We've started a cafe/pub private postal system. A Slow Mail — Real Mail way to communicate with friends and future friends.
Check it out at: Cafe Post
These old tech books are great. This one was published in 1902. I like the entries in the section "Things We All Should Know" titled "Carbon Black & It's Uses" and "Toilet Preparations From The Tropics". Although very dated, there is still much pertinent information within this tome. Will anyone in 100 years look back at a copy of "The iPod Book: How to Do Just the Useful and Fun Stuff with Your iPod and iTunes" and find anything useful to them?
I love this image, by Lewis Hine — "Power house mechanic working on steam pump," 1920. It looks like an image from a WWI propaganda poster.
These days when we think of "Mechanic" most will think of an "Auto Mechanic", but the archaic meaning is: "a manual laborer or artisan". So basically if you work with your hands, you're a mechanic.
Just released by Hinterland Design, the iSlate. All you need is slate, chalk, glass cleaner, and your imagination! A fraction of the price of an iPad and you can hack it to your heart's content!
Paper, leather, elastic, linen, and copper combine to "Hold my dreams and visions tight".
The security cameras scanned the great Cathedral, cloister, nave, transept, catacombs and all. Briefly one viewed a seldom seen attic, softly lit by a small unglazed arched window. Gus laid outstretched resting on the cool grey flagstones. Alongside him a long bitted medieval battle axe. The word spread quickly — whispered in hushed tones — Monk to Monk, Nun to Nun, "Gus has arrived … Gus has returned.
Day One
I enjoy starting a trip by boarding a train. The trip from neighboring Mount Vernon to Vancouver B.C. is almost too short. I sat next to a woman who herself was leaving Guemes Is. for a trip to Vancouver. She is studying in Oregon and lives in Singapore. We enjoyed an interesting and animated conservation for for the two hours. When we compared notes we saw that we were staying in hostels just across the street from one another. Zi was very happy to know we were both going in the same directions and I could help her find her hostel with a minimum of fuss.
Canadian customs and immigrations was a breeze and the trip by Sky-Train and on foot to the hostels was fun and easy. Two of the high points of an urban adventure, for me, is learning my way around a new city and using (good) public transit.
My hostel was very nice. My room was on the third floor (that would be the fourth in the U.S. (something to do with the exchange rate.) :-) The third floor is good because it is away from the street and adjacent pub noise. But I wear earplugs when I sleep and can sleep through a lot with them.
Got settled in and ready to go by noonish and headed to the Yaletown waterfront en route to Granville Island via water taxi. The water taxis are fun, practical, and convenient. The ply their trade on the inaccurately named "False Creek" which cleaves deeply into the heart of the city. It is more accurately a sound then a creek. The water taxis seat 10 – 12 people, out of the weather, and everyone has a great view of the passing cityscape.
Granville Island is full of food, shops, theaters, and galleries. I sat and enjoyed a cup of coco then toured the public market. It was really nice, such an array of beautiful food. I ate a small fillet of smoked mackerel … soo good! Wandering the island I visited a paper shop, a book store, and bought postcards and postage. The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts is at the isthmus that connects the island to the City. I checked out their dinning room and menu for future reference then got a private tour of the school.
While returning to the AquaBus ferry dock, I passed a shop with art supplies in the window and as I have a weakness for art supplies I stopped in. The shop turned out to be a paint manufacture and seller. They actually grind their own pigments there! The proprietor, who normally minds the shop was on the phone in the back-room and the woman who is normally in the back room grinding pigment and painting swatch samples was filling in for him. Good luck for me, she was pleasant conversation with her French accent and good nature. I asked if she saw the movie "Girl With The Pearl Earring". She said "yes" and I asked "what colors do you see in the clouds?" She got it … she knew what I meant and laughed. Very cool!
Back in Yaletown I visited a bargain bookseller and bought a long awaited copy of the novel "Stanley Park". A few doors down was my dinner destination "Blue Water Cafe" where I ate good sushi and drank my first Absinthe (odd combination — I know). The sushi menu was limited but what they offered was carefully prepared, fresh, and delicious. The Absinthe was — sadly — wormwood free yet potent and compelling. He served it with the whole flaming sugar cube/water drip thingie. It was a short stager back to the hostel, stopping on the way to recon the nice local food market.
