#my rent includes breakfast and dinner bc the family has like 2 young kids so. mightt as well make extra

[notedchampagne]

in a special hell called "social politeness"

[thegrassisaalwaysgreener]

VanCity

          Travelling is definitely one of my passions and I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences thus far. Unfortunately, I haven’t explored as much of our beautiful country as I would have liked. One of my goals is to do a small, more local trip each year. I decided to head to the West Coast (aka best coast if you ask anyone who’s been there) to visit my good friend Shera. Shera and I met while we both lived and worked in Toronto several years ago. While we don’t get to see each other that often, she is such a strong, positive and inspiring person that I am so lucky to have in my life. I was really excited that she had some time in May for me to come visit. Many of my friends and family have been to and loved BC, so I was super excited about this trip. I decided to use some of my hard earned Aeroplan points to book my flights and was heading to BC for an extra long weekend.

Thursday, May 9th, 2019          I decided to take the bus from the Hamilton GO station to the airport. It takes just over an hour and drops you off at Terminal 1 (perfect for my AC flight). It is also super cost effective at about $12 each way and really easy if you packed light (which shockingly, I did). My flight was easy and I landed mid morning in Vancouver. Shera is currently teaching at BCIT, which has several campuses in the city. She works out of the Burnaby Campus, in the east part of the city. She picked me up and brought me towards here work where I could catch the Expo line into the city. Since I had so much that I wanted to do, I mapped out a bit of downtown to check out, starting with Downtown and Gastown. I wandered around downtown and hit up the Gas Town Steam Clock and a few things around that area. I love libraries, so I made sure to visit the Central Library, which had great views and a cool promenade at its base. I meandered along the majority of “downtown Vancouver” and the business district.                                                                                                                             I made my way down towards Stanley Park and rented a bike for about $30. I biked all the way around Stanley Park, which was way better than I had anticipated. Stanley Park borders Burrard Inlet and English Bay and is over 1000 acres in size. It was one of the first places to be discovered in the city and offers so much!  The park was amazing! I did enjoy many of its beautiful sights while biking along the 1000-year-old seawall.  I managed to get myself a bit lost while trying to find the famous “hollow tree. Let me tell you, the 27 km of hiking paths in Stanley Park are no fun with a bike (not that I explored even ¼ of that). After getting sufficiently lost and seeing the majority of the park including the Lions Gate bridge, Iron Workers Memorial Bridge and totem poles, I wandered around English bay for a bit. Seeing as it was getting quite late and Shera was expecting me at the ferry, I grabbed a snack (ice cream of course), dropped my bike off and hopped on the bus to the Horseshoebay Ferry terminal which took about 30 mins on the bus.                                                                                              Once I arrived at the ferry terminal, I met back up with Shera and grabbed my stuff out of the car so we could take the ferry home. We had some time to kill before the ferry arrived so we grabbed dinner and drinks at Trolls (I think) and caught up a bit. It had been 5 months since we had last seen each other and had a lot to catch up on!                                                                                          The ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Gibsons leaves at random intervals thorough the day (the schedule is confusing and doesn’t seem to be super consistent) and takes about 40 minutes to get to Gibsons (Langdale Ferry Terminal). Gibsons is technically part of the mainland but is really only accessible via ferry. Tons of people commute into the city each day from Gibsons and beyond- and here I complain sometimes about my 20 min commute.                                                                                                                       Once arriving at the terminal, we hopped into Shera’s baby (her new but older Ford Escape} and made the 10 or so minute drive over to her place. She has a lovely place in “Lower Gibsons” with beautiful views of the town and water. I was exhausted so went straight to bed after a long and enjoyable day.

