Clay and Erika Do Vancouver - pt. 1

...and we're off!!

...like a herd of turtles...

Who knew that the roads would be so crowded on thanksgiving morning?? Shouldn't these people be with family? Argh. It's driving me nuts. Took us forever to get out of the city, but once we finally did things picked up and we were at the border in about 2 hours. It was cute - Clay was nervous but luckily the canucks let us in no problem. Another half hour or so and we were in Vancouver - it was beautiful!

We checked into our hotel and immediately set out to find the Cowboys/Seahawks game, which we did at a local bar and grill. Immediately upon entering we ask the bartender if the NFL game is on and Clay quickly announces "We're American!". I'm pretty sure that was his way of explaining the desire to watch american football, but to me it brought back the scene from "The Saint" when Elizabeth Shue is running for the American Embassy gates through the rioting crowd and she yells "I'm an American!!" as she runs as fast as she can to the closing gates.... I'm quite sure that our situation wasn't as desparate - but it sure felt like it!

So there we sat and ate lunch while watching the game (Seattle sports teams are a lost cause by the way) and quizing the locals on what we needed to do during our visit. I'm so glad we did because they recommended we go check out Granville Island - an artsy island just across the river from Vancouver. Even more importantly they recommended a restaurant called "The Sand Bar" that was WONDERFUL. The food was great but the heated patio and view were amazing: the patio was covered and enclosed on 3 sides with heat lamps throughout, a huge fireplace on one side, candles everywhere, and tables with big comfy chairs with a blanket thrown over the back of each seat. The view was amazing - here's an example -->

The next day we decided to take the hop on/hop off trolley that went all the way around the city and was equipped with drivers who narrated the tour. It was definitely a good decision as we got the back story on the city, got to see all of the different neighborhoods within the city, and most critically - was covered!! It rained all day Friday and Saturday - you'd think we'd be used to it by now, but it sure puts a bit of a damper on tourist activities! Nevertheless, we managed to check out the city and see beautiful Stanley Park where a few HUGE old trees actually survived the logging era (we can't wait to go back during the spring or summer and see all of the greenery without the rain), trendy Yaletown and Gas Town, and the largest lived in Chinatown in North America.

So that's the good part of our trip. Don't you worry though - there were definitely times that made us not such huge fans of canada...(it wouldn't be a peach in the rain post without some rough time rants!) So after walking around in the rain realizing we could either shop or eat....or eat or shop...we decided we should hit up some museums. So we headed over to the space museum where I wanted to see a planetarium show - easy enough since the trolley is hop on/hop off, right?? Almost. So we get to the museum, hop off our trolley, and go inside. Doh. All the planetarium shows are over!! Fine. We look around in the gift shop and wait a half hour for the next trolley. But don't worry Clay - tonight is the OmniMax - I can't wait to show you how much more amazing it is than a regular IMax and the local theater is the largest in north america!! Ok so we return to our hotel, get ready, and plan to take a cab to the science museum where the theater is located. I do my research - I know what time the shows are - even find that there is a 2 for 1.5 special tonight and both shows (the Alps and Hidden Caves) look awesome. I try to buy tix on the phone but it isn't possible - at least I confirmed the show times, prices, and location!

We go to our concierge and ask for a cab: "Nope" he says "AC/DC concert tonight and no cab companies are even answering the phone anymore." Fine. We can hail one ourselves. Out into the street I go, I hike up my jeans just a tad and flail my arms around at the first available cab that drives by. Woohoo! I rock at this - a real city gal. The cabbie is great and drops us off right at our museum, even a little early.

We go in and find out some bad news: "All sold out" they say, "a big group came in and bought out the entire theater." Whaaaaaaaaaaaaatt????????? How RUDE!!!! Dangit! Well fine. "Any good restaurants around here for dinner?" Hmm....the worker thinks... "other than mcdonalds? not so much."

FINE. Two strikes on this city now. We hike across the street to the local train station and go to the regular imax theater. I question this decision, but Clay insists, very positively suggesting "Let's make the most of tonight - we are already out..." So away we go to the sub par but hopefully good imax. Now admittedly I only wore shoes based on the original plan of cabbing it all night, but regardless what happened next was ridiculous. We get out of the subway station and hike over to the imax building - no biggie. UNTIL we walk, and we walk, and we walk, and we walk......... you see this pic to the left?? You see that pretty building and those pretty white sails??? Yeah. The imax is

ALL -
THE -
WAY -
IN -
THE -
BACK!!!!!

It might not look like it from this pic - but that was a HIKE. So we finally get there and read the marquee for what great adventures lie ahead of us.

Apparently no one informed us it was kiddie week. So it was either Nutcracker in 3-D (45 min) or the Polar Express (2 hrs). Hmmm. Now you might not all know Clay as well as I do, but trust me when I say I knew he would NOT like either. But once again, the trooper that he is, he insisted.

$30 tickets, a $20 coke and nachos later - we were in the imax theater. us and the only other 11 people in Vancouver who thought the Nutcracker in 3D was worth watching at 9pm on a Friday night..... After running away 5 of them from sitting close to the weird adult couple without children, we sat through the entire film. It was neat that it was Clay's first 3-D film, but aside from that I can't say there was a single noteworthy item from the entire flick - it wasn't even the real nutcracker! Instead it was the horrible British version of a girl falling in a frozen lake and dreaming up a trip-influenced nutcracker rip-off. Needless to say the next time I hear "Nutcrackah!! Nutcrackah!! Be Caaahr-ful!!" will be too soon!!!

After that we went back to our hotel where there was a rooftop bar/restaurant that spun around the hotel in hopes that it would finally redeem our day.... One appetizer later and we find out the kitchen is closed, the drinks are severely overpriced, and the music cheesy and too loud. Yet we still managed to have fun and end the day on a high note - "Canada you won't beat us today!!"

So enough of our first impression of her majesty to the north - try not to hold your breath until you hear part 2 tomorrow ;)