The Wild Wild West Adventure: Stop 9-Vancouver

Danielle and I have spent the last three days in and around Vancouver. Some observations: Canada is expensive, Vancouver is really pretty, our hosts have been amazing, there is a lot of good food to eat here!

On the first day we went around downtown and saw all the major sites: Stanley Island, Gastown, West End, English Bay, and Robson Street. We also got pretty good at finding our way around the city by the end of the day. We started out on Robson St, the shopping district. We didn't buy much because Canada is more expensive than the US (see observation #1). We at lunch at an Indian restaurant and saw a very cheesy Bollywood film with more costume changes in 5 minutes than some Broadway plays.

After lunch we went to Stanley Island and rented bikes and rode them around the sea wall and then walked around the West End which was full of delicious restaurant after delicious restaurant. Then we headed to the oldest part of Vancouver, Gastown which has Victorian buildings and cobblestone streets and 1,001 tourists.

On Wednesday we drove to Whistler (site of the 2010 Olympics, remember?) and hiked to the Lost Lake (lots of lost and hidden bodies of water on this trip. Hidden Lake in Glaicer, Lost Lake in Whistler and there was a Lost Lagoon in Vancouver). Whistler has done a great job marketing themselves as a year round resort and there were lots of people out hiking, mountain biking and swimming (it was 75, max. How they were swimming is beyond me.) After our hike we went into Whistler town and walked around enjoying the sunshine. We found a place with a patio and a wings and beer special and enjoyed our treats outside until the wind picked up. We drove back and saw the sun setting behind the mountains and the sea. So pretty.

Today we went to Granville Island and went to the farmer's market and the public market which is like Eastern Market for you DC dwellers, but nicer because they have more food options. It was a gourmand's paradise and it was mouth-watering. We didn't eat there because we met our host, Catherine, and her son Geoffrey at a nearby restaurant for lunch. We sat outside and took in the view. I had the best salmon burger of all time.

After lunch we headed back to the public market and got dessert, it was just too tempting not to. Then we drove to Grouse Mountain with the intention of taking the cable car up to the top but we changed our minds when we saw that it was $40 a person! (again, see observation #1.)

Tonight we took Catherine and her husband Kevin out to dinner to thank them for being such wonderful hosts (see observation #3). The restaurant overlooked all of Vancouver from a hill and we had a view of the sunset as we ate (see observation #2). The food was delicious (see observation #4.).