After we picked up the rental car we set off to downtown to find our hotel. As we headed down Oak Street we kept going through intersections where the green light would begin to blink. Both of us slightly panicked, watching what all of the other drivers around us were doing. With Garrett driving, we safely made it to our hotel. At the front desk of the hotel Garrett asked the clerk what the lights meant. He said that the blinking green lights mean the intersection is controlled by pedestrians....the lights basically saying, "Look out for pedestrians!" But as we continued to drive around town, our dear clerks explanation didn't make any sense, so turned to the wonderful world-wide-web for answers. The green blinking lights mean that cross traffic has a stop sign, not a stop light, so don't be surprised if a car darts into the intersection trying to get into traffic.....just in case you need to know for your next trip to Vancouver.
So, we found the hotel. Vancouver is such a beautiful city and, as far as Garrett and I could tell, didn't really have a "bad" part of town.....except for the block our hotel was on and the neighborhood surrounding it. By the time we settled into our room at the hotel we were starving but had no idea where to go. We stepped out of the hotel and directly across the street was an empty Vietnamese restaurant advertising their grand opening. Since we both knew that we liked Vietnamese food (side note: some of you might not know this, but Garrett briefly worked at a Vietnamese restaurant when we moved here just after we were married), we decided to make everything easy and eat there. Despite the funny tasting water and the smell of freshly painted walls, it was a good call. The food was delicious and warmed us up on a rainy day. The next day we had lunch at a hot dog stand my boss recommended called, Japadog. Yes, Japanese style hot dogs....weird sauces and hot dogs topped with dried seaweed. Different and not what I expected, but definitely good.
It was a little gray and gloomy during our stay, but we did have semi-clear day which worked perfectly as our sightseeing day. Before our day truly began, we had to stop and buy another umbrella. I brought one assuming that we would be fine sharing, but we soon learned that it was just a hassle, not convenient at all. So Garrett got his big, green umbrella which he is now very protective of because....it is Canadian. We began our next adventure by touring Stanley Park, a 1,000 acre urban park that borders downtown Vancouver. The first thing I noticed were the fall colored maple trees. I miss seeing so many colors in the fall. Don't get me wrong....I love living in paradise, but the lack of changing seasons turns my year into one big green blur. I need lots of color! So I was able to get my fix while we enjoyed the view of the Vancouver skyline. The second thing I noticed were the black squirrels running in every which direction. They were speedy little guys, so they were hard to photograph.
While in Stanley Park we visited the Vancouver Aquarium. What I looked forward to the most were the beluga whales. They were absolutely beautiful. I couldn't get over how white they actually were. Did you know that they bump on top of their heads is scientifically called a melon? And although I have a great fear of jelly fish, they were fun to watch and posed beautifully for the camera.
As we drove around Stanley Park, we stopped at Lions Gate Bridge. Do any of you watch Psych? Do you remember the episode when they go to Vancouver? At the end of the episode, Shawn and Juliet start making out on this lookout platform called Prospect Point. Well, as soon as Garrett and I began heading toward Prospect Point to see Lions Gate Bridge I recognized it immediately! From the platform is a beautiful view of North Vancouver, Lions Gate Bridge, the entrance to Vancouver Harbor, and much more.
At Brockton Point in Stanley Park we visited the totem poles, one of the most famous monuments in Vancouver. The totem poles are amazing pieces of art from the aboriginal natives of the area. The totem poles weren't idols or worshiped in any way, but they each had a meaning.
Yes, eventually we did leave Stanley Park. We crossed Lions Gate Bridge and headed to North Vancouver where we intended to go Capilano Suspension Bridge. I believe it's about 450 feet long and 250 feet above the Capilano River. But when we got there we found out that it cost about $25/person and was super crowded, so we decided to go with the next best thing....Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge. This bridge is around 150 feet high and narrower, making it more wobbly. We didn't spend much time on the bridge because it made me nervous, but even I will admit that it was pretty awesome.
I think that Garrett would say that his two favorite parts of North Vancouver were the fish hatchery and the sea bus. Maybe I'll have Garrett get on here and do his own post about the fish hatchery and the sea bus because I didn't find it to be all that great. The hatchery smelled and birds were eating dead fish by the river. Not to mention that the big, ugly fish swimming upstream only entertained me for about 2 minutes. And the sea bus.....what can I say.....it was like being on a bus, but on the sea, in the dark. But it made my boy happy. Oh, the simple joys in life.
While we were in North Vancouver we drove up Highway 99. For those of you who don't know, Highway 99 runs through the tiny town of Gridley, the town that both Garrett and I were raised in, so we decided to take a nice drive on that same highway, but in Vancouver. The view was gorgeous as we drove up the coast at sunset, driving past small islands completely covered in pine trees. An unforgettable sight.
Granville Island= huge indoor farmers market, local artists, awesome food, delicious crepes (yes, crepes get their own category), and lots of fun. For those of you who know State Street in Santa Barbara, that's what would compare Granville Island to, but Granville was so much better! It's the shopping district of Vancouver. Small boutiques, artists doing work in their studios, theaters, and the marina. And did I mention the crepes?
Although we couldn't' do much here, we stopped in at the Richmond Olympic Oval, which is HUGE. The building is now used as a rec center for community members.
Since it was cold and rainy, Garrett was kind enough to treat me to hot chocolate every night at a cafe around the corner from our hotel, called Blenz. Mmm.....so good. Instead of staying in the hotel while I worked on my homework and Garrett worked on his presentation, we brought our laptops with us one night and took advantage of the free wi-fi, and sipped on our hot cocoa while we worked.
Let me start by saying that Garrett was brilliant at the ASME Conference. He had a breakfast with all of the other engineers which wives were not invited to, so I wandered around the building and took pictures of the interesting architecture, the harbor, and the gardens on top of the building. Garrett presented two papers at this conference. He presented the papers, did a Q and A at the end, and did it all like he'd done it 100 times before. He's a natural. We sat through other presentations as we waited for his turn. Garrett, I'm sure, enjoyed himself. I on the other not only couldn't understand the broken English of some of those presenting, but didn't understand the subject either. But I understood Garrett. I know that I'm bias, but he was the most interesting, not dull like the the others, and explained things very clearly so that everyone could understand....so, so much more than I can say for many of the others. Now, Garrett is published! Garrett should probably do his own post about the conference because he knows so much more about it than I do. All I can say is that he was amazing.
We ended our trip by touring Gastown, aka old town Vancouver. I love Gastown almost as much as I love Granville Island. The same kind of vibe was there. There is so much history in Gastown and so much life! We strolled along the main street, took lots of pictures, and stopped for dinner at Steamworks. It was after dinner that we took our quick ride on the sea bus that I mentioned earlier. Garrett was so giddy when I said that I would go and we bought our tickets. Once we bought our tickets we had to run in order to make it in time. Once we got to our destination we got off and hopped right back on to head to Blenz for my nightly dark hot chocolate!
Vancouver was is such a wonderful place to visit. There is so much more to say, but that might have to come another time. Garrett and I would definitely like to go back someday, but until then we have many other things to do and places to go!
