I was due to arrive a few hours after The Professor, so when My plane finally landed I found my way to our lodging for the next few days. I grabbed the key he so kindly left at the desk for me and lugged my gear up to our room.
Shouldering the door open I drop my stuff just inside the room. And what's this neatly stacked on the bed? A collection of New Zealand themed gifts. ::grin:: (Readers: I think he likes me just a little...) Some of my jitters subside and I quickly set about a quick post travel clean up, give my hair a quick straightening and out the door I go.
The Professor has informed me that he and his traveling companion are having a few "wee" pints at a bar called Yaletown Brewing Company. And off I go.
A short 10 minute stroll from the hotel later and my feet pull up in front of the bar. After a tiny panic attack of, "Crap, what if we don't recognize each other...", I rolled my eyes at myself as I spotted him immediately sitting at a bar table to my right.
With every step closing what had been a half a world of distance, I stride as confidently as I can over to their table. As I slide into my chair, I lean in for a kiss, a hug, anything....and what do I get? A hand shake. And that adorable grin. Then I remembered that a couple of weeks ago we had made a bet based off of who would cave and kiss the other person first. As we are both fairly competitive people, that hand shake was a challenge. Well....fine. Challenge accepted. Grr.
ENTER: Captain Awesome
Initially polite and great at carrying conversation, 30 seconds later and I cant figure out why I had been nervous to meet him. After 30 minutes and a few beers I discover that this man is HILARIOUS. No other word for it. Just having casual conversation with him eventually has you roaring with laughter. He is dead set on seeing a raccoon (as they don't exist in NZ), he'll probably never turn down a proper challenge and he's also a hell of a line dancer as it turns out.
Yaletown Brewing Company not only brews their own beer, but also has an excellent kitchen staff as well. The boys had enjoyed some "amazing sliders" before I arrived, and I helped myself to a delicious wedge salad. The ordering of which created a flurry of conversation as wedge salads have not yet made it to popularity in New Zealand.
ENTER: Captain Awesome
Initially polite and great at carrying conversation, 30 seconds later and I cant figure out why I had been nervous to meet him. After 30 minutes and a few beers I discover that this man is HILARIOUS. No other word for it. Just having casual conversation with him eventually has you roaring with laughter. He is dead set on seeing a raccoon (as they don't exist in NZ), he'll probably never turn down a proper challenge and he's also a hell of a line dancer as it turns out.
Yaletown Brewing Company not only brews their own beer, but also has an excellent kitchen staff as well. The boys had enjoyed some "amazing sliders" before I arrived, and I helped myself to a delicious wedge salad. The ordering of which created a flurry of conversation as wedge salads have not yet made it to popularity in New Zealand.
Other Items Found In Canada That Kiwi's Love
Caesars
Beer Everywhere
Drinking with every task
Fireball Whiskey
Costco
Giant Trucks
Lift Kits
Slow Pitch
Poutine
Buck Hunter the Arcade Game
Recycling
Things Found In Canada That Kiwi's Don't Like
Massive Mosquitoes
Reverse Light Switches
Incorrect driver position in vehicle
No On/Off switches on plugs
4-way stops
Root Beer "tastes like mouthwash"
High water line on toilets - makes for a difficult stealth pee
A short night out finds us all back at the hotel, The Professor and I get back to our room and I happily lost our bet.
Day 2
One thing that I had not really put much thought to would be the interesting cultural differences between New Zealanders and myself....
Cultural Difference Number 1: Kiwis like to wander.
I had taken about 10 minutes that morning and poked around on the Internet to find a nice place for breakfast. It was conveniently located about 2 blocks from our hotel. We strolled that direction in the morning, I mentioned the location as we neared....and promptly passed it. I am naturally confused, as I have evidential proof via reviews that the food at this initial location is both cheap AND delicious.
The Professor attempts to explain this activity of wandering to me, but Captain Awesome sums it up beautifully when he says, "You gotta get the best one, and what if the best one's the next one."
Therefore, we wandered around the downtown Vancouver area for another 30 or so minutes.
We finally landed at a waterside cafe called Provence and sat down to eat. I devoured a chorizo scramble and a mocha (Cafe Panama's in Wellington was better!) Good food, great conversation and hilarious stories (I will never eat sausage again) to pass the time, and before we know it, it's time to saunter back to the hotel to meet up with the groom for next weeks nuptials....
