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Saturday, June 17, 2006 We left SFO for Vancouver, BC at around 11:30 AM. The two hour flight was smooth and without incident. Upon arriving in B.C. we got through customs with no problems. Getting a taxi to our hotel was another story. The lines for all types of transportation were quite lengthy. We should have known because all of the people were trying to connect with their cruise ships. We finally arrived at our hotel at around 5:00 PM. We stayed at the Times Square Suites near Stanley Park for a few nights. The suite was nice enough, we had a kitchen, sitting area, one bedroom, one bath and a den. They had a charming rooftop garden with chaise lounges, barbeque and plenty of seating and tables. We were both hungry so we walked down Denham Street and decided to eat at an African fusion restaurant called Simbas. The flavors and spices were reminiscent of middle eastern Indian cooking. Dave had a red chicken curry with Naan and I had bbq chicken tenders over saffron rice. We also had an order of the rib appetizer. We had more than enough food and actually took leftovers back to our suite. The owner/chef was a very gracious man. We would highly recommend this place for something different. After dinner we walked over to Safeway to get a few things for breakfast. One of the things that amazed us both about B.C. this time of year is how late it stays light. It was almost 10:00 PM and there was still light outside. It also gets light as early as 5:00 - 5:30 AM. Sunday, June 18, 2006 I woke up at 5:20 AM and could not go back to sleep. I guess I wake up with the sun! Dave slept a while longer while I read. Stanley Park was our first destination. We walked along the sea wall to the totem poles. We were surprised at how busy it was as there were many tour buses already there... (cruise people) We then continued along the sea wall to "the girl in the wetsuit" statue. We made our way to the Vancouver Aquarium. What we didn't plan for was that the aquarium was celebrating its 50th birthday. It was much busier than usual as they had many special events going on from Sponge Bob to free birthday cake. We paid our admission and spent a few hours there. The shows were short but informative. We probably would have spent more time but there was too many people with too many kids and strollers. We then walked back along the sea wall to a cute place on Denham Street called "The Lift". We had a glass of wine and enjoyed the view. The two story restaurant has great views of the bay and Stanley Park. After resting a bit we then strolled along the sea walk toward the cruise ship terminal at Canada Place. This is a great place to people watch! We were particularly interested in looking at the cruise ships. Kind of shopping for a future vacation. We headed back toward our hotel and stopped at a cute sidewalk cafe called The Mill Marine Bistro. We split an appetizer (Artichoke and Spinach Dip) and drinks. We were interested in watching the cruise ships take off. We had a good view from this vantage point. The ships are so large that they stagger the disembarkation by about 20 minutes for each ship. The first ship left around 5:00 PM and the last around 6:00 PM. We stopped at another water front marine restaurant for a last round before going back to our room. Carderos was on the way. Another fun restaurant with great marina/harbor views. We had drinks an a hummus appetizer. (For dinner we heated up leftovers from Simbas) Monday, June 19, 2006 This was Dave's last day off and also moving day. We checked out of Times Square Suites and took a cab over to the Holiday Inn downtown. We were lucky enough to have our room ready so we were able to unpack and get settled into the room by 10: 30 AM. We then spent the majority of the day on Granville Island. We took the AquaBus over for $2.50 CAD per person. We walked through the Public Market. It was a maze of vendors selling organic fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, etc. There were also local artisans selling their wares. I purchased a great leather handbag for $130 CAD from a gentleman whose wife designs and makes unique "one of a kind" bags. We ate lunch at the Cat's Meow. We each had a sandwich and fries. We sat out on the patio in the warm sunlight.... very relaxing. We stayed on Granville Island until around 4:00. After relaxing in our room for a bit, we walked over to a funky restaurant called Two Parrots. All the bars were quite busy because of the Stanley Cup playoffs (Game 7). We watched the 1st 1/2 of the game at the bar. It was fun because Canadians are much more passionate about hockey. Edmonton was trailing so we thought it would be wise to watch the finish of the game back in our room. Carolina won! Tuesday, June 20, 2006 Dave had to work today so I just hung out and explored the area around our hotel. I walked over to the Yaletown area where there was supposed to be good shopping. The area seems to be an upstart yuppie area. There were several sidewalk cafes, bars, and restaurants. Much of the shopping was furniture and design stores. I then made my way to Granville Ave and found the Pacific (underground) Mall. Sears is the major anchor and is quite possibly the largest Sears I have ever seen. They also carried many designer brands that a normal Sears doesn't carry. Returning