Ice Cream & Sunsets

My calendar tells me its fall, but I’m finding it hard to believe.  Sure, the leaves are turning…

But do you know what the temperature was today? It was 18 degrees! (Celsius) That translates to 64 degrees Fahrenheit, with a ‘feel like’ temperature of 70. 70! I ran around today in a sleeveless shirt. It was so warm I stopped for ice cream.

It doesn't need to be warm to stop for ice cream

It’s also warm enough to sit on a beach and enjoy the sunset... in a sleeveless shirt... in October.

My sunset beats your sunset

It's a different type of fall season from what I've always experienced, but I'm enjoying it. I mean come on, ice cream and sunsets!

BONUS SECTION: I found Audrey II!

A Random Weekend

Saturday I attended the filming of a TV pilot episode. Fun! But if I tell you anymore, I’ll have to kill you. Nah, I’m kidding, but they will sue me, so...  I will say that it was really interesting to see the production side of television somewhere other than a cheesy back lot at Universal Studios. Prizes were awarded to the audience on and off during the day – I didn’t win, but did make it to the semi-finals in a round of rock-paper-scissors. Sweet!

 

Audience entertainment was provided by members of Theater Sports, Vancouver’s leading Improv

company. I look forwarding to participating in one of their drop-in classes later this month!

That evening I took a tour of Vancouver specific to the Halloween season. Frustratingly, none of my pictures turned out well enough to share – it was dark – but the tour guide was entertaining and shared many of Vancouver’s ghastlier memories. Appropriately, I arrived home to find a marathon of Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror episodes. In my world that would’ve made an exciting enough evening!  This weekend's Halloween-themed viewings also included Scream and Halloween: Resurrection. 

The apartment hunt continued on Sunday with a tour of a beautiful Heritage Home I can’t afford and a few responses from emails I sent late Saturday night.  So there’s that. I believe I’ve narrowed it down to two neighborhoods… until I sat down at the computer to write this, opened Google, and began to question my decisions.  There are 23 neighborhoods in greater Vancouver. What looks good to you? Feedback in the comments section is appreciated!

A few other items of note from this weekend…

Sears stores are everywhere up here and most notably, they're doing very well.

First gas station trip north of the border! 

I put 22.355 liters in the car at the price of 139.4 per liter. The translation of that sentence is that half a tank of gas costs $30.16 up here. Must look into public transit.

Canada's take on Thin Mints.

It's Cookie Time!

Beautiful British Columbia

I’d done a fair amount of exploring in Vancouver this week, so I wanted to take some time and venture into British Columbia. It’s not hard, in reality. Drive thirty minutes up the highway and you’re quickly encompassed by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Sea to Sky Highway

Stopping for a Short Hike

New! Gondola to the top of Stawamus Chief

I opted to skip the gondola ride, since my sister and I hiked it in 2006. 

Yes, look at how high the top is - we hiked it.  

For info on the Sea to Sky Gondola click here.

Downtown Squamish, B.C.

Quiet little mountain town

Hotel Chieftain

(the sign has seen better days)

You still may recognize it from your TV

As seen on Supernatural

The Local Dollar Tree 

...where everything is a dollar(ish)

Does anyone know what a Chicago Hair Gallery is?

I stopped at a local market for a snack and to read for a while. I should have added something for scale -- my chocolate & peanut butter gelato is the size of a softball. I ordered a medium.

I attempted to beat traffic back over the Lions Gate Bridge, but failed. It didn't matter though. With this as the view I could've sat there for much longer.

That's the great part about areas like this - I was in the mountains for the afternoon and the back to the city by dinner. A trip I plan to make over and over again.

Because it's Canada

I’ve continued to spend my time neighborhood and apartment hunting, but by yesterday afternoon had hit a mental wall. I believe I’ve found a neighborhood I like and can now better focus my housing search – yeah! But what I don’t move in until November 1? I don’t want to waste a month ‘in limbo’. I’ll only be here for a short time, so despite my continued search I’ve made the effort today to settle in a bit more to my current location.

That process, however, has highlighted the slight differences between life in the U.S. and Canada.  

Television

The unit I’m in has cable – sweet!

Channels are different – obviously.

I receive CTV and other Canadian channels, along with several U.S. feeds – Huh…

I noticed I had turned on the incorrect weather forecast when I heard, “Heat wave continues as this week’s highs remain in the 90’s” (Los Angeles). Something sounded too familiar when the ad stated, “Vote YES on Proposition 594!” (Washington State). I nearly threw the remote at the wall when I realized I was listening to a promotion for Bruce Rauner as Illinois Governor. (Yep, I still have to listen to Illinois political ads in Canada. AH!!!)

The programming is different as well. When watching cable stations I’m used to seeing marathons of the same show, ie eight hours of Law & Order: SVU, House Hunters, or Criminal Minds. Here they’ll run one episode two or three times a day, depending on the station. You get an SVU episode in the morning, the same episode in the afternoon, and the same one again in the evening… but no other episodes during the day. Prime Time is from 8pm -11pm PT, but until then you may need to get creative if you're spending the day at home. Which brought me to the internet…

Internet

Canada has wifi – obviously.

