Vancouver: Continued!

Sorry for the delay getting the rest of our Vancouver photos posted.  Seems like this has been a busier week than usual, so I will keep this post full of photos and short on descriptions!: 

Here are David and I out for dinner at Joe Fortes, a famous seafood restaurant and chop house in Vancouver, which we visited with dear friends M. and I.:

A self-portrait of my dear M. and me, walking along the sea wall earlier that day.  I love you M!:

Before that, we drove over the famous Lion's Gate Bridge to North Vancouver where we looked at sofas (thanks for indulging me) and had coffee and lunch and talk!:

The sea wall in Stanley Park, with the Lion's Gate Bridge in the distance:

A pretty little gray visitor waiting for us to feed him (which we did not):

North Vancouver from the sea wall at Stanley Park:

The next day David and I walked to Granville Island, an old historical industrial site that has been restored to include a lovely array of artisan and gift shops, a marvellous food market, a marina, and so on.  This is me en route across the bridge over top of the Island (actually a peninsula)..:

Another shot of me and Vancouver, with the Burrard Street bridge in the background: 

David at the Granville Island Public Market.  David is an avid chef, so the gourmet market delighted him to no end: 

 David is an adventurous eater.  Later that day, he sampled the wild boar terrine (seriously).  I had a (real Montreal boiled) bagel:

Fresh flowers abound at the market.  This was my happy place (I loved this interesting combination of peach with pink and purple!):

The flowers went on forever (further proof that I should live here):

Being a sweets lover, naturally the pastries caught my eye:

Mille feuilles (a thousand layers) are a good thing:

There was plenty of Canadian hunter-gatherer fare. I once had morels stuffed with foie gras (delicious but an ethical low...so now I take my morels neat):

The gourmet finds included sea asparagus (yum!):

And local key limes:

More desserts, tempting me to take that pastry course I've been dreaming about:

There was lavender in pretty pots:

And seagulls that flock: 

Later in the day we tried on hats.  People always say I look good in hats, but I rarely wear them.  I did covet this one, which made me feel a little "Elliot Ness" (see below):

A still from "The Untouchables"

Next we visited the boat lift, where yachts and sailboats are lowered from the shipyard to the marina:

In my next life, I should like to have a sailboat at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club:  

After leaving Granville Island, we took a lovely walk through Kitsilano where we visited this magnificent community garden.  Community gardens make me feel very proud of my fellow human beings who seek meaning and solace and sustenance in the soil: 

Roses aplenty with a view of downtown:

Foxgloves (gorgeous and toxic too):

Our walk ended up at the Arbutus Cafe, a perfect place for a coffee and a rest:

Before a ferry ride back across the water to our hotel:

What perfect days...!

The Vancouver Experience: Day 1

We just returned from a lovely trip to Vancouver.  I thought I'd give you a quick tour of the sights from Day 1.  We stayed at the beautiful downtown Four Seasons where David attended a conference.  I could get very accustomed to a $24 breakfast buffet every day (pain au chocolate, beautiful fresh fruit and pastries, Bircher muesli, etc.) and having a smart young man in uniform open the door for me every time I walk by. 

We stayed here: 

And this was our room (right after I got up!).  The down pillows were almost too squishy and the featherbed made it impossible to turn over, let alone get out of bed when required.  In other words, perfection:

The room was tastefully decorated but rather plain.  I loved the leather headboard and the beautifully pale wallpaper that looked like grasscloth. The colours were very quiet.  There was twice-daily housekeeping and a wonderful concierge (thanks Winnie!).  We really enjoyed staying there.  All the bathroom goodies were from l'Occitane, and smelled delicious (lemon body wash!).  Ahhh...to be independently wealthy in my next life...I should like to live in a hotel.

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On my first morning, I got a Starbucks (not hard to find in Seattle, er, Vancouver...sorry forgot where I was with a Starbucks on every corner!).  Then I walked around the eastern part of downtown where I came upon Canada Place, which was the Canadian pavillion from Expo 86:

Vancouver sits oceanside and downtown is surrounded by water on three sides, so it is truly gorgeous and there are water views everywhere you look.

This is the view of downtown looking back from Canada Place, which was lonely except for a few tourists:

After wandering a bit, I visited historic Gastown, where I forgot to take photos!  I did visit two antique/junk/curio shops - for the locals, these are "Salmagundi" (eccentric and fun) and "Uniques" (junky) on West Cordova.

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Then I walked all the way to Yaletown, a former industrial area that's been gentrified and yuppified within an inch of its life and is packed with hip restaurants and shops.

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Of course, en route I stopped at Chintz & Co to admire the pickled white mahogany furniture: 

I really wanted the little table above, which was about $750 and made of solid mahogany.  Doesn't look like your Grandma's mahogany, does it?  It made me suffer a moment of deep sadness that all my furniture is brown and I cannot redecorate on a whim!

