The Wicked and the Wicked Awesome
Posted by Afrojew2 | | Posted On Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Let’s start with the Wicked. By Wicked I mean the new musical. For my birthday the family all got tickets to the performance on its second night in Seattle. I had wanted to see this show since I heard about it, so needless to say I was thrilled when I found out. We all got dressed up and went to dinner at a nice Vietnamese restaurant. Then we crossed the street to the Paramount Theater. I know there are Paramount Theaters everywhere, but it still felt a little like I was in Charlottesville again. Anyway, the show was spectacular. The story weaved wonderfully with the Wizard of Oz, and the vocalists were great. Elpheba, the “Wicked” Witch of the West, was spectacular, and her voice should be known across the country.
The Wicked Awesome will take slightly longer to explain. First, Notre Dame trounced Nevada in their season opener 35-0. That would be the highlight of any other week for me, but not this one by far. Later that day I went to Bumbershoot, Seattle’s 3 day music and arts festival, with Olivia.
That night we saw several great bands, including two that left a mark: Eric Hutchinson and Elvis Perkins. The following day was even better. Highlights included stand-up comedy by Sara Silverman and Eugene Mirman (the landlord in Flight of the Conchords) and music by Michael Franti and Jason Mraz. The Black Eyed Peas starred on the third day which was cut short to take Olivia to the airport. She had to be back at school the following day. Tearful goodbye.
With my cousin gone and the kids starting school in a few days, I decided to hop a Greyhound bus to Vancouver, BC. On the ride I met a local named Laura who told me where to stay and how to get there. Boy was she right. My hostel was downtown in the artsy/gay community near Davie Street, as opposed to the other hostels on the party streets or 30 minutes away. I arrived at about 3pm and proceeded to walk around the city until about 9. I walked along Robson Street (the glamour district) and many others before reaching Stanley Park. Let me tell you about Stanley Park. It’s far and away my favorite park.
Surrounded by a Seawall, it’s basically a forest that juts out into English Bay as a peninsula off of downtown. Trails run all through the park, connecting lakes, tennis courts, and lookouts. The best lookout is at the northern-most point of the park and gives a spectacular view of both North Vancouver and downtown.
After walking all around the park, I was headed back when I was called to the beach by the sound of drums. It was a drum circle, and anyone could join. Of course I had to lay it down for the nice folks. I say that, but I really have no drum skills. The guy next to me was a master though. After A few rounds I headed for the hostel, stopping for some Singaporean food before collapsing. Today’s pedometer: 12-15 miles.
As expected, I woke up to the rain. It didn’t get me down. What did get me down was the fact that the hostel was full for the following night, and I had only booked the one I just slept through. After an hour of waiting for someone to give up their reservation, the management figured out there was one bed available… mine. I guess they hadn’t realized that that I was staying in the bed that I was sleeping in, and no one else was. So after I had packed all my stuff to find a new hostel, I went back up, unpacked, and set off for Lynn Canyon. Almost immediately upon walking into the park I came upon a 50m high suspension bridge over a waterfall.
Perfect. A fantastic sight, even in the rain. I hiked around the temperate rainforest for about 4 hours, stopping twice in the park’s café for lunch and for hot chocolate. After hiking I headed back downtown the way I came: Seabus. The Seabus is a hovercraft-looking vessel that crosses the inlet between downtown and North Vancouver, and offers some spectacular views of the city.
Public transportation in Vancouver in general is awesome. Though expensive, I could get anywhere in the city quickly and easily, and by the third day I had the system down. The rain had subsided by the time I got back downtown, so I spent the rest of the day walking along English bay. I caught a sliver of sunset through the clouds while munching on Falafel. Today’s pedometer: about 5 miles.