Friday May 10th, 2019         Shera had to work quite early in the am so we took the first ferry over (about 5/6 am). The ferry is actually a lot more fun than I had expected. We met up with one of her friends on the ferry and enjoyed coffee and toast. The ferry is such a great place to get work done and hang out. If I had to commute, I would much prefer to do it on a boat where I could work, eat or sleep. Once we got off the ferry, I hopped in Kate’s car as she worked closer to the main part of the city than Shera. Kate dropped me off near the Vancouver General and I moseyed around for an hour or so before things opened. I grabbed a coffee and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the South Granville/East? part of the city. I walked down towards Granville Island and enjoyed the shops and the market. I had a second breakfast there and enjoyed some quiet time people watching. Granville market had some super cute spots but the entrance and Kids Market looked like the most fun part. Sadly, it wasn’t open, or I would have totally gone in.         After Granville Island, I hopped on the bus and headed out to the UBC campus where my partner Mike went to school and suggested. After a few glitches (aka my getting lost MULTIPLE times in the huge campus) I managed to find the treetop walk and the botanical gardens I had been looking for. The treetop walk was pretty neat although definitely not as exciting as I had thought. I was there with a big school group and managed to avoid them at all costs. I headed over to Nitobe gardens, which is considered to be on the most authentic Japanese gardens in the world with its cherry blossoms, irises, Japanese pruned trees and a koi pond. I think I hit 20,000 steps before 2 pm, which might be a record for me! I hopped back on the bus and got off just before Kitsilano. I was a bit hungry so grabbed some snacks at Whole Foods before enjoying some R&R on the beach. Shera came down from work and met me at Local Kitsilano, where we grabbed beers before heading to the ferry back home.         Shera was having some girls over the next day as a belated birthday celebration so we scooted over to the grocery and liquor stores before going home to get ready for dinner. Sadly, the oyster restaurant was still closed for the season so we settled for the delicious Mexican fare at Lonitas. We enjoyed some chips and guac along with delicious tacos. Shera took me on a little walking tour of Gibsons, despite being super full and tired. The town is so cute and quaint! Being so close to Van but with the perks of a small town are so amazing- I get why she loves it there so much. After our stroll and tour, we headed home for a good nights sleep before another jam-packed day.

Saturday May 11th, 2019        While I may be a Crossfit enthusiast, I am all for any and all forms of exercise and will try anything at least once! Shera has recently become involved in kickboxing and was excited to take me with her. While my spatial sense and hand eye coordination could use some work, I really enjoyed the class. My favourite part was the “elevator” at the end that included jabs and burpees. After a great sweat sesh, we grabbed some much needed coffees and showers in preparation for our afternoon.       Shera was having an intuitive come to the house to “read” us if you will. Now, I wouldn’t call myself a full on skeptic but I did have my reservations. I am happy to say, Joanne the intuitive was amazing. She was very personable, relatable and kind. We each had about 30 minutes with her, in which she took time reading our energies, answering questions and guiding us through what she was feeling. I really enjoyed my time with her and took a number of things away from the experience. She was pretty spot on with many of her thoughts and readings, despite my “skepticism”. I would definitely see someone like her again and highly recommend it for anyone who is interested.        After Joanne left, we continued to enjoy our snacks and sangria before making our way to down to the dock to meet Scotty. Scotty owns “Scotty’s scooters” and is a friend of Sheras. He kindly brought us on his boat to a spot near them off of Keats Island. This is where locals dock their boats, cook, drink and enjoy the outdoors. The weather was just perfect and I love a good boat ride! We met a few other people and enjoyed drinks, homemade sausages and freshly caught prawns. The prawns were the best I had ever tasted- they were so fresh and didn’t even need the melted butter that accompanied them. After enjoying our drinks and dinner, we hopped back on the boat home. The night was still young so we headed over to Kate’s house to hang out for a bit. They have one of the most beautiful designed homes I have ever seen. It was farmhouse meets industrial chic, all wrapped into one! I hung out with their adorable and precocious munchkins for a bit before we all enjoyed some more bevvys by the fire.

Sunday May 12, 2019         Yay for a bit of a sleep in! We didn’t have a strict itinerary today so we enjoyed a bit of a sleep in before brunch at the Gum boot. The Gum boot is a delicious and popular restaurant in Roberts Creek. Shera and I waited a bit to get seated but my meal did not disappoint. Since it was mother’s day, we enjoyed MUMosas overlooking the nice grass area. Shera had a game of baseball to get to so I hung out and enjoyed that. Her teammates were all super friendly and were pretty decent players. After the game, we hiked around Smugglers Cove and enjoyed the lush greenery, arbutus trees and the views of the Georgia Strait. Since the Raptors were playing (this was the infamous Kawai shot night), we headed over to the lighthouse in Sechelt for dinner and beers to enjoy during the game. Shera’s baseball team had another game so we went and cheered them on for that before heading home to watch an amazing sunset on the beach amongst the driftwood. Sunset is my favourite time of the day and the BC sunset did not disappoint!

