of me. I have heard that it’s a different kind of cold in the west than what we experience in Ontario and it soon got the best of me, leaving my lips peeling and my dress shoe clad toes near frostbit. I spent less than an hour exploring downtown but I was glad I saw what I did. I have a feeling that re-development might destroy the part that I saw before long. I know there is a whole area developed at the ‘Forks’, restaurants and bars and trendy shops and I’m sure if I had longer, and it was warmer, I would’ve checked that out as well (a few summertime pints on a riverside patio can be a great way to spend time as well) .

So the next trip is to the west coast. Vancouver promises to be warmer and I can’t wait for an early taste of spring. See you there...