Long Weekend in Vancouver, Oct 2022
Dec 19, 2022, 12:03 pm
#1
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
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Long Weekend in Vancouver, Oct 2022
Like the vast majority of people, my travel has been severely curtailed since the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020. While it has picked up as we move further away from the pandemic, the bulk of it has been business travel and all of it has been domestic. I had a few vacation days left to burn so I took some time off of work and headed up to a city that I used to visit often, Vancouver.
I had initially decided to fly this route but at the last minute I didn't feel like flying and instead elected to make the five to six hour drive up to Vancouver from Portland. I've done the drive a few times but probably not for sixteen years. However, the bulk of the route was familiar to me as the drive to Seattle is something that I've been doing at least a few times a year for twenty plus years and in 2020, we drove as far north as Mount Vernon while on our way to the San Juan Islands via Anacortes. It was really the last fifty miles to the Canadian border that I hadn't driven in sixteen years.
I managed to leave the house sometime around eight in the morning and traffic the whole way was pretty light. I stopped briefly near Joint Base Lewis-McChord (just south of Tacoma) to get some gas and make a bathroom stop and really didn't run into traffic until I was north of downtown Seattle. Even then, it was only twenty minutes of congestion before traffic flowed smoothly again. In between Mount Vernon and Bellingham, I made a stop at the Bow Hill Rest Area.
What I really should've done was wait until I saw a gas station as it seemed wise to take advantage of the lower gas prices in the States so my final stop was actually at a Shell a few miles away from the border. My plan did work as I didn't need to fuel up in Canada during my stay there.
This was my first time crossing the land border with my NEXUS card and hilariously enough, the NEXUS line was much longer than the regular lines. I held my card up to the RFID reader when it was my turn and when I pulled up to the inspection booth, I was asked if I had anything to declare. Since I did not, I was waved through and was outside of the United States for the first time since November 2019. While I was waiting in line, I took the opportunity to switch over my SIM to the Canadian eSIM card I had purchased via Airalo. It was my first time using an eSIM as I had only recently updated my phone to a newer one (iPhone 14) and overall, the eSIM experience was good outside of one evening in which it didn't seem to work while at dinner. I turned off the eSIM while in my hotel room in order to use the wifi but whenever I was outside of my room, I had it on. I digress...
My hotel for this stay was at Loden Hotel, which is one of favourite properties in the world. Since I didn't want to deal with the hassle of driving into downtown Vancouver and paying for expensive parking there, I ended up parking at the long term value lot at Vancouver International Airport and taking the SkyTrain into Vancouver. I pretty much did not use my car while in Vancouver and relied on the SkyTrain and buses. I ended up at the Loden shortly before three in the afternoon.
Loden Signature Corner on the ninth floor
The bathroom, featuring the soaking tub that I love so much
View from the other side of the room. The bathroom was located behind the bed.
In room Nespresso machine. It only took me three tries until I made myself an espresso
Welcome amenities. It was a bottle of sparkling wine and some macarons last time...
After unpacking and getting settled for a few moments, I then decided to go grab a bite to eat but not before I was able to hit a dispensary. I've really cut back on drinking due to health issues and only have a drink on occasion now. The introduction of legal marijuana in my home state of Oregon has really changed things for me and I find that not having to deal with a pesky hangover and other after affects from alcohol is a big plus. I went to Dutch Love on Robson and got myself some goodies.
There's no place like stoned
These Deep Space soda drinks were absolutely delicious. I wish we had these back in Oregon
In Oregon, the purchase of marijuana and marijuana products is strictly cash only and I believe that's the case in other states too. However, in British Columbia it was possible to purchase marijuana products using a credit card, which is what I did. It blew my mind that I was earning points while buying a drug that was illegal less than ten years ago. Armed with my beverage, I walked over to Vancouver's first location of Jollibee, a Filipino fast food chain that I'm a big fan of.
Political messaging
Temporary memorial for the remains of 215 children found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. This was very sobering
Football fever in Canada
My fourth different Jollibee in my fourth different city in 2022
Spicy ChickenJoy and Palabok Fiesta. I don't often eat fast food but I guess it's always Jollibee when I do?
Since it was raining quite hard and I was a bit tired after the drive, I stopped by a convenience store for some water and other items before heading back to the hotel room to chill out for a bit. For dinner, I went to the Thurlow location of the Japanese restaurant Guu. I make it a point to always go to one of their locations for a meal when I'm in Vancouver. This one was good but not as good as previous visits.
Sashimi platter
Tobiko on toast
Okonomiyaki
Chilled tofu
Chicken karaage
Bar
Needless to say, my eyes were bigger than my stomach as I ended up taking about half of the food back to the hotel. I spent the rest of my night just hanging out in the room as I'm not really one for nightlife these days.
I had initially decided to fly this route but at the last minute I didn't feel like flying and instead elected to make the five to six hour drive up to Vancouver from Portland. I've done the drive a few times but probably not for sixteen years. However, the bulk of the route was familiar to me as the drive to Seattle is something that I've been doing at least a few times a year for twenty plus years and in 2020, we drove as far north as Mount Vernon while on our way to the San Juan Islands via Anacortes. It was really the last fifty miles to the Canadian border that I hadn't driven in sixteen years.
