We do not have a car here in Vancouver; We did not want to rent one. It may surprise some readers on this board, that there are some Southern Californians who glory in taking public transportation and are thrilled not to navigate traffic, hunt for parking, and worry about getting lost.(Although on the latter point, public transport did not save us that annoyance today.) So for $73 per person or some similar sum, we have a monthly transit pass.)

After stocking up on a few provisions at the local IGA market, walking back to our home, we decided to strike out for downtown. People were amazingly friendly and I can't remember how many people overheard us on the bus and told us when to get off and transfer. Unfortunately, I can only lay the blame on myself, because my husband did insist that the bus to downtown was on the other side of the street, thus because of my determination we ended up in Richmond. It had been on my list of things to do, IF we had time at the end of our trip, certainly not the first day. After wandering around a huge and pretty mall, that can be found in any large city, we decided, since it was almost 4:00pm and we still had not had lunch to take the bus to Kerrsdale (I could be misspelling the area's name and I apologize in advance!) since we remembered passing it on the way to Richmond and D and E had mentioned it to us in their house notes. It's a pretty little area with lots of little shops and small cafes, and even an independent bookstore. We were referred to some nice restaurants, but sadly instead of taking the good suggestions, we tried the local kabob place, and though I wanted to like it since the man running it was so nice, I'm sorry to say I can't recommend the fallafels.

Second day of home exchange. Today we visited Gastown. Not quite sure what the attraction is, however I did admire the pretty lamps with the flowers, but was underwhelmed by the all the tourist shops with the usual souvenir stuff, however I did find some great deals on postcards! We enjoyed the sea wall and walked to Stanley Park. It's a pretty walk, unencumbered with the usual souvenir stands and not particularly crowded on a Wed. afternoon. Used public transport again and again impressed with everyones' helpfulness and general friendliness. Had some very good sushi at amazingly inexpensive prices for lunch. We did a great deal of walking and are finding our calves a bit stretched from some of the uphill walking we have done. We had not realized how hilly Vancouver is, though hardly taxing, it was not expected.

Wonderful report-Thanks so much for posting!

For a wonderful dinner in your own neighbourhood probably walking distance try http://www.spiceislandsindonesian.com

For your earlier question Yes there's some very old housing stock in Dunbar some exceptionally well crafted old bungalows still stand.

Thank you, Sam. I did notice that restaurant today out of the bus window and wondered about it. We will give it a try. Tomorrow we thought, we'd try our luck at Granville Island. to be continued. . .

Sam, we did pick up a real estate brochure at a house for sale near where we are staying. The house was built in 1929. The price blew us away, over a million and a half dollars. Real Estate in this town is really pricey!!

Great Trip Report, keep it coming!

Are you planning on any sidetrips? I am assuming Victoria,Whistler, or into the Okanagon? I know you don't want to have a car and I am curious how this will work...I am fond of Vancouver, too, but can't imagine 5 weeks to explore Van all on its own.

Thank you,LJ. To answer your question, how will we fill 5 wks in Vancouver, we will do what the locals do, find places we like and return again and again. We subscribe to the thumbnail mode of travel, put forth in a travel book on England (unfortunately I can't recall the author's name, something like Toth from Iowa) who puts her thumb on a map and explores only the area within that small region. This style of travel works wonderfully, if you are slothful like us, though I prefer to cover up and say leisurely, on a home exchange or renting an apartment. We managed last summer to fill 5 weeks in Buenas Aires, only leaving the city once for a day trip. We have done this for years and it works for us.

For example, we live near LA and love the LA Farmers' Market, a very, very popular tourist spot. We go often, probably several times a year and would go more frequently if traffic wasn't so horific since we live relatively close by. We have the advantage over the tourist who only gets to visit once. Here in Vancouver for 5 weeks, we are sure to find places that we will enjoy visiting several times. I am sure we will walk the sea wall again.

We do have an excursion planned to Victoria for a few days, but other than that, we have nothing major planned, except to visit some museums, try some of the restaurants recommended by Fodorites and enjoy a leisurely visit. I know there will be days that we will do nothing more than take a walk, eat a wonderful lunch and just wander a neigborhood. The Dunbar area of Vancouver where we are staying has some lovely gardens and homes and it is pleasant just to stroll the neighborhood admiring the trees and shrubs and flowers.

annetti,
I'm curious to know about the other end of the home exchanges.

Do you find that the people who are living in your home take good care of it? Do they have use of your car? Have you run into any problems? I'd love to try a home exchange in the future but I feel uncertain about letting someone I don't know live in my home.

Wonderful first TR, annetti. Vancouver's a old haunt of mine so it's fun to hear of others' impressions of the neighborhoods.

If you're inclined, check out the lovely University of BC campus. It's very walkable, has great trails to beaches, interesting gardens (Rose, Nitobe Japanese, etc.), and the Museum of Anthropology (IMHO a world-class museum).

I'll check back later for more posts. Enjoy-la!

Goddessto go: People have always taken good care of our home, that has never been a problem for us. They have always left it clean and we have never had damage, not even a broken dish. We, also do an extensive amount of e-mailing while setting up the exchange and this sets up expectations. We have been lucky to meet many of our exchangers at the beginning of the exchange as we did this time, and it eases your fears. It is a wonderful way to travel since you have the luxury of a home and you are not in a cramped hotel room, but of course this is not everyone's idea of a vacation. Some people love hotels. We don't. Perhaps, if we always stayed in 5 star hotels, we would feel differently!

We have not always been so lucky with car exchanges, though. People have had minor accidents in our car and one serious accident while sitting at a red light. Although no one was ever injured, there was incredible damage on our car, and major hassles with car insurance, repairs, and car rentals. I have given up on the car exchange part. For us, it is just not worth the aggravation. Other people think differently and we have found that many potential home exchanges have fallen through when we say we will not exchange cars. We rent a car if we want one, but on the last couple of trips to Europe, we found the rental car sitting unwanted in the home exchanger's driveway and relied on the excellent transportation systems.

Thank you, Klam, for the suggestions. Will do. It is on our list now! Your response must have appeared while I was replying to Goddess.

Annetti -- Loving your report, check out Chinatown, there is a beautiful garden there that is an oasis of tranquility.

Thanks, annetti. We hope to be going to London in 2010. It will be an extended stay (4 months) so a hotel is clearly out of the question. Exchanging or renting our own house in Toronto would certainly help with the expenses but both of us are wary. The only person we know who did that didn't have a very good experience with his tenant. One thing we're considering is renting it to someone we know who might need a temporary place, just for a small rental fee. That would give us a little income and someone living in the house as well.

Thanks for your insights.

Goddess: Exchanging for four months might be difficult -- it's a long time. You might try registering on one of the more popular home exchange sites and see what happens. It is inexpensive and if you decide not to commit, after fielding responses you would not be out much money. Four months in London sounds very nice to me!

Thank you, Shangainese for your suggestion. That garden is on my list, too.

Today's top event: Granville Island Market. We took the 7 bus straight from Dunbar. A woman passenger began a conversation with us -- something by the way that never happens when you are isolated in your car. It turned out she's a local theater director and we talked Shakespeare for the 30 minte ride, making it feel like 5 minutes. She gave me a few hints on how to enjoy the language. It's always been a mystery to me, no matter how hard I've tried to enjoy Shakespeare; I just don't get it.
It was great fun wandering the beautiful fruit and vegetable stalls and sampling the food. The food is beautifully displayed, though I thought it a bit much seeing one man bent over the cherries photographing them. They were beautiful, but how interesting can a cherry picture be taken from three inches away? Well, perhaps he has an artistic flair for this kind of thing?! (Just interrupted by our home exchanger's sister checking in to see if we were getting along okay!)

We split a bagel sandwich and tried the smoked salmon. I loved it, then over stimulated by people eating and enjoying themselves, we couldn't stop thinking we were missing out on all sorts of delicious food.We split some Indian food at the stall that advertised "Indian Comfort food." I can't recall its name, but since there's only one Indian place , locals are sure to know. Very good, too! The woman seated next to me claimed it was better than Vij's and began a 10 minute commentary on Vij's delights. Since Vij's is high on Fodorites' recommended restaurants, I hoped my husband missed the part of the conversation that included the average hour and a half wait to get into the restaurant. He hates waiting. We, also tried Siegel's bagels, good outer crust, but didn't care for the onion outer flavoring, but am not deterred and will try again. Also had a great hummentashen. (I tried that phonetically since I have no idea how to spell it.)

Coming back to Dunbar, we had trouble finding the 98 bus stop, however one of the friendly locals, told us she was going that way and to follow her, however, it was not entirely true, she took us to the stop, then ran across the street to catch her own bus. I thanked her loudly for going out of her way, as she ran to catch her bus. I hope she heard me. The friendliness, helpfulness, and politeness here is really extraordinary. Thank you Vancouverites.

On the way back, we stopped at Kerrisdale, had a coffee at Bean Bros and caught up on the local Canadian news. Also, found a NY Times and read that Obama and Clinton are uniting -- but still no clues about his VP choice! My husband really likes the ambience, coffee, and service there. We've been there everyday, thus far.

Totally wiped out now by our day of eating and walking, we returned home to some wine and smoked salmon for a light dinner. What could be better? My husband has parked himself in front of the plasma tv and here I am at the keyboard.

By the way, I mentioned LA Farmers' Market earlier on this board as being one of my favorite places in Southern California, Granville Island is a worthy competitor here in Vancouver. We plan to repeat the day's agenda again.

Stanley Park tomorrw?

To be continued. . .

Enjoying your report.

We've been discussing home exchanges for years and it's nice to hear positive stories.

Look forward to reading more.

It's great to hear you are enjoying your home exchange.

If you are interested in theatre and arts events, pick up a free copy of the Georgia Straight. It's available online here - www.straight.com - but the print version is easier to follow, at least for me.

Another option for cheaper culture is www.ticketstonight.ca .

Visit the Sylvia Hotel, for sure.

My favorite bakery is Solly's Bagelry (several locations, but the original is at 28th and Main).

You're in a posh area right now, but you might want to branch out a bit. Commercial Drive is interesting, but it's a bit hyped by now. Main Street, starting from about 8th Avenue and proceeding southwards, is quite interesting too.

I'm sure you'll visit Granville Island one of these days.

I'm sure you will have no problem keeping yourself just as busy as you want to be. This sounds like a great vacation.

I love the Public Mkt too - some ideas for your next trip to GI:

- walk around the island as there are a few interesting, small working artist galleries

- if you want to go out for a paddle, there are kayak rentals available

- there used to be a well developed professional theatre group, Arts Club Theatre, and one of their stages was on GI. I haven't been there in years but I can't imagine them having gone under. Fun to have a drink and catch a show there.

- one of my fave things to do is take the little ferry, Granville Island Ferries, from the GI dock across the inlet to the Burrard Beach side. Enjoyable scenery in good weather and when you get to the beach, it's a fun way to walk off the GI gastronomies. You can walk all the way to Stanley Park if you had LOTS of time - but I think you would need to stop for ice cream sustenance along the way

Hope the rest of your trip is as fab as the start - enjoy-la!

Thank you, Traveljunkie28.
Willtravel: What is the Sylvia Hotel? And thank you for your ideas. Some thanks go to Klamchowder,too. All these suggestions are really appreciated.

Our home exchangers made it today to Southern California; they had opted to drive rather than fly. They left for SoCal about an hour after meeting us at the airport and showing us around their home. They e-mailed us that they are settling in our home and will meet our neighbors. On previous home exchanges we have kept in touch by e-mail; I have always found it intriguing to learn what our guests have done, what sights they choose, and their reactions. I hope they will be good correspondents and tell us a bit about their trip.

Our day at Stanley Park. We couldn't have chosen better weather to explore the park. The park itself is beautifully cared for and the facilities (restaurants, snack bars, bathrooms) are clean and well-maintained. We took the free shuttle bus around the park which unfortunately was the only downer to an otherwise lovely day. The buses are packed out the door with passengers, but once you leave the bus, the park is quiet and uncrowded. The rose gardens are pretty and larger than expected. There was a wedding party in brightly colored dresses taking photographs and it added to its charms. Later we walked the Sea Wall again and tried to find a restaurant for dinner downtown, but we had no Fodorites' suggestions with us and nothing looked appealing, so we ended up in Kerrisdale at a small Italian place recommended to us the other day. I can't recall the name, something with an M, but the menu cover stated they have been there since 1975 and it felt like an old established neighborhood place with lots of locals who were know to the owners. The pizza was good as was the Cesar salad which I enjoyed with my first glass of BC wine!

Our legs are sore and we have decided that tomorrow we will do something low keyed, perhaps visit Kitsilano.

To be continued. . .

Hi Annetti, the Sylvia Hotel is a lovely, ivy-colored building near the southern edge of Stanley Park.

http://www.sylviahotel.com/

A great place to have a drink, and not expensive.

A second vote for the Sylvia where we stayed for five nights last summer. It doesn't appeal to some because it is not really updated and has no a/c, but the view is amazing, and the dining room excellent. Have a meal on the outdoor patio (brunch is lovely, too) and people watch - it's terrific.

