More Vancouver

I'm dog-tired, so I hope this post is coherent!  I don't think I mentioned why I'm in Vancouver; I'm here for an annual meeting of the members of the Executive MBA Council (basically, business school administrators who run EMBA programs).  It's a great conference - truly one of the most useful trips I take all year - but I am always completely zonked by the end.  Sessions all day (although, I didn't have to present anything this year, which was a nice break), networking for all meals, and then in-between and at night, I have to catch up on "real work."  Add to that mix that I'm 6 mos pregnant, and you have a recipe for exhaustion by day 3 or 4.  So, there's the context.

I head home tomorrow - after one more meeting in the morning - and I'm ready!  But, the meetings have gone very well, and I've picked up some great information from my colleagues at other business schools.  This afternoon, one of my colleagues and I did have an opportunity to get out in Vancouver.  We walked about a mile to a ferry dock and took a short ferry to Granville Island, a great island filled with a public market and more shops than you can imagine...and surrounded by water.  Really pretty.  The public market reminded me of one of the things I miss not living in a big city (although I wouldn't trade my small-town Chapel Hill life for anything, save perhaps a little beach-living!).  The market was inside a huge warehouse type of structure, and comprised of stall after staff of food vendors.  Produce, meats, cheeses, gourmet foods, etc.  The closest places I can think of like it (that I've been) are the market in East London and a huge market in Decatur, GA.  It was a foodie's paradise. I had to treat myself to a crepe at the crepe stand.

In addition to the market, it was nice to just walk around in this beautiful city, enjoy the scenery and leisurely shop.  I'm not a big shopper, but I did pick up a couple small gifts for my daughter; hope she'll like them.  The was a huge "Kids Market," which included 20+ vendors selling children's wares.

I then completed the evening w/ a dinner (this one organized by the conference) at a restaurant on the island.  This is about the point when I realized I may fall asleep standing up, so now here I am, back in my hotel room and ready for a good night's sleep.

So, I didn't get an incredible amount of time to sightsee, but I what I did experience whetted my appetite to return to Vancouver for more.  Beautiful, beautiful city; I know I only scraped the surface of what it has to offer.

Vancouver: first impressions

As my flight was taking off from RDU yesterday (en route to Vancouver, BC via a layover in Toronto), I thought to myself, "Wow, this has really been a great travel year for me."  My husband always reminds me to look at the "glass half full," and I think I generally do, but I'd spent much of yesterday lamenting the impending long flight (about 7-8 hrs in total, and I.hate.flying.) and being away from my husband and daughter. I think I've commented on this blog before how difficult it is for me to leave them when I have to travel; I wouldn't have ever guessed I'd feel that way (BC (before children), I figured I'd welcome breaks!).  Back to my original point:  it occurred to me that - in 2010 - I've traveled to more places for the first time than I've done in over a decade.  Earlier this year, I went to Amsterdam & Istanbul, and now I was on my way to Vancouver (not to mention some great trips in between to oldies - but favorites - like Chicago and Pawley's Island, SC).  And, I would be remiss if I left Vidalia, GA off the "first time" list.

So, while the flight was just as bad as I thought it would be (should I remind you that I.hate.flying?), and I know I'll miss my family just as much as I anticipated, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to explore a part of North America I've never been to:  the Pacific Northwest.  I suppose, like many adults, it's been awhile since I last studied with any level of scrutiny a N. American map.  I mention this, because, upon study yesterday, I was somewhat surprised at just how far north Vancouver is to, say, Northern California...and, how relatively close the city is to Seattle, WA (a couple hours drive).

I woke up this morning (I easily slept until 8:30 a.m. PT, which makes sense since I didn't arrive in my hotel room until 2 a.m. PT), checked some email, called home to check in with A & B, and then I determined I needed to make the most of my morning before my noon meeting.  It's Sunday morning, so me for, that meant breakfast!  Now, I'm not the "go down and eat hotel food" kind of gal.  When I'm in a new place, I want to find a good spot where locals eat (or at least tourists who know good food!).  So, I turned to one of my favorites sites:  Yelp.  I easily found some recommended breakfast spots near my hotel (Hyatt Regency Vancouver, which - by the way - is only a couple blocks from Vancouver Harbour.  Hotel is pretty typical Hyatt, but the location is fabulous!).  So - after a quick 10 minute walk - I strode into Scoozi's Eatery for its "famous" Eggs Benedict.  It was perfect - the place and the food.  Small place, clearly filled with locals, but not too busy to immediate be served.  Do you ever have something so good on your plate that you want to take small bites to make it last longer?  That was my breakfast.  And, I washed it down with a hot apple cider.  On a cold rainy day (about 45 degrees and raining), it was magical.  Great, great breakfast.

I then walked about a block (no joke) down to the Vancouver Harbour.  Wow.  Again, keep in mind I've never been anywhere in the Pacific Northwest (unless you count San Francisco, which I don't think counts), but even in the foggy rain, the view of the Harbour and mountains on the other side was incredible.  I stayed there for awhile, and then I walked back up to my hotel.  On the way, I stopped at Christ Church Cathedral, which is located across the street from my hotel, to listen to some of the Eucharist music.  Beautiful.

In short:  this city is great.  It's probably one of the prettiest cities I've been to (prettiest downtown areas, anyway, since I haven't yet seen much of the city); it does remind me of San Francisco a bit - hilly, by the water, foggy, rainy...

Oh - and random observation - but shouldn't be surprised based on geographic location - I've seen more people here of Asian descent than I think I've ever seen anywhere.  Just an observation.

I'm off to get ready for my meeting; rest of the day is "business," but will still hope to enjoy:)