January: Still in Vancouver!
January 1-3: Vancouver for NYE
Wednesday 1/1: Morning Run, Polar Bears, Arts Club Theatre, Science World
What a beautiful morning to welcome in 2020! Blue skies and plentiful sunshine once the big puffy clouds moved off after the sunrise. My morning jog/walk along the Seawall up to Canada Place was breathtaking, with clear views of the mountains and the sunlit clouds. Canada Place was still decorated for the holidays, so I got to see the trees and holiday displays sponsored by various businesses as well as the big holiday light moose at the end overlooking the Bay.
We repeated our breakfast buffet and then headed off in the sun towards English Bay Beach to check out the preparations for the 100th anniversary of the Polar Bear Swim. The official plunge was scheduled to begin at 2:30pm, but there were lots of folks out on the beach already and doing their own DIY plunges to start off the year. We'll definitely need to participate next time!
We walked along the path by the water, admiring the views and public art and all of the dogs out walking their humans! The Aquabus provided our transportation over to Granville Island, where the Market was closed for the holiday so we had to make do with one of the few eateries open for a quick lunch. Bummer about the mayo-y shrimp salad in the sandwich! Our matinee performance of "Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley" by the Arts Club Theatre was wonderful -- great cast, fun feminine script, and third-row seats for an intimate experience.
We hopped back onto the Aquabus for the 20-minute ride across the water to Science World, one of the few attractions open on New Year's Day. Our focus was on the special Cats & Dogs exhibition, where we learned some very interesting new facts about our four-footed friends. We also perused the gallery on the human body and the "Eureka" area with lots of interactive and hands-on displays.
Since the weather was still cooperating with no rain, we decided to walk back to the hotel, admiring the lights of the city and pausing along the way for some browsing along Robson Street and picking up some take-out for dinner. Unfortunately, Pokerrito was closed, which was quite disappointing as I'd had my heart set on another yummy bowl with kelp noodles, so I made do with the salad bar at Whole Foods instead. We both managed to get back to the hotel in time for Happy Hour drinks and snacks and then finished off the evening with more "Witchblade" and wine in our room.
Thursday 1/2: Yoga, Food Tour, Locavore Dinner
I started off with the 1-hour Move Well yoga class with Krysty and was the only student for the day. Then I grabbed a quick bite at the breakfast buffet while Mr. E had an Americano before we headed out to the meet-up spot for our Secret Food Tour of the Gastown area. My navigation error had us thinking that the tour wasn't going to happen (the other tour we had booked for earlier in the week had been cancelled), but luckily our guide, Liam, called Mr. E's cell so we were able to make a course correction and find the group just two blocks away at the correct meeting spot. Oops!
The other tour participants included two college student brothers from a small town near Perth, Australia, and a single guy from Chicago. All three of them were planning to attend the hockey game that evening, so that became a frequent topic of conversation, especially since our tour guide also works at the sports bar at the arena.
We began with sushi followed by [fried] fish tacos then vegan "Buffalo wings" (cauliflower) and "calamari" (oyster mushrooms) and a cronut and finishing with organic soft-serve ice cream. Liam did a great job of requesting modifications to the food to accommodate my allium and dairy issues at each location. The weather continued to be cold and rainy, so we got a bit damp and chilly on our walk back to the hotel.
After getting warmed up and drying out our clothes, we headed to our final Happy Hour at the H Lounge for pre-dinner drinks. Our final dinner was at nearby Forage, a seasonal locavore spot on Robson Street. We started with the charcuterie board for Mr. E and the cheese board to share, both of which were quite plentiful and accompanied by house-made bread and lavash-style crackers. Our mains were from the Sea (tuna) for me and the Land (tomahawk pork chop) for Mr. E. We also had regional beer and wine to accompany the food. Delicious! Definitely a spot we could and would visit again.
