Coal Harbour Vancouver
I walked down to the harbour yesterday afternoon. There was a break in the rain so it was a nice time to watch the Harbour Air planes take off and land. I found myself thinking that if one were a pilot, this would be the best job in the world. And I love the floating Chevron station.
Although this plane was Westcoast Air. Back home tomorrow. This visit was much too short.
Vancouver Day 2
When we were taking the taxi in from the airport, Cris saw a sign in a shop that said “The world needs more Canada”.
I couldn’t agree more. The people here are astonishingly nice.
Everytime I come back to the room, the view is different.
Off to the botanical gardens later today.
Back to Vancouver
The first leg of the flight was Hartford/Toronto on this tiny little prop plane. It was kind of cool actually. Air Canada service was great.
The windows frosted up, but when we started descending just past Buffalo, there was an amazing view of Niagara Falls.
I took this photo just after first light. It will rain much of the day, but Vancouver is such an amazing city. Cris has meetings, but there will be lots of time to walk.
Pia and Flying Angel Seafarers Club
I spent a fantastic couple of hours with Pia Massie walking around the completely non-touristy parts of Vancouver. We started in Gastown and went to the area that is mostly inhabited by addicts and street people. She really knows her way around and it was fascinating. Her latest work is a documentary about Canadians of Japanese descent who were forcibly moved from the area just after Pearl Harbor. Everything was taken from them and they and have never returned as a community. There are still remnants of their lives if you know where to look, as in the name underneath a doormat at the entrance to this building.
We ended up at the Flying Angel Seafarers Club, which is as close as one can get to the port without encountering pretty heavy security. Unless you knew it was here, you might never find it. An amazingly beautiful building and since there was a sign on the front that said open, we went in. A volunteer named Frank gave us the grand tour and we learned a ton. Here is a link. I was especially taken by this book which is in a glass case at the front of the building.
Here is a description of its purpose.
Very touching. / We fly home tomorrow. Thanks Pia for the tour. It was great fun.
Stanley Park
It is grey and cool here today but the past three days have been sunny and pleasant. I’m just as happy with the grey as with the sun. Yesterday we walked around the perimeter of Stanley Park. The water in English Bay was clear and calm and loads of people were out enjoying the day.
Vancouver reminds me of San Francisco with all the water and bridges. / This morning I am going to meet up with Pia Massie whom I met through Kickstarter. Check out her project here. It is really interesting. She lives here and will give me a quick tour of the waterfront.
Crow
Cris and I are in Vancouver. She is here for the AERA conference and I am just tagging along. This is a most remarkable city. I am happy that there are lots of crows about. They seem to have displaced the usual pigeons that often dominate cities. There is water everywhere and lots of seagulls but it is the crows that are the most fun to watch. / The weather has been lovely; lots of sun and in the mid to upper 50s which is perfect for walking in Stanely Park.
I was in London a month ago and the magnolia trees were just starting to bloom. Now they are at the same stage here in Vancouver. Everything is popping out. Flowers are everywhere in the city and I am overwhelmed with how beautiful this place is.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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