In the morning I was ready to die. Ready to die in the sense that I was about to kill myself. About to kill myself in the sense that in a few hours I was going to be in intense pain and anguish. Intense pain and anguish in the sense that I was going to really enjoy myself. That, my friends, is the Grouse Grind. A 1.5 mile hike up the side of Grouse Mountain that gains 2750 feet in elevation. Did I mention I had walked about 20 miles in the previous two days? My legs were burning before I even woke up that morning. Nevertheless, I was determined, and when I reached the trail I became even more so. All people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages were climbing with me. Several over 60, one under 7, Asians, Indians, Germans (who set a great pace for me as I followed), and locals, from the best in fitness to the worst in health. I knew I had to finish, and they all helped push and pull me up the mountain. The view at the top was well worth it.
As was the amusement park-like atmosphere that I found at the top. Chairlifts, ziplines, an endangered black and grizzly bear preserve, and a lumberjack show were the main attractions, with a view of Vancouver to the right and Mt. Baker to the left.
The bears were huge and the lumberjacks were world-class, literally. Most tourists took the Skylift (essentially a jumbo chairlift) up instead of doing the Grind. I only took it down.
For some reason no one I asked knew where the Indian market was. I had a general idea so I decided to go searching for it. Found. And on my first try too. Unfortunately it was a disappointment. It consisted almost entirely of clothing stores, and was very run down. So I headed back to my stomping ground on Davie Street. Coming from the Indian market I had a hankerin’ for some Indian food, so I found a place and had a good meal. It’s a good thing I left the market quickly because I was able to catch a full sunset over English Bay, unspoiled by clouds. Today's pedometer: about 5 miles.
The morning of my last day I took a short ferry to Granville Island, which isn’t really an Island, but the ferry was still the best way to get there. The “island” was home to the Granville Public Market which teemed with fish, people, and the smell of fish and people.
I walked around the small island and sat down at Tony’s Fish and Oysters for the best meal of the trip: a Halibut burger, chips, and a Granville Island Lager with the brewery just on the other side of the street. Memories in hand and head, I made my way to the bus station to come home.
Vancouver in summary: I want to live there. I loved the parks, I loved the neighborhoods, I loved the transportation, I loved the helpful, friendly, outdoorsy people, I loved the fact that old couples were strolling and single women were running or walking their dogs downtown after the sky had turned black. I felt safe everywhere. In two words, it was wicked awesome.
The Wicked Awesome will take slightly longer to explain. First, Notre Dame trounced Nevada in their season opener 35-0. That would be the highlight of any other week for me, but not this one by far. Later that day I went to Bumbershoot, Seattle’s 3 day music and arts festival, with Olivia.
That night we saw several great bands, including two that left a mark: Eric Hutchinson and Elvis Perkins. The following day was even better. Highlights included stand-up comedy by Sara Silverman and Eugene Mirman (the landlord in Flight of the Conchords) and music by Michael Franti and Jason Mraz. The Black Eyed Peas starred on the third day which was cut short to take Olivia to the airport. She had to be back at school the following day. Tearful goodbye.
With my cousin gone and the kids starting school in a few days, I decided to hop a Greyhound bus to Vancouver, BC. On the ride I met a local named Laura who told me where to stay and how to get there. Boy was she right. My hostel was downtown in the artsy/gay community near Davie Street, as opposed to the other hostels on the party streets or 30 minutes away. I arrived at about 3pm and proceeded to walk around the city until about 9. I walked along Robson Street (the glamour district) and many others before reaching Stanley Park. Let me tell you about Stanley Park. It’s far and away my favorite park.
Surrounded by a Seawall, it’s basically a forest that juts out into English Bay as a peninsula off of downtown. Trails run all through the park, connecting lakes, tennis courts, and lookouts. The best lookout is at the northern-most point of the park and gives a spectacular view of both North Vancouver and downtown.
After walking all around the park, I was headed back when I was called to the beach by the sound of drums. It was a drum circle, and anyone could join. Of course I had to lay it down for the nice folks. I say that, but I really have no drum skills. The guy next to me was a master though. After A few rounds I headed for the hostel, stopping for some Singaporean food before collapsing. Today’s pedometer: 12-15 miles.