I managed to leave the house sometime around eight in the morning and traffic the whole way was pretty light. I stopped briefly near Joint Base Lewis-McChord (just south of Tacoma) to get some gas and make a bathroom stop and really didn't run into traffic until I was north of downtown Seattle. Even then, it was only twenty minutes of congestion before traffic flowed smoothly again. In between Mount Vernon and Bellingham, I made a stop at the Bow Hill Rest Area.
What I really should've done was wait until I saw a gas station as it seemed wise to take advantage of the lower gas prices in the States so my final stop was actually at a Shell a few miles away from the border. My plan did work as I didn't need to fuel up in Canada during my stay there.
This was my first time crossing the land border with my NEXUS card and hilariously enough, the NEXUS line was much longer than the regular lines. I held my card up to the RFID reader when it was my turn and when I pulled up to the inspection booth, I was asked if I had anything to declare. Since I did not, I was waved through and was outside of the United States for the first time since November 2019. While I was waiting in line, I took the opportunity to switch over my SIM to the Canadian eSIM card I had purchased via Airalo. It was my first time using an eSIM as I had only recently updated my phone to a newer one (iPhone 14) and overall, the eSIM experience was good outside of one evening in which it didn't seem to work while at dinner. I turned off the eSIM while in my hotel room in order to use the wifi but whenever I was outside of my room, I had it on. I digress...
My hotel for this stay was at Loden Hotel, which is one of favourite properties in the world. Since I didn't want to deal with the hassle of driving into downtown Vancouver and paying for expensive parking there, I ended up parking at the long term value lot at Vancouver International Airport and taking the SkyTrain into Vancouver. I pretty much did not use my car while in Vancouver and relied on the SkyTrain and buses. I ended up at the Loden shortly before three in the afternoon.
Loden Signature Corner on the ninth floor
The bathroom, featuring the soaking tub that I love so much
View from the other side of the room. The bathroom was located behind the bed.
In room Nespresso machine. It only took me three tries until I made myself an espresso
Welcome amenities. It was a bottle of sparkling wine and some macarons last time...
After unpacking and getting settled for a few moments, I then decided to go grab a bite to eat but not before I was able to hit a dispensary. I've really cut back on drinking due to health issues and only have a drink on occasion now. The introduction of legal marijuana in my home state of Oregon has really changed things for me and I find that not having to deal with a pesky hangover and other after affects from alcohol is a big plus. I went to Dutch Love on Robson and got myself some goodies.
There's no place like stoned
These Deep Space soda drinks were absolutely delicious. I wish we had these back in Oregon
In Oregon, the purchase of marijuana and marijuana products is strictly cash only and I believe that's the case in other states too. However, in British Columbia it was possible to purchase marijuana products using a credit card, which is what I did. It blew my mind that I was earning points while buying a drug that was illegal less than ten years ago. Armed with my beverage, I walked over to Vancouver's first location of Jollibee, a Filipino fast food chain that I'm a big fan of.
Political messaging
Temporary memorial for the remains of 215 children found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. This was very sobering
Football fever in Canada
My fourth different Jollibee in my fourth different city in 2022
Spicy ChickenJoy and Palabok Fiesta. I don't often eat fast food but I guess it's always Jollibee when I do?
Since it was raining quite hard and I was a bit tired after the drive, I stopped by a convenience store for some water and other items before heading back to the hotel room to chill out for a bit. For dinner, I went to the Thurlow location of the Japanese restaurant Guu. I make it a point to always go to one of their locations for a meal when I'm in Vancouver. This one was good but not as good as previous visits.
Sashimi platter
Tobiko on toast
Okonomiyaki
Chilled tofu
Chicken karaage
Bar
Needless to say, my eyes were bigger than my stomach as I ended up taking about half of the food back to the hotel. I spent the rest of my night just hanging out in the room as I'm not really one for nightlife these days.
Last edited by kevincrumbs; Dec 19, 2022 at 12:08 pm Reason: Remove slideshow from images
Dec 19, 2022, 6:24 pm
#2
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
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Posts: 1,427
Prior to heading to Vancouver, I had happened to read an article online from Bloomberg about the opening of the Chinese Canadian Museum. Being from Hong Kong and having spent a lot of time in Canada, including almost immigrating to the country, this was something that piqued my interest. I booked myself a visit for 11am and found myself heading towards the museum about forty minutes prior to my entry time.
Outbound Expo Line platform, Burrard Station
Expo Line route map
After alighting at the Stadium/Chinatown station, I walked a few blocks over to the Hon Hsing Building, which is home to the Chinese Canadian Museum. As the name implies, the museum focuses on the history of the Chinese in Canada with special focus on British Columbia. The main exhibit was “A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia” while the rear of the museum was occupied by “Seeds to Success: Story of the HY Louie Family and a Tale of Two Families”. For me, it was very educational to learn about some of the struggles older generations had in establishing their lives in BC and in particular, I had no idea that the city had planned to build a freeway through Chinatown and that the city tried to shut down Chinese barbeque shops in the late 1960s. When I was a child, we almost immigrated to Canada and even when I was a teenager, my mother, sister and I had almost moved to Calgary to be near my uncle and his family. So it was interesting to be in the museum while thinking about how it wouldn’t have taken a lot for me to have ended up as a Chinese Canadian instead of a Chinese American.
Milk tea, as part of an area about the role food played/plays in the Chinese community in BC
The Nelson China Clippers, an all Chinese basketball team
How did you get here?