to the room around 1:00 allowed me to rest for the afternoon and read my book. Dave got off of work at about 5:00. We had dinner at Wings on Granville Ave. Wine, salad, and pasta for 2 was just over $40. We watched the first 1/2 of the Miami / Dallas NBA playoff game. We returned to our room to watch the 2nd half of the game. Wednesday, June 21, 2006 Today is the first day of summer! Dave again had to head down the street to toil away his day consulting.... poor dear. I killed the morning watching the Today Show. I then started my walk down to Canada Place. I stopped on the way to shop for some 2010 Olympic wear at The Bay, a large department store. The selection was very limited so I passed for now. I continued my walk and arrived at the Tourist Info Shop at around 10:40. My quest there was to purchase 1/2 price tickets to TheatreSports, an improv comedy show on Granville Island. Once the ticket outlet opened at 11, I purchased my tickets and was on my way. I walked around the cruise ship terminal to ogle at the ships that were in port. There were three, two small ones and another very large Holland America ship. Gastown was on my next place to wander around. It is a short walk from the cruise ship terminal. Gastown was named for a man named Gassy Jack. At the center of town there is a statue that was erected for him. It also states that it was the spot where they decided to name the town of Vancouver. Also of note is a steam powered clock that plays music on the quarter hour. I missed the grand show that supposedly takes place on the hour. Another main attraction of Gastown is the Storyeum. It is an hour long presentation of the history of Vancouver and British Columbia. It is a very unique and informative historical performance that takes place underground. Once finished they had a very moving display promoting World Peace Day that featured the devastation that occurred in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Note that the shows begin on the hour and 1/2 hour and the cost is $21.95 pp/CAD. We went to TheatreSports for the evening performance. We had a good time and we would recommend this highly (especially if you get the 1/2 price tickets). We also ate dinner at The Dockside Brewing Company. The dinner was nice and the view was beautiful. We have been very fortunate to have such lovely weather. The temps have been around 70 with bright sun. Thursday, June 22, 2006 Dave had to work again today so I was left to my own devices. I hung out in the room until about 9:30 and then headed out. My agenda was to walk "The Silk Road", a walking tour suggested in the Official Vancouver Tourism Guide. The walk starts at The Vancouver Public Library. The architecture of the building is interesting in that it resembles the Roman Coliseum. The tour then guides you past the International Village. It supposedly has designer shopping but I didn't go in. The next stop is Chinatown. My first stop was the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. The gardens were a beautiful reproduction of how an elite scholar would have lived during the Ming Dynasty Suzhou. It was really quite beautiful and tranquil. I then continued on through Chinatown. In my opinion, San Francisco's Chinatown is much more interesting, but Vancouver's Chinatown is still a place of interest. The kids I saw seemed to enjoy buying some of the inexpensive import toys. Chinatown being the official end of "The Silk Road", I continued on to False Creek and to the former site of the Worlds Fair in 1986 (Expo '86). Dave and I came to Vancouver for the first time twenty years ago for this event. Most of the buildings were temporary and were razed after the fair was over. Only three buildings remain: The cruise ship terminal (Canada Place), the Science World Ball and the Plaza of Nations. The Plaza of Nations is now home to the Edgewater Casino. I stopped and dropped $20. This was my limit so I only stayed about an hour. From the plaza I was able to take an Aquabus to Granville Island ($5 CAD) I ate lunch at the Arts Club Theatre Bistro. I had a great water front table with a great view. It's too bad Dave wasn't with me. After a late lunch I took the Aquabus over to Hornby and walked back to our room at the Holiday Inn. Dave and I had dinner at a cute place called Moose's Down Under restaurant. The service was good and friendly. They were hosting a special Thursday night event "trivia night". The bar crowd was quite enthusiastic and noisy, but it was fun to watch. Friday, June 23, 2006 Today we get to go home. Dave is working so I will spend the morning packing, resting, and relaxing. Dave met me at the hotel at 12:00 so we could check out. We ate lunch at a place on Granville Ave called The Speakeasy. I had a burger and Dave had the Salmon burger he had been craving all week. Since Dave had to get back to work I hung out at the bar and watched the FIFA World Cup playoffs for a while. There were many people rooting for the Swiss over Korea. I have to admit, I may becoming a Soccer fan! After lunch I walked over to Robsen St, the supposed shopping mecca. Most of the shops were the usual teeny bopper things i.e. Gap, Banana Republic, Aldo, Bebe, etc. After walking for a bit I returned to the Holiday Inn and had a drink before Dave was to get off of work.
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