They stream TV here too and I can connect my Chromecast to the HDMI port on the television –obvious, but still: Woo Hoo!

In honor of being in Vancouver, let’s put-on some TV filmed here as I apartment hunt online – Brilliant!

HuluPlus – uhhhhhhhh …. Doesn’t exist in Canada.

 Guess I’ll be canceling that HuluPlus subscription...

Netflix – OhThankGod it’s still there! …wait… where’s my list of shows? Where’s American Horror Story? I’m only halfway through Season 2!  You can’t tell me it’s not available here yet- OhMyGodYouAre!!! …sigh… well what else is missing from my queue… oh, everything is. That’s awesome. Well, at least I finished The Fall before I left.

iTunes – Everything I’ve bought is still there, obviously. Wonder if the store is different… 

“We notice your location has changed. Do you want to update the location in your account? Please note that this may change the content that is availa-“ NO!

Money

I’m still adjusting to having to care about coins.

Seven Dollars

Also, this lady is on my money. As an American, I’m not ok with that yet.

Taxes go to England. Taxes go to England!

So as similar as things are, just enough is different to cause everything I do to take a little extra time and cause a little bit of confusion. But I guess I should be grateful - at least Canada drives on the right side of the road.

Today is Brought to you by the Letter ‘P’

‘P’ for Productivity

At the urging of friends and family last night, I planned to spend today strategically running an errand or two that allowed me to explore the areas around Vancouver. My Type A personality has been pressuring me into solving every problem right now. RIGHT NOW. I wanted to spend some downtime reacquainting myself with the city – so naturally today was incredibly busy and productive.

I started off on track by plotting out two stops: 

Target in Burnaby and Safeway in Kitsilano (Kits)

Target was reassuring, familiar, and naturally cheaper than the stores downtown. I stocked-up on some much-needed items and chuckled to myself at the popularity of faux Doc Martins in their shoe section.  The best part of Target, however, turned out to be its location as an anchor store to a large shopping mall. A mall! The type-A personality kicked-in again, shouting about how much I could get done in one stop. SO MUCH. I gave in, even moving my car from the 30 minute Target lot into long-term mall parking.

Next, I planned to tackle the continuing issue of communication… what to do about cell phone coverage?  I headed to a nearby cell phone kiosk to further my research when I spotted something miraculous…

Inside, I found a 20-something gentlemen who knew more about phones & devices than I ever will. He became my favorite person of the day when he set me up with a simple, pre-paid phone that features unlimited calling to the U.S. and basic coverage in Canada for the low price of $36 per month. (My Canada plan features unlimited nights & weekends and 100 minutes during the weekdays.  …I know, right? Who knew anyone still did that?!)

In a glow of accomplishment I drove in the sunshine to the Safeway, making mental notes of the neighborhoods I passed through along the way. That was the original goal, after all. And then there it was – a full-fledged grocery story. They had affordable fruit & veggies, which had been considerably higher at the markets in the city, as well as the standard pantry items, and an extensive variety of maple syrup. So did I buy anything useful? No. I bought Halloween cookies from the bakery.  Because, fall.

I perused the shops in Kits and drove through the streets looking for any sign of a building needing a renter.  Upon returning ‘home’ I noticed I had received messages from two apartments I had contacted about subletting. They both wanted me to come by – tonight. So I parked the car and went traipsing back into the city, exploring the West End and hoping these Craigslist contacts didn’t turn out to be people who liked lampshades made out of other people. (American Horror Story: Asylum, I’m looking at you) Thankfully they were all wonderful people, one set from Turkey and the other from Australia. But now, decisions! I had planned on ending my day content after enjoying the city I’d driven so far to be a part of. I did enjoy the city today, but now I’m going to bed with a brain that’s stuck in a loop of analysis and worry.

Ah, the joys of productivity.

AN ASIDE: My walking through the city tonight reminded me that I'm a flatlander out of my element. The hills! I was out of breath after two blocks and had to stop and rest on a bench, feigning interest in my cell phone. I was grateful for the workout, but this terrain is going to take some getting used to.

Apartment Hunting in Vancouver

Climate Change

Adjustment periods are full of ups and downs. Whether you’ve moved a few miles, a few states, or an entire country, you’ll experience a flurry of successes and a whole lot of failures. Here’s what I’ve experienced in my first 24 hours in my dream city of Vancouver, BC.

Success
My rental unit is in the heart of downtown Vancouver, giving me a view of this city’s beautiful skyline from the inside out. After a long drive and eventful move-in, I got to fall asleep to the glow of skyscrapers. I’ll always prefer a view of the stars, but the beauty of the city’s architecture makes for a heck of a view.

Success
Upon waking this morning I wandered into the living to find the morning news. Instead I found one of my favorite TV shows, which happened to be filmed in Vancouver. It was like the city was saying, “Welcome!”

