Vancouver, BC 30 August 2015

Last Ferry to the Big City

We eagerly left the West Coast Wilderness Lodge -- not a happy stay -- and headed down the coast to the ferry to Horseshoe Bay -- biggest ferry yet, four vehicle decks, and an astonishing number of cars. Nary an ethnic person on board; all squeaky white folks in their big vehicles, heading for the most ethnically diverse city in North America.

With a couple of hours to spare before our date with our next host, we rambled about Vancouver until we found Richmond and its Public Market. We had heard good things about its food court, but it didn't appeal. On the way in to the insanely tiny parking structure (called a Parkade in Canadian) I had seen a noodle place across the street, so after purchasing some produce in the market, we crossed the street and became the only squeaky white folks in the restaurant.

We connected up flawlessly with our host, an energy consultant I have been corresponding with for some time, and who's loaning us his apartment on the 5th floor of a building beside English Bay, right in the heart of the West End restaurant district. After joining him for a beer and a salad, we walked back to our apartment, passing on the way this curious gathering of giant laughing men in a public square at the foot of our street, Davie Street.

A little later, we rejoined the vivid Vancouver street scene to look up one of our host's recommendations, Kadoya Sushi, where we had a little bit of dinner. We also found some Okanagan cherries, the last of the season. We are not going to go hungry in Vancouver...

So far, an interesting fact: every place where we can see the water, we are happy. Where we can't, not so much. We hope this rule does not hold, because we have only one more water-view place, in Seattle ... then it's family and Ashland. Is Shakespeare as good as water? We'll know next week!

We returned to Vancouver's English Bay and Rochelle took the picture again in 2023.