Thank you, Willtravel and Oliver and Harry re the Sylvia hotel. We will seek it out.

The weather today was warm and sunny; I imagine Vancouverites were pleased, however we will be happy to see it cool down a bit. We spent our day wandering around Kitislano. It seemed a cross between West Hollywood and Byron Bay to anyone who has been to both. We enjoyed ourselves. I got a kick out of all the craftsman style houses and again came away wondering how anyone can afford the real estate in Vancouver.

We did the typical tourist thing and lunched at Sophie's Cosmic Cafe recommended in the Michelin guide. I enjoyed the decor -- the coke bottles separating the naugahyde booths and the walls filled with an eclectic mix of stuff, from Queen Elizabeth memorabilla to a golden oval framed 17th century lady with dog, and of course all the coca cola advertisements. We had the veggie nut burgers ($9.95); my husband opted for the more sensible side of salad, whereas I went for the decadent fries. Very good! We had no room for the seven inch apple pie. We were there around 1:30pm, but noticed most people were still ordering breakfasts.It is great that there are so many healthy options to choose from here. There were a lot of tourists, but then, hey that's what we are, too. We wandered around Kits for 5 hours, could not believe it was seven thirty, and then went back to our house for a light meal. We finally did some light cooking, or I should give credit to my husband, he did it, and we relaxed afterwards with some wine. A very nice day.

I can't help remarking how clean Vancouver is, hardly any trash to be seen on the streets and absolutely hardly any grafitti. Vancouver cannot compete with LA in either category! We win hands down! Also, the city is filled with tourists, we are not alone. Everywhere we go, we see people with cameras or very often when we need confirmation that we are headed in the right direction, we get the response that "we are visitors."
We are still up in the air re tomorrow's adventures. Maybe someone will suggest something before tomorrow morning. . .

to be continued. . .

For Canada Day (Tuesday), I highly recommend heading down to Richmond again, but not to the malls, but down to the south-west corner of Richmond: Steveston. It's a historic fishing village at the mouth of the Fraser River. Still home to the largest fleet of fishing boats in Canada. There are some fantastic heritage sites on the water (old canneries, boardwalks, old boatyards, heritage farms, national historic sites, etc), plus public wharves selling fresh seafood off the boats, as well as several famous fish & chip shops.

The best part yet is the Steveston Salmon Festival happening that day, the annual Canada Day event. It's a community tradition there... very small town country fair type of event, but one the entire community partakes in. There's a little parade that starts off the festivities. There's a salmon bake... a food fair, a garden/flower show, a Japanese cultural exhibit (as Steveston had a strong Japanese community with strong ties to its identity)... it's a great time to be there, especially in this weather.

Of course, if you wanted to avoid the Canada Day festivities, you could visit there tomorrow instead. It's easy to get to. Get back on that 98 B-line to Richmond Centre, and at Richmond Centre, take the 402 (No 2 Road bus) or the 410 (Railway) bus. Both take you into Steveston.

Places I'd put on your must-do list:
Commercial Drive (just for a different neighbourhood with more of a bohemian flair) and Lynn Canyon in North Vancouver (for a nature walk).

You could also easily spend the entire day at UBC exploring the Museum of Anthropology, Or if you like gardens, though Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island are the most famous, Van Dusen Gardens on Oak/33rd are the local Vancouver's secret.

Hi again Annetti

Carmanah has given you some great suggestions. Just to add to that she mentioned Van Dusen Gardens. They are actually at 37th and Oak but Queen Elizabeth Park entrance is at 33rd and the gardens there are beautiful as well. Here is the website for the Vancouver Parks board that tells you about VanDusen, Queen Elizabeth among other parks including directions on getting there http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/index.htm

I have another place to recommend to you but I want to figure out the bus route to get you there first. Glad you are really seeing Vancouver. When I was first married a million years ago we rented a little one bedroom suite in one of those delightful Kitsilano homes (third floor all stairs). It was such a great area to walk around. I do miss that.

Thanks traveller69, you're right, it's at 37th.

anneti, next door to vij's , not sure what they call it serves similar food and for some reason less of a wait; but original is also worth the wait.

coming over to vancouver island is a treat as the ferry passage through the gulf islands is stunning; last summer they had a naturalist/ historian on board. as a foot passenger u won't have a problem getting on and i believe it is pacific coach lines that takes u from downtown vancouver to downtown victoria.
please feel free to contact me for assistance if u need help

cheers AndrewDavid ( victoria)

we too enjoyed Bs As and argentina last winter on our honeymoon

AndrewDavid, I think you're thinking of Rangoli, which is also owned/operated by Vij's. It's a casual Indian cafe/take-out. I made the foolish decision of eating some samosas at Rangoli as I waited for my Vij's table. I was so full from those samosas, I hardly had the appetite to truly appreciate Vij's!

I cannot believe all the wonderful suggestions I am receiving. Thank you again, Traveller 69 and Carmanah.

AndrewDavid, I remember you very well from the Latin American board. I followed your commentary and questions. I'm glad you had a good time in AR and congratulations on your marriage from someone who thinks that at this point you are still in the congratulatory stage. (We have been married 37 years.) BA was quite special. My husband wanted very badly to return this summer, but I questioned an August trip again because of the very cold weather last year and he reluctantly agreed with me, because he remembered he had gotten a whooper of a cold there right before we left for home and it took him several weeks to get over it.
We are really loving our time here in Vancouver and we both agreed it was the right choice for this summer. The only problem with this place so far, is that we like it too much, and we might get a bit of withdrawal when we return home, not to mention a little envy for the people who actually live here.

I had to lay low the last day or two, had a 24 hour stomach flu (?) or something, so I wasn't in to looking for restaurants and doing much. My husband wanted to further explore Kitsilano with the reationale that we were a short bus ride away. So to Kits, we did return, wandering the streets, checking out restaurants, and doing an enormous amount of walking again. We finally stopped after 5 hours or so, except for one coffee break and found another sushi place to try. My husband is thrilled that he can get brown rice sushi so easily here. (He feels better about eating carbs when they are not white!) At home, the only place that I know that has brown rice sushi available is Whole Foods. I was comfortable eating miso soup with noodles today, but my husband went for the sushi and I sampled one of his. The sushi is so good here and so reasonable that it will be hard to give it up when we return home.

Anyway, for those who are actually following this narrative, you can see that we don't mind (and actually enjoy) returning to places several times. We are still not sure about tomorrow's plans. My husband wants to avoid heavy crowds and fireworks.

I will go over some of the Fodorites'suggestions with him. I was intrigued by Carmanah's suggestion of Steveston for tomorrow, but he is wary of the crowds.

Thanks again, everyone.

Willtravel: By the way, I had forgotten to mention that we tried Solly's bagels in Kits the other day. We had gotten into quite a discussion with a former Montrealer in Kerrisdale, the first day we were here when talking/asking about bagels. He claimed Siegel's were the best (they were Montreal-style according to him), that Solly's tasted too much like regular rolls. I, however don't agree. We really liked Solly's, well enough to be be disappointed today that it was closed. I like a city where people can get into their bagels.

Sorry to hear of your stomach flu, annetti. I guess that's the beauty of your extended visit...a day or two down doesn't ruin your vacation since things aren't jam packed together.

When you've recovered your strength and want a day trip, consider heading to the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge in North Vancouver. It's free and very natural (i.e., non-touristy, unlike the Capilano suspension bridge). There's lots of trails, etc to wander around. A wonderful way to spend a day, IMHO.

If you go, catch a bus downtown and take the Seabus (at the end of the Skytrain) across the harbor to Lonsdale Quay. It's an mkt (similar to Granville Island but I think a bit more upscale). The public mkt has great food choices and you can pick up some good stuff for a picnic in Lynn Canyon. I used to always get the mini-pumpkin pie tarts...yum!

At LQ is also a major bus temerinal so you can just hop on one to the LCSB. The Seabus ride back to Vancouver is great too as you get a pretty view of the downtown skyline.

Great to hear you are enjoying Vancouver!

Enjoy-la!

Here's a sketchy idea for a nice day
on the North Shore - sorry, I'm really bad at bus routes!

Take a bus from Dunbar downtown and
then catch the West Vancouver Bus
from the corner of Granville and
Dunsmuir (the south side of Hudson's
Bay store). Get off at Park Royal
and walk along the West Vancouver
Seawall to Dundarave. Have lunch
in the little village at the Dundarave Fish Market then catch
the bus back - or walk - to Park
Royal and over to the city then
Dunbar. The Fish Market makes
lovely lunches and is a cute place.

Another nice day in this weather
is to take the seabus to North
Van. and catch the bus to Deep
Cove and walk along the foreshore
- or even get on the Baden-Powell
trail up the mountainside! You
can get a great lunch in that
village - Honey's Donuts make
great sandwiches. Never had the
doughnuts!

Take a bus to 4th Ave, then transfer west to go to Jericho Beach. A fantastic walk along the waterfront pathway. At the end of the path is the Jericho sailing club, they have a patio restaurant for cheap eats and beer. You could take a bus back to 4th, just past Alma is a greek restaurant called Kerki's - it is great!!! Across the street from Kerki's is Banyon Books, the best book store in town (you have to wander through to understand, a real locals fave).
Don't forget to visit Las Margaritas, but be warned, go early (by 5pm ish) or there will be a line-up.
Also, take the ferry from Granville Island to Yaletown and wander there. Lots of restaurants and shops.

carmanah
thanks for the proper name of vij's junior. the menu is quite extensive there and we were stuffed. i've waited art vij's as well and enjoyed it

annetti, u should try both!!!!
i am actually thginking of a return to Bs As this january where the weather in victoria to say nothing of vancouver ids less salubrious than today. we r so happy to have good weather for the long weekend

cheers
andre

Dar: We took your suggestion and went to Jericho Beach to spend the day, first stopping off around 1:30pm to try Kerki's for lunch, see Banyon Bookstore and then take a long walk on the pathway by the beach. Unfortunately Kerki's was closed as was another recommendation, Approdite (across the street from Banyon); we spent a pleasant 30-45 minutes browsing the books. What a nice bookstore. I came across some very interesting titles.A clerk at Banyon recommended Jermiah's, a pub a half block down the street from Banyon, and we had a very nice lunch there.

Afterwards, we took the bus to Jericho Beach,walked for a bit and got a bit confused when the path bisected, but a couple set us straight and we walked and talked with them for about an hour. They are ex-pats from Brooklyn and Illinois and surprise -- they love it here and feel fortunate that a year's teaching stint ended up as permanent residence. The walk along the seafront was very pleasant, very low keyed, and pretty. Fairly quiet, too with no loud boom boxes going. I saw a sign regarding boom box restrictions. Great idea! I enjoyed watching all the dogs running on the beach, chasing balls, and driftwood. They looked so happy to be out and about. Their faces appeared to be smiling and their tails were going 50 beats to a minute.

We walked further up the hill and away from the beach to UBC, and saw a bit of the campus. For a campus over 100 years old, I was surprised to see so many modern buildings. We will return again to visit MOA (waiting for a rainy day to do that!) so perhaps we will get another perspective on the campus.

Andre: We are thinking BA, too in late March/early April with possibly a stop over in Chile.

Klam, I heard about the other suspension bridge. Thanks for the reminder. That is definitely part of our plans.

llamalady; Thanks for your suggestions, too. It looks like we will have no problem keeping ourselves occupied with all these ideas pouring in.

Annetti

Carmanah: Where is the Commercial Drive Area that you suggested? Please give me a cross street or a popular spot, that is, a restaurant or park in the area that we can use as a starting spot for our exploring. Thanks. Annetti

Today's adventure took us back to Kits for lunch and then a bus ride to Chinatown. We can now use our monthly pass and are enjoying the ease of getting on and off buses without time limits or searching for coins. A real pleasure. We had a very nice lunch at the Approdite on 4th across the street from Banyen Books. The soups were good, quesadillas were freshly made, and we shared a great piece of apple blueberry pie, also the staff was very friendly. A nice inexpensive lunch. We, then took the bus and skylink to Chinatown, perhaps if we had eaten there, we may have enjoyed our few hours there more. Also, we probably should have combined our visit there with Gastown last week.

We arrived just as the tour was beginning for Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Garden ($20 for 2), although we missed the first few minutes of the lecture, and sometime that feels a bit disorienting, I didn't feel the earnest young man contributed much. There were about 10-12 people respectfully listening, but we were not given too much time on our own to just wander. Probably better to go on one's own. It's a pretty little place, but the huge skyscrapers in sight beyond the garden distracted me. Afterwards, we wandered around Chinatown for a bit, stepped in one store, and after dutifully wandering up a few streets, we left and
returned to Kerrisdale to try a sushi place (Aijsai) recommended by a Fodorite. (Sorry, I can't give credit to the nice person who suggested it.) We enjoyed it very much; others apparently did, too, since every table was filled. The only odd thing about the place is that we were carrying on a spirited conversation with the people at the next table, and because we were finished eating, the waitress asked us politely to leave so other people could be seated. We had just paid our bill within the last few moments when she came over. This was a first for us anywhere. She was not in the least rude, but it did make us feel a bit uncomfortable. I rationalized it to myself that it was a small place and we were keeping the table occupied when they could be making money and serving two more people, but just the same. . .

