Viva Vancouver, viva home!
9,237 miles (14,928km) and 58 days (58 metric days) later, I returned home. August has been a whirlwind: recuperation from the roadtrip; another (relatively) small roadtrip to Tahoe to flyfish, a four-day marathon to write and submit my dissertation prospectus, and some light thinking about the honeymoon to India this December.
Vancouver is easily one of my favorite cities in North America. Last time I was in Vancouver I came down with a nasty flu-like thing, and while I clearly remember being awed by the city’s potential, my other memories of that trip are murky, seen through phlegm-colored glasses.
I have a few friends and family members who say they’ve been to Vancouver and didn’t really like it. I don’t know what isn’t to like—it’s a full-fledged city sandwiched between the mountains and the ocean. It’s got at least a dozen distinct, thriving ethnic communities. There’s a salmon hatchery and a river gorge within city limits. Miles of beaches, amazing restaurant options, friendly people that aren’t annoyingly friendly, gorgeous weather, and a sense of civic pride that isn’t pretentious. I’d move there in a heartbeat if Canada’s economy wasn’t what it is.
More soon. I’ve been sick for a week. Ugh.
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6 responses
Comment posted at 22:59 on Friday, August 27, 2004
Actually Ontario’s economy has been among the best-performing in North America the last few years. But clearly, Toronto is not Vancouver…
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Comment posted at 22:35 on Saturday, August 28, 2004
I’m a big fan of Vancouver too, it’s great. I live on Vancouver island though… You should come here sometime. We have Victoria which is nice, tons of beaches, a lot of lakes, beautiful forests (Thick with ferns, rivers, moss, cedar) and nice people too. Who needs Vancouver? hehe
Yeah, the eonomy isn’t great… There’s no signs of improvement any time soon either.
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Alice
Comment posted at 10:53 on Sunday, August 29, 2004
Welcome back! You’ve been missed.
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Comment posted at 02:08 on Tuesday, August 31, 2004
As a Vancouverite I suppose I am fairly biased, but in all my travels I am constantly reminded how gorgeous home really is. Glad to hear you enjoyed yourself, and thanks for the props regarding your visit.
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Comment posted at 09:11 on Tuesday, August 31, 2004
For the Google record, I’ll point out that I loved my two week honeymoon in Vancouver. The food was awesome, people friendly, and the weather was great.
Stanley Park is a jewel… simply amazing. There are so many great facilites provided by the city, like the huge indoor and outdoor pools. Although Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park is an awesome historical treasure, we don’t have the same live+play energy that Vancouver generates for the downtown.
Hopefully the winter olympics will serve to highlight Vancouver internationall once again.
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Comment posted at 17:45 on Friday, September 03, 2004
And that dog rocks, by the way.
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