Failure
Did you know that it rains here? I did. I mean, it’s a rainforest. What I don’t know is why my midwestern clothes didn’t hold up to pacific northwest rain. I mean, rain is rain, right? Apparently not.  I went on a much-needed grocery run this afternoon and came back two hours later with wet shoes, socks, pants, groceries, and purse. And yes, I had an umbrella. Mom, send the rain boots STAT.

Also, I had to visit four stores before I found everything I was looking for. And then realized I forgot the contact lens solution.  ...sigh...

Success
Much of the afternoon was spent hunting for a long-term rental. I sent out a number of emails and received some very quick responses. I have three places to visit by Friday morning.

Failure
I found most of what I was looking for while grocery shopping, but a few things came in different packages. Like butter. Who needs smaller amounts when you can just buy a large brick of it?

I made mac & cheese for dinner (comfort food, people) but I had to combine the American measurements on the Kraft box with the metric units on the ingredients. Despite the conversion chart on my phone, I ended-up with ‘chunky’ mac & cheese. It tasted fine, but the sauce wasn’t so much sauce as it was clumps of cheese-flavored bits mixed in with pasta. Apparently mac & cheese is challenging in Canada.

Success
I had distributed some of my new contact information earlier in the day and was so grateful to spend the evening talking with family & friends. I'm happy to be here, but I do miss people, you know.

Finally, as promised, here are some photos of my home for the next two weeks.

It's pretty nice, right? Not a bad place to spend a few weeks!

Road Trip: Day 12

Starting: Renton, WA

Ending: Vancouver, BC  CANADA

Distance Traveled: 180 miles / 289 km

Day 12 Goal: Vancouver, British Columbia

There were two parts to today:

1. Visiting and hiking with a friend in Washington state
2. Crossing the US / Canada border and checking-in at my long-term stay in Vancouver

Part 1

I had the extreme pleasure of visiting with a childhood friend this morning! She, her three year old son, and I hiked through Franklin Ghost Town - avoiding MANY spider webs - and ended with lunch at a new pizza place near her house.  There isn’t much left of Franklin, except for some building foundations and a very deep mining pit.

Seriously, the spider webs were everywhere.

Franklin was a mining town in the lower Cascade Mountains

There is still a mining shaft left open. It's covered with a grate, but only since 1984

Laura ventured out to take photos down the 1300 ft mine shaft

I did not.

 We attempted to hike to the town’s cemetery, but the path became very overgrown and the spider webs began appearing IN the path at face level, so we turned around.

In lieu of the cemetery, we hiked back towards the entrance and turned to go wander down towards the river. We could hear the sounds of the river growing louder and louder, but once again the path grew smaller and smaller. Not far from the river we stopped dead in our tracks as we came face to face with a huge spider web that literally spanned the path from one side to the other. We shrunk backwards a few steps, looked for any giant, Harry Potter-sized spiders, and decided we’d done enough hiking for one day. 

Total Distance Hiked: 3.37 miles

Calories Burned: 892

To refuel, we went for lunch at MOD Pizza. The pizza I ordered had a stated calorie count of 880… so that evened out nicely.

Part 2

I had run out of road to the west, so the time had finally come for me to venture north of the border and into my favorite city. I reached Peace Arch Park about 2 hrs after leaving my friend’s home. The amount of nervousness I felt was, well, excessively high. Bringing a car full of suitcases into a country tends to raise a few eyebrows, so I was worried they’d put a limit on my stay.  The border patrol officer I encountered was inquisitive and did search my vehicle, but in the end I got a clear pass and was waved through into beautiful British Columbia!  As I drove away from the border and merged onto the expressway all I could muster was that weird and creepy combination of laughing and crying. I was so relieved, happy, and surprised that this whole plan was actually happening that I felt overwhelmed.

My drive into the lower mainland featured a comedy of errors. I’ve visited Vancouver 6 or 7 times (I’ve honestly lost track) but arriving with a car was a new challenge.  I made a few wrong turns. I circled the rental building multiple times without success in locating their parking garage, so I was forced make an expensive call from my US cell phone. The key fab I was subsequently given was programmed incorrectly, so while I was able to access the building I was unable to access my floor. To be let up I had to grab suitcases from my car, walk across the street to the rental office, and then have the guard escort me back so he could activate the elevator. But given the many trips I had to make, I did meet a few of my neighbors. So we’re counting that as the silver lining.

Initial thoughts on my two week rental:

• The best part of the bathroom is that it’s configured exactly the same as the bathroom in my Bensenville apartment, right down to the outlets and the towel racks. By the time I finished unpacking my toiletries I felt right at home. And also, the odds of me running into something in the dark are greatly decreased, which is also fantastic.
• Fancy TV cable is fun, but scary. I have more channels than I will ever watch and I have no idea how to operate this damn thing. If anyone is a cable expert please speak up. There’s still a weird box in the middle of the screen that I can’t get rid of.
• As I was checking-in and running back and forth to unload the car, I noticed that everyone was speaking Spanish. Not French, Spanish. Um… I crossed the correct border, didn’t I?

Rental unit pictures and initial Vancouver wanderings will follow tomorrow! Thanks to all for coming with me on this journey!