As I wrapped up the visit, some of the staff members and I started chatting. They told me about their future plans to move to a different building and asked me how I had heard about them. They were surprised when I said I was visiting from Portland and told me how much I loved Portland and asked me some questions about our Chinese community there. One thing lead to another and they made some recommendations of Hong Kong style diners in Chinatown. I have to admit that in the past, I would’ve just made a beeline to Richmond for Chinese food but armed with some recommendations, I stuck around and dined in Chinatown for lunch.
Hong Kong style Western cuisine is a cuisine that I cannot get in Portland, so I always try to have it when I’m somewhere with a sizeable population of folks from Hong Kong. It’s like an uncool (which makes it cool, of course) fusion cuisine created in the days when Hong Kong was not as prosperous. Common folks couldn’t afford to dine out at fancy Western restaurants so the food was adapted to both the tastes and price points of everyday people.
For my lunch on this day, I headed to Maxim’s. I still can’t figure out if it’s related to the dining conglomerate of the same name in Hong Kong. As an aside, the Maxim’s group in Hong Kong is named after the famous Maxim’s of Paris.
Hot tea and hot yuenyeung (a mixture of Hong Kong style milk tea and coffee)
窩蛋免治牛肉飯 / Minced Beef and Egg on Rice. A massive amount of food that I did not finish
Maxim’s interior
Welcome to Chinatown mural
I took the SkyTrain back to the city centre and then started my journey back out to Richmond in order to do some planespotting
Vancouver City Centre station
Outbound Expo Line platform, Burrard Station
Expo Line route map
After alighting at the Stadium/Chinatown station, I walked a few blocks over to the Hon Hsing Building, which is home to the Chinese Canadian Museum. As the name implies, the museum focuses on the history of the Chinese in Canada with special focus on British Columbia. The main exhibit was “A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia” while the rear of the museum was occupied by “Seeds to Success: Story of the HY Louie Family and a Tale of Two Families”. For me, it was very educational to learn about some of the struggles older generations had in establishing their lives in BC and in particular, I had no idea that the city had planned to build a freeway through Chinatown and that the city tried to shut down Chinese barbeque shops in the late 1960s. When I was a child, we almost immigrated to Canada and even when I was a teenager, my mother, sister and I had almost moved to Calgary to be near my uncle and his family. So it was interesting to be in the museum while thinking about how it wouldn’t have taken a lot for me to have ended up as a Chinese Canadian instead of a Chinese American.
Milk tea, as part of an area about the role food played/plays in the Chinese community in BC
The Nelson China Clippers, an all Chinese basketball team
How did you get here?
As I wrapped up the visit, some of the staff members and I started chatting. They told me about their future plans to move to a different building and asked me how I had heard about them. They were surprised when I said I was visiting from Portland and told me how much I loved Portland and asked me some questions about our Chinese community there. One thing lead to another and they made some recommendations of Hong Kong style diners in Chinatown. I have to admit that in the past, I would’ve just made a beeline to Richmond for Chinese food but armed with some recommendations, I stuck around and dined in Chinatown for lunch.
Hong Kong style Western cuisine is a cuisine that I cannot get in Portland, so I always try to have it when I’m somewhere with a sizeable population of folks from Hong Kong. It’s like an uncool (which makes it cool, of course) fusion cuisine created in the days when Hong Kong was not as prosperous. Common folks couldn’t afford to dine out at fancy Western restaurants so the food was adapted to both the tastes and price points of everyday people.
For my lunch on this day, I headed to Maxim’s. I still can’t figure out if it’s related to the dining conglomerate of the same name in Hong Kong. As an aside, the Maxim’s group in Hong Kong is named after the famous Maxim’s of Paris.
Hot tea and hot yuenyeung (a mixture of Hong Kong style milk tea and coffee)
窩蛋免治牛肉飯 / Minced Beef and Egg on Rice. A massive amount of food that I did not finish
Maxim’s interior
Welcome to Chinatown mural
I took the SkyTrain back to the city centre and then started my journey back out to Richmond in order to do some planespotting
Vancouver City Centre station
Dec 20, 2022, 10:03 am
#4
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Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
Dec 21, 2022, 7:58 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
I’ve always been very interested in airlines and their operations since I was a kid, including bizarrely journalling about the latest in inflight entertainment and airline soft products when I was in the second grade. This led to my teacher at the time asking me how someone at my age had such a peculiar interest. It must have been all of those inflight magazines that I would spend hours pouring through, especially the route maps and fleet information.
As for photography, I’ve always taken photos at airports and of aircraft but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I invested in a 100-400mm lens. This was in part due to the fact that during the pandemic, going to the roof of the parking garage at PDX was one of the few activities that I enjoyed partaking in that was also a low risk activity when it came to being around other people. Not that PDX’s traffic is that exciting but we do have a Boeing paint hangar at PDX, so we occasionally get some rare birds prior to them being delivered.
All of this leads to the fact that I spent part of my afternoon on what felt like a rare sunny day planespotting out at YVR. After picking up my car from the long term value lot, I drove to a spot near the northwest corner of the airport.
