33 posts tagged “out 'n about”

In addition to the aforementioned explosions, our weekend was filled with some colourful culture.

On Saturday, we ventured out for the Powell Street Festival in the notorious Downtown Eastside.  For those who may not know, this poverty-stricken area is the place in Vancouver for drugs, prostitution and other such shady business.  We tend to avoid even driving through there, but the event was going on in Oppenheimer Park (located in the midst of it all), so we jumped on a bus and rode through the craziness.

The festival is a celebration of Japanese-Canadian culture, and we got to experience a little of everything.  We started by perusing the craft booths, which included very cool origami art, hand-crafted tea sets and several sushi-shaped items like jewellery and candle sets.  We tried two Japanese items for lunch: a hot dog with seaweed, terikayi, and wasabi mayo (surprisingly good) and some dorayaki (sweet, bean-filled pancakes).  And we smiled at the few Japanese phrases we overheard and recognized from watching Sailor Moon.

Much like the Sawan Mela event a few weeks ago, the performances here were amazing.  The groups ran the gamut from contemporary (a Japanese-Canadian punk band was rocking out when we arrived) to traditional (featuring one set by the same duo we saw at the Ohanami in April).  We really enjoyed watching the taiko drumming group, whose members managed to combine precision with equal parts exuberance during every piece.

Sunday was the day of Vancouver’s infamous Pride Parade.  After walking around at the Powell Street Festival all day Saturday, staying up for fireworks that night and then completing our regular six-mile run on Sunday morning, we were looking forward to relaxing during this event.  Clearly, we had no idea what we were getting into.

The Pride Parade this year stretched out over 3 miles and took 3 HOURS to finish the route.  Not that this made it boring; oh no, it was 180 minutes of PURE PARTY.  We joined the spectators (estimated to be near 500,000) in clapping, cheering and dancing around as the participants and floats – with their live bands and blasting techno music – cruised by, rainbow-hued flags, banners and balloons flying behind.  The parade was brimming with a celebration of the GLBT community and sexuality in general; I absolutely loved it.

Mixed in with the requisite drag queens and scantily-clad twentysomethings were some unexpected faces.  Coming from the Midwest (where such participation is unheard of), I was pleased to see the number of political figures (current mayor, mayoral candidates, the local MP and the leader of a national party!) joining whole-heartedly in the gaiety.  And there was even representation by the firefighters, police, EMTs, Mounties and armed forces.  Canada, you kick ass.

Overall, the Pride Parade (and the weekend in general) left me with a feeling of pride for how welcoming Vancouver is.  But it also taught me an important lesson: next year, we are totally bringing chairs.

We stopped in at the Sawan Mela festival last weekend.  It was held in the Punjabi Market area, an (East) Indian commercial district in southern Vancouver.  Considering that we’ve been able to bike, ferry or walk to many of our events, we viewed this as a Big Trip Out and took The Couv – even though the round trip was still under 20 miles.

There wasn’t much to do at the festival.  A few booths were set-up for food (roasted corn, curries, ice cream) and sponsors.  I did manage to score some free Timbits, aka donut holes from the Canadian donut giant, Tim Horton’s.  And Shane sampled some kulfi faluda, a pistachio, cardamom and rose-flavoured ice cream with soft noodles on top.  Yum.

Thankfully, the performances made our trek out there more than worthwhile.  Sawan Mela is billed as a celebration of South Asian culture.  So we got to hear traditional South Asian singers (one a duo of five-year-old twins) and watch of variety of South Asian dancers (including one who performed with fire).

My personal favourite was a dance group composed entirely of young boys (probably 8-12 years old).  Decked out in colourful green and blue robes/turbans, they jumped and twirled and kicked around stage with so much enthusiasm and energy, I couldn’t help but smile.  There’s something very rewarding about seeing children of any culture embrace their heritage so warmly.  (Especially on a breeze-less day as hot as that Saturday!)

On Tuesday, we headed over to North Vancouver’s Lynn Canyon Park to do some hiking.  We’ve been to the park several times lately, as it houses a suspension bridge that is fun to show our visitors.  (Or so we assume.)  However, we hadn't yet taken time to explore the many trails in the area.