It continues to amaze and please us how friendly Vancouverites are, so willing to start a conversation and keep it going when you only asked a quick question and had no intention of interrupting their conversations.
This happened to us at dinner today when I asked a question about the sushi. It was very nice to get such a full explanation and by the time we left the restaurant, we discovered a nice place to hear music and shared some favorite Seinfield jokes.

to be continued. . .

annetti, the area I'm referring to is Commercial Drive between Venables and Broadway.

The 99 B-line bus will take you all the way to "Broadway Station", which is a major Skytrain station (2 stops east after the Stadium/Chinatown station) at the corner of Broadway and Commercial.
Just follow Commercial north of there (towards the mountains) and you're set.

http://www.thedrive.ca/abouthistory.shtm is their official community website.

Oops, I suppose technically the area spans from E 13th Avenue all the way to Venables (according to their brochure: http://www.thedrive.ca/map_brochure_LR.pdf)

Hope that helps!

I've never been asked to leave a restaurant to make room for others. Odd! I would not return to such a place.

Annetti - Are you going to rent a car at all when you are in Vancouver? I have some favourite spots but they aren't too accessible by bus. I can't remember when we chatted about your Victoria visit if you were going to have a car to go up Island or not.

I am really enjoying your report. My dad was born (1906) and raised in Vancouver. I haven't been there in a few years but we love a little French Bistro called the Cafe de Paris, on Denman, between Robson and Georgia, near the entrance to Stanley Park.
If you like books, Lawrance books is a used book store that is a labyrinth of treasure. It is at 41st and Dunbar, or at least it was a few years ago.
Enjoy your stay.
Mandy, from Saskatoon

Carmanah: We took your advice and went to Commercial Avenue today, "certainly a bit off the beaten track, I imagine for the three day visitor to Vancouver." This line is delivered with only a small bit of smugness!

We were intrigued by the Commercial Avenue website's declaration (that you thoughtfully provided us) that there were no chain restaurants, all shops and eateries being independent. I hope people don't mind me describing areas using so many comparisons to places I know best and not working out original ways to describe an area, but Commercial Avenue felt like a throwback (and this is said as a compliment) to Telegraph Avenue in Berkley. We enjoyed it very much and wandered into a number of cafes, not really sure where to spend our money for lunch. We finally settled on The Desert and had the chef's special (a vegetarian Indian meal for $6.00) which we split along with a peach shake. It was a ton of food and filled us both up.

There are many consignment stores, a few shops to tempt the gentry, and a lot of shops that would have happily catered to the counter cultural in the late 60s and early 70s anywhere in North America. We wandered up a few streets where some homes are beautifully restored, but others need a lot of hard work, however the trees and gardens as everywhere in Vancouver make it easy to ignore the run- down buildings.
On the way home, we stopped in Kits again for a coffee break. My husband has found yet another place for coffee he likes. To the non-Vancouverite, coffee places are infinite in this town. The bus stopped conveniently in front of his current favorite. We then walked over to a fish store, bought some sockeye salmon for sandwiches for dinner. The clerk very kindly told us how to cook it, so we would not ruin it, and it turned out well, the fish receiving a compliment from my husband, who normally dislikes salmon and is not particularly fond of fish, that if fish tasted this good in California, he would not mind eating it! That is indeed high praise from him.

I haven't read all the posts so pardon me if I'm repeating someone, but we loved the restaurant called Havana or Cafe Havana on Commercial.

Hi Mandy: Thank you for the compliment. I am enjoying writing this, so I am pleased someone out there is enjoying reading it.

We have waited for the bus in front of Lawrence's Bookstore quite a few times, but they open late in the day. I can't remember when, but I know we are always too early to go in and browse. We will make the effort now to explore it. Yes, I do like used books.
Thank you, too, for the restaurant recommendation,too.

Traveller69: We were not planning on renting a car; but I suppose I might be convinced for a few days, though I am not sure my husband would be so willing. We are really enjoying NOT driving. I am not sure everyone can quite understand our enthusiasm for public transport, but it feels so liberating for this pair of Southern Californians, not to be sitting behind a wheel in heavy traffic inching our way in a parking lot (sometimes, called a freeway) and not having to concentrate on the road or wonder if there will be a gridlock up ahead. My husband and I were just commenting for the upteenth time today, how nice it was not to arrive somewhere and have to think about parking or getting lost! Anyway,Traveller69 what were you thinking that might motivate us to drive!?! The last sentence was written with a smile. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

Annetti

Goddesstogo: No one has mentioned Havana on Commercial. We saw it today; it was very crowded , but we were not quite ready for lunch, besides there was too much grafitti on the walls -- it reminded us too much of home. Just kidding of course, we knew the grafitti was part of the decor. Later, we came across a restaurant review for it that was very complimentary. Unfortunately both your suggestion and the review came after our visit to Commercial Avenue, but perhaps someone else will be helped out. Thank you for your suggestion.

To be honest, my last few visits to Havana never impressed me. I felt that it's more about the decor and patio than service or food, in my own opinion. What I do enjoy is Stella's, which is kitty corner to Havana, but I go there because they have Bellevue Kriek, Gulden Draak, and other assortment of Belgian beers.

annetti - Commercial Drive aka "The Drive" really comes alive in the evening when a lot of those restaurants and cafes host live music.

Great to see you exploring the city!

I am really enjoying reading your trip report. It's been quite awhile since I've been to Vancouver, and I never had the kind of time you have, so I guess I feel like I'm getting to "know" the city much better!

Carmannah:

I just read your post about Stella's serving Kriek. I was in Belgium last year and my (Belgian) friends were amazed that I didn't like beer. We went to the local pub where they were determined to find a beer I liked. Well, Kriek certainly filled the bill. I had 3 one night (previously I've never finished a single beer). I'm so glad to hear that Stella's serves it. Next time I'm in Vancouver, I know where I'm going.

Thank you, Toucan2.

The weather forcast confused us today -- there was a 20% chance of rain and it said it would feel like 84 degrees F. Luckily, it did not rain, though we dutifully carried our raincoats and I was glad I had it, not for the rain that never came, but because I was often cold. We had thought about visiting a park today if the weather was to be pleasant or a museum if the rain was really bad, but planning for a confusing weather day confused us. Also, we started our day very late. We did not get out of the house until almost 1:00 pm. We decided to go to Rangoli's, a popular Indian restaurant discussed earlier on this thread, for lunch and let the day unfold.

Rangoli's had a few people in front when we arrived around 1:20 or so. Someone kindly suggested we put our name on the waiting list. We were told it would be a fifteen minute wait, but within 5 minutes or so we were seated in a small minimalistic designed dining room. Service was very pleasant and not rushed. I ordered a vegetarian mushroom and red pepper curry with a beet salad (for 13.50?) along with a ginger lime drink. I liked it very much. My husband on the other hand was not enthusiastic about his lamb dish nor did he particularly think my meal was great.Perhaps, he was reacting to all the hype and it just did not deliver for him? Who knows? I hope to convince him that we still need to try Vij's next door.

We walked around a bit, bought an eccles pastry at one of the bakeries and then realizing we were just a bridge away from Yaletown where we have not been, we took the bus over the bridge and walked around Yaletown. It was now around 4:00 at least and there was little activity. Most of the outdoor restaurants were empty except for a few early bird Friday night revelers. Perhaps, like Commercial Dr., the best time to be there is evening. All the high rises,factory fronts, and restaurants had too corporate a feel to please me. I might find it more interesting if I were part of the scene, rather than merely observing from a distance.

to be continued. . .

The forecast today predicted 80% rain which mean a museum day.We chose to visit the Museum of Anthropology, rated highly in our guidebooks and by Fodorites. It is only a short bus ride from Dunbar to UBC campus where you can opt to transfer to a shuttle or walk 10 minutes to the museum. Since it was drizzling, more than a heavy downpour, we walked, constantly asking if we were headed in the right directions. The campus' landscaping is lovely, as I've written before, leafy green trees, tamed gardens of lavender and wild grasses and just an overall feeling of lushness. Even in the rain, I was exclaiming to my uninterested, but polite husband how pretty it was. We had started late again and arrived at the musuem a few minutes before a scheduled tour at 2:00pm. (Admission price is $18) The docent was quite knowledgeable and interesting. The crowd, however was dense and it was not always easy to hear her commentary. People were very involved and asked some excellent questions. I wish I could have heard them all. I guess the rain and the day, Saturday, attracted so many people. She gave a nice overview of the three types of totem poleseath, house, and tourist. She also showed us John Reid's masterpiece, The Raven and the First Men which was pretty impressive. The tour was a nice introduction to the museum. Usually, I hate them, find them hard to follow with people either blocking your view or whispering behind you so you miss a lot , but this one was worthwhile. We wandered around a bit more, but were starved, having had no lunch and left around 4:00 and walked back to the bus bay to take a bus to Kits. My husband had his eye on this Greek restaurant he wanted to try, but after looking the menu over,he changed his mind, and not wanting Sushi again, we entered Las Margaritas after talking to some friendly locals outside who assured us it was very good.

I had my reservations that it would not be good, but I was tired of wandering the streets trying to find someplace that perhaps does not exist.

Perhpas,I was prejudiced from the beginning. The exterior of the building looks like dozens of chain style Mexican restaurants in and around LA. The hostess at the desk assured me it was an independent, but I am convinced that its style indicated something else. It may be the only Las Margaritas in Vancouver, but I am sure that it is part of a restaurant corportation, but I could not find that on its website when I checked later. It just has all the typical trappings of an LA El Torito or Accupulco Chain.

It did not start well, when I saw the waitress scoop up the chips in her hand and place them in a basket. The outside of the menu makes such a big deal of their health practices. The salsa tasted like tomato paste with some chiles added. My salmon tacos were dried out and tasteless. On the other hand, so I appear less negative, my husband's vegetarian fajitas were pretty good. We had crepes with a caramel sauce for dessert, but the crepes were heavy, more like pancakes, and I did not like the caramel sauce, but the ice cream was very good. Well, I did not intend to write such an extensive restaurant review. It appears I got carried away by my disappointment. We walked a bit more about Kits, getting to recognize streets and landmarks by now and took a bus back, planning to make an early night of it, so we don't get started at 1:00 in the afternoon again.

to be continued. . .

I have no idea how the happy face misplaced the d in the posting above!?! Does it mean something??? Just teasing.

Oh dear! Yeah, Las Margaritas is pretty awful... I was going to mention it, but didn't (didn't want to come off too snobbish!)... but it's like Havana on Commercial Drive. People always recommend it, but it's all about the decor/patio, don't go if you care about service or food. A general point is that Vancouver's Mexican restaurants are sub-par to anything you'd get in the USA... coming from California, I'd avoid them. Or browse Chowhound.com's "Western Canada" forum if you're really looking for restaurant recommendations... as I find the posters on Chowhound have a good sense of what's worthwhile and what's worth missing.

Thank you, Carmanah for your confirmation. I, on the other hand, did not want to come off too snobbish, that only good Mexican food can be found in the States or Mexico. To be fair, I am sure there are some good places here in Vancouver, but I generally don't like Mexican restaurants in California with Las Margaritas' decor,and as you put it above, it is usually more about the decor than the food at those places and also usually more about the drinks than the food. However, we were having a bit of a Mexican food withdrawal and needed something that tasted like home. Sadly, it did not come close.

Today's events included a visit to North Vancouver and to Lonsdale Quay Market. It was our first time crossing over the Burrard Inlet and using the seabus. It was a pretty ride over with an interesting cityscape to watch.
the bus sure packs in a lot of people.

We expected the market to be more crowded, more like Granville Island, especially on a Sunday. We found some fast food for lunch, mine (fish and chips) was not particularly memorable, though my husband loved his meal from the Greek stand. Although, a pleasant day outing, I prefer Granville for its variety of foods, however it was great fun and we enjoyed ourselves.

We had read in a tourist guide that there was a nice walk along the Fraser River, but instead the info booth guide pointed us to a walk in Ambleside which was very nice, but it took us two buses to get there and the ride seemed interminable. (Probably about 20 minutes in all!) It was a nice walk along the inlet opposite a stoney beach with lots of large rocks and driftwood. It was quite picturesque and we snapped a few photos to make up for all the ones we haven't taken.

We had a wonderful Sushi dinner in Kits on the way back to Dunbar. The Sushi is so good here, so much better than anything I can get home. I will miss it.

By the way, have I remarked on how helpful and polite the bus drivers are here? They really help us with directions and routes. And if a bus driver fails to remind us, there are always 2 or 3 passengers looking out for us. It is truly remarkable.

