My ex-downstairs neighbor very kindly offered us the use of his West End studio apartment so we could export Fish Wednesday to the north. We left the slushy streets of Seattle and pointed the Tercel towards Canada. After a brief stop at our favorite patchouli scented bagel joint in Bellingham, we crossed the border with nary a raised eyebrow from the customs officer. They may not look so kindly upon us when we return stateside – we’re carrying six pounds of Murchie‘s tea. Yup, we’ve got your goods. If you’re after Golden Jubilee, you might want to call ahead because we’ve cleaned them out.
Vancouver is, duh, not Seattle, though sometimes in my mind they are the same imaginary city. That’s just wrong – we don’t have nearly as many hipster Japanese and Chinese anymore and we don’t have the late 50’s early 60’s high rises. We are starting to have the shiny new high rises similar to those that scratch the sky of Vancouver’s downtown, but there’s a degree of scale that we haven’t quite reached in Seattle. I’m wondering what happened mid-century that created the need for all this post war vertical housing. What I don’t know about Canada could and probably does fill a book. The history of Western North America is one blurry Americanized Gold Rush to me – clearly, I have some reading to do.
We’re just a couple of blocks off Denman where there are lots of restaurants. This being Fish Wednesday and all, we went to Akira Sushi. I had the Maki Combo – 12 pieces of sushi and a steal at 5.50 CN and J. had the teriyaki salmon bento, also a bargain at 7.50CN. We had to eat fish today – tomorrow we visit the aquarium and are slated for a visit with the conservation specialist who runs Vancouver’s Ocean’s Alive program. This program works with Vancouver restaurants to put sustainable seafood choices on their menus. Tonight’s dinner may be our last conscience free Fish Wednesday, I have a feeling we’re in for some education that will lead to a lot more discerning choices when it comes to future Wednesdays.
The weather, which cooperated most of the day today, has turned rather wet and forced us inside. It’s nice to sit here looking at the checkerboard lit up windows streaky in the rain. It’s also nice to have wifi but no cable, surely in a hotel we’d sprawl on the bed watching trashy TV until late at night. This is much better and much more like being at home, only in a whole new place. I’m for that.
[tags]Vancouver, Fish Wednesday, Ocean’s Alive[/tags]
*sigh* Please give Spinnaker the dolphin a kiss from me.
I can’t believe how many restaurants there are on and around Denman St. now. And the shiny highrises are just popping up like mushrooms. Every time we get back (which isn’t very often, as you know) we have to drive through downtown on our way from the airport to West Van and one can definitely see the changes, especially the vertical ones. It’s kind of unsettling sometimes.
sounds like a very cool trip!
I want to take a trip to austria, and i was thinking, i “sort of ” know someone (i.e. you) who knows austria pretty well. Would you be willing to impart some advice on lesser known good things? if not, no worries:)
Sounds fabulous. Never thought I’d say this…ever…in my life. But we could really use some rain.