Wanderlust: O, Canada!

I don’t know about you, but one of my regular pastimes is to search for travel deals, even if taking vacations doesn’t come as easily for Chef as it does for me. So, these searches spike when we know a holiday is coming up. Do you find yourself browsing through Expedia, Jetsetter, Hayes and Jarvis, or Concierge on random days or when you have itchy feet dying to just catch the next plane out of your daily routine? For quick vacation opportunities like 4th of July, I am more often than not filled with vacation ideas, and Vancouver has always been on the list since we visited Seattle in 2007.

Since this is by far one of the shortest trips Chef and I have had, we decided that we’ll take it easy and try to see only as much as we really can see without forcing anything. After a 9 hour journey from our house to our downtown hotel (which was long considering the total number of hours on the plane was only 2 hours from SFO to YVR), we arrived at the heart of Downtown Vancouver on Canada Day, July 1st. On this day, there was really the display of patriotism that is not just mentioned or felt within, it was truly shown off. Everything was red and white. Kids and grownups alike had fake maple leaf tattoos on their faces. Volunteers were handing out flyers and flags. Everyone was in just a party mode.

That was something expected for the day dedicated to the country. But Chef and I were awestruck with everything else that we witnessed.

Firstly, the way that Vancouver planned for celebrations of this day was impressive for a city, especially because I have seen nothing quite like this planned for 4th of July in San Francisco. In Vancouver, there were 5 or so stages set up in various parts of the city for concerts all day that started at 10am. The Canada Parade was scheduled that evening at 7:30pm and a fireworks display on the Waterfront was scheduled at 10:30pm. That is a well planned day for everyone to enjoy, I think.

We were surprised at how diverse and young the city is. I thought at first, wow, so many tourists! But, no, they were not tourists. They came from different parts of the world but were now locals. It’s so diverse that there seemed to be no predominant race, not even Caucasians. There seems to be no minority because there’s such a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Indians, Arabs, Koreans, gays, lesbians, et cetera, et cetera. A friend of ours actually joked that the city is “Hongcouver”. Mostly, the tourists we saw were British and French, and those coming from various parts of Canada such as Victoria and Toronto.

I’ve always heard that Vancouver was so chill but I did not expect at all to see a whole square holding a congregation of potheads as part of the Canada Day celebration. When we got off the train station from Canada Line to make our way to our hotel, we passed by the square in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on W. Georgia and Howe Streets. Here, the potheads hung out, sold bongs, listened to the performers on staged, danced like only hippies would. The maple leaf of the Canadian Flag had been replaced with that of the cannabis leaf. The stench of weed was so strong, I’m surprised passersby were not getting high. And of course, public servants as ever, cops were around assisting and enforcing peace. At this point we wondered if smoking pot is legal here or is it just tolerated on Canada Day because casually and very publicly at the coffee shop, someone just started rolling a joint. Is it one of those where it’s legal to use it, but illegal to buy and sell type of thing?

As I mentioned cops, I was also very surprised at how nice and helpful they are. In any other place in the world, cops are there as law enforcers (or supposedly law enforcers). They are never the tourist information centers with guns. But here, they welcome these questions! A guy asked a cop where the nearest restroom was, and the cop gave him a couple of options. We asked if there’s a Hard Rock Cafe in the city so I can buy a shirt for my dad since he collects them. He didn’t think there was one, but, just to make sure, he took out his iPhone and checked. Now, where in the world would cops be that hospitable?

That same hospitality was very much evident at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. I requested for a room with a view at one of the top floors, and this was served on a silver platter. We were given a room on the 28th floor, facing the busy streets of Downtown Vancouver, with the towering Fairmont Hotel to the left, and a glimpse of the water on the right. When Chef and I travel, we do invest in the hotel that would take us furthest away from your traditional wallpapered walls, floral duvets, and TVs stored in massive armoires. Hence, we very much appreciated the modern design of the room. The Hyatt’s location was perfect, with shuttle stop points for major attractions and walking distance to the Waterfront, the events of the Canada Day celebration, and the shopping district of Robson Street. Our very gay and fabulous concierge, Daniel, was such a delight to watch and to deal with. He’s how every concierge should be: well-dressed, well-groomed, vivacious and eloquent!

After we freshened up, we made our way down Burrard Street to line up with the locals to watch the parade. I must say, it was very mellow, both the crowd and the actual show. There were no wild behaviors, but at the same time, not many of the groups and organizations on the parade riled up the people to begin with. Later on that night, we got a patio table at Hapa Umi, a restaurant on the Waterfront. This was a great location to watch the fireworks over sake and sushi. The big fat roe on the hapa roll were fun but too salty for my taste. For the fine food and location, I was surprised at how affordable this place was. What was also impressive was how much the city spent on the gorgeous fireworks display that lasted for 30 minutes. And, it was not 30 minutes of one blast at a time. These were huge and numerous at a time. And I’m always a sucker for these things. Here, we met a nice couple from Victoria who explained to us that the parade was more mellow than usual because the regular organizations who participate were not quite involved, and the time was changed from morning to evening. They also vividly described their little town of Victoria, a sweet escape to the hustle and bustle of the city, yet still near enough.

It was amazing to witness Canada Day in Vancouver, especially that we came back to the States on 4th of July and we were baffled at the lack of red, white and blues, juxtaposed to the Canadian holiday we just witnessed teeming with red and whites. I guess over there, the country’s most important day is meant to celebrate with every person in the area, locals and tourists alike, to scream, “O, Canada”, rather than barbecuing at friends’ backyards. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with either.