2015-05-10 - Vancouver
We found ourselves in Vancouver on a beautiful spring day. I haven't spent much time in Vancouver, and I was pleasantly surprised by a bustling, cosmopolitan city. Vancouver is in many areas significantly more dense than Seattle, and certainly way different than my home town of North Bend. The change of pace was stimulating.
This was my third time to the city and I found myself still enjoying new views. I quite like the waterfront walkways I've found on the city - they tend to not be touristy and instead be integrated into the community. It really feels like residents are "out" and in their shared space. Perhaps this was simply a side effect of the rare beautiful day in the PNW.
Go a bit off the beaten path, and you find yourself in residential neighborhoods much like Seattle. The eclectic mix of periods, sizes, shapes, and architectural styles reminded me a bit of Greenwood.
As I continue to visit, some of the exotic nature of Vancouver is beginning to wear off. I can't tell if this is positive or negative. In any event, a 3 hour drive to Vancouver will put you in another country, another culture, and another city. It's well worth the time and the cost. Oh, and even though the nexus cards didn't save us too much time this time, they totally will next time!
Diana and ring.
Dutch iris (Iris x hollandica)
homo sapiens (Diana Yuen)
Giant ornamental rhubarb (gunnera manicata). Massive and unexpected in an urban park. This thing seriously looks prehistoric, with the large size, the thorns on the underside, and the misshapen leaves. This specimen is about 6 feet tall.
Not a sign I would expect to see in a large urban park. It's sometimes easy to forget that we have been encroaching on animal habitats as long as we have been populating these areas.
Noticing the maple leaf everywhere we go. How do Canadians feel about this? I didn't ask.
What do you need? A poodle on a pole. A pole poodle. Urban art at it's finest.
I noticed the PCT sticker on a door as we were walking back to the car. Trail angels exist in the big urban center too!
I didn't realize it was a thing to put the maple leaf in all these logos. In case you didn't know you were in Canada, I guess. This time replacing punctuation in a Denny's sign.
Continuing to find the maple leaf in unexpected spots. This time on the golden arches.
Water shortages are real, folks.