A sad note for us - we are almost at the half-way point of our trip. We can't believe how much more we have to explore, but my standing philosophy is not to worry about what we don't see and instead enjoy the memory of what we do see.

More to come. . .

Today took us to Bowen Island, a short 20 minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay. We inadvertently discovered Bowen Island through a chance conversation with someone on the bus. It was not in either of our travel books nor have I seen it mentioned lately on Fodor's talk. I iamgine it is a very common day trip for Vancouverites.Although, when I researched it on Fodor's , there was a tiny bit of information on it.

We took the several buses from Dunbar to get to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal. It took us about an hour with transfers, but as it turned out two people sitting near us were going to Bowen Island (one was a resident);they helped us with our bus transfers.

We could not have chosen a prettier day. Not a cloud in sight and in the high 60s. It was perfect. While we waited for the Ferry, we walked around the pretty park. There's a lovely view of the harbor. When we arrived 20 minutes later in a huge ferry boat, we found several restaurants and shops closed because it was Monday. We scouted around for food, walked the uphill walk to the village and admired the alpine setting. If we had not arrived by boat, we may have thought we were in a small mountain village. Very pretty and very quiet. I suppose, it picks up on the weekends. We had planned on hiking, but neither of us felt very energetic and we just did a few short walks. What a pretty place and so accessible to locals. How lucky they are!

Another beautiful day. Perfect weather again. I inderstand we are very lucky.

We took the skytrain to New Westminster Quay to see the market, but it was practically empty and not too appealing. We walked a bit along the Fraser River, but it was pretty hot in the sun and there was little shade, so we boarded the skytrain again, to Burrard, took a bus to Denman, had some sushi (can't get enough of it!) and ended up at English Bay where we walked on the promenade watching people enjoy themselves on the beach and took the ferry to Granville Island. The short ride was fun and very pretty. We wandered around a bit, saw some shops we missed on the first trip, then took another bus to Kits, bought some Halibut for dinner (excellent!) and had a late dinner. It was not a big sightseeing day, but a very pleasant one.

I look forward to reading your great
report each day - you are such receptive travellers it's a treat to
see Vancouver through your eyes.

On Sunday I drove by a couple waiting for a bus up from the Lonsdale Quay and later I wondered
if that was you - any chance you were wearing beige capris and (IIRC)
a coral top? Or maybe I'm just seeing phantom Californians and it's
so time I got a real life lol!

llamalady: Thanks for the compliments. Sometimes, I wonder if I am writing in a vacuum, but I am enjoying recording my holiday, and it is pleasant when I get an occasional comment, though I cringe when I read back and see all the typos and other errors I made.

No, that was not us. I usually wear jeans and only have one pair of capris for this trip - olive colored ones and a beige skirt, the latter which I reserve for very warm days! Today, we are planning on visiting Queen Elizabeth Park after a leisurely lunch. The restaurant is still in question. We are having such a good time here in Vancouver; we will be sorry to leave. Coming here and not visiting Europe was such a good decision for us. People are friendly and we don't have to struggle with language. We speak some French and Spanish, but extended conversations are strained, it is pleasant to converse easily, get directions and ideas. It has been great fun. And people are very casual and friendly, to have a conversation is so easy and natural, whereas at home, you always worry that you are intruding or taking up someone's valuable time.

More later. . .

annetti, glad u r having fun in Van. i don't get over much from Victoria but plan on being in town for a week at international filmfest end of september. I'm spoiled as i stau w/ a friend in Coal harbour overlooking tghe houseboats and just have to jog along the seawall to Stanley Park

btw, there is a very good japanese restaurant on Robson a few blocks downtown side of Denman ( someone help me w/ the name) They serve bar , small plates that we survived on whilst travelling in Japan. Excellent food imho


u certainly brought us some nice California weather after our miserable spring
cheers
AndrewDavid

ps r u coming over to Victoria? the ferry ride is awesome through the Gulf Islands

I'm still reading! You aren't writing in a vacuum

You're definitely not in a vaccuum.

You might find Queen Elizabeth Park a little underwhelming, especially if you compare it to Stanley Park... but if you don't mind landscaped flowers and consider it used to be an old rock quarry, it has its own charm. It's the highest point in the city of Vancouver proper, and having dinner on the patio of the Season's Hilltop Bistro can be rather enjoyable on a beautiful day. Across the street is Nat Bailey Stadium, an old school baseball stadium home to the Vancouver Canadians AAA baseball team.

A few blocks east of Queen Elizabeth Park along Main Street (Main between E 30th or so all the way down to E 7th) is home to Strathcona/Mount Pleasant, home to an East Van community where there are a lot of vintage clothing stores, independent clothing boutiques and the whole indie art school student scene in Vancouver. Not that I'd necessarily recommend both of you to visit, but it's just yet another community in Vancouver.

BTW - you're not the only one who finds Westminster Quay or Lonsdale underwhelming (compared to Granville Island).

I just hope that you get to Steveston before you leave... it's quite the different scene than anywhere you've been so far, and I'm sure it won't underwhelm.

Ooops - that area's Mount Pleasant, not Strathcona. Don't know why I wrote that.

We live in Kitsilano and have really enjoyed reading about how you are enjoying our city. If you are looking for a taste of Europe,
we highly recommend Mistral Bistro. http://www.mistralbistro.ca/index-en.htm

.....Bistro Bistro at 1961 W 4th
is also a nice French-ified place
to eat - we were there on Saturday
night and enjoyed the food and
ambience. Prices similar to Mistral.

If weather is an indicator, you did
make a wise decision to skip Europe
this summer - we were there for 5
weeks and in total we may have had
a week without pelting rain/nasty
cold....all that and having to speak
in another language!

AndewDavid, I'm happy we brought you some California sun, however I wish it would rain -- just a couple hours -- during the night. I don't want my home exchangers' beautiful lawn to turn yellow. They have an enormous amount of flowers and I am trying my best to keep them watered, but I am having trouble figuring out how to do the entire lawn! We will have to ring some doorbells soon to get some answers. I don't want them to have yellow grass when they return.

We went to a very good Japanese restaurant for sushi yesterday on Robson, but the chance that it would be your recommendation is not likely. I keep exclaiming how good the Asian food and the seafood, too, is here. We will not be able to eat sushi in California when we reutrn for at least 6 months without boring our friends and telling them how good it is in Vanvouver! I feel that I should eat it everyday and we just about do!

AndrewDavid, we do have a trip planned to Victoria next week. I have to start thinking how to get there and what to do with our three days besides see Butchard Gardens and I understand there is a very good museum there, too.

Thank you, Toucan2 for your kind comment.

Carmanah: Steveston is definitely on my list, but for some reason, my husband is dragging his feet. He is starting to warm up to the idea. He kept thinking that it is just a shopping area near Richmond. I reread him your comments again and slowly he is coming around!

Pipp1 and llamalady, thanks for the restaurant ideas on Fourth St. I think we read the outdoor menu on one French place , but it was closed when we looked. We like French food, but I wonder if I can be torn away from the Sushi!!!

annetti, I have been enjoying your trip report. We went to Canada for our honeymoon years ago and loved it. (We also went to Victoria.)

I would suggest visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery, especially all of its works by Emily Carr. I had not known of her work before, and I found her lifefascinating as well.

We also enjoyed getting a tandem bike and riding around Stanley Park.

We decided today, once more, to take advantage of the wonderful warm weather. At this rate we will never step inside the Vancouver Art Gallery and see the Emily Carr paintings. Last summer, I read a book (picked up at a library sale) called the Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland, about Emily Carr. I must admit I had not known her name. I read the book last summer in Argentina, and now in Vancouver a year later, I have not seen the paintings. Three young women came up to me yesterday at the Granville Market asking me where they could find Emily Carr. I told them the Vancouver Art Gallery. What a coincidence that I should have read that book. Vancouver was in my destiny.

As usual, we got off to a late start. There had been a slight chance that we might left the house before 11:30am, but discussion, telephoning, checking web sites, all slowed us down. The big decision was where to eat lunch and then the plan was to visit the Queen Elizabeth Park. My husband was intrigued by Fuel on 4th Street, perhaps Pippy1 knows it? But then he decided what he really wanted was to try one of the Greek restaurants, so we opted for Stepho's on Davie Street. It was listed in two of our guide books. It was an easy bus ride without transfers.

We arrived at Stepho's around 1:30 or so and the line was out the door, but people told us it moved quickly. It did. The prices are extremely reasonable and the food fairly good. The atmosphere is pleasant, oil cloth tablecloths that don't match, white stucco walls and an overall bright, light feeling. It felt pleasant and the service was friendly. My husband ordered the lamb (he has had a craving for it lately; I guess too much sushi has created this need), whereas I had the shrimp. The Greek salads were tasty. Side dishes are important to me, so though I liked the potatoes, I had to point my thumb down on the prepared rice. The only downer to a very pleasant meal. I think with tip and tax, the meal came under $30.

We made our way to the Queen Elizabeth Park. I had printed out directions on Translink's website, but it involved three transfers and we did go the wrong direction once for three blocks. However, no great hardship and we arrived at the park around 4:00. We wandered around the rose gardens (very pretty, but where was the delicate rose smell?), visited the conservatory which was enjoyable. We tried to follow the routed tour(they give you a little brochure to follow), but it was difficult for us, either you need to be more perceptive or just lucky to find the small signs on the shrubs. However, this did not distract and I did notice a lot of my former house plants doing very well in the controlled hothouse atmosphere. That explained a lot!

We walked down to a pretty water fall and tried to stay out of the way of a wedding couple posing for photos. They had been taking pictures before we arrived and were still going strong when we left. They looked tired. I wanted to say to them, you will be happy years later to have these pictures in such a beautiful place. I. also wanted to give them some advice not to fret the little things, that it took me a long time to learn and I am still working on it! The waterfall, by the way was dedicated to Raoul Wallenberg who saved hundreds of Jews during the Hallocaust. It was a pretty little memorial. One last comment, it was very uncrowded even on such a beautiful day, so that was a real plus.

With some help from locals, we found our way to Kits, and had sushi for dinner at a place on Fourth near Burrard St and next to an Indian restaurant. At one point on the bus, three people joined in the conversation, giving us the best directions on how to get to Kits. No one back home will believe me when I tell them, they will all think I am exaggerating. And to top it off, when we exited the bus at the end of the day, and I said, "thank you;" the bus driver's response was, "take care."

5alive: How funny that you were writing about Emily Carr at the same time I was. It is on our list of things to do. Thanks very much.

Annetti - when you are in Victoria you can go to the Emily Carr house. It is just a few blocks from your mote (Helm's Inn I think?)

Here is the website

http://www.emilycarr.com/main.html

I agree with a previous post. Bistrot Bistro is good. THe room is noisier than Mistrel, but the food is delicious. We've never been to Fuel but wee have friends who have been there. They found the food to be very good but it is very pricey.
For Greek food, check out Broadway, west of McDonald. There are lots of good Greek restaurants.

You really must get DH in the mood
for Steveston - esp. if you have sushi in mind. It's a great little
village w/lots of eating places and
a great atmosphere.

If you want to have a little Chinese
immersion, Richmond is the place to
indulge - there's a couple of malls
that cater to Asians - Yaoyan (sp?)
and Aberdeen Centre. Both are easily reached from the busline that
goes down #3Road.

There's a two level 'dollar' store
that is part of a chain in Japan -
it's so interesting and a great
place to pick up 'stuff'. Then
there's the Chinese supermarket
and the store that sells dried
seahorses......yum. And, natch,
sushi.

Further afield towards Steveston
there is a marvellous Buddhist Temple - it's really quite amazing.
Not sure about bus routes (sorry)
but it is on the main E-W road to
Steveston.

Might be a tad blustery on the dock
at Steveston today - may have to
carry an anchor to stay grounded.

Here's some photos and info I have of Steveston. Should provide some photos that prove it's not just a shopping area next to the uglification that's No 3 Road in Richmond.

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/1b080/dca7c/

Steveston was the order of the day, today. On the way there we ran into some problems with the transit system. When we connected to our third bus at Richmond Center, we learned that there was a gap in the schedule and the next one would be in 90 minutes, but with some help from locals and the bus drivers, we rerouted ourselves. (We, again, had gotten off to a late start, but we were trying to protect our home exchangers' front lawn from turning brown. We finally found a hose hidden under some shrubs. That was a relief. I did not want to have any dead grass on my conscience.) But, had we left at a reasonable time, we might have avoided all the bus hassle, but since we are always leaving late, it probably would not have made much difference.