Hiking in North Vancouver – referred to as the North Shore around here – has long been one of our favourite activities.  Most of the parks in that area continue indefinitely, up into the mountains and beyond.  It doesn’t take long to reach the point where you hear nothing but the sounds of wilderness.  This makes every exploration a great nature escape in a way that urban locales, like Stanley Park (with its buses, trolleys, cars and float planes), can never quite replicate.

We decided to do an hour loop, heading down one side of Lynn Creek and up the other.  We first stopped at the 30-foot pool, a calm area where the rushing water collects in a deep, blue pool.  Since it was a nice day, there were several families cliff-jumping into the pool.  We ate a picnic lunch while watching the wet entertainment, then experimented by dipping our feet in the water.  Although it looked invitingly clear, it was FUCKING FREEZING.  I could barely take more than two steps before I needed to get out; I have no idea how those kids and parents were willingly submerging themselves in it.  (Are Canadians cold-blooded?  Did I miss the memo?)

From that point, we headed up a steep set of stairs to reach a wooden bridge that crosses the canyon and creek (a bit misleading of a name, as this is one powerful flow of water).  On the other side, we walked back along a narrow trail that switched between dirt path, stairs, ramps and wooden boardwalks.  It felt like we were touring someone’s enormous outdoor house, with awesome views of the rapids popping up along the way.  I would definitely walk that route again.

For a change of pace on Wednesday, we visited the Kits Pool in the Kitsilano neighbourhood.  This (human-made) outdoor pool is one of the longest in Canada.  At 137 meters, it’s about the length of 1½ football fields (read: tiring).  It’s also filled with entirely with salt water and HEATED, so we were eager (this time) to jump in.

The pool is located a stone’s throw from the bay, so we set up our towels and picnic supplies on the edge of the fenced-in area, right next to the ocean (with an excellent view of the mountains and downtown).  Then it was back and forth between swimming and lounging in the sun for the afternoon.  Not a bad way to spend a summer day, although it was a bit crowded with all the lap swimmers, out-of-school kids and sunbathers.  Such is life in the big city.

We really do feel spoiled by all our free time and deliciously warm weather that summer has brought to Vancouver.  While I certainly love this city in the rain, it’s a great to have the chance to get out and play in the sunshine as well.

Canada Day commemorates the historic moment on July 1, 1867 when Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada (i.e. Ontario and Quebec) joined in a federation to officially become Canada.  As such, it is often referred to as Canada’s birthday.  The Canadians in Vancouver take this somewhat literally, because at every event we looked at attending, birthday cake was part of the agenda.  Which really goes to show how fabulous this country truly is.  (I mean, if FREE CAKE doesn’t light your immigration fire, I don’t know what will.)

We spent the majority of our warm and sunny Canada Day with the crowd massive, road-clogging crowds on Granville Island.  Highlights of the day included a parade, free flags and pins, a giant map of the world (with rocks symbolizing where attendees were from) and the aforementioned FREE CAKE (preceded by singing the national anthem).  It was fun, although hectic (especially with our bikes!), what with all those people off work (work? haha, suckers).

In the evening, we walked over to the east side of the Stanley Park seawall for fireworks.  The show took place from a barge anchored in Coal Harbour.  By our American standards, the pyrotechnics were remarkably tame.  But the spectators were appreciative (or happily drunk) (or more likely a combination of the two).  All it took was a single big or colourful explosion and everyone would enthusiastically ooh, aah, clap or honk a yacht horn.

Come to think of it, the crowd was probably more entertaining than the display.  I was also amused by the adorable twin boys sitting in front of us.  They cheered for the first five minutes, carefully enunciating “yay Can-na-DAH” as only toddlers can do.  And there were not one but TWO groups of random young people who belted out the national anthem at separate times – both were met by cheers and applause from the viewing masses.

Overall, it was interesting to see how another country observes its national holiday of patriotism.  Compared to the U.S., I would say the day was less about concepts (e.g. freedom, independence) and more about simply raising a glass to mark another year with a good friend.

We hit the streets again this past weekend, attending two outdoor festivals on opposite ends of town.

Saturday it was the Dragonboat Festival.  We made our way down to False Creek near Science World, where the dragonboat races were being held.  There were eight dragon-shaped boats in each heat (with competing teams ranging from recreational to hard-core).  The individual boats contained around 20 paddlers, a steersperson and a drummer (to keep the two paddling sides in sync).  The groups would line up and race 500 meters, working the oars as fast as possible the whole time.  We were impressed at just how quickly the boats were going – the average finishing time for the course was between two and two-and-a-half minutes.

