Since the dawn of man, all humans have known someone who had a friend who was a flight attendant. Here, now, I am that friend.Vancouver By The Spokes
This last month I bid for Vancouver trips, and boy did I get 'em. I was in Vancouver every time I took a breath. And so this last time, I actually got out of the hotel room and got into it.
Took a bus downtown to the island. That's what the locals called it, 'the island.' How you're gonna drive a bus to an island is beyond me, but after half an hour and no water, we got there. Hit a bike shop and rented some hideous bikes, along with some equally hideous helmets. Vancouver has a helmet law, and this law ensured I didn't talk to a single girl the entire sojourn.
The bike shop folks pointed us towards a place called Prospect Point. What, I decided after an hour pedaling uphill, they had omitted in their information was that Prospect Point is a damn hour uphill. It was worth it, though... the restaurant at the top is the literal high point of Vancouver, and the view is astounding. We sat on a balcony that juts out over the road we'd just biked up, and out past the trees was the harbor, and then the Pacific. Fantastic.
Also met a beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium. Here, she's saying hi. That's a fat whale.
After a harrowing ten-minute traffic slalom back down the hill, we traded in the bikes for the keys to the city streets. Got a faceful of chocolate cake at a place called True Confections. One of the crew split off to take the bus home, and the beer drinking then commenced. It gets a little hazy after that, but what I think I remember is that we sampled a Canadian beer that you should never ever drink. Unfortunately, what I know happened is that I forgot the name of this beer. And so I apologize to Aviatrix and all my Canadian readers for this lack of warning.
Vancouver is awesome. I can see why so many people rave about it. There's still a crazy bridge there that I'm told I have to see, but beyond that, Vancouver is done.
Took a bus downtown to the island. That's what the locals called it, 'the island.' How you're gonna drive a bus to an island is beyond me, but after half an hour and no water, we got there. Hit a bike shop and rented some hideous bikes, along with some equally hideous helmets. Vancouver has a helmet law, and this law ensured I didn't talk to a single girl the entire sojourn.
The bike shop folks pointed us towards a place called Prospect Point. What, I decided after an hour pedaling uphill, they had omitted in their information was that Prospect Point is a damn hour uphill. It was worth it, though... the restaurant at the top is the literal high point of Vancouver, and the view is astounding. We sat on a balcony that juts out over the road we'd just biked up, and out past the trees was the harbor, and then the Pacific. Fantastic.Also met a beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium. Here, she's saying hi. That's a fat whale.After a harrowing ten-minute traffic slalom back down the hill, we traded in the bikes for the keys to the city streets. Got a faceful of chocolate cake at a place called True Confections. One of the crew split off to take the bus home, and the beer drinking then commenced. It gets a little hazy after that, but what I think I remember is that we sampled a Canadian beer that you should never ever drink. Unfortunately, what I know happened is that I forgot the name of this beer. And so I apologize to Aviatrix and all my Canadian readers for this lack of warning.Vancouver is awesome. I can see why so many people rave about it. There's still a crazy bridge there that I'm told I have to see, but beyond that, Vancouver is done.
posted by Phil at 9:48 PM
9 Comments:
There is no beer in Canada that is bad... it's just your beer-palate has been softened by too much of the soft stuff in Utah... there are a number of well-respected micro-breweries in Vancouver, and so what you experienced might have been one of those.
Glad you are back, my RSS feed is happier for it.
Vancouver is a very fine place, and I need to go back there. Come to think of it, I need to see more of Canada in general...
I wear a bike helmet for a couple of months now and after reading your post today, I have tried to pay close attention: I don't seem to get ignored. I would have expected to, but it doesn't seem to be the case. Strange. Helmets are really not that nice.
This kinda looks like your 4th grade picture, only with a beard. (You didn't like school much!) L.M.
Wow, where did you hide the body???
dph: Don't get me wrong... I like Molson as much as it hates me, and there's one that starts with a K that was good enough that it made me forget the rest of the name. And whereas you're totally right about the Utah beer sitiation, DUDE... whatever this beer was made my hair hurt. R45 or something? Let me know if you've heard of this.
zb: You just know how to work a helmet is all.
L.M.: That's the look I was going for.
sand: Uh... what?
Kokanee, probably. That's what I'll order if I don't know any local beers. The trick is, standard Canadian beer has more alcohol than standard American beer. And standard American beer, your blog suggests, has more alcohol than Utah beer. So you're two notches down, and yeah.
I have always worn a bike helmet on a bike and a seatbelt in a car. They're just standard safety devices.
You look like someone who is getting ready to need to hide a body in the helmet picture.
Avi: Yeah, Kokanee was what that was. Good stuff.
Sand: I had actually just finished burying the Canadian congressman responsible for that helmet law. I forget you've seen what I look like digging six-foot holes.
Post a Comment
<< Home