We arrived in Steveston around 3:00 and as llamalady suggested the weather was indeed blustery. We found a little tourist info agency and she kindly loaded us up with a half a tree's worth of paper. We ate at Pajo's recommended by several people and we enjoyed the halibut and decadent fries very much. The fries were a real treat for my husband who is very health conscious; I can't remember the last time he ate them. He would not even sample mine when we ate at Sophie's Cosmic Cafe in Kits. We then walked with the wind up the boardwalk/promenade to the historical sites of the cannery. It was very interesting; again I felt ignorant, having no idea that Steveston had once been the biggest commercial fishery in the world. There was hardly anyone about. I think Christmas Day on Catalina Island in California would have been more crowded; I am not complaining, it was really very pleasant. Perhaps the heavy wind or the midweek kept people away? It's a nice area and I am always glad to see an effort being made to retain an area's history. I also liked that they profiled one family's life and showed their home. I think it is more meaningful when you get a personal glimpse of real people rather than read about numbers. Thanks Carmanah for reinforcing your suggestion that we go. My husband had a pleasant day, too.

By the way, we saw an extraordinary show of kindness by the bus driver on the last leg of our journey to Steveston. Four young boys around 10 or 11 boarded the bus with a computer print out. They were having some difficulty and checked with the bus driver who gave them directions, when they could not follow his directions at their stop, the driver got off the bus, and walked them part way to their new bus stop. I challenge a Californian to come up with a similar story!! That was remarkable.

We were very tired when we arrived "home" at 9:30; I guess fighting the wind exhausted us. We ate some veggie burgers that we had bought a while back. The restaurants are so good here, that we keep saying, we can eat in when we get home, that is California, and have done little more than eat a light breakfast here or once or twice cooked something light for dinner!

to be continued. . .

Traveller69: You have an excellent memory for details. Thank you for the web site on the Emily Carr house.

Note to Carmanah: The website pictures were VERY helpful. Thank you.

I am a first time post to your forum and read through the entire thing--very interesting. My husband and I will be in Vancouver for a short 3-day stay unfortunately. What would you recommend are your favorite things to do for a short stay?

Hi barbiej. That's a tough question to answer. Since you have read through my blog (which deserves congratulations and a thank you!), you can see that we travel at a very leisurely pace. We usually only concentrate on one thing a day to see.

Do you feel it is necessary to see the number one tourist spot in an area? If you live in LA, NY, SF, or Phila., you may not find Vancouver's Chinatown to be very different and that may mean you might want to skip it. However, if it bothers you, that when you return home and people ask you if you visited Vancouver's Chinatown and you have to say "no," then maybe you need to include it. I would not bother with it. But, then I have visited all the Chinatowns listed above. I would also forgo Gastown, but it is listed in many books as a "must see." I would include Stanley Park, Granville Island, walking the seawall at some point, the anthropology museum at UBC. eating sushi somewhere, trying some Indian food, eating Halibut or Salmon (it's in season now) because it is far superior to what I get at home. Just strolling this city in the parks or near the beaches (English Bay is nice) is wonderful. The city is beautiful and there are wonderful views to be had almost everywhere. I hope I have helped you, pls feel free to ask again with more specifics in mind.

I know the people on this board have helped me tremendously and they are sure to add their thoughts re your three day stay. By the way, when do you plan to visit? That may make a lot of difference to the answers you will receive.

We were out of the house in record time today, even with watering our home exchangers' lawn. We decided that we must visit the Vancouver Art Gallery, even though the weather continues to be fabulous.

So our day included a direct bus (no mishaps) to the museum with a stop on Denman beforhand for sushi. We went to a small place called Akira's, our second visit, and it is always crowded. We do not have a sophisticated palate when it comes to sushi, but we enjoyed our meal, and my husband is slowly learning to develop a taste for it. A stop for gelato (and an interesting conversation with the ice-cream guy who compared Toronto to Vancouver, he feel Vancouver is more "wide open," regarding business opportunities and a few other thoughts regarding living in Ottawa), we then took a short bus ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. It is a beautiful building; I understand it was Vancouver's former courthouse. Disappointingly for us, most of the Emily Carr paintings are on tour, so we only saw a very small sample. There was an exhibition of several other Canadian Women artists mixed in with Emily Carr's work. I, particularly liked Henrietta Mabel May's Autumn in the Laurentians. You needed to stand back from it to get a good perspective. I thought it would go nicely over my fire place at home! I, also liked Kathleen Morris' Market Scene and the Gossips by Betty Goodwin was interesting, but a little too mean spirited and stereotypical to suit me. But, it was a nice collection of work.

We decided to have an early dinner at home and use up some of the food we have bought, rather than see it rot. So we stopped off at a wine store and bought a bottle of BC wine to enjoy with our very unchic dinner of veggie burgers again.

We are thinking of revisiting Commercial Drive again tomorrow.. .

If you get a chance and you like Celtic music you should check out the Wolf & Hound Pub at 3617 WEst Broadway. The food is great and each night there is usually an adhoc group of musicians that get together and make music. Tonight there were 10-12 guitarists,fiddlers, drummers and singers. It was great fun.
For sushi, you really must check out a local haunt, the Eatery at 3431 W. Broadway www.theeatery.ca
The sushi is unique and delicious. Get there early to avoid the young crowd or order ahead and take out. Enjoy!

Annetti--thanks for your response. It was very helpful. My husband and I will be coming to Vancouver at the end of September. We live in St. Louis. I have read quite a lot about Vancouver and the things you mentioned are definites on my list--Stanley Park, Granville Island. I use to work in NYC when I was much younger and just recently visited there and while there went to Chinatown--I'm not too impressed with NY's Chinatown. There are too many vendors trying to get you to buy things--especially along Canal street. It was fun to revisit though. I just love walking the streets of cities were I visit, so I will enjoy just doing that in Vancouver also. We plan to take a day trip to Whistler--are you going to do that. We will be leaving after our three days and taking the ferry to Vancouver Island to see Butchart Gardens and Victoria. Enjoy your time in Vancouver--can't wait to visit--I've never been.

Barbiej: I can't imagine you not having a wonderful time here. It is a beautiful city and people are so friendly and helpful. Coming here has been a great decision on our part. We are very leisurely travelers; generally we get started late, the beauty of home exchange, and never feel rushed to do a great deal. We have the luxury of not craming too many activites in one day, however, we do plan a few days in Victoria, so we will probably be on a tighter schedule. I say, just walk and enjoy the city and have a great time sampling all the wonderful restaurants and hope for good weather. Have a wonderul time.
Annetti PS No, Whistler is not on our schedule, though we have been told numerous times by locals that it is beautiful and a "must see."

To most people Victoria means the
Parliment Bldgs, the Provincial
Museum, the Inner Harbour, etc.
But I go there to eat at Rebar in
Bastian Square. It's sorta like
a cafe you'd find in Orange City.

It's a fun, funky, mostly-veggie
restaurant - high energy and usually
packed. Try lunch there but arrive
before noon to get a seat. If your
DH is a healthy food lover he should
be very happy here.

After lunch you can carry on and
visit the 'usual suspects'....

Thank you again, llamalady. Someone else mentioned Rebar a while back on another thread. Perhaps, it was you? I have it written down to try, but I'm glad to have the reminder. My husband is still feeling guilty over all the high cholestrol food he has enjoyed here, so everytime we eat "healthily" and still enjoy it, is a bonus!

By the way, if you don't mind the question, how did you get your on screen name?

Queenmandy85: We made it to Lawrence books yesterday. We finally hit on a time when it was opened. It is a great used book store; we've noticed that there are lots of used book stores in this city, for that matter, there are a lot of bookstores, period. Another vote in favor of Vancouver. I came across a first edition of an author I like and was tempted, but someone had written their name in it and it was "not a deal." Lawrence reminds me of Acres of Books in Long Beach, California, an icon of a store,(although smaller) that is sadly closing its doors because of redevelopment next year, although there is talk of it relocating. It always saddens me to see a bookstore closing.

Have you found your way up to Lynn
Canyon yet? Nice easy hiking in the
woods with the added 'adventure' of
a (free) suspension bridge. Again,
not sure of the bus route but I know
there is one!

Burmese cat that may have a Buddhist
background hence the (l)lama and its
colouration is llama-like. I know,
sad.

llamalady: Another cat lover! Thank you for clearing up that mystery.

Lynn Canyon has been on our list for a while. I hope we get to it. I am coming down with a head cold, so in fairness to our Victoria hotel, we just cancelled. I hope we get to do all the things on our list. The Victoria hotel says they may be able to get us in later in the week, hopefully the cold won't drag on.

Today, we visited Commercial Drive as planned. We are pleased to report that we arrived without any mistakes or more than two questions to verify we were on the correct route.

My husband had read a glowing review in Vancouver City Guide for Marcello's restaurant, so knowing that pizza is one of my favorite foods, suggested we try it. The review reported that they make a fabulous thin crusted pizza. The service was pleasant and the menu offers you the choice of two different topings on your pizza, that is, you can have a vegetarian pizza on one half and in my case an anchovy pizza on the other side. A clever idea. I liked my side of the pizza, but then the high salt of the anchovies covers a lot of sins. My husband thought his "side" was tasteless -- I had to agree. Although not perfect pizza in any way, I did enjoy it. We later walked up the "Drive" and even stopped at a garage sale where I bought a book of French Canadian short stories. It was fun being in the area again; I love the Berkley-like 70s feel of the area.

Later, we went to Kits for some coffee and some shopping.

By the way,Pippy1, thanks for the suggestion about the Wolf and Hound. Does it matter which day of the week we go and what is the earliest time we can get there and hear music? My husband is really interested in doing this. Any chance there are violins occasionally? Thank you.

annetti, re Berkeley in the '70s: the friendliness and pace of life in Victoria today remind me of when i was in graduate school in Berkeley in the late 60's and early 70's. Granola is alo a favourite food group on Salt Spring Island ( a half hour ferry ride from here). Hope u r well enough to make it over to Victoria.
Luminara is saturday july 26th when beacon hill park is taken over at night by a fantasy of lanterns and music.
If u r here a different Saturday night, the fireworks at Butchart Gardens after dark ( 10pm last weekend) r truely amazing and the garden after dark is more attractive than during the day imho.
the ferry ride from Tsawassen to Sydney ( the port for victoria) is stunning esp the last 45 minutes or so through the Gulf island. its an easy transit downtown to downtown via Pacific Coach Line

if u need any info on Victoria feel free to give me a shout
cheers
AndrewDavid

ps thanks for greeeat report!

Thank you, Andrew David for your kind thoughts. I am not sure if we will make it to Victoria, I will have to see how this cold thing goes. My husband, fortunately, flows with the tide, and is not too disappointed, I am the one that will be upset if we can't include Victoria this year. Our time in Canada is running out.

Yesterday, we laid low, hung around our home away from home and relaxed. I finished a book and began another. I am always thankful for home exchange or at least a rented apartment when you feel less than perfect.

Today, we bussed up to Kerrisdale, planning to try Suvai for lunch. (One of the things, I did while hanging around the house was spend some time reading dinehere.com. Someone on this board a while back made the suggestion to check out this website. I wish I could remember and give proper credit, since it was great fun reading the reviews, especially when they agree with my assessments, as in the case of Marcello and Las Margaritas, neither of which impressed me.)

Unfortunately Suvai did not get their order of fish today, so we left planning to return another day. My husband remembered a highly rated review from dinehere.com for Sushi King on West Ave, also in Kerrisdale. Either, I am getting tired of Sushi (I doubt that!) or I just did not like the place. The waitress/cook was harried and her rushed attitude, though understandable is not good for first time customers. The food was just okay.

However, Van Dusen Gardens which followed our lunch was hardly ordinary. It is truly a special place and has to be one of the highlights of our trip. The gardens are lovely, beautifully maintained with lovely wild grasses, trees, ponds, and flowers. We spent three hours wandering the grounds, got lost for about 5 minutes in the maze and had a wonderful time. The park was practically empty. The majority of the time, we saw no other strollers, and we never had to wait for that annoying person (just kidding of course) to move on so we could take photos. It was a real bargain for $17.00 for the two of us. I'm sure Butchard in Victoria is larger and more impressive, and if we don't get to see it, this will be a worthy replacement. I was very happy today wandering around the garden. There is a pretty restaurant there, I have no idea how the food is, but the setting is lovely, and it would make a wonderful special date or anniversary meal.

I wish we had a park as pretty so close by at home. The only thing I can think of comparable is Huntington Gardens or Descanso Gardens, all about a 45 minute ride away in "good traffic!"

more later. . .

Dear annetti, hope u feel beter whether u make it to Victoria or not. I personally don't feel that any of the gardens at Butchart are particularly well done esp if one has seen gardens in england, japan and italy as i have been fortunate to see. however the whole gestalt of Butchart is quite amazing and the fireworks on Saturday evening will blow ur socks off!
Summer entertainment is good in the evening also and included in the price of admission. fyi, my husband is just finishing a run there of "Foever Plaid"!
take care
AndrewDavid

Thank you, Andrew David for the reassurance that the world will not denounce me if we miss Butchard Gardens and the sky will not fall in. Although, we have not been to Japan, I have never seen lovelier gardens than what one sees in England. They may not know how to cook (okay, okay, English cooking has greatly improved!! I hope my mild riposte, does not create undue fervor here), but their gardens are absolutely first rate. They certainly have the knack for making things grow and doing it beautifully. Again, thank you for the kind thoughts. I will survive a cold, but it does seem unfair to get one in the middle of the summer!