We watched a handful of heats and walked around the festival grounds for awhile.  It’s amazing to me how many people were a part of this event.  The informational handout estimated that 180 teams and more than 4000 athletes were participating in the two-day competition.

On Sunday, we biked over to Greek Day on Broadway (one of the major commercial streets in the Kitsilano neighbourhood).  Similar to last weekend’s Car-Free Day, the road was closed to traffic.  So we traversed several blocks on Broadway on foot, discovering another loose-leaf tea store and enjoying the Greek entertainment (kickass techno music! and dancing!) along the way.  We ate a fabulous gyro and tried loukoumades, which are like mini donuts flavored with honey, cinnamon and sesame seeds.  Of course, we also had to devour this ethnic gem from a familiar store (but in a new location):

And in a moment that wins the Most Surreal Experience award so far in Vancouver, we randomly ran into VeryScaryCarnival and her husband near the end of the evening.  It was definitely strange (but nice) to have someone here acknowledge us and NOT apologize for thinking we were someone else.

As you may have surmised by now, there is a real affection in this city for anything anti-car.  We’ve been here just short of three months, and we’ve witnessed at least one event or demonstration every other week.  We’ve even been stuck at a major intersection walking back from grocery-shopping once, due to the (seemingly never-ending) parade of bicyclists (clothed ones, thankfully) participating in the monthly Critical Mass ride.  I fuckin’ love it.

So of course we joined in on the fun during Sunday’s Car-Free Festival.  Throughout the day, various streets and blocks in Vancouver were limited to traffic of the foot and bike variety.  In the West End, Denman Street (one of the major commercial roads in our area) was closed to vehicles from 12-6.  Much like the Grand Old Day event in St. Paul, food and merchandise vendors lined the street and local businesses spilled over from the sidewalks.

The variety of entertainment was impressive.  We saw musical acts ranging from native to folk (banjo included) to techno to punk.  We watched demonstrations in break-dancing, tango, salsa, and Brazilian martial arts.  And I just about died of happiness over the number of adorable puppies running about.

Conveniently, this event was held THREE BLOCKS from where we live.  So we were able to walk the walk (literally) and leave the car behind.  No worries though, The Couv, we still love your sweet (albeit semi-polluting) ass.

The headlining events we saw this past weekend had two things in common: bikes and a change of clothing.  But the similarities ended there.

First up, the Vancouver Triathlon World Championships.  This four-day competition featured 10 different triathlons for athletes from around the world, all conducted right in our backyard!  We watched the Elite Men’s race in its entirety and were left feeling exhausted by merely witnessing what participants go through.  At that level, they swim 1500m, bike 40k and run 10k, all at speeds that make my running pace the equivalent of standing still.  (Or sitting on the couch, surfing channels and eating kettle chips.)  Add in some unseasonably cool temperatures (plus icy cold ocean water), and you can further see why we were glad to observe this event.  (In fact, it was so chilly, some athletes in the first race of the week suffered from hypothermia.  And a later contest cut the swimming portion out entirely.)

Next up – and just about as far away on the sporting spectrum as one can get – the Vancouver World Naked Bike Ride.  (Yes, you read that right.)  We had heard rumors about this anti-car protest over the years, but never had the, um, pleasure of seeing it ourselves.  The cyclists met at Sunset Beach, where they stripped down (some partially, others completely) and applied body paint before the ride began.  We watched from a healthy distance as the parade of bikes and bums started their slow-moving journey through the streets of downtown, led by official police escorts.  While I don’t understand the exact connection between nudity and car culture, it is certainly an effective way to attract attention.

So we had an interesting weekend, to say the least.   And it opened my eyes to a new and awesome possibility for next year – The Vancouver World Naked Triathlon Championships.  Who’s in?

The last couple of weeks have seen some exciting developments in the beverage department around here.  To start with, we finally received our first TeaSource order from MN!  I’ve been experimenting with new flavors from the local tea stores here (pleased to meet you, Ginger Peach Sencha), but unfortunately, the prices are too steep (haha) to sustain a crazy, loose-leaf tea whore like me.  Even with the extra cost of shipping, my hometown store is STILL cheaper; thus, the delivery of the special package from abroad to feed my addiction.