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I liked this little pedestal table (below).  Luckily it was too high for the space I want to fill:

This cabinet (below) almost came home with me, but since I don't have 10 foot ceilings I would have had to build a room on to accomodate it.  Not so practical maybe:

I also liked this little vignette with the giant wicker chair and cerused demin-lune.  A little Miami perhaps.  Loved the faux forsythias too (that is me in the mirror!):

Next stop, naturally, was the ever famous The Cross store, a large decor store where all the traditional and boho girls in Vancouver get their style fix:

I grabbed a shot of this painting as it beckoned me to take it home.  I was also very fond of the sophisticated silvery sconces:

The store was full of staff and shoppers and I was feeling uncharacteristically shy, so I didn't grab too many photos.  I did love this whole bedroom story:

Everything in this photo was very expensive.  I wanted to bring home a pillow, but they were $400 each.  But what glorious colours and patterns for girls with maxed out credit cards and/or rich husbands:

After leaving The Cross empty-handed, I came across this wonderful hat store on Hamilton at Davie, called Goorin's. I had a nice chat with the shop keeper.  They sell very cool hats to very cool people, mostly young people I reckon who do cool jobs and have cool lives I don't understand:

Then I had lunch at a wonderful little French pastry shop (sorry, no photos) where I sat out in the sun and fed the birds my sandwich and then had a big latte.  Ahh...the life! 

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After 9h of walking, I came back to the hotel and met David. I wanted to sleep and rest, but he insisted we go out again.  We had a nice dinner over on English Bay and then walked along the western sea wall:

Vancouver is just so beautiful.  If I lived here, I would walk along the water every day!  And do more yoga, and get a dog.

Hope you've enjoyed my first day in Vancouver.  Sorry this was a quick post, but I have a busy week and just wanted to share as I know you were all dying to find out about my trip!!!

Windlost Goes to Vancouver

Ken McAllister Photo:  Tourism Vancouver Photo of the Week

As you know, Windlost loves to travel!  Next week David and I will be visiting Vancouver.  This will be my third visit to Canada's loveliest city, but the first visit of any duration.  We will stay for four days and I can hardly wait to experience Vancouver's glorious oceanside beauty.  It is no exaggeration that Vancouver is Canada's most beautiful city and one of the most expensive in which to live.  But no wonder...Vancouver is nestled between ocean and mountain and has the mildest weather in all of Canada.  It is a utopia for Canadians after a dark snowy winter, especially if you don't mind rain (and to-die-for gardening conditions)!

One delightful treat will be staying at a fine downtown hotel while David attends a conference. I plan to take Wednesday all to myself for some much-needed Alone Time (do you hear me busy people...a whole day to myself?!!!!).  I love to wander in new cities and don't mind spending the day alone - I know that Vancouver's downtown peninsula is chock full of goodness and will not disappoint.  If I have time I will check out some shops (I have a short list) and visit the art gallery.  I still have more research to do, but hope mostly to go where the wind blows me.  I love days like this!

Canada Place

On my second day, my dear friend M. from Victoria arrives to spend the day with me. Later that night, her husband will arrive and the four of us will have a fancy dinner out.  During the day, M. and I plan to explore Stanley Park, walk along the sea wall, and do some antiquing along Main Street.  On the third day, David will take me to some of his favorite places. Since he is a UBC alumnus, he knows this city well.  We will visit his old neighborhood, Kitsilano, and also visit Chinatown.  My favorite stop will be Granville Island, which is full of artist's shops and food markets.  Last time I was here, we spotted David Suzuki buying fresh fish (a typical sight for Vancouverites visiting this area), which was a thrill for me!

I am at your mercy as I do not know Vancouver well, so...do you have any suggestions for me? Is there a favorite decorating shop or antique store you can recommend?  Some great architecture not to miss?  A must-visit restaurant or sight?

Do tell! 

Leavin' on a Jet Plane ~

David and I are off to gorgeous west-coast Victoria tomorrow for a 4-day long weekend.

What a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday weekend! We are expecting plenty of rain (my favorite thing after chocolate), green grass and flowers, and otherwise stormy oceanside weather. I'm looking forward to wandering and walking with David, visiting with my best friend Margaret and my aunt Sharon, who both live there, and basically feeling free and happy for 4 whole days!

We're also hoping to buy some table linens for the new house. Calgary, despite the oil and housing boom, doesn't have much in the way of unique home decor boutiques. Okay, there are some but I've exhausted them all. And Victoria has some little gems. Plus, thanks to its English colonial roots and wealthy retirees, we expect there to be plenty of stuffy linen stores!

I just can't wait to walk in the rain and admire the greenery and breathe the cool ocean air...