As expected, I woke up to the rain. It didn’t get me down. What did get me down was the fact that the hostel was full for the following night, and I had only booked the one I just slept through. After an hour of waiting for someone to give up their reservation, the management figured out there was one bed available… mine. I guess they hadn’t realized that that I was staying in the bed that I was sleeping in, and no one else was. So after I had packed all my stuff to find a new hostel, I went back up, unpacked, and set off for Lynn Canyon. Almost immediately upon walking into the park I came upon a 50m high suspension bridge over a waterfall.
Perfect. A fantastic sight, even in the rain. I hiked around the temperate rainforest for about 4 hours, stopping twice in the park’s café for lunch and for hot chocolate. After hiking I headed back downtown the way I came: Seabus. The Seabus is a hovercraft-looking vessel that crosses the inlet between downtown and North Vancouver, and offers some spectacular views of the city.
Public transportation in Vancouver in general is awesome. Though expensive, I could get anywhere in the city quickly and easily, and by the third day I had the system down. The rain had subsided by the time I got back downtown, so I spent the rest of the day walking along English bay. I caught a sliver of sunset through the clouds while munching on Falafel. Today’s pedometer: about 5 miles.
In the morning I was ready to die. Ready to die in the sense that I was about to kill myself. About to kill myself in the sense that in a few hours I was going to be in intense pain and anguish. Intense pain and anguish in the sense that I was going to really enjoy myself. That, my friends, is the Grouse Grind. A 1.5 mile hike up the side of Grouse Mountain that gains 2750 feet in elevation. Did I mention I had walked about 20 miles in the previous two days? My legs were burning before I even woke up that morning. Nevertheless, I was determined, and when I reached the trail I became even more so. All people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages were climbing with me. Several over 60, one under 7, Asians, Indians, Germans (who set a great pace for me as I followed), and locals, from the best in fitness to the worst in health. I knew I had to finish, and they all helped push and pull me up the mountain. The view at the top was well worth it.
As was the amusement park-like atmosphere that I found at the top. Chairlifts, ziplines, an endangered black and grizzly bear preserve, and a lumberjack show were the main attractions, with a view of Vancouver to the right and Mt. Baker to the left.
The bears were huge and the lumberjacks were world-class, literally. Most tourists took the Skylift (essentially a jumbo chairlift) up instead of doing the Grind. I only took it down.
For some reason no one I asked knew where the Indian market was. I had a general idea so I decided to go searching for it. Found. And on my first try too. Unfortunately it was a disappointment. It consisted almost entirely of clothing stores, and was very run down. So I headed back to my stomping ground on Davie Street. Coming from the Indian market I had a hankerin’ for some Indian food, so I found a place and had a good meal. It’s a good thing I left the market quickly because I was able to catch a full sunset over English Bay, unspoiled by clouds. Today's pedometer: about 5 miles.
The morning of my last day I took a short ferry to Granville Island, which isn’t really an Island, but the ferry was still the best way to get there. The “island” was home to the Granville Public Market which teemed with fish, people, and the smell of fish and people.
I walked around the small island and sat down at Tony’s Fish and Oysters for the best meal of the trip: a Halibut burger, chips, and a Granville Island Lager with the brewery just on the other side of the street. Memories in hand and head, I made my way to the bus station to come home.
Vancouver in summary: I want to live there. I loved the parks, I loved the neighborhoods, I loved the transportation, I loved the helpful, friendly, outdoorsy people, I loved the fact that old couples were strolling and single women were running or walking their dogs downtown after the sky had turned black. I felt safe everywhere. In two words, it was wicked awesome.
Sounds like you're having an amazing time. We looked at both of your albums, which are terrific and then some. We're home again -- waiting for more posts. Love, C and P.
I WANT TO EAT WHAT YOU ARE EATING! Want to know what we eat in Rentersville, USA? Roachpoop burgers, rust-chips & Leaky Sink Lager, made from a local brewery under my counter.