Ferguson Road planespotting area
It really wasn’t the best area due to the lighting conditions and the perimeter fence. I even considered walking up the mounds of asphalt as seen in the photo below but thought that might be a bad idea. Additionally, there weren’t a lot of arrivals into 8L at the time, so I only ended up with one shot. FWIW, the one shot turned out better than I thought it did when I got home and loaded the photograph onto my computer:
WS Boeing 737 MAX 8 C-FXWJ from YYC as WestJet 113
I gave up and made the drive to the official viewing platform located just outside of YVR’s South Terminal. I had never been to either the terminal or the viewing platform itself, so even that in itself was interesting to me. The South Terminal is home to a bunch of smaller regional airlines that mainly fly within British Columbia, so I saw a lot of their aircraft.
8P Beechcraft 1900D C-FWZK as Pacific Coastal 874 from Bella Bella/Campbell Island
8P Saab 340A C-GPCN as Pacific Coastal 1613 for Tofino. I can only recall flying on a Saab 340 once, which was on NW DAY-DTW.
9M Beechcraft 1900D C-GFSV. Her transponder seems to be consistently off so I have no idea where this Central Mountain Air aircraft was arriving from.
I also saw a lot of private aircraft and medevac aircraft:
de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver C-FCKW
Carson Air Cessna Citation 560 C-GRFC as Carson Air 999 from Prince George
North Cariboo Flying Service Beechcraft Super King Air 200 C-GNCD heading to Smithers
Further afield and exclusively being used for departures was runway 8R. I concentrated on aircraft I hadn’t captured upclose on the South Terminal ramp. Some were operated by domestic operators:
4N Boeing 737-500 C-GANH as Air North 540 for Whitehorse
AC Boeing 777-300ER C-FIVS as Air Canada 116 for YYZ
Y9 Boeing 737 MAX 8 C-FULI as Lynx Air 121 for YYZ
WS Boeing 787-9 C-GYRS as WestJet 714 for, you guessed it, YYZ
An some were operated by foreign carriers:
MU Airbus A350-900 B-304N as China Eastern 7318 for PVG. I hate this livery
JL Boeing 767-300ER JA617J as Japan Airlines 17 for NRT
AF Boeing 777-200ER F-GSPF as Air France 379 for CDG
KE Boeing 787-9 HL8085 as Korean Air 72 for ICN
Before I left, I had a look around the South Terminal, which was sort of mini version of the main terminal in the sense that the architectural style was similar and the branding was consistent.
South Terminal exterior
Interior
Flight information display
CF-YVR
Iskwew Air check-In counter. I hadn’t heard of them prior to this day.
After I wrapped up at the South Terminal, I parked my car at the long term value lot again and then took the SkyTrain over to Richmond for a bite to eat.
As for photography, I’ve always taken photos at airports and of aircraft but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I invested in a 100-400mm lens. This was in part due to the fact that during the pandemic, going to the roof of the parking garage at PDX was one of the few activities that I enjoyed partaking in that was also a low risk activity when it came to being around other people. Not that PDX’s traffic is that exciting but we do have a Boeing paint hangar at PDX, so we occasionally get some rare birds prior to them being delivered.
All of this leads to the fact that I spent part of my afternoon on what felt like a rare sunny day planespotting out at YVR. After picking up my car from the long term value lot, I drove to a spot near the northwest corner of the airport.
Ferguson Road planespotting area
It really wasn’t the best area due to the lighting conditions and the perimeter fence. I even considered walking up the mounds of asphalt as seen in the photo below but thought that might be a bad idea. Additionally, there weren’t a lot of arrivals into 8L at the time, so I only ended up with one shot. FWIW, the one shot turned out better than I thought it did when I got home and loaded the photograph onto my computer:
WS Boeing 737 MAX 8 C-FXWJ from YYC as WestJet 113
I gave up and made the drive to the official viewing platform located just outside of YVR’s South Terminal. I had never been to either the terminal or the viewing platform itself, so even that in itself was interesting to me. The South Terminal is home to a bunch of smaller regional airlines that mainly fly within British Columbia, so I saw a lot of their aircraft.
8P Beechcraft 1900D C-FWZK as Pacific Coastal 874 from Bella Bella/Campbell Island
8P Saab 340A C-GPCN as Pacific Coastal 1613 for Tofino. I can only recall flying on a Saab 340 once, which was on NW DAY-DTW.
9M Beechcraft 1900D C-GFSV. Her transponder seems to be consistently off so I have no idea where this Central Mountain Air aircraft was arriving from.
I also saw a lot of private aircraft and medevac aircraft:
de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver C-FCKW
Carson Air Cessna Citation 560 C-GRFC as Carson Air 999 from Prince George
North Cariboo Flying Service Beechcraft Super King Air 200 C-GNCD heading to Smithers
Further afield and exclusively being used for departures was runway 8R. I concentrated on aircraft I hadn’t captured upclose on the South Terminal ramp. Some were operated by domestic operators:
4N Boeing 737-500 C-GANH as Air North 540 for Whitehorse
AC Boeing 777-300ER C-FIVS as Air Canada 116 for YYZ
Y9 Boeing 737 MAX 8 C-FULI as Lynx Air 121 for YYZ
WS Boeing 787-9 C-GYRS as WestJet 714 for, you guessed it, YYZ
An some were operated by foreign carriers:
MU Airbus A350-900 B-304N as China Eastern 7318 for PVG. I hate this livery
JL Boeing 767-300ER JA617J as Japan Airlines 17 for NRT
AF Boeing 777-200ER F-GSPF as Air France 379 for CDG
KE Boeing 787-9 HL8085 as Korean Air 72 for ICN
Before I left, I had a look around the South Terminal, which was sort of mini version of the main terminal in the sense that the architectural style was similar and the branding was consistent.
