Vancouver is my new favorite city.
Since spending our vacation there last summer, we’ve dangled the possibility of our exodus in the face of the US frequently.
Moving to Vancouver is often the consequence of our if/then sentences: “If such-and-such happens, then we are moving to Vancouver.”
Vancouver is beautiful.
Green in spirit and landscape.
The people easy going and quick to say “I’m sorry” if they flub your order or inconvenience you.
[Though I’m told this is a Canadian personality trait. Even still, it was refreshing to hear.]
We walked by a huge and abundant community vegetable garden completely open–no high fence, no gate, no lock & key.
I could stand on the sidewalk and reach in for a vine ripened tomato, which as an Australian friend pointed out, is my particular thinking as an American — that tomato could be mine, while a Canadian is thinking, that’s not mine!
That week, Vancouver was sunny and clear with temps in the high 70s.
They’d had a rare heat wave (in the 90s) the week before, so we were even luckier.
We had the best grilled salmon (at a Japanese street festival) and sushi (at Mr. Tojo’s) to ever touch our lips.
I read somewhere that Vancouver is considered the Miami of Canada, never mind it being north of Seattle and Portland.
A shop owner told me that unlike New Yorkers, Vancouverites do not live for long work days. They want to leave the office promptly at 5:30 or 6:00 so they can get outside and play.
Marine or Alpine — take your pick.
The drive from Vancouver up to Whistler was magnificent.
Peaks on each side of the Sea to Sky Highway. Peaks of the islands rising out of Howe Sound on one side and peaks, some snow-capped, on the other.
Olympic signage along the way the closer we got to Whistler: Alpine Skiing Here!
Vancouver certainly is not a perfect city.
It has a serious homeless situation and a thriving bustling skid row.
And the downtown is all glass.
Ahh, but what does Vancouver have on the Bronx?
Until we can stake a claim there, I was eager to look for anything that allowed me to say, well, we have that in the Bronx.
And I found myself saying that a few times…
Over the next few days, while the Olympic torch burns in Vancouver, I will feature here a few of those moments I discovered the Bronx in Vancouver.
Stay tuned…
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Bronx Bohemian 