Monday May 13th, 2019         Since I love my sleep, Shera went into the city before I did on my second last morning in BC. I lounged around Gibsons and enjoyed coffee at the Beachcomber. I took the bus over to the ferry and met Shera at the ferry Terminal. Today we were going to be proper tourists and check out the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain (which we were supposed to do on Friday but thank goodness we didn’t as my legs wouldn’t have made it). The Capilano Suspension bridge is one of Vancouver’s most popular tourist attractions. At over 130 years old from its inception the “Kia’palano” (meaning beautiful river) bridge was named after a great Squamish Chief who lived in the area in the early 1800s. While the bridge has had many improvements and enlargements over the years, the 70 meter high and 140 meter long suspension bridge has magical views over the Capilano River. The park also has a learning centre, treetop walk and a cliffwalk, all surrounded by lush, beautiful forest. While it was very cool and beautiful, it was super touristy and a bit pricey ($54 a person) for what it all is. I would still highly recommend it (or the cheaper/free suspension bridge called Lynn Canyon.          Next stop- Grouse Mountain! Grouse Mountain is just a short drive from the Bridge. We made sure to check our bags and waterbottles before our hike so we would be prepared. Grouse Mountain is considered the Peak of Vancouver at 1200 meters high.  It is a popular ski destination for those in the area during the winter but is probably even more popular in the summer. Nicknamed “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster” the over 2800 steps leading the way up over 800 meters  (about 2.9 km) to the top are no easy feat. Every year, there are thousands who come do the “Grouse Grind”. There is even a contest to see who can climb it the most in 24 hours. I am not the most avid hiker (fake it till you make it) but am probably more experienced than the average person (cough Kilimanjaro, cough). Despite my previous experience, I suffered supremely on this “hike”. I would call this more of steep steps. Being 5”2, I am very disadvantaged when it comes to high steps and had a hard time keeping up with Sheras long, gazelle-like legs. I think it ended up taking us almost an hour and a half to do the whole thing, which was longer than I had anticipated. I mean, I wasn’t in the best shape of my life but didn’t think it would be so hard! For reference, the top time of the day was around 25 minutes… I definitely suggest doing the Grouse Grind but make sure you are prepared both physically and mentally- and have lots of water and snacks!          Once atop the 2830, steps, we ate our snacks and grabbed a coffee before paying the $15 to take the gondola back down. You can’t actually climb back down-which is probably for the best. The gondola is beautiful and well worth the climb. The sights of the city and area are amazing. After our hike, we headed to the ferry Terminal and back to Gibsons. We were the only patrons at Drift Restaurant in town and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It’s too bad the weather wasn’t cooperating because their patio was awesome and had great views of the water. After full tummies, we headed home for a good nights sleep.

Tuesday May 14th 2019          Sadly, it was my last day in BC. Shera and I hopped on the 0830 ferry and picked up Shera’s car that was being looked at in North Van. She dropped me off in downtown after saying our sad but so happy and grateful goodbyes. She had a busy day at work as the new school semester had just started. Since I had my suitcase, I found a post office that stored bags for the day and paid to have my suitcase and large backpack stored. It is an ingenious idea and worth every penny, especially since it was raining and I did not want to be carting my stuff all around town.       After dropping my stuff off, I made my way back over towards Stanley Park and walked in a different way to the Aquarium. Since it was pouring rain, I figured the aquarium was a great place to visit. I was the only adult above the age of 21 there without a child but still had a great time. I learned a lot about sealions during their live show and checked out the many different eco systems they have set up at the Aquarium.        Once I had seen all of the sea creatures, it dawned on me that I hadn’t had much seafood yet this trip, which is sacrilegious when visiting any coastal city. I wandered around downtown and settled on Fanny’s Oysters, which ended up being a fabulous choice! I had several different types of oysters and some that was almost as good as the oysters. Anyone that knows me, knows I can eat my weight in Oysters but I limited myself to a dozen and kept on my downtown stroll. I stopped into Steamworks for a beer in Gastown before grabbing my stuff at the post office and jumping on the train to the airport. The train ride was about 30 mins and seamless. The airport seems so much smaller in comparison to Pearson so getting around it made more sense. I had a lounge pass and was super excited to use it! I enjoyed dinner, drinks and a nice hot shower before getting ready for my redeye back home. I managed to sleep well on my flight home and took a morning bus back into Hamilton.         While there are many places I would still like to see in BC, I really think I did a good job of hitting a bunch of important spots on the trip. Most importantly, I got to spend some quality time with my girl Shera and get a glimpse into the amazing life she has built for herself on the west coast. I see many more visits to come and cannot wait for them!