South Terminal exterior
Interior
Flight information display
CF-YVR
Iskwew Air check-In counter. I hadn’t heard of them prior to this day.
After I wrapped up at the South Terminal, I parked my car at the long term value lot again and then took the SkyTrain over to Richmond for a bite to eat.
Dec 26, 2022, 8:06 pm
#6
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
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Posts: 1,427
It was a bit of an odd time when I wrapped up planespotting at YVR as it was a bit too early for dinner but since it didn’t make sense to go back to the hotel downtown and then come back out to Richmond a few hours later for dinner, I went ahead and took the Skytrain over to Aberdeen, transferring at Bridgeport in order to do so.
It’s probably about time that I try some new places but since I was on foot, I stuck with my usual haunt of Parker Place. Parker Place is one of many ethnically Chinese dominated shopping centres in Richmond. I first encountered these shopping centres when I was a kid and we’d travel to the northern suburbs of Toronto on holiday to visit family and friends and for a bit of taste of home. I am fond of Parker Place because it’s not in any way a fancy or modern place but it does feature a pretty good no frills food court. I took my time walking by all of the various food outlets and eventually settled on a popular place specialising in cart noodles. Cart noodles are a customisable type of noodle soup where the customer picks the toppings and even the noodle type. I went with lai fen as my noodle, which is a thick rice noodle shaped sort of like spaghetti. As for toppings, I went with pork blood cubes and pig skin, both of which are foods that are difficult for me to find back home in Portland. Of course, I had yet another yuenyeung milk tea.
My super late lunch/early dinner
Parker Place food court
A bit quiet at this hour
The other stop I always make while at Parker Place is to get some Cantonese barbeque from the creatively titled Parker Place Meat & BBQ. I mean, they could never be sued for misleading the consumer! I’ve been coming here for awhile on my visits to the Vancouver area and while the nearby HK BBQ Master is supposed to be even better, I’ve never made it over there. Maybe next time! FWIW, Parker Place Meat & BBQ came highly recommended from the gentleman who conducted my NEXUS interview at YVR many years ago and I can’t say that he led me astray. Anyway, I went with my usual order of half a pound of roast pork and a half pound of marinated pig’s ears. After that, I stocked up on at the Chinese pharmacy next door for some prepackaged sugar cane and imperatae drink and a herbal Chinese syrup good for fighting sore throats. I wasn’t sick in any way but I just wanted to stock up while it was convenient to do so.
Parker Place (Aberdeen) Meat & BBQ
Cantonese roast pork
Pig’s ears
Wallpaper at Parker Place showing how walls in old Hong Kong used to look, including old advertisements and mailboxes
I then took the Skytrain back to the hotel and chilled out for the rest of the night. Since I ate at such an odd time, I ended up pecking on the Cantonese barbeque in the room and did not head out for a proper dinner.
Friday evening rush hour
It’s probably about time that I try some new places but since I was on foot, I stuck with my usual haunt of Parker Place. Parker Place is one of many ethnically Chinese dominated shopping centres in Richmond. I first encountered these shopping centres when I was a kid and we’d travel to the northern suburbs of Toronto on holiday to visit family and friends and for a bit of taste of home. I am fond of Parker Place because it’s not in any way a fancy or modern place but it does feature a pretty good no frills food court. I took my time walking by all of the various food outlets and eventually settled on a popular place specialising in cart noodles. Cart noodles are a customisable type of noodle soup where the customer picks the toppings and even the noodle type. I went with lai fen as my noodle, which is a thick rice noodle shaped sort of like spaghetti. As for toppings, I went with pork blood cubes and pig skin, both of which are foods that are difficult for me to find back home in Portland. Of course, I had yet another yuenyeung milk tea.
My super late lunch/early dinner
Parker Place food court
A bit quiet at this hour
The other stop I always make while at Parker Place is to get some Cantonese barbeque from the creatively titled Parker Place Meat & BBQ. I mean, they could never be sued for misleading the consumer! I’ve been coming here for awhile on my visits to the Vancouver area and while the nearby HK BBQ Master is supposed to be even better, I’ve never made it over there. Maybe next time! FWIW, Parker Place Meat & BBQ came highly recommended from the gentleman who conducted my NEXUS interview at YVR many years ago and I can’t say that he led me astray. Anyway, I went with my usual order of half a pound of roast pork and a half pound of marinated pig’s ears. After that, I stocked up on at the Chinese pharmacy next door for some prepackaged sugar cane and imperatae drink and a herbal Chinese syrup good for fighting sore throats. I wasn’t sick in any way but I just wanted to stock up while it was convenient to do so.
Parker Place (Aberdeen) Meat & BBQ
Cantonese roast pork
Pig’s ears
Wallpaper at Parker Place showing how walls in old Hong Kong used to look, including old advertisements and mailboxes
I then took the Skytrain back to the hotel and chilled out for the rest of the night. Since I ate at such an odd time, I ended up pecking on the Cantonese barbeque in the room and did not head out for a proper dinner.
Friday evening rush hour
Dec 30, 2022, 2:30 pm
#8
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I really like Tableau too but I spent a lot of time snacking on this trip, which threw off my dining schedule. I never made it to Tableau on this trip, sadly.
