We Heart Vancity

Four years ago, Jeremy and I signed a contract promising to take a trip outside the United States every year for the rest of our lives. OK, we didn't *really* sign a contract, but we take traveling very seriously in the Boltano family. (Except, of course, when we don't take it seriously and are instead overly relaxed, which means we end up missing flights, forgetting passports, etc. See #misadventure.) So with a week off from work -- thanks for the shutdown, Amgen! -- but not many hours of vacation in Nicole's bank, we needed to devise an itinerary for a quick but exciting international adventure.

Enter Vancouver, Canada: the city, yes; but also, the island.

We departed for Vancouver on Monday, June 30 straight from Glenwood Springs. A puddle jumper 25 minute flight out of Eagle / Vail regional airport to Denver, then a three hour jaunt over the Rocky Mountains and Seattle to Vancity. Raincouver. Vansterdam. Eh, let's just call it Vancouver, because it is lovely.

As soon as we landed and made our way to a taxi, we felt like we were back in San Francisco. Yes, the percent of the population that would identify itself as Asian was pushing 40%. But the sun was shining bright while the air was still a tad crisp. Restaurants lined the city streets like gyms and yoga studios cover Los Angeles. People carried fabric grocery bags and drove Priuses.

Indeed, likening much of Vancouver to our favorite City by the Bay was the theme of our time in Vancity. And it was great!

With too much to do and too little time, we began our day and a half in Vancouver admitting defeat. Really. Gone are the days when we can walk around an entire city while barhopping and not missing a single site. Not only is Parker not open to such touristing, but Jeremy and I have also realized that it's kind of fun to act like kids again. We skip the bars in order to swing on the swings or slide down a slide. We did make it out to dinner at the well-reviewed Flying Pig at around 5:30 PM. It sounded like this restaurant, a Canadian bistro, would be packed. So to avoid waiting in line, we went early. It was a wise move. Not because of lines, but because Parker was really tired, and he spent most of dinner banging his fork on the table and/or eating crayons. So after our meal, we went to bed pretty much at the same time as Parker did. The sun doesn't set until close to 10:00 PM here, so it wasn't even dark yet!

We began day two with a 3 mile walk from our place in Yaletown to Kitsilano to meet up with our friends from LA (who are from Vancouver and were also here visiting) for breakfast. Kitsilano is my favorite part of Vancouver. Felt just like the Richmond and Sea Cliff in San Francisco. After a lovely breakfast, we spent most of our day in Vancouver running (and bussing) around Stanley Park, the Golden Gate Park of Vancouver.

Downtown Vancouver from Kits Beach

We began at the aquarium, but upon learning tickets were $40 per person, we diverted to the nearest playground, where Parker remained engaged and excited for approximately 15 minutes. Next, we got sucked into accepting a balloon hat from a man dressed as a Canadian Flag. (It was Canada Day, and I have to say, I think Canadians are more patriotic than Americans. Everyone was dressed in red, with maple leaf tattoos on their cheeks.) Anyway, the balloon hat making was some of the worst balloon hat making I've ever seen. I have no idea what this guy made us, but Parker cried throughout the entire interaction. Yes, even as this guy stood on his head and played "O'Canada" on a kazoo while standing upside down, Parker cried. I almost cried, too, actually...

Mr. Canada

From Mr. Canada we wandered a bit more around the park, taking a ride on the Stanley Park Train and then visiting the Lion's Gate Bridge at Prospect Point. The train ride was fun, providing some insight into the First Nations (natives) of Vancouver. Parker was deathly afraid of the person dressed as a large salmon, but when the ride ended, he asked, "Again?" And although our bus driver compared the bridge and viewing point to the Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Point in San Francisco, we have to concede that it doesn't hold a match let alone a candle to anything in San Francisco.

Parker "No Like" the Train

After a lunch and a drink and a bit more sightseeing, we grew tired of the park and decided to walk through town back to our apartment. Robson street is known for its shopping, so we started there. Have to say, it's a lot like Union Street in San Francisco. After Robson Street, we made our way to Gastown, which felt almost exactly like Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach. I know I really shouldn't be making all of these comparisons -- I hate it when Jeremy says a place we are visiting is just like another place we visited. But it's just so TRUE for Vancouver.

Prospect Point: The Fort Point of Vancouver

In Gastown, I had a grapefruit beer which may have been the best beer I ever drank in my life. Parker had a great time walking around, because he kept "pretend crashing" into pretty much everything while yelling, "TRASH!" (with a T) even though he meant to yell, "CRASH!" (with a C). It's rather confusing to onlookers, but hysterical to us. From Gastown we headed over to Canada Place only to realize the last place anyone with a stroller wants to be on Canada Day is Canada Place. So we went back to Yaletown, far from the chaos of Canada Place, had dinner at Yaletown Brewery, and then went home to bed.

If it sounds like we didn't really enjoy ourselves in Vancouver, that's not true. There's a lot to see and do here, and unfortunately, we just didn't have the time to see and do it all. We didn't get to walk on the Capilano Suspension Bridge or hike Grouse Mountain. And we didn't get to drive up to Whistler or out to the Okanagan wine region. We didn't even make it to the market at Granville Island (because we were told it's just like the Ferry Building in SF, but I digress). Never fear, Vancouver. As I said before, you're a LOVELY city, a place I'm sure we'll return as soon as we get Parker to strap on a backpack and/or snowboard. Thanks for a great day and a half!

Thanks, Vancity!