Hi annetti

I just happened upon your travels in Vancouver, and you have brought back many happy memories of our home exchange in Van a couple of years ago!

You don't seem to have mentioned a trip to Grouse Mountain - we were staying just below the mountain, and I know there was a bus service that came right up to the mountain base where the gondola leaves from.
We were up there in summer, and the views from the top were magnificent.

It's several hours worth of visit, if you include walking through the gigantic timber sculptures, and watching the timber-cutters 'show'. Plenty of eating opportunities also - we enjoyed just sitting there and watching the arrival of all the mad keen outdoor mountain climbers who subjected themselves to arriving on foot . . . definitely way too much effort!

Happy travels, Di

Hey annetti,

Butchart Gardens is actually the exact same size as VanDusen, and I personally feel that the two are fairly similar, except VanDusen's cheaper and less touristy. Of course, Butchart's more famous... and it's situated next to a harbour, but unless you're planning on more than a day trip to Victoria, you really aren't missing out. After all, if you've been to Queen Elizabeth Park, you've already experienced the sunken quarry garden.

Hope you feel well soon. I too just got over a strange 48 hour head cold. It's a bizarre time of year to get one, but a lot of people have it right now.

I haven't been here, but I was in this area recently and it seems like it would be fun. It's the Flying Beaver Bar and Grill, in Richmond near the south terminal of the airport, and you can see floatplanes taking off just a few feet away as you sit out on the terrace:
http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=443

Which reminds me of another nice Vancouver spot, if you get a good view.
Cardero's
http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=618

You seem to have such a positive attitude! It's fun to read your reports.

Di2315: No, we have not been to Grouse Mt, yet. We are trying to decide. I have problems with mountain roads (some call it motion sickness)and now with a cold, I am reluctant to push my luck. Though, we have been given several travel tips by locals that we would enjoy the excursion. It does sound lovely.
We are really enjoying our home exchange here -- we feel it has been a great exchange and hope that our guests in Southern California are enjoying themselves, too. My husband and I say at least once a day, isn't this great! We feel very fortunate to be able to spend almost 5 weeks in such a beautiful city.

Carmannah: Thanks for the reassurance that we will not be missing too much by not seeing Butchard Gardens. I really loved Van Dusen. It was so empty yesterday, perhaps, it is more crowded on weekends and holidays. It always amazes me that these meticulous. weedless, well-pruned gardens never have anyone working on them. We did not see one gardener during our visit.

I agree that it is a bizarre cold that only lasted three days; it is just about gone. Very strange, not that I want to have it hang around any longer!!

Willtravel: Perhaps, it was you that told us about Dinehere.com.? It is a very entertaining site as you suggested. We ran into a local today who also suggested Cadero's to us today.

Today was somewhat of a repeat of the earlier part of our trip. We had lunch at Suvai in Kerrisdale. We were seated at a nice little table that just fronted the open air patio without being directly in the sun. It was very pleasant to feel the cool breezes. We have been lucky to have such perfect weather over the last three weeks. We groan a little, that there has been no evening rain, because we have so much watering to keep our home exchangers' plants green and healthy, but it is a small price to pay for a rainless and beautiful summer. We hope our pleasure is not wreaking havoc on the agricultural system.

Our lunch was more upscale, you can always tell since the food is piled high like a tower with the vegetables coyly hidden under the salmon. It was good though, a little heavy on the black pepper. The service was pleasant,too.

We then took the bus to Stanley Park, to walk the sea wall. We had walked it in bits and pieces the first few days we were in Vancouver, but we wanted to return and enjoy the pleasure again. It is a pretty walk unencumbered with souvenir stands and ice cream/hotdog kiosks or Starbucks. (I wonder how that contagion has been avoided.) Once again we found the sea wall pleasantly empty, just a few people here and there. There were plenty of free benches if you tired. We took some of the photos we missed the first time round. The time of the day changes the colors of the water very nicely and makes for some pretty pictures. After walking for about three or so hours (and only sitting occasionally) we walked down to Davie Street. My husband wanted to return to Stepho's for dinner. It was about 5:30 or 6:00. There were about 10 people ahead of us. We were finally seated under a speaker, we asked to move, so we waited another 10 minutes and were seated on the other side of the room under the other speaker. At this point, we sat down, however the loud music, the general noise of the room, the tile floor, etc. made for a very active room. I kind of enjoyed it. There was a large family group of about 15 people trying to squeeze around a table for 8, but they were all so happy to be together, it was contagious. My husband ordered the chicken, liked it, and was glad that he ordered the small portion. I ordered the vegetarian plate, suffice it to say, I did not enjoy it very much, though the Greek salad that came with it was the best part of the meal.

My big coup today was finding a store that sold Maple Candy. The only place I had seen some was at the Granville Market which I though exorbitant for very small boxes, but today, I found it "on sale" for less than half the price of Granville. My only error was probably not buying more!! I, also will have to start shopping for some smoked salmon to take home. I can always tell when a trip is ending down, when I start thinking about gifts to bring home. . .

We decided to visit the Roedde House today in Barclay Square, a Queen Anne style home built in the 1890s. Before our visit, we were up in the air about where to have lunch -- it was either veggie burgers at home or sushi. I wanted Indian food, but we did not want a buffet and too many ptions/opinions were offered on dinehere.com which confused us and made it difficult for us to decide. We finally decided to try our luck in Kits since it was on the way to the Roedde House and when the bus (#7)stopped in front of Mandela's Japanese restaurant we decided to try it. We knew it had potential since we could see that the food was being served on square plates (just kidding!). It turned out to be very good and we both enjoyed it. I had the healthy lunch option and my husband had option box C (?). I can't tell you too much, except it was all vegetarian and it was very good. Later we checked out the website. Only one review, but 4 stars, so we felt safe!! Both meals for under $20. A good deal! And the restaurant was clean and attractive.

The Roedde museum is hidden away on a side street. We entered by ringing a bell to gain admission. It was $10 for the two of us. No other visitors appeared to be there. The docent offered us the choice of a self-guided tour or she said she would conduct one for us. We opted to have the personal tour. She was pleasant, knew a great deal about the home and times. Roedde was a German immigrant who came to Canada, and opened a successful book binding business. Not too much of the home are original furnishings, but through donations, many of the objects on display are from the 1890s. It was a pleasant, though not exciting afternoon. The docent remarked that most of the visitors are from overseas and that not too many Vancouverites visit.

First let me point out how proud I am to be poster #100 on this wonderful detailed report Annetti has filed-I've followed each new instalment with bated breath.

"The Roedde museum is hidden away on a side street.....The docent remarked that most of the visitors are from overseas and that not too many Vancouverites visit."
Lived here all my adult life and never heard of the place-it's probably a 30 minute walk away!

Thank you, Sam. All compliments are appreciated!

If you decide to break Vancouverite tradition and visit the Roedde House, it might be nice to do it on a Sunday. The docent said they serve cookies and tea and there are often many visitors (from overseas of course!) who sit around and chat. However, the price goes up to $6.00 on Sunday!! Actually, I glanced through the guest book and quite a lot of the visitors are locals, perhaps the overseas' visitors stand out in her mind. See www.roeddehouse.org for times and other information.

hi annetti, ur excellent odessey continues. hopoe this means u r feeling better. thanks for keeping us all in the loop. i oly get over to Van from Vic a few times a year
(next opp the film festival at end of september) and am always glad to learn about the obscure corners visitors like u can discover for those of us who live here
cheers
AndrewDavid

Thank you, Andrew David. It's a nice thought that I am contributing some new insights?!?

Today we began in our usual late fashion, only later around 2:30 or 3:00. We decided we would return to Granville Island, have a late lunch, go home, rest and have a late dinner and hear some Celtic music at the Wolf and Hound as Pippy1 suggested a while back on this thread.

We felt like real pros navigating the bus system and making our way to the Granville Market. We walked from the bus with a former Torontonian who compared the two cities for us. I have the feeling, not directly of course, that she believes (remember this is only one person speaking, so don't be upset) that Torontonians are more sophisticated, similar I think in the way New Yorkers feel about Los Angelenos. Also, she told us quite bluntly how much she hated President Bush, and that Canadians really disliked him. No mystery there, his rating in the US is appalling low. We were not offended, we are not his fans either. But this forthright speech always takes me by surprise, but when I agree there are no hard feelings!

We found a wonderful seat at the Granville Market, which I was loathe to give up. Our window faced the Burrard Avenue Bridge and there was a clear view of its lovely friezes. We sat there for quite a while admiring the water, the bridge, and watching the occasional person saunter by. It was probably close to 4 by now and a perfect time to visit the market, not particularly crowded. I had a craving for Indian food and my husband and I ordered some food from the same stand we had bought food from the last time. He liked it better than the first time, I was less enamoured, perhaps because it was cold,and I mean cold, not tepid. My husband took it back to request they warm it up, while I held on to our perfect table. He said they were not too happy to warm it, but in the end they cooperated. Surprising, since there were few customers around at that time. I bought a delicious rustic ginger apple tart for dessert and my husband tried another hamantashen (still no idea how that is spelled) which he enjoyed. I hated to leave our lovely seat, was quite mesmerized by the setting, so we ordered some more drinks and sat and stared contentedly at the scene for quite some time. Ah, the joys of being on holiday are sublime.

After a rest at home, we boarded the 7 bus to Alma and Broadway. The bus was empty and the bus driver pointed out the clear view of the mountains and water as we drove North. It was a pretty sight at dusk. We planned to eat dinner at Montri's Thai Restaurant www.montri-thai.com and then go to the Wolf and Hound for some Celtic Music.

The restaurant was a bit crowded, not terribly though; we had about a 10 minute wait. The host was incredibly gracious which helped things along. Everyone that we encountered was very solicitious so it made it easy to sit down and enjoy the food. The restaurant is not large, but has a pleasant intimate feeling to it. It also felt very clean and well-maintained. I had the Vegetarian Pad Thai, really excellent, and my husband had some chicken dish which he loved, too. The prices were moderate and I can't remember when I enjoyed a Thai meal more. We have tons of Thai restaurants in our Southern Californian neighborhood, but I don't think they measure up to this very nice Thai restaurant.

We walked two doors down to the Wolf and Hound, but disappointingly they were not playing Celtic Music tonight. We will try again, We walked a few more blocks, saw The Eatery which Poppi1 recommended and enjoyed the pleasant night air. Another very pleasant day spent in this beautiful city.

It looks like an early night for us today. We received a telephone call very early this morning, which disturbed our sleep and made us feel quite tired all day. So, we took it easy, went to Kits, ate at Mandela's again, enjoyed it again, and wandered around Kits for a couple of hours, browsing some stores, buying a birthday card, talking to friendly people, and trying to decide if either of us felt lively enough for the late night we had planned. The answer must be no since my husband has parked himself in front of the TV where he found a basketball game. I guess it's veggie burgers again or call out for pizza. It might not have been an exciting day, but the surroundings are still new and fresh to us and continue to entertain.

Hi there
Whoops, sorry for not posting sooner. Hopefully you've had better luck tonight (Friday) with the Celtic Music. Usually on Fridays & Saturdays, the musicians show up and sit at the table near the door.We have been there during the week and the musicians arrived and sometimes not. Always on the weekend, someone shows up. It's not a formal band...rather, a group of musicians who get together, whenever, and make music. We have been there when there have been 4-5 musicians or 10-12. It's very spontaneous and fun.

annetti

Have you had a meal at Monk McQueens yet?

We stayed near Granville island 2 years ago and this meal was the best we had during a 3 week tour of the Rockies, BC and Vancouver Island.

Also very novel getting there and back in a little boat. Located at Stamps Landing in False Bay.

Mickrory: Thank you for the suggestion. Have you eaten there recently? Or are your memories from a couple years back? I checked the ratings from dinehere.com and unfortunately it sounds like it has deteriorated since you have been there. Too bad, since the setting sounds so nice. Thanks, anyway.

Our trip is winding down. Just a few more days left. Today, we decided to return to Robson and Denman Streets. We had not spent much time in the area and our Michelin Guide hypes it as a prime people watching, shopping strip. We meandered slowly through the streets and wandered in a few shops. We finally bought our requisite Vancouver t-shirts so we can show everyone we spent our summer vacation in Vancouver. We walked for a while, had gotten a bit hungry, but could not agree on a place to eat. Went into the Legendary Joe Fortes, looked at the menu and surveyed the surroundings. Very attractive, but we were not that hungry. Saw Cafe de Paris that Mandy recommended earlier on the board; It was closed. It was close to 4:00 when my husband decided that gelati would be a good appy (appy, my new Van vocabulary word). A friend from work had recommended Mondo's and I vaguely recalled the name. It's only a few steps from English Bay. My husband and I split the coffee and hazelnut soy gelati (who would believe that!) and I hardly noticed the soy aftertaste. Amazing.
I had been intrigued with Nat's New York Pizza sign(I am a former US north-easterner transplanted to California) and I wanted to see if it measured up. Besides as I remarked earlier, pizza is one of my favorite foods. The feta cheese/spinach pizza was served to us cold, the cheese was not melted. And the crust tasted like crackers. Very disappointing. Did not care for the Cesar Salad we had with it. Kind of tasteless dressing, I guess the location near the beach accounts for its popularity or we just hit an off day.

