Category: Lower Mainland

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Free box seats to a Canadians game!

Rebecca’s mom is pretty awesome.  She scored us a couple of free tickets to a Vancouver Canadians game because she knew this boy from America would dig seeing a baseball game here in B.C.  To that I have to say, oh hell yes I would.

The Vancouver Canadians are the Single “A” Affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. We play in the Northwest League with seven other teams during the summer months each year. The team has a schedule of 76 games (38 home 38 away) and the season starts at the end of June each year. The team plays those 76 games in 79 days each year in a manner that can only be described as “traditional”. They make their way from stadium to stadium each game via bus, each player trying to hone their skills with the hopes of one day making it to the major leagues.  [canadiansbaseball]

I think we’ll try to make it out for a game against the Boise Hawks.  They are a Chicago Cubs affiliate afterall.

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The patio at the Robson Public Market

I always forget about the Robson Public Market and am constantly amused by all the goodies you can get in there. (You can also read what Rebecca wrote about it as well.) While waiting for my beef shishkabob to be prepared, I discovered the little patio that looks out over Robson Street. It’s small, quaint, and really nothing special, but with all the different places you can grab some food from, it’s a nice place to have a bite to eat. Well, I would imagine. I just stepped out there to snap this pic with my cell but plan to be back soon!

The pation at the Robson Street Market

There’s a few Asian food places upstairs that caught my eye while waiting from my food at Souvlaki Express. More importantly, the fact that you can get a California or B.C. roll for around $3 a piece. That’s not bad, and I’ve had a fierce craving for sushi lately.

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Million dollar closets

Maybe it’s rehashed news or nothing new to those of us living in the downtown area, but I always thought that condos, and apartments for that matter, were correlationally getting smaller as they are getting more expensive.

Size doesn’t seem to matter for people looking for a condo these days.  Units on Howe Street in downtown Vancouver range from 478 to 600 square feet for a one bedroom.  And even though they are getting smaller, the prices for the apartments haven’t shrunk.  [news1130]

They fail to mention the price tag going for something so quaint.  Taking a quick look at Vancouver Craigslist, I found a condo coming in at just under 600 square feet in Gastown, going for $299,000.  An 836 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo near BC Place going for $558,000.  Something simliar to that in Coal Harbor?  $700,000+ is what you’re looking at.

It does seem outrageous, but the amenities are supposedly what you are paying for.  Security, workout facilities, pools, hottubs, saunas, and so on.  A huge chunk of change to shell out for a sweet downtown address, but it depends on what you want.

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So much international flare in one city

Market in ChinatownMy feet and legs are sore, but the adventure that we took today was well worth any pain that might come out of the nearly fifteen miles that we walked today. From the west end to Commercial Drive via Chinatown, I saw more sights of the city that I’ve been wanting to explore some more since the day I got here.

When I was in the check-in line at O’Hare on the day I was leaving for Vancouver(the last time I was in the U.S. actually), an older, Chinese couple struck up a conversation with me. They told me that I had to visit Chinatown[wiki] because they loved the one in Vancouver. They were on their way to visit family near Hong Kong and said I really needed to visit there because I would absolutely love it. We couldn’t exactly walk there today, so Chinatown will suffice for now.

I had so many flashbacks to walking around Japan today. I know that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Chinatown? Japan? Well, there is a Chinatown in Yokohama that I made a few visits to during my summer there, but that’s another story for another time.

E. Pender St. in ChinatownI guess it was the smells and sounds that take me back. The abundance of the language, combined with that smell. It’s hard to explain it, but if you’ve experienced it, you know what I mean. Baked goods, fish, squid, seaweed, prawns, steamed buns, and what not, all in the open air on a hot, sunny day. It had me craving yakisoba from a corner stand much like you can grab a hot dog or gyro on a Manhattan street corner.

More pictures on my flickr, tagged “chinatown“.

One thing I never did while in Japan was to try a steamed bun. They always scared me, all the while making me incredibly curious as to what they tasted like, not to mention that stuff that was inside them. It was usually brown, and I could never be sure if it was meat as I passed people gnawing away. I already loved sushi and had a knack for trying new things at that point in my life, but I was always too chicken to go for it. Today, Rebecca showed me how stupid I was to pass so many of those up, so many times during those days in the Kanto. Spicy pork is oh so tasty!

Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese GardenThere’s more to be explored, found, and exploited in the future. In fact, our venture up to Commercial Drive[wiki] only found some slurpees and shade while we passed so many places that caused us to to point out at least five places on every block that we needed to come back to.

I should also add that the Chinese Garden in Chinatown is well worth the visit. The area that is free to the public is all that we saw, but it was a very peaceful, secluded spot. The whole area was crawling with people, but that entire, city atmosphere went away while we explored the garden. Well worth the visit.

By the way, anyone know a good place to get mexican bread up on Commercial? I was thinking that if there was somewhere to find a mexican bakery, that would be it.

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Today is the day of Canada Day

Down by Canada PlaceI know I’m late to the mark on this, but the only excuse I can give is the fact that yes, I am an American.  I’ve heard of Canada Day[wiki], I know of its existance, but today is the first time that I have ever experienced this holiday while being in this country.

As I type this, I can hear the voices of people yelling, “Canada Day!  Whooo!!  Happy Canada Day!!!” as they walk down the street or pass by in vehicles.

Is this the Canadian version of the 4th of July?  Not really, but close.  It’s different, but sort of not.  Are there parades and fireworks?  Well, in Vancouver, no.  In other parts of the province and country, there are such things.  It just depends on where you are.

We didn’t have any real plans to celebrate the holiday today.  We woke up to watch England lose to Portugal and head to the beach for a little while to enjoy the abundance of sun that we’ve been seeing a lot of the last few weeks, and Jen even came along when she showed up to work five hours earlier than she was supposed to.

Walking around Canada Place during Canada DayBeing a hot, sunny, holiday in July, our thoughts went to enjoying frosty, Canadian beverages.  And let me tell you, if you ever plan to do such things in B.C., make sure to plan ahead.  We searched the West End into Yaletown before we found some place that we could stock up.  After lots of walking and sweating, success.

We couldn’t stop there though.  Heading down towards Canada Place, we saw all sorts of people sporting the maple leaf on their shirts, on little flags sticking out of their caps, with face paint, and so on.  That’s Canada Day.  People just taking a moment to celebrate the country they live in.

Even now, I can still feel the celebration running through my veins.  Pale ale will do that to you.  It’s not often that I enjoy frosty beverages outside of a good Canucks game, but it’s hard to avoid the spirit of the day.  I won’t have the 4th of July here like I did back in the states, but we did a lot to make the best of this holiday.

I think we’re ending today with a good movie at home, but it’s a three day weekend.  That’s two more days that we have to play with.

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Even more talk about the stadium proposal

Been watching this closely lately, and the excitement is killing me. After lots of hunting, all I could find was that there are to be even more meetings to discuss this issue. In the states, we call that a filibuster.

Two extra meetings have been added to accomodate public debate on the issue, and so far, opponents of the project have focused their arguments on the proposed waterfront location of the stadium.

Jon Stovell of the Gastown Neighborhood Coalition says the Whitecaps should find another site, “And, we would like to encourage Council to help the Whitecaps find an alternate location, such as BC Place. People have been talking about Hastings Park and the old Empire Stadium location.”

Meanwhile, some supporters of the stadium say Stovell is a real estate developer who wants the waterfront property to be used for condo developments. [cknw]

I already had a thought in the back of my head that those architects and developers who have come out against the stadium have alterior motives. It’s a hot piece of land that could get top dollar for even more, outrageously expensive condos that would net more profit than a stadium would, at least in the short term.

I’m almost more inclined to say no to the stadium if there would be more of a push to build office space instead. There seems to be more and more of a shortage of that in the downtown area.

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Waterfront stadium

Panoramic of the Gastown rail yard

I understand that I am not from Vancouver and have only lived here a few months. With that being plainly said, I have to admit that I like the idea of building a stadium in the Gastown waterfront.Watching this whole issue unfold is teaching me a lot about the way things happen in Vancouver. From the people who want change to those who are strongly against it. Being so new here, I’ve been slightly afraid of really expressing that opinion. Being American is another thing. We are stereotyped to love the idea of more development as a way of life. That might be a stretch to say, but just something that I’ve felt with still getting familiar to my new home.

