Vancouver - Day Two

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According to Julia, AC/DC is the best band ever. Prior to our trip, she discovered that they had recorded in a studio on Powell street in Vancouver. Our mission on Day 2 was to find said studio and at least touch the same door handle as her ‘rock gods’. And so with 100 Powell street as one of our objectives, we headed out to explore Vancouver. Our friends Mike and Sandra served as tour guides and we were most grateful to be chauffeured around. Our first stop was The Warehouse recording studio that is located downtown near the waterfront. The only marking on the place is the address and an intercom discretely mounted on the side of the wall. I buzzed and spoke to the faceless voice to see if there was a way to arrange a tour but alas it was not to be. I told them I had sent emails with my request and the 'voice' promised to look into it and try to arrange for us to visit when we are back on the 6th of July. Julia was happy enough to have her picture taken in front of the door.

Mission number one accomplished we then continued our drive and stumbled across the place where the torch had been during the Olympics. A quarter in the meter gave us 3 minutes and so we ran across the street and were efficient with our time. Unfortunately though we were not fast enough and we returned to the car just in time to meet the parking officer who was issuing a ticket. I was surprised to see the officer with a measuring tape out and we soon discovered that Mike was being given an additional fine for parking too far from the curb! After some negotiation the fine was reduced to $50.00 from $100.00. Ouch.

Stanley Park was our next destination. We drove through the park and stopped at a really nice spot near the Lions Gate Bridge. The views are stunning and it was a spectacular day. Julia and I spent most of the time ‘oooing and ahhhhing’ at the views. I don’t think I could ever take the beauty of the mountains and ocean for granted.

Hungry, we opted for a horribly overpriced lunch of hotdogs in the park. As much as it is a pain to pay such inflated rates for such crappy food, it is part of the vacation experience. I know there are people who plan ahead and pack nutritious lunches and snacks to take along on such trips. I am just not one of them. We continued our drive and ended up at the west end and a great beach area. Finally we were able to dip our toes into the Pacific Ocean. Although chilly, we did not care a bit. We are on the west coast and happy to feel that beautiful ocean.

Dinner was at Sandra’s where we were joined by Norm and Shaye. Mike showed off his culinary skills and had prepared a wonderful lasagne and homemade garlic bread. It was delicious. After dinner we went for a walk to Queen Elizabeth Park which is the highest point in Vancouver. It was a picture perfect ending to the day. The sky was so clear and we were able to see Mount Baker in the distance. Truly awesome views in a magnificent park. A full moon rose over the most perfect sky.

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