Full set of pics here
Monday
-mental soundtrack ---> The New Pornographers
-a hop, skip, and a jump and I'm in another country and gaping at First Nations artwork at YVR
-an entire apartment to myself at the charming Times Square Suites Hotel, perfectly located in the West End steps away from Stanley Park
-dinner at Guu with Garlic: Guuu'd Ale + marinated eggplant + wasabi-marinated mountain potato + soy milk real tofu (cooked at my table) + daikon kimchi + asparagus with aioli dip
-a caramel-coffee buttery bun and a chai tea latte at PappaRoti
-already making new friends left and right because Canadians are so damn nice
-a glorious sunset and a Steamworks Frambozen from my hotel's rooftop patio
Tuesday
-mental soundtrack ---> Lambchop
-a morning stroll to English Bay and then a False Creek Ferry to Granville Island for a wander amongst the shops and design studios and into the Public Market
-a chocolate sprinkled donut from Lee's and a cheese-filled bagel at Siegel's
-mind blown in the superb Museum of Anthropology, housed in Arthur Erickson's modernist concrete take on traditional North-West Coast post-and-beam architecture, with a crash course in First Nations art and much time spent amongst the 10,000+ objects from around the world imaginatively curated in the Multiversity Galleries
-lunch at Fable: Blue Buck Ale + Barnston Island green salad with spiced granola, apples, BC cranberry vinaigrette + tomato soup
-homemade waffle maple berry ice cream at Rain or Shine
-orienting myself at the Vancouver Lookout with 360-degree vistas 169 meters in the air
-SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay in Northern Vancouver, the most beautiful commute ever
-a snakebite and salt-and-vinegar chips on the deck at the Cheshire Cheese Inn
-dinner at Bao Bei: Izio's Choice + shan tofu with chickpea tofu, local greens, straw mushrooms, kimchi cucumber, chili, cilantro + assorted ice creams (Vietnamese coffee, mango and condensed milk caramel, almond and preserved kumquat)
-a Dragon Fly at the Keefer Bar
Wednesday
-mental soundtrack ---> Mungolian Jetset
-breakfast at De Dutch: an Amsterkoek pannekoek with Edam, eggs, Hollandaise + a Nederland victory
-a stop at Thierry to grab a pain au chocolate for later
-the glory of the greenery (and the colors!) at the VanDusen Botanical Garden and the victory of reaching the monkey puzzle tree at the center of their hedge maze
-lunch at Fisherman's Terrace: hot tea + mini sticky rice in bamboo leaves + vegetarian crispy goose + triple mushrooms in rice noodle wrap + shredded taro pancake
-and apparently I needed milk tea with boba on top of that because Aberdeen Centre Asian mall food court
-Adios España!
-chic shopping in Yaletown, including throw pillow lust at Chintz & Company, delicate/tough jewelry purchases at Woo To See You, and amazing space-themed clothing (and a zinger of an iced dirty chai) at Global Atomic Designs
-First Nations art both high-end (at Inuit Gallery) and more in my price range (at Hill's Native Art)
-massive disappointment at Vancouver Art Gallery after learning I would miss the Janet Cardiff exhibition opening by only one day, mood lifted by Bollywood film crew outside
-only day 3 and I can already give accurate public transit directions
-dinner at Blue Water: Jacob's Ladder + abalone mushroom barley risotto with goat cheese, artichokes, green peas, madeira reduction
-a Moscow Mule at Yew
Thursday
-mental soundtrack ---> Bahamas
-breakfast at Acacia Fillo Bar: banitza filled with spinach and feta and served with sour cream
-a rented bike from Spokes and a transcendent morning ride along the Stanley Park Seawall complete with mountain vistas, totem poles, baby ducklings, and cavorting pinnipeds
-lunch at the Teahouse in Stanley Park: Road 13 Honest John White + assorted bites (truffled mini peaches, hummus, roasted chickpeas, a trio of cheeses, warm olives, pecan crisps) + absolutely perfect creme brulee
-the giant koi of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
-a tour of the excellent Rodney Graham exhibition at the Rennie Collection (itself situated in a very beautiful and historical building) and a chance to visit the Martin Creed and Dan Graham pieces in the rooftop garden just as a storm was blowing in
-dinner at Motomachi Shokudo: veggie ramen worth lining up in the rain for
-another bun from PappaRoti
Friday
-mental soundtrack ---> Julianna Barwick
-breakfast at Forage: steel cut oats with quinoa, flax, cinnamon cashew froth + warm scone with honey butter
-one last walk through my tree-lined neighborhood
-an easy bus-to-SkyTrain journey back to YVR
-flight delay just means an excuse to sample a flight of BC whites at Vino Volo