Vancouver councillors heard from those ‘for’ and ‘against’ a proposed Whitecaps soccer stadium in Gastown.A whopping 96 delegations signed up to voice their opinions on the 70 million dollar project.

Caryn Duncan spoke for the Central Waterfront Coalition, “My feeling is that the proposed stadium has been imposed on us, and that it doesn’t feel very good or very neighbourly. Over the months, discussion of the stadium has looked a lot like a couple of little boys in a sandbox, kicking sand at each other.”

Council has set aside an extra day to hear all the speakers.

The debate will continue on Thursday. [cknw]

I’ve heard both sides to the argument, and they all make sense. In terms of anything negative, I do get concerned about “possible hazardous materials” being on the rail lines under the stadium, but it makes me wonder what’s passing through those lines right now?

And on the other hand, the benefits of something like this has me in support of the whole project. In such an international city, a downtown futbol(soccer) stadium would be really great. It would mean so much more income to businesses in the area, aid tourism, provide a great venue for concerts, and bring some extra charm to the area.

Look at the pictures I took and pasted together just the other day. They’re not the best, but the area isn’t the most appealing to look at right now. The stadium would be a nice addition. It’s not a high rise with horribly expensive condos in it. It’s added recreation for a city that is constantly growing and changing.

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What’s more Vancouver than Douglas Coupland?

Douglas Coupland signed a book for meIn a last minute dash of cool, free things that Rebecca seems to win a lot lately, the streak continued when she was selected for a CBC Radio One live taping of North By Northwest yesterday morning. The entry went in on Friday, we got the word on Monday morning, and the event was that night at 6:30 PM at VCC.

Douglas Coupland was the guest last night, and it was an excellent event. Rebecca’s been a fan of him for most of her life[her post], and “City Of Glass” was one of the first things I read when I got out here. I have more of his stuff that I want to read, but sitting down to read a book has always been a challange for me. Regardless, his works is a great way to familiarize yourself with Canadian culture, more so the ins and outs of what makes up Vancouver.

Coupland was not what I expected, but I like him even more than before. He’s scattered, smart, random, geeky, educated, and entertaining. This is just my impression of him as a person during the recording. I have yet to really say anything solid about his writing.

Douglas CouplandStill, I’ve come into contact with many authors during my days in college and public radio. Among all of those experiences, this guy ranks up there with some of the best. And by best, I mean some one who is cool. That goes a long way with me.

When I gave him “City Of Glass” to sign, he asked if we were from out of town. Of course we’re not, but I told him that, yes, I am from Iowa and this was one of the first things I read while living here. That kind of peaked his curiosity, and he asked what brought me here. While I told him that it was because I married the girl standing next to me who has lived here all her life, he signed my book, “To John from Iowa, Douglas Coupland.” Pretty neat. 

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Fueling my constant concern

I’m not liking the news coming from the organizers for the 2010 Olympics.

Ice hockey will be played on the smaller North American-sized surface during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver in a bid to save money, organizers said on Wednesday.

Olympic hockey has traditionally been played on the larger ice surfaces used in European leagues, but officials said the change would save an estimated $10 million (Canadian) in construction costs and allow room for more seats. [espn]

For me, this goes further than being a hockey fan. I have this constant wonder about the planning and execution for the coming games. We are less than four years away now, and I am always looking around town for evidence that all will be in place for when the flame is lit. There is talk of not worrying about cost, then having to ask for more funding, that everything will be ready in time, and now cutting a few corners to allow for a lower cost. It makes me feel a little uneasy about it all.

Keeping the smaller rinks makes sense. It benefits Vancouver, and Canada for the matter, in the long run because there can be more done with the venues later once the games are over without having to de-renovate GM Place and so on. There’s also that slight feeling of taking the slow and steady inhale of air to hold your breath as 2010 approaches and more surprises pop up. I’m already crossing my fingers.

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2010 Riot

I caught wind of this from Daily Vancouver’s 2010 Coverage[post]. Is it evidence of people still having a grudge about the 2010 Winter Olympics coming to town? It’s not exactly clear, but you can find “2010 Riot” scribbled in various places around Vancouver. I snapped this picture at the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal[britishcolumbia.com].

Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal - 2010 Riot

A search[google] comes up with little in terms of any clues, and here’s another photo example.  It’s got me curious.