We’ve also discovered some fun, local drinks.  At Granville Island, we tried the fresh Ginger Mint Orange juice from Fraser Valley Juice and Salad.  Absolutely drool-worthy.  Who would have thought such a combo could taste so good?  We also ordered a Mint Hot Chocolate from the Blue Parrot Coffee café out there – made with real peppermint.  Like a mouthful of warm, liquid candy.  Mmm.

Finally, we stopped for a new kind of bubble tea while shopping at the Metrotown mall.  (Yes, we actually went to a mall!  In Canada!  And it was huge!)  For those who may not know, bubble tea is similar to a shake.  The beverage is generally made with a mixture of fresh fruit, milk, crushed ice and tea.  The signature part of bubble teas are the black, ball-shaped tapioca pearls (or flavored, candy-like jellies) that sit at the bottom of the cup and are sucked through a big straw to add texture to the drink.  (Still with me?)  The one we tried, however, was plum-flavored with gobs of PUDDING on the bottom.  Weird but yummy.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Canada for helping expand my liquid palate.  (And, yes, that includes you, Molson.)

This weekend, we hosted our first official visitors!  My parents flew in to Seattle for Memorial Day and, along with my brother, braved the holiday lines at the border to drive up and see us.  It was the first time my dad has been to Vancouver and, therefore, the first time we’ve ever been in the city as a complete family <cue Full House music>.

Despite a nasty head cold (that knocked me on my ass Thursday-Monday), I enjoyed spending time with everyone.  On Friday, we hit up the Lookout tower (the Vancouver equivalent of the Seattle Space Needle) and saw the newest Indiana Jones movie at a downtown theatre.  On Saturday, we toured Stanley Park, drove both North Shore bridges, walked the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge and stopped by Queen Elizabeth Park (joining dozens of neon-clad high schoolers dressed up for prom).  The weather was perfectly sunny and breezy; we really couldn’t have asked for a better three days.

And, for those of you wondering, we were able to find places to feed my dad.  Not that he needs to be...fed in the literal sense, just that he’s a meat-and-potatoes guy, and this is not so much a meat-and-potatoes town.  But we hooked him up with hamburgers, hot dogs, beef ravioli and prime rib.  So you meat-lovers needn’t worry: you will be welcome here!

On Thursday night last week, Shane and I headed out to Commercial Drive – the “artsy” part of town – for a series of concerts.  The Libra Room along the Drive was hosting four artists as part of the larger New Music West event.  I was particularly interested in seeing Kensington Prairie, an off-shoot of local indie band Maplewood Lane (whose music I know and love).

The Libra Room presents live music every night, so the set-up is perfect for performance.  There is a small, foot-high stage along the front window of the restaurant, creating an intimate feel for the attendees and providing an intriguing peek inside for people passing by.  We sat down at a table not 20 feet away from the stage and ordered a few drinks and dessert (mmm, chocolate fondue).

Each group went on for about 45 minutes.  The first two bands were from Australia – one, a solo female act with a very funky, jazz sound and the other a male and female duo that combined catchy keyboard hooks with a violin to create “gypsy folk.”  (Shane and I both preferred the latter.)  Kensington Prairie played third, and I liked their soothing, country sound (very Hem-like) enough to buy their debut CD after.

But the most entertaining part of the night was the final band, an Icelandic group called Sprengjuhöllin.  With five guys crammed on stage, they rocked the joint with poppy, upbeat tunes, like a foreign meld of Belle & Sebastian with Jimmy Eat World.  They were also hilarious; since most of the songs are in Icelandic, they would makeup names for each piece to amuse the audience.  Examples included Maple Syrup, Hockey Game (Vancouver Wins Over Montreal) and Undress Me With Your Lazy Eye.  Oh, and a song about “how the Canadian border guards are all really nice and the American border guards are really mean and evil.”  Awesome (and also: true).

All in all, our virgin concert experience in Vancouver garners two thumbs up.  And that doesn’t even factor in getting home at 12 a.m. and NOT HAVING TO WORK THE NEXT DAY.  (Ah, the sometimes perks of unemployment.)