Vancouver
Stanley Park in Vancouver
April 26, 2007
There are no expressways running through Vancouver so the city is very densely populated,
consisting of high-rise apartments, condos, and office buildings. In complete contrast,
just across the bay North Vancouver rises quickly turning into mountains and on
Vancouver's peninsula is Stanley Park.
For the most part the architecture seems rushed and few of the city's numerous
skyscrapers have any unique characteristics. Only rarely is there a truly unique
building, such as Canada Place, which sits on the bay.
The most striking contrast in the city is that of a highly populated downtown just
minutes away from complete solitude of forests, mountains, or the ocean itself.
However, many districts also stand out such as the Gas Lamp district, which portrays
an old charm and China Town, which feels a little rough and represents a large proportion
of the city's ethnicity.
For dinner I went to a Canadian chain, The Keg, which is a steak house. I ordered
the steak and poutine on the side. Poutine is French fries topped with cheddar cheese
curds and smothered with gravy. It's commonly referred to as a "heart attack
in a bowl," but since I'm not in Canada that often, I have to have it every
time I'm here.
Burrard Street in Vancouver
Canada Place in Vancouver
April 27, 2007
Today was just work all day. Most of the people at this meeting are Canadians, many
of whom are from the Vancouver area. Two of them were telling me about the large
number of prostitutes in the city and a pig farmer's plan to get rid of them.
Apparently he would hire the prostitutes, then inject them with a paralyzing solution,
only to cut off their extremities and feed them to his pigs in front of his still
alive, paralyzed prostitutes' eyes... sick.
Speaking of prostitutes, another person at the meeting was running at about 5 in
the evening yesterday and as he was passing a group of prostitutes they were all
saying "looking for a good time?" He was clearly running, however in their
eyes I guess he was just a potential customer.
My Canadian friends also told me that you can tell when a Canadian's from Vancouver
because they have no idea if marijuana is illegal. The people here smoke marijuana
like cigarettes and they said the police simply don't enforce the law, because
most of the city including the law enforcement don't see a problem with the
drug. The city is also home to thousands of homeless people, since it's the
warmest Canadian city.
Stanley Park in Vancouver
April 28, 2007
Our meeting ended early so I rushed off to North Vancouver. Transportation here
is incredibly easy and reliable. I walked down to Canada Place, got on a ferry to
North Vancouver, then caught a bus to Grouse Mountain. On the ferry ride, there
were a couple passengers smoking marijuana, which I found odd, but confirms what
I was told yesterday.
Grouse Mountain's appeal is not for the mountain itself, but for the view it provides.
It's so close to downtown Vancouver, that it provides panoramic views of the
city, bay, and even out to Vancouver Island and the mountains around the city. I
simply relaxed and enjoy the views until it was dark, at which point I headed back
to Vancouver for a late dinner and to prepare for an early morning flight.
View of Vancouver from Grouse Mountain