We walked along English Bay and finally saw the famed Sylvia Hotel. It has an historic landmark plaque on the pretty ivy covered building. The dining room overlooks the Bay. I agree with some of the earlier recommendations on this thread, that it would be a nice place to have a drink and watch the beach scene. It was bad timing for us, since we just had the pizza. We wandered along the sea wall for a while. Such a nice way to spend a beautiful afternoon. The beach was more crowded than I had ever seen it, but by LA standards not very crowded.

We witnessed a very friendly gesture on the bus going home. Two tourists boarded the bus without proper change, AND the bus driver treated them to free tickets and wished them a happy visit to Vancouver. What a nice thing to do! I can't get over how pleasant and helpful the very large majority of bus drivers are.

We made reservations for Montri's Thai restaurant again with the intention of hearing some Celtic music at the Wolf and Hound on Broadway afterwards. Unfortunately, we missed the musicians again, but we did have a very good meal at Montri's. The food has such a nice clean taste with delicate sauces. Also, even though we had only been in once before, the owner remembered us and welcomed us. Very good business sense and also very pleasant for us.

Another very casual day in Vancouver. Spent some of the morning talking to our home exchangers' neighbor, then took a bus to Kits and tried the Eatery on Broadway for lunch. A recommendation listed earlier by Pippy1. Even if you don't like the food, the papier mache creatures flying overhead provide plenty of entertainment. Enjoyed our meals and later walked around Kits. We were planning on looking in on the Folk Festival in Jericho Beach, but felt exhausted so we retired back to the house with plans to go out for a late dinner, but found we were just too tired. On our walk home from the bus we took some pretty photos of the lovely trees near us --the light was optimum with the late afternoon sun shining through the red Japanese maples. I am fixated on them; they are beautiful. Only a couple of days left before we clean and pack up. . .

annette, I have enjoyed your report/journal very much.

The time seems to have gone by quickly and I am sorry it is coming to an end ( but probably not as sorry as you!)

Thank you for sharing your stay in Vancouver with us.

I second Judi's thank you - I felt I
was reading a blog from a friend!

I'm sorry you have had some iffy food experiences; I know that can
happen in any city but we pride ourselves on our restaurants so it's
a shame you ran into some less-than-
stellar establishments.

I'm heading up the Sunshine Coast today - if you come back to BC this
is an area I know you would enjoy!

Safe travels.

Annetti ....... thoroughly enjoyed your daily posts on your home exchange and nice to hear of your choice of transport....the buses. Great way to really enjoy a city.

Thank you for sharing and hope you do not suffer sushi withdrawl upon your return home.

Thank you, Judi. I guess my report in some respects is very journal- like; it is not too different than what I would have written in my old travel diaries, minus some of the more personal details.

Thank you,too, llamalady for reading along and commenting. I, do begin to feel (slightly of course) that I am writing to people I know after awhile, since I get such nice responses. I don't think we have been disappointed with Vancouver's restaurant scene, in fact, we have been pretty much impressed. After all, we ate out everyday, sometimes twice a day, and although not every meal was perfect, we had some pretty nice meals, at fairly reasonable prices. Also, if I were to generalize, I think the food here is fresher than what we get at home which should not be the case, meaning that California's produce should be fresher and tastier and at least equal to what one gets in BC considering that California supplies so much food to the world.

And, yes goldwyn, Buses have been a wonderful boon for us. I think there was only one day, I might have said, I wish I had my car, and that was probably around midnight and we were faced with the 2 block walk from the bus stop and I was tired, but that moment passed very quickly! Other than that, it has been wonderful, we have met so many pleasant and helpful people, and it is just terrific not having to deal with driving and parking a car. We just received an e-mail from our home exchangers who are starting their drive back to Vancouver from Southern California. They remarked, that a car was really necessary in my part of the world. It really is and it was a nice breather for us to be away from the driver's seat for a while.

Definitely on the countdown to home now. Today, we returned to Rangoli's for lunch. (We always intended to go to Vij's for dinner, but we never had the patience to stand in the long line at Vij's for dinner, and often we ate lunch so late, that all we wanted was a very light dinner.) Today, was no exception, we ate lunch around 3:00, and the restaurant was over half empty. We had vegetable samosas with a chickpea curry to start; they were really delicious, but it was hard to finish my meal after eating them. We, also had a very good mango pineapple lassi. I had the portobello mushroom and red bell pepper curry which I enjoyed. My husband, was a little less impressed with his chicken curry. He wished there had been some vegetables mixed in. I got a kick out of the minute Bollywood television screens in the bathrooms.
Speaking of bathrooms, we saw the most impressive bathrooms today, definitely need to be noted on some website (or it may already be!)for outstanding washrooms. The award goes to Moxie Restaurant. The washrooms have the necessary facilities that one expects, but how many washrooms have comfortable leather chairs, a fireplace, (yes a real fireplace, though I don't think it is wood burning!) and above the fire place a large plasma TV?

We walked from Rangoli's to Kits, then took a bus to Aphrodite's for some blackberry apple pie. Also, very good.

We shall miss these leisurely days without any demands on us. Before we know it, we will be back home with the usual day to day obligations. I dread opening the mail that has mounted up!

Just a few more days of reporting to go. . .

I'm glad you enjoyed the Eatery. It is a bit of a 'scene' but the sushi isn't your average and is pretty tasty as well as intersting. Speaking of scenes, yes...Vij's is another scene. We hate standing in line too and will often go to Rangoli and pick up some of their take out food (a whole new meaning to 'boil in a bag')Too bad the Wolf & Hound didn't work out with regards to the music. Guess you'll just have to come back. Their food is also pretty good if you like pub grub.
We loved reading your journal. We think we're pretty lucky to live here but it's nice to be reminded how lucky we are.

safe journey

The last day of a trip is melancholy. We cleaned the house this morning, packed almost everything, then went out for our last sushi fix, took the last few pictures, and realized that we took our last Vancouver bus ride!

All in all, it has been a wonderful vacation, we discovered a beautiful clean city close to home with friendly people, an excellent transportation system, great restaurants, beautiful gardens and vistas, and only three hours from home. We arrived here over a month ago without jet lag (how wonderful is that!) and not exhausted by almost 20 hours of travel and a dollar on par (at least for now, the US dollar is expected to fall below the Canadian dollar soon) where prices seemed comparable to home.

I think we were especially lucky to stay in a neighborhood and away from downtown. We had the pleasure of walking the streets, seeing the lovely homes and gardens and having relative quiet close by. Also, the extended time of home exchange made it all so relaxing, we never felt rushed or worried about missing some important sight because our vacation time was constricted to four days in a hotel. I like to think that we saw a little more of Vancouver than the average 3-4 day tourist did and with the help of the Fodorites, I think this did happen.

To all the Vancouverites on and off this board, we would like to say thank you for being so helpful and kind to us and giving us some great memories. Thank you again. And for those who actually read this, a double thank you!

Annetti

Nice to have met the both of you........and a pleasure reading your daily reports.

May you have a safe trip. And do keep in touch with the Canada board.

We arrived home on Friday after an uneventful on-time three hour flight on Air Canada to an immaculate house. And thus, concludes our wonderful trip to Vancouver.

Enjoyed reading your report. Well done.

Thank you, Sally.

Hi Annetti,

I live on Vancouver Island and am a here and there surfer on the fodor website. I have to tell you I have been totally captivated by each and every day you and your husband moved around Vancouver and documented it on this forum. Bravo to you because I am sure a whole lot of people pass through Vancouver and see a whole alot less than you did!!, and now you set them straight!!!!!!!!

I'm sad to see the journal come to an end. Thank you for taking us all along for the ride

Thank you, amygirl and Toucan2.

We were looking at our Vancouver photos last night on the computer. Neither of us are particularly good photographers, but it was hard not to get some beautiful shots. The city is so photogenic. My husband's reaction is let's go back next year. By the way, Carmanah if you are still reading, my husband who dragged his feet on Steveston, commented after looking at our photos, that Steveston was definitely one of the more interesting days.

I spoke to a friend this morning who said to me, but have you been to Victoria? Could we occupy ourselves for 3-4-5 weeks in Victoria if we were able to arrange an exchange? Do the Fodorites who have followed our adventures in Vancouver and know the way we travel think we can amuse ourselves easily (on public transit, of course) for that length of time? Waiting anxiously to hear your opinions. Thanks.

"Could we occupy ourselves for 3-4-5 weeks in Victoria if we were able to arrange an exchange?"

The short answer is Yes but there would be a number of days when you'd want a car to visit more distant attractions, the Gulf Islands for instance, although you could do Saltspring by bus on a long day.

Victoria is a much smaller place but (arguably) even prettier.

How nice - we meet again!

Victoria is a lovely small city
- operative word 'small'. It's a
walker's dream - compact centre;
well-treed, well-maintained 'burbs
close to the downtown. In fact,
it reminds me of Dunbar - the homes
are from the same era. Some areas
are built on rocky outcroppings w/
arbutus trees and wonderful ocean
views. There's a stability in the
town that comes from it being a
centre of government.

But I think you would want to rent
a car for a few days at least so you
can leisurely explore the many areas
difficult to access by public transport. The most westerly part
of the Island - Sooke w/East Sooke
Park (my personal fav); Botany Bay,
the wonderful beach hikes/walks.

Up-Island has some great places to
visit and is easier to get to by
train (am I right?) and as Sam says,
the Gulf Islands are terrific - Salt
Spring is so delightful but you do
need transport. Obviously, I'm
auto-centric - p'haps I'm an LA
woman at heart!

Meesthare is the reigning expert in
this area and I'm sure she'll chime
in with some great advice.

Oh, my goodness - I'm a reigning expert?? What a compliment!
I do live in Sooke, just outside of Victoria, and as far as I'm concerned this is just about the best place in the world. I suppose I mean Vancouver Island in general, Victoria in particular, and Sooke in special particular, if there is such a thing.

Annetti, I have followed your thread and truly enjoyed it. We don't spend as much time in Vancouver as we would like. After reading about your adventures, that might change!

I would concur that a car isn't absolutely necessary for walking around Victoria itself. You can get a bus to Butchart Gardens, and bus transportation generally makes a lot of things accessible. However, it would be a shame to come all the way out here and not visit the Gulf Islands, the Cowichan Valley, Tofino, and various other places that are easily accessible from Victoria for pleasant overnight or several-night stays. I have no doubt that you could occupy yourselves very happily here if you were able to arrange an exchange. Distances are greater, though, than they are on the mainland. I work in Victoria and if I didn't have my car, I would find the commute a big problem even though I work only part-time and don't have to travel during rush hour. The bus stops practically outside our front door but it would be a very long ride indeed to where I need to go.

Do you have specific questions about the area that I could try to answer?

dear annetti, thanks for ur wonderful and detailed report. i love living in victoria but concur as many of its charms are the great outdoors an occaisional car rental or bicycle would help or just continue to make friends. there r bike trails that go out to sooke and up to the ferry terminal, etc. but places like botanical beach r a 2 hour stunning drive.
fyi i am a recent immigrant to canada via berkeley and santa fe , nm. i've married a canadian and hope to spend the rest of my life here. people r very friendly and welcoming in less than 3 years i have a wide circle of friends and a husband, new house and dog!
cheers
AndrewDavid

ps what home exchange service do u use?

Thank you all, llamalady, Sam, Andrew, and Meesthare: Your descriptions of outlying areas sound very pleasant.

The major problem I might have is driving the twisted, curving roads in those areas. I am very susceptible to motion illness and it gets worse as the years go by. I've tried all the usual remedies, but the "cures" ruin the pleasures for a short excursion, hence our avoidance of Linn Canyon and Whistler while in Vancouver. I was also reluctant to take the ferry to Victoria, but was going to risk it during our trip to Vancouver, but a cold mid trip saved me from possible sea sickness, however for a longer trip to Victoria it would be worth the trouble, I just am not sure we can do all the side trips, so what do people think now, that I've been honest about my motivations? Thank goodness for the anonymity of this board, I hate to fess up to problems. Prior to our trip to Vancouver, I telephoned the bus company to find out about the bus ride to Tofino and was warned that it is a "hard" trip for motion sickness prone people. I guess my question is: can we manage to find things to do that will not involve twisty, curvy roads or long ferry rides or those not over 30 minutes? Unfortunately, I can get sick on a five minute curvy road. At this point my darling husband will not even consider going on these kinds of excursions with me, he just hates seeing all my discomfort and will talk me out of it when I bring the subject up. When I read your responses to him, he was not too sure. We would not mind renting a car if we can drive comfortably without too many twists and turns.