Dec 30, 2022, 3:16 pm
#9
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
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Posts: 1,427
To start off my last full day in Vancouver, I once again took the SkyTrain down to Chinatown and this time, I dined at the other Hong Kong style diner that was recommended to me by the lovely folks at the Chinese Canadian Museum, The Boss.
Neon art on the side of 133 Keefer Street, which is a heritage listed building. I had a few drinks at Keefer Bar, located on the ground floor, many years ago. It wasn't really my sort of scene but it was alright
My last yuenyeung of this trip.
Luncheon meat (Spam) and fried egg with macaroni in broth. One of the most commmon dishes found in Hong Kong style diners
Interior of The Boss Bakery & Restaurant. In front of the restaurant section was the bakery with display cases full of cakes and other baked goods.
My big plan for the day was to go over to the Museum of Vancouver, located just outside of downtown in the Kitsilano neighbourhood. My family and I rented a house in Kitsilano for a week many years ago (before AirBnB existed) and I quite liked the neighbourhood, so I was looking forward to returning and having a look around. Additionally, when I first started visiting Vancouver as an adult, I often stayed at the Park Inn on Broadway, which is just to the east of Kitsilano. I would say that it wasn't the typical area a visitor would stay in but I did like staying outside of the downtown core. These days, I've gone a bit soft and seemingly require luxury accomodations
To get the the Museum of Vancouver, I took a bus back downtown and then transferred to the number 2 bus bound for Macdonald, alighting at the corner of Cornwall & Cypress. This was the first stop after the bus crossed the Burrard Steet Bridge and exited downtown.
On the bus heading downtown from Chinatown
Once I alighted, I walked up towards English Bay and the parks surrounding the bay.
Kitsilano/Kits Point residential neighbourhood that I walked through
Elsje Point and the downtown skyline
Little free library affiliated with the nearby Vancouver Maritime Museum
Hadden Beach, which was more like an offleash dog area than a beach
Kitsilano Beach
Ships on Burrard Inlet
Then I made my way over to the Museum of Vancouver, whose main exhibit was a variation/extention of the exhibit I saw at the Chinese Canadian Museum on the prior day, "A Seat at the Table".
Museum of Vancouver exterior
一席之地 / A Seat at the Table
This neon sign hung in front of the now closed Keefer Bakery
Patterns of Chinese immigration to British Columbia
Cheerful quotes related to the Chinese in British Columbia
I also explored the rest of the museum, of course.
c̓əsnaʔəm: the city before the city, an exhibit about the Musqueam First Nation of the same name, which existed long before Vancouver did on the same site
That Which Sustains Us, which covered Vancouver's interactions with the natural world
Gateway to the Pacific, covering the first two decades of the twentieth century
Neon signs in The 50's Gallery
I then made the walk over to the next major street south of Cornwall Avenue, West 4th Avenue to have some lunch at Raisu, a popular Japanese restaurant.
Kitsilano Beach Park
The way the street sloped towards the water reminded me of my visit to Hakodate five years ago
Raisu was located right next to a seafood market that was selling oysters on the half shell from a small table, so I had some oysters before heading up to the restaurant.
One of my favourite foods
Despite showing up for what I'd consider yet another late lunch hour, Raisu was pretty packed. It seemed like there were some big group celebrations along with families enjoying a Saturday out on the town. They found me a seat at the counter, which was fine for me as a solo diner.
Starting off with some shochu on the rocks and some rice crackers
Uni (sea urchin) shooter. I should've just had the uni as nigiri sushi because the other flavours of the shooter covered the flavour of the uni
Beautiful set lunch that I had
I enjoyed Raisu and while I can't say that I'll definitely come back as it's not located downtown, I certainly wouldn't rule it out either. After lunch, I headed back to the hotel room to rest for a bit.
West 4th Avenue as I waited for the bus
Neon art on the side of 133 Keefer Street, which is a heritage listed building. I had a few drinks at Keefer Bar, located on the ground floor, many years ago. It wasn't really my sort of scene but it was alright
My last yuenyeung of this trip.
Luncheon meat (Spam) and fried egg with macaroni in broth. One of the most commmon dishes found in Hong Kong style diners
Interior of The Boss Bakery & Restaurant. In front of the restaurant section was the bakery with display cases full of cakes and other baked goods.
My big plan for the day was to go over to the Museum of Vancouver, located just outside of downtown in the Kitsilano neighbourhood. My family and I rented a house in Kitsilano for a week many years ago (before AirBnB existed) and I quite liked the neighbourhood, so I was looking forward to returning and having a look around. Additionally, when I first started visiting Vancouver as an adult, I often stayed at the Park Inn on Broadway, which is just to the east of Kitsilano. I would say that it wasn't the typical area a visitor would stay in but I did like staying outside of the downtown core. These days, I've gone a bit soft and seemingly require luxury accomodations
To get the the Museum of Vancouver, I took a bus back downtown and then transferred to the number 2 bus bound for Macdonald, alighting at the corner of Cornwall & Cypress. This was the first stop after the bus crossed the Burrard Steet Bridge and exited downtown.
On the bus heading downtown from Chinatown
Once I alighted, I walked up towards English Bay and the parks surrounding the bay.
