Van City 2016

Each time I visit Vancouver, BC, I become more convinced that I could happily live there.  Our quick trip last weekend to "Van City" was no different.  We enjoyed a full and active couple days of shopping, good food, cherry blossoms, beaches, ferry rides, market meandering, and a few playgrounds mixed in.  Of course, first thing Friday we stopped for lunch at Vij's Rangoli where I wisely ordered the Bombay potatoes covered in channa dahl and Bengali curry. I definitely need to learn how to make this dish.  Wy's mango lassi and pakoras were top notch too.  Then we headed to the West End and Stanley Park for the afternoon.

And yes, more about the food . . . We discovered a nice brunch spot on Granville Street, the Twisted Fork.  My Asiago scones with fresh fruit and yogurt and Wyatt's banana-stuffed French toast got top marks.  I think Wyatt's favorite meal was actually the one we had at Earl's -- a Canadian stand by -- where he ordered crispy chicken and pasta alfredo and a passion fruit soda . . . and then also ate much of my Caesar salad.  He's growing I think.

One morning, we stopped in at Design House and its Marimekko shop where I snagged a couple lovely pillow covers.  While there, Wyatt fell in love with a well-designed floor lamp that he insisted he needed for his room.  Since he didn't have $600, however, he had to leave it behind.  He was visibly crushed (and there were tears), but after some sympathy from us, he agreed to take his picture with the light so he could at least remember it and look at it now and then.

Our first night in Vancouver, we headed back to the hotel early (since Byron was still getting over a cold) and after grabbing some jr. mints at the shop nearby, we tucked ourselves into bed and watched Zootopia until everyone fell asleep. Not a bad movie at all.

Our biggest day of sights took us wandering all over Yaletown, then finally to False Creek, where we caught the ferry to Granville Island.  After lunch and wandering around for a few hours, we took a ferry back to Yaletown and meandered back up to our hotel at Burrard and Robson.  Byron's fit bit claims we walked seven miles.  Wyatt too.

    

Wyatt and I took advantage of the hotel's Jacuzzi and pool to rejuvenate ourselves before we went out to dinner.  Apparently, it was such a relaxing prelude to the evening, Wyatt fell asleep at the restaurant before his entree arrived. Dinner turned into a nice date night with a sleeping child -- a belated anniversary dinner to celebrate our 22nd at Italian Kitchen. 

We came home Sunday via Kits beach and West Vancouver, including a self-guided tour through the lush, green, and rapidly growing UBC campus.  We arrived back in Seattle to a grandpa and two cats who had missed us, making me glad to live here -- at least for now.