Of course, all this discussion may come to nothing if we were not able to arrange an exchange, but I would pursue it, since I have a couple of leads for possible exchanges if people here think we can manage.

llamalady: I thought the arbutus was only a bus stop in Kits. Never knew it was a tree!

Andrew: We have used both Intervac and Homelink with success. Homelink has an interesting chat forum which is helpful, however you must be a member to access it. It sounds like a lot of good things fell in place for you, marriage and a lovely place to live. Best wishes to you.

IIRC, the arbutus is known as madrona in your neck of the woods.

Yes, Tofino would be a problem for
you but most of other routes are
quite straightforward and you should
not have a problem. But don't quote
me.lol - or not. That's a nasty
affliction for someone who loves
travel - no help from an ENT guy?

Hi, Annetti - the road to Sooke is a bit twisty; my sweetie initially thought we shouldn't look for a house here because he thought the trip out might make him feel motion-sick. However, it doesn't at all, and he is quite susceptible. We do the trip a few times a week and it doesn't trouble him in the least.
The highway up and down Vancouver Island is pretty straight.
The ferry truly will not be a problem - I've never, ever heard of anyone getting seasick on the ferry. My sweetie feels weird on rowboats! And he's never had even a hint of difficulty on the ferry. The trip to Saltspring Island from here is smooth as glass. If you want a really short ferry ride to Saltspring, you have a choice. There's a 35-minute trip from Victoria (Swartz Bay) to Fulford Harbour; or, you could drive up to Crofton about an hour and a half away (up a scenic highway that does go up and down some, but doesn't really twist) and take the 20-minute ferry ride to Vesuvius Bay.
Andrew, sounds like you got here around the same time I did. My sweetie is originally from Vancouver; we met in Toronto and moved out here in September of '05. You're right - it's a welcoming place!

Thanks again, Meesthare and llamalady. I feel reassured. We will look for an exchange in Victoria. The difficulty with an exchange is that it is a two way street, you have to find someone interested in your neck of the woods and you cannot always count on it. It is not like calling a hotel and making a reservation. You have to agree on time frames, time of the year, etc. Nevertheless, if you are flexible, you can find something to suit you. The hard part is when you have a specific place in mind, like Victoria. However, we were very, very lucky to get Vancouver. It had been first on my list, so maybe it will happen again.

PS llamalady - unfortunately ENTs have not been miracle workers for me. They just load me up on meds, a most unwelcoming solution!

dear annetti,
a funny story about car sickness. i had to drive a twisty road up to port alberni ( about 3.5 hrs from here to retreive my husband who had an emergency appendectomy there.
took the relatively new dog who got car sick just as we reached the parking area at cathedral grove, a scenic spot a few km before port alberni. the friend i was w/ suggested Gravol ( an anti nausea med) but new to the country i heard gravel and i could not understand how feeding pebbles to my dog would settle her stomach ( perhaps u should try it!) so we went back and forth w/ a "who's on firs ; what's on second" kind of exchange for 15 minutes before we understood each other.

meesthare: yes i am happy to be here and applaud ur good taste also. in june a friend and i drove cross country and i got my first look at toronto which i really enjoyed and hope to revisit

cheers
AndrewDavid

AndrewDavid: Thanks for the entertaining anecdote. I feel for your poor dog. Any trouble getting him into an automobile later?

annetti: Thanks for posting a very detailed report of your stay in Vancouver. I visit Vancouver often but I loved reading it through your eyes, so to speak.

meesthare: I had to laugh when you wrote how "twisty" the road to Sooke is. We drove that road many years a-go and the twists and turns seemed to never end. But it is so beautiful there and worth the twisty road trip. I can't wait to visit again. This time I'll drive...lol.

that's the strange thing annetti, she loves to b in the car and the slighest curve even on top of gravol makes her ill. in fact she would rather sit in the cramped quarters of the car for hours even if i've left here in it while dining or dancing than enjoy the comfort of the funky house we built for her w/ a bed in ea room! go figure
cheers AndrewDavid

Thank you, Traveljunkie28.

AndrewDavid: Isn't your dog lucky not to remember her bad times in you auto; or does she just want so badly to be with you?

Annetti, hard to say. she usually shadows me, but occasionally bolts at the front door to play in traffic!
cheers
AndrewDavid

Thanks for your interesting report. It seems we have quite a bit in common. We are from Southern CA (Dana Point). My husband and I are now in Vancouver for one month. We've rented an apartment right in the heart of downtown - this is our first day here and so far we are very happy with the condo and its surroundings. Your report has given us many ideas for our stay here. We are also weary of long plane rides (although we are heading to Austalia next month). It was so nice to arrive by car and not face any language difficulties. We've just returned from 6 months in Europe and stayed at various apartments, B&B, hotels during our stay. We are interested in home exchange and were always a bit skeptical, but your report made us rethink exchanges as a great opportunity - my question, which home exchange do you use? I think I'd be more comfortable exchanging through a company/site that someone else has dealt with.

Hi rewirement (clever reworking of retirement!) We fell in love with Vancouver. It turned out to be one of our favorite exchanges and we considered ourselves lucky that we were able to arrange it.

The difficulty with home exchanging is that you cannot count on getting the exact exchange you might want, but if you are flexible, and are open to lots of places, something will come through than appeals. Sometimes that exchange you always wanted shows up a couple years later. You, also need to do a bit of work, that means e-mailing people whose homes/locations appear attractive to you. If you sit back and wait for people to contact you, you may not have as many options.

We have used both Intervac.net and Homelink.org for exchanges. They seem to be the most popular exchange networks out there, though if other people are reading this, they may have used other websites they prefer. I think it costs about $120 a year now. You can visit both websites and view homes and general locations. Although, both websites have their advantages in terms of ease of use, I like Homelink a bit better since it has a Discussion Forum which is very helpful for the novice and the experienced exchanger. I belong to both since it gives you more options, although there is occasional overlapping where people belong to both like myself.

Enjoy Vancouver and good luck with home exchanging as well!

bookmarking

Hi Annetti- I am pleased to find your post about home exchange- I just recently joined a home exchange club- not yet done an exchange- yet looking forward to doing many in the future. I just found this post this morning- I will read it completely when I get a chance- I am packing for a trip of my own to Vancouver and Banff- Jasper---of course I will take my laptop along and can read the post later.
Hope you can give me some guidance- you are doing exactly what we plan to do- (recently retired- and waited a lifetime for this opportunity)-- My QUESTION --- as I am researching places I want to travel- I am having problems finding folks who want to exchange for more than a week or so.
Is there a particular site that is best for this method? I am a member of homeexchange.com. We would like to do exchanges for a month at a time or more also- Where are you finding the best results for lenghty exchanges?
Also- if you will be so kind-- are there other sites available that you are aware of where we can chat or read other long term exchange posts? I did not understand what you were saying about the "thumbnail report". Thanks for any advice. We have several ideas of exchanges we want to do in the future- we live in a beautiful area- Myrtle Beach SC and hope that we can find some good exchange partners who wish to see our beautiful area as much as we want to see theirs. Thanks for the great travel post - I would really like a change to talk with you for tips about our future travels. Thanks

Hi Debra1955,

I do not know of a site that offers home exchange experiences, although I know there is one (or used to be one) that I looked at several years back. As I noted above Homelink.org has a discussion forum which is very helpful and interesting, but you must be a member to access it. Scroll up a couple of posts and you will see the two home exchange sites that I have used. I am not familiar with the one you chose.

There are plenty of people on these two sites that want long exchanges. We have done 13 exchanges and the shortest exchange has been a month and the longest about 7 weeks. When we have exchanged in Europe, I have always looked for a long exchange, because it takes us so long to get over the jet lag, and also because you are paying so much for air fare.Of course, once you are settled in to a home exchange, there are no hotel bills, unless you choose to take excursions.


Marketing bills are similar to those at home. We usually spend some of our trip on short weekend type excursions, averaging often 1-2 weeks away from the home exchange. Our Vancouver trip was an exception, the first time, we did not leave the home exchange.

One last thought to leave you with, which I mentioned above, you really need to do some e-mailing to prospective exchangers, seldom can you sit back and just wait for the offers to pour in, unless of course you live in Provence or NYC! Best wishes, and pls follow up with any questions you may have.

Annetti

Debra1955:
Susan Allen Toth in one of her travel books on England, talks about picking a small area of England to explore. She calls it the "thumbnail" approach to travel. She picks her location, in her case, a rental cottage, puts her thumb on the map where the cottage or small town is located and explores the small area that her thumb covers.

I suggested above that is what we do, too, when we do a home exchange, we only explore a small area as we did in Vancouver and try not to be concerned about what else we are missing two hundred miles away.

I remember years ago, when we did our first exchange in Brittany, I told people at work I was going to France, they were amazed it would only be France and more flabbergasted when I told them it would only be a small region of France. We spent 6 weeks on that exchange and we saw so much and yet left so much unexplored. Seven years later, we returned to Brittany again for a five week exchange, saw some of the same places we had loved and found new places to enjoy all in the same region. I know we could return for a third trip to Brittany (and I hope we do!)and we would be able find new places. Also, we get a great deal of pleasure returning to places we remembered and enjoyed.

Hello Debra1955 and annetti

I hadn't realised that our approach to travel had the name of 'thumbnailing' - but now that I know, I will be adding it to my vocabulary!

We are also experienced home exchangers, and I think this form of travel means you to don't have to think of each location as a 'once in a lifetime' visit; we too have returned to favourite far-flung places.

If you are looking for longer exchanges, I suggest you look for retirees. They don't have the same time constraints that those in the workforce have. Our other exchangers who have been able to travel for longer periods have been European families who have taken advantage of their workplace system whereby they can work at a reduced salary for a number of years, then take 12 months leave also on reduced income. These, of course, are harder to identify, and have always approached us rather than the other way around. They tend to travel on a round-the-world airline ticket rather than organising just a to-and-from trip to one place.

Happy travels, Di

Hi Annetti,

Just finished your report ... wow ... it's been wonderful revisiting Vancouver through your eyes and really interesting to read about your experiences as they were happening. There are so many things you can see and do when you're actually living in a place that a 4 day stint in a hotel won't allow.

We often opt to rent a cottage in an area ... thumbnailing? a new term for me too. We've rented mostly in England and France ... for 2-3 weeks at a time but are now in a position to consider longer periods. We live on Canada's east coast and now feel motivated to begin checking out home exchange more seriously. Thank you so much for such a lovely report!

Thank you, NLspirit, I am not sure that Susan Toth intended to coin a new phrase -- "thumbnailing," but it works. Apparently there are more adherents to the slow mode of travel out there, than a casual reading of Fodor's threads would suggest. If you have the time, it really is a wonderful way to get to know a place, far more satisfying than a four day stint as you so aptly put it, however it is hard for many travellers to be so close to an attractive area and slow down and not visit it. This was especially true when I was younger, but maybe now my "thumbnailing" becomes something positive I can point to instead of lack of energy!

Hi everyone,
I could not find an exchange in Victoria, but I think we have nailed one in Toronto for late spring. Looking forward to asking questions when it is confirmed and we have done a bit of research -- so we will know what to ask!!

annetti

I have exchanged on Vancouver Island but 2 1/2 hours north of Victoria in Qualicum Beach. It was a lovely swap and occurred 2-3 years ago for about 10 days. We used the SEATAC instead of Vancouver because it was cheaper to fly through there. I picked up the car from my exchangers and then drove to the ferry that went to Nanaimo. Going back to give the car back to them, I went from Victoria. It rained a lot but I had a fine time. I always enjoy my exchanges.

To the person who asked about longer term exchanges, those are difficult to find. Recently I went to Australia and NZ on swaps for a little over 2 months. I had 3 exchanges, one right after the other. Obviously, something like that is a huge headache to work out, but it was worked on over a year before the trip. It was my first time down under. My exchanges came from Homelink, but I also belong to Intervac and have got exchanges from them as well.

I have exchanged 37 times. About 15 of those exchanges have been in Europe (England, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy and Austria). I have been to some of those countries more than once on swaps.

Annetti and I have a difference of opinion on swapping cars. I will not do an exchange without a car included unless I drive to the exchange or am in the downtown area (or reasonably close) in a major city with good public transport.

That was a nice rpeort.

This is neither here nor there, but it occured to me that when three young women ON Granville Island asked where Emily Carr was, they were actualy looking for directions to the Emily Carr institute, which is one of the organizations located ON Granville Island and named for Emily Carr...just in case it should ever happen again!

Leaving soon: Thanks for clarifying that. It may help other people along the way.

That was definitely my intention...and thanks for the kind affrimation on the "other' Vancouver post. I read your report having just returned and always wishing for more than a few days at a time for Vancouver...maybe next summer....

Happy Travels!

Hi Anetti- we have just returned from a few weeks on West Coast- when I get caught up- I am looking forward to reading every bit of your post. I signed up for home exchanges a month or so back and as yet have not done this- but hope to be able to in the future- thanks for replying to my previous message.

Enjoyed reading your report - thank you very much for sharing!

As requested. . . ttt

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