Kitsilano/Kits Point residential neighbourhood that I walked through
Elsje Point and the downtown skyline
Little free library affiliated with the nearby Vancouver Maritime Museum
Hadden Beach, which was more like an offleash dog area than a beach
Kitsilano Beach
Ships on Burrard Inlet
Then I made my way over to the Museum of Vancouver, whose main exhibit was a variation/extention of the exhibit I saw at the Chinese Canadian Museum on the prior day, "A Seat at the Table".
Museum of Vancouver exterior
一席之地 / A Seat at the Table
This neon sign hung in front of the now closed Keefer Bakery
Patterns of Chinese immigration to British Columbia
Cheerful quotes related to the Chinese in British Columbia
I also explored the rest of the museum, of course.
c̓əsnaʔəm: the city before the city, an exhibit about the Musqueam First Nation of the same name, which existed long before Vancouver did on the same site
That Which Sustains Us, which covered Vancouver's interactions with the natural world
Gateway to the Pacific, covering the first two decades of the twentieth century
Neon signs in The 50's Gallery
I then made the walk over to the next major street south of Cornwall Avenue, West 4th Avenue to have some lunch at Raisu, a popular Japanese restaurant.
Kitsilano Beach Park
The way the street sloped towards the water reminded me of my visit to Hakodate five years ago
Raisu was located right next to a seafood market that was selling oysters on the half shell from a small table, so I had some oysters before heading up to the restaurant.
One of my favourite foods
Despite showing up for what I'd consider yet another late lunch hour, Raisu was pretty packed. It seemed like there were some big group celebrations along with families enjoying a Saturday out on the town. They found me a seat at the counter, which was fine for me as a solo diner.
Starting off with some shochu on the rocks and some rice crackers
Uni (sea urchin) shooter. I should've just had the uni as nigiri sushi because the other flavours of the shooter covered the flavour of the uni
Beautiful set lunch that I had
I enjoyed Raisu and while I can't say that I'll definitely come back as it's not located downtown, I certainly wouldn't rule it out either. After lunch, I headed back to the hotel room to rest for a bit.
West 4th Avenue as I waited for the bus
Dec 30, 2022, 6:30 pm
#10
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: YVR
Programs: AA
Posts: 873
kevincrumbs I'm enjoying this report. Since you are not opposed to getting out of downtown, you can consider the museum of anthropology at UBC on your next visit. I don't think many out of towners make the trek there and it's a great visit. Looks like they will be closed for much of 2023 though while the building undergoes seismic upgrades which may be the motivation to get me there before they close in a couple of weeks. https://moa.ubc.ca/
Jan 3, 2023, 1:29 pm
#11
formerly DreAAmliner
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
Thanks! I also like to see TRs about my current home of PDX but there aren't too many of those floating around. I find it's nice to see an outside perspective of a place that you are so familiar with.
I really like Tableau too but I spent a lot of time snacking on this trip, which threw off my dining schedule. I never made it to Tableau on this trip, sadly.
I really like Tableau too but I spent a lot of time snacking on this trip, which threw off my dining schedule. I never made it to Tableau on this trip, sadly.
I grew up in Kitsilano, not far from that photo at the bus stop on 4th ave. Have been to that Safeway MANY times.
That photo hit me in the feels. was not expecting to see that.
OP, You may have been, but next time you may want to consider going to the observation level at Grouse Mountain. Fairly easy to get to via Bus from Coal Harbour also, as i understand. one of the nicest views in any city in the northwest.
Jan 3, 2023, 2:37 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
kevincrumbs I'm enjoying this report. Since you are not opposed to getting out of downtown, you can consider the museum of anthropology at UBC on your next visit. I don't think many out of towners make the trek there and it's a great visit. Looks like they will be closed for much of 2023 though while the building undergoes seismic upgrades which may be the motivation to get me there before they close in a couple of weeks. https://moa.ubc.ca/
As a YVR native myself, this was really fun to read.
I grew up in Kitsilano, not far from that photo at the bus stop on 4th ave. Have been to that Safeway MANY times.
That photo hit me in the feels. was not expecting to see that.
OP, You may have been, but next time you may want to consider going to the observation level at Grouse Mountain. Fairly easy to get to via Bus from Coal Harbour also, as i understand. one of the nicest views in any city in the northwest.
I grew up in Kitsilano, not far from that photo at the bus stop on 4th ave. Have been to that Safeway MANY times.
That photo hit me in the feels. was not expecting to see that.
OP, You may have been, but next time you may want to consider going to the observation level at Grouse Mountain. Fairly easy to get to via Bus from Coal Harbour also, as i understand. one of the nicest views in any city in the northwest.
. I haven't made it to Grouse Mountain even though I've had a car with me a few times while in the city. My trips have been so food focused in recent years that it hasn't crossed my mind but I'll keep it in mind for future visits.
Jan 3, 2023, 2:40 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
On this trip my evenings were pretty quiet, in part due to all the stuff I would do during the day. On the night of my final day in Vancouver, that was no exception.
I don't watch a lot of live television these days but while in Vancouver, I often had the television on while relaxing in the room. Sometimes it was for a bit of background noise but knowing that it was Hockey Night in Canada, I put on my Montreal Canadiens. It had been years since I had watched a Habs game while on Canadian soil.
Montreal Canadiens v. St. Louis Blues
After the first period ended, I decided to walk down to Davie in order to dine at La Belle Patate, a restaurant that specialises in the Québécois specialities such as poutine and smoked meat. I figured they would also have the Habs game on television there, so my plan was to watch at least one more period at the restaurant.