Back at the hotel, we packed up and spent time reading (me) and at the bar (Mr. E). My special Negroni from H2 was tasty with the Amaro instead of Campari, and Mr. E enjoyed his multi-layer chocolate cake for dessert as we wrapped up our Vancouver visit.
Return for the Memorial Day holiday??
Wednesday 1/1: Morning Run, Polar Bears, Arts Club Theatre, Science World
What a beautiful morning to welcome in 2020! Blue skies and plentiful sunshine once the big puffy clouds moved off after the sunrise. My morning jog/walk along the Seawall up to Canada Place was breathtaking, with clear views of the mountains and the sunlit clouds. Canada Place was still decorated for the holidays, so I got to see the trees and holiday displays sponsored by various businesses as well as the big holiday light moose at the end overlooking the Bay.
We repeated our breakfast buffet and then headed off in the sun towards English Bay Beach to check out the preparations for the 100th anniversary of the Polar Bear Swim. The official plunge was scheduled to begin at 2:30pm, but there were lots of folks out on the beach already and doing their own DIY plunges to start off the year. We'll definitely need to participate next time!
We hopped back onto the Aquabus for the 20-minute ride across the water to Science World, one of the few attractions open on New Year's Day. Our focus was on the special Cats & Dogs exhibition, where we learned some very interesting new facts about our four-footed friends. We also perused the gallery on the human body and the "Eureka" area with lots of interactive and hands-on displays.
Since the weather was still cooperating with no rain, we decided to walk back to the hotel, admiring the lights of the city and pausing along the way for some browsing along Robson Street and picking up some take-out for dinner. Unfortunately, Pokerrito was closed, which was quite disappointing as I'd had my heart set on another yummy bowl with kelp noodles, so I made do with the salad bar at Whole Foods instead. We both managed to get back to the hotel in time for Happy Hour drinks and snacks and then finished off the evening with more "Witchblade" and wine in our room.
Thursday 1/2: Yoga, Food Tour, Locavore Dinner
I started off with the 1-hour Move Well yoga class with Krysty and was the only student for the day. Then I grabbed a quick bite at the breakfast buffet while Mr. E had an Americano before we headed out to the meet-up spot for our Secret Food Tour of the Gastown area. My navigation error had us thinking that the tour wasn't going to happen (the other tour we had booked for earlier in the week had been cancelled), but luckily our guide, Liam, called Mr. E's cell so we were able to make a course correction and find the group just two blocks away at the correct meeting spot. Oops!
The other tour participants included two college student brothers from a small town near Perth, Australia, and a single guy from Chicago. All three of them were planning to attend the hockey game that evening, so that became a frequent topic of conversation, especially since our tour guide also works at the sports bar at the arena.
We began with sushi followed by [fried] fish tacos then vegan "Buffalo wings" (cauliflower) and "calamari" (oyster mushrooms) and a cronut and finishing with organic soft-serve ice cream. Liam did a great job of requesting modifications to the food to accommodate my allium and dairy issues at each location. The weather continued to be cold and rainy, so we got a bit damp and chilly on our walk back to the hotel.
After getting warmed up and drying out our clothes, we headed to our final Happy Hour at the H Lounge for pre-dinner drinks. Our final dinner was at nearby Forage, a seasonal locavore spot on Robson Street. We started with the charcuterie board for Mr. E and the cheese board to share, both of which were quite plentiful and accompanied by house-made bread and lavash-style crackers. Our mains were from the Sea (tuna) for me and the Land (tomahawk pork chop) for Mr. E. We also had regional beer and wine to accompany the food. Delicious! Definitely a spot we could and would visit again.
Back at the hotel, we packed up and spent time reading (me) and at the bar (Mr. E). My special Negroni from H2 was tasty with the Amaro instead of Campari, and Mr. E enjoyed his multi-layer chocolate cake for dessert as we wrapped up our Vancouver visit.
Return for the Memorial Day holiday??
posted by jms | 10:44 AM
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