ENTER: John Wayne
John Wayne scares the shit out of me. He is a quiet, contemplative man. His presence commands a sense of respect that you only come into contact with as a child...on days when you did something wrong...and dad was coming home from work....and your mom says something like, "Just wait until your father gets home."
Until you drink with him, and then you realize that he is a very kind, friendly, thoughtful man. Its also adorable how much he loves his fiancé (now wife), but more on that later...
We meet up with him back at our hotel and ended up boarding a Hop On, Hop Off tour bus to take in the sights and layout of Vancouver. While aboard, we are introduced to his parents, The Prophet and The Chef, and also his aunt and uncle June and Keppel.
The bus took us through the famous Stanley Park, where we took a quick break to look at totem poles, along the waterfront, and through areas like Gastown, Chinatown and over to Granville Island.
Hop On Hop Off Thoughts
Stanley park is massive
Double decker buses are overrated
Chinatown is an interesting
area...
Gastown has some really neat architecture
After our hop on hop off adventures, we had a rough idea on the layout of the city. Plans evolved to have a birthday celebration for John Wayne's mom, The Chef, so we were to meet up with everyone at a restaurant close to their hotel called The Ticket.
We enjoyed a fantastic meal there, celebrated a bit, said our farewells for the evening and went over to a sorts pub to watch what may be the only UFC fight that I have ever enjoyed watching. Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman were pitted against each other that night. A was defending his championship if I'm not mistaken, and for some reason was acting like a cocky douche bag the entire time he was in the ring.....that is until he was more focused on his act instead of his fighting, dropped his guard, left his hands too low and got cold cocked. Massive congrats to Weidman!
Afterwards, we somehow make it back to Yaletown Brewing for a few more drinks and riotous conversation. Leaving here starving, we find our way to a cheese steak shop and the kiwis are introduced to the wonders of the famous Philly Cheese Steak.
Hotel. Bed. Sleep.
Day 3
Another breakfast stroll brings us to a restaurant where we refueled for the morning. After a short walk we make it over to the waterfront again and a nice stroll along the harbor leads us to....you guessed it...more beer. Steamworks Brewery to be precise. While their drink menu looked amazing, I was alcoholed out for a bit so I struck out on my own to explore nearby Gastown.
I found a delicious Indian restaurant, enjoyed some amazing lamb korma and feeling a bit tired taxied back to the hotel for a quick nap. While I snoozed, the boys made their way to Granville Island and explored the markets there (I was kind of sad I missed out on that one, the pictures looked pretty neat!).
Day 4
Waking up early, I attempted to go on a jog with The Professor and John Wayne in Stanley Park. Unfortunately, I'm woefully out of shape and my knees weren't to pleased with the pounding they were taking, so I ended up walking through the park instead. Best decision ever! I could've kicked myself for not bringing my camera though!! I took walking trails past Lost Lagoon (gorgeous), strolled through a rose garden, past a film crew and made it back to the totem poles (which I must say are way cooler in the early morning air with no tourists about). I snagged a cab back to the hotel to discover that i had way overestimated the boys run time, they'd been back for at least 30 minutes! Whoops!
A quick change and we rallied to go out to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain. If you're ever in Vancouver, I highly suggest either of these places. The suspension bridge was really neat from a visual and engineering stand point, and your ticket in also includes a cliff side and tree top walk. Buses run daily from downtown Vancouver.
Grouse Mountain was equally neat, a really cool Birds in Flight show, lumberjack demonstrations and stunning views from a mountaintop cafe. Buses also run back to Vancouver from here, dropping you back at the waterfront area of town.
On our arrival back to town, The Professor and I walked down to a nice corner patio bar and enjoyed a few drinks and some crab cakes. I'll have to admit, it was pretty nice to steal him away for myself for an hour or so. As he was the best man for the wedding, his time was limited schedule wise. This was something I assumed ahead of time so I enjoyed every moment I could get.
We made it back to the hotel a bit late for dinner (after all, lateness is a choice, and if you're not 5 minutes early you're late.) and once we had all congregated in the lobby, off for our last night out in Vancouver.
Return to: "Get out."
Return to: "Get out."
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