Stunning light on the final evening of my stay. The Paradox Hotel is tied for the second tallest in the whole province and was formerly a hotel branded with a certain former US president's name
Nelson Park
As you can tell from my photographs, my focus while dining in Vancouver is pretty much always East Asian cuisine, especially Chinese and Japanese. I mention this because I find that La Belle Patate has some of the best poutine I've found outside of Québec. I hadn't previous had their smoked meat sandwich but since it had been so long since I had one, tonight was the night that I tried it. Basically, La Belle Patate is one of the exceptions I'll make to my dining patterns while in Vancouver.
La Belle Patate interior. They inexplicably had the Leafs game on and I couldn't be bothered to ask them to change the channel as I knew wasn't going to sit here for another hour or so.
I had a fraction of this giant Labatt 50
It's not Schwartz's or Snowdon Deli but this was pretty good considering I was on Canada's west coast. I would definitely eat this again
My favourite non-Québec poutine
After that meal, I took a long walk down Davie and turned it into a loop by making a right at Denman and then another right when I got to the intersection with Robson. I wrapped up my eating with a stop at a branch of the Taiwanese desserts chain, Meet Fresh.
Meet Fresh
Tofu pudding with peanuts and red beans. Chinese dessert is another thing I struggle to find in Portland
I then headed back to the hotel to pack up and relax for the rest of the night.
I don't have anymore photos from this trip but the drive back to Portland was uneventful. I picked up my car at YVR's long term value lot and drove down to Surrey in order to stop off at Save-On-Foods to stock up on candy and junk food that we can't get back home. I considered stopping for a sit down lunch but I really wanted to get home, so I just snacked on some supermarket sushi (I know...) that I bought.
Example of the type of stuff I bought while in Canada
The border crossing didn't take long at all and when they asked if I was bringing any good back, I told them I just had some junk food. I was welcomed back home to the States and proceeded south on I-5. Traffic was fine the whole way back home but instead of staying on I-5, I did take I-405 through Seattle's eastern suburbs as I wanted the avoid any traffic near downtown from a Seahawks game.
Whether you read the whole thing or just skimmed the photos, thanks for clicking on this report.
I don't watch a lot of live television these days but while in Vancouver, I often had the television on while relaxing in the room. Sometimes it was for a bit of background noise but knowing that it was Hockey Night in Canada, I put on my Montreal Canadiens. It had been years since I had watched a Habs game while on Canadian soil.
Montreal Canadiens v. St. Louis Blues
After the first period ended, I decided to walk down to Davie in order to dine at La Belle Patate, a restaurant that specialises in the Québécois specialities such as poutine and smoked meat. I figured they would also have the Habs game on television there, so my plan was to watch at least one more period at the restaurant.
Stunning light on the final evening of my stay. The Paradox Hotel is tied for the second tallest in the whole province and was formerly a hotel branded with a certain former US president's name
Nelson Park
As you can tell from my photographs, my focus while dining in Vancouver is pretty much always East Asian cuisine, especially Chinese and Japanese. I mention this because I find that La Belle Patate has some of the best poutine I've found outside of Québec. I hadn't previous had their smoked meat sandwich but since it had been so long since I had one, tonight was the night that I tried it. Basically, La Belle Patate is one of the exceptions I'll make to my dining patterns while in Vancouver.
La Belle Patate interior. They inexplicably had the Leafs game on and I couldn't be bothered to ask them to change the channel as I knew wasn't going to sit here for another hour or so.
I had a fraction of this giant Labatt 50
It's not Schwartz's or Snowdon Deli but this was pretty good considering I was on Canada's west coast. I would definitely eat this again
My favourite non-Québec poutine
After that meal, I took a long walk down Davie and turned it into a loop by making a right at Denman and then another right when I got to the intersection with Robson. I wrapped up my eating with a stop at a branch of the Taiwanese desserts chain, Meet Fresh.
Meet Fresh
Tofu pudding with peanuts and red beans. Chinese dessert is another thing I struggle to find in Portland
I then headed back to the hotel to pack up and relax for the rest of the night.
I don't have anymore photos from this trip but the drive back to Portland was uneventful. I picked up my car at YVR's long term value lot and drove down to Surrey in order to stop off at Save-On-Foods to stock up on candy and junk food that we can't get back home. I considered stopping for a sit down lunch but I really wanted to get home, so I just snacked on some supermarket sushi (I know...) that I bought.
Example of the type of stuff I bought while in Canada
The border crossing didn't take long at all and when they asked if I was bringing any good back, I told them I just had some junk food. I was welcomed back home to the States and proceeded south on I-5. Traffic was fine the whole way back home but instead of staying on I-5, I did take I-405 through Seattle's eastern suburbs as I wanted the avoid any traffic near downtown from a Seahawks game.
Whether you read the whole thing or just skimmed the photos, thanks for clicking on this report.
Jan 3, 2023, 9:56 pm
#14
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: YVR
Programs: AA
Posts: 873
I had no idea you could get a Labatt 50 in Vancouver! I'll be headed there for some poutine and a 50 sooner rather than later. It's a terrible beer but brings back so many (foggy) memories of my youth in the eastern provinces.
Jan 4, 2023, 6:22 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
