Lotus Land Revisited

Hello, everyone!

Long time no post.  I have been running around at top speed for most of the last 2 months, travelling hither and yon to all kinds of events and shows, but not really generating any good material for this blog.

But now, I am back on Vancouver for the first time in almost 3 years, and it's time to blog again.  I came here for the first time in 1972 as a teenager, and have been back too many times to count.  It's one of my favourite places in Canada to visit, largely because the mountains are "right there", just on the north side of Burrard Inlet (the harbour).

I've done a lot of the standard tourist things over the years, and will do some again on this visit.  But, with the help and advice of a couple of friends, I'm going to get into some different spots too.

 I flew in two days ago in the morning, and so had a good bit of exploring time the same day.  Around noon I drove down to Steveston historic village on the south channel of the Fraser River.  This is about a 35-40 minute drive from downtown (if the traffic cooperates).  Some people would say that going down to Steveston on a Sunday is a miscalculated risk.  It's a favourite brunching and shopping spot for locals, and the numerous waterfront restaurants are all well-filled.  The real trick is finding a parking spot.  The small lots near the dead centre of the village shopping street are all packed early on.  I wound up somewhat to the west, at the old Cannery musuem and historic site.

Steveston was a major centre of salmon canning back in the day, and is still an active fishing port as well as a sizable marina port for pleasure boat owners.  The Cannery remembers the days when dirty, smelly salmon canneries operated in numerous ports in British Columbia.  A monument outside memorializes the thousands of men, women, and children who flooded into Steveston every year during the canning season.

Nowadays, the "village" includes a sizable number of modern condos and townhouses.  I've been told it's a nice retirement spot.  There are a lot of artsy-craftsy-boutiquey type stores.  I don't go in for that sort of thing much, so can't comment on how reasonable the prices are (or otherwise).

I did enjoy a good stroll along the waterfront boardwalk in the brilliant sunshine, watching fishermen selling their catch directly from their boats.

Also had a delightful lunch at the Blue Canoe on the spacious waterfront patio.  Crab cakes and a romaine-apple-avocado salad seemed to hit the spot perfectly for such a great summer day!

After lunch I drove into town to check into my hotel, the Holiday Inn Downtown on Howe Street.  Word to the wise: there is no such thing as a cheap hotel in Vancouver during the summer.  Even fairly basic accommodations can run to over $150/night during July and August, and the more deluxe choices can easily go in excess of $300!  But this hotel managed a decent rate (by those standards) and has some nicely-renovated rooms, with thoughtful additional touches.  The main lobby elevators are positively tiny (as in 2 people and 2 suitcases at a time), but others in newer  parts of the building are more spacious.  There's a smallish indoor pool, which is not recommended for children or for lounging in the water, as 90 % of it is more than 1.5 metres deep (5 feet).  If you like swimming underwater (I do) it's excellent for that, even if not overly large.

Staff at this hotel are all warm and welcoming, from the front desk to the restaurant and bar.  Housekeeping handled everything thoroughly and in timely fashion.  Breakfast (not included) offered a choice of a fairly basic buffet or menu service.  It's in a good downtown location, if that's what you need.