As I approached the hostel, a man smoking in a darkened doorway stepped towards me and said "Hey mate", it was the roommate I met when I checked in — Dylan. We talked for a minute then retired to the pub he had spent the dinner hour in. We drank beers and visited for an hour or so. I really enjoyed this 22 year old Aussie, we were instantly "mates".
I joined in with Dylan and a group from the hostel for the first leg of a "pub crawl". At that first pub I met a gay couple from Ireland. Nice, 30 somethingish men just arrived in Canada. It was very interesting talking to them about Ireland and what the economic downturn is doing there. The pub crawlers moved on and I retired to a shower and my comfy bunk.
Day Two
I was up by 0930h and that is an easy time to get into the bathroom. Most people traveling that day are long gone and most everyone else is still sound asleep. Actually I never had to wait for a bathroom. Each floor had six to eight private bath/showers that are cleaned every morning and as clean (or cleaner) then my home bathrooms. I don't take much time in the morning because I shower before bed at 0100 – 0200 when there is zero demand for the bathrooms. I had forced myself to wake up and go to the kitchen before 1000h when the "free" breakfast service ended. As is often the case with free breakfasts there is no protean to be found. Cereal, sweet rolls, bread, and fruit. A breakfast like that doesn't fuel me for long before I start feeling light headed. I had a bagel and fruit and with postcards in hand hit the road for the public library.
For some time now, six or eight blocks of Granville Street, where the hostel is, has been closed to auto traffic and torn up for a face lift in anticipation of next years Olympic games. The temporary side walks are fenced off from the construction and very narrow in front of the shops/clubs and crowded with a flow of people 24/7. A few doors to the north is the cross street Nelson. From Nelson north for two blocks the street construction is halted and the crews are finishing pitching the huge, block long, tents for the WestJet Street Party, part of JunoFest.
I make my way into a new part of downtown where Library Square is. It is hard to miss the Vancouver Library. It looks like a Roman Coliseum and occupies a full city block. Inside and out it is both modern and classical at the same time, plus beautiful and comfortable. After wandering the enclosed court yard looking at the shops and buying a few more postcards I went up a few floors and found a carrel along the glass wall overlooking the court yard and settled in to do some reading and writing.
Hunger finally drove me back to street level where, still within Library Square, I found a little Sushi/Teriyaki cafe bustling with salary-folk.
Walking across the street to post my mail at the main Post Office then one block and around the corner to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. building. I wanted to confirm where I would be coming tonight for the live radio show, The Q. I timed my walk back to the hostel and took an hours nap. Quite tired by this time.
Heading out, refreshed by a nap and wash up, I found my way back to the CBC studios and took my place it The Q queue. We were in the line up for 45 minutes but it was no worries because the company there was so interesting to visit with. In front of me was an artist who paints on wood and sells her work primarily to people decorating offices. Her painting is mostly on commission and she is making a good living with it. Imagine that! I was a bit sad when the line started moving and we had to go our own ways to our seats.
Being in the audience while this two hour broadcast was being recorded was way more fun then I imagined it would be. The Q is a weekday morning art, entertainment, and culture radio show. It has performances and interviews by same truly great artists. Within a couple weeks of the show I attended, The Q host Jian Ghomeshi interviewed Bruce Cockburn, Yoko Ono, Gorden Lightfoot, The Ting Tings, and coming soon a two hour interview with Leonard Cohen! On the night I was there guests were Alt Rocker Hawksley Workman, R & B singer Divine Brown, Punk Rocker (my favorite of the evening) Bif Naked, and hard rockers Hot Hot Heat. It was a really fun event and everyone in the standing room only audience was having a great time. Instance of Collective Joy #1.
On my way out I found myself walking abreast of one of the Q guests, the BC Minister for the Arts and Entertainment. We had a brief but interesting conversation as we made our ways down the street. Canadians are soo friendly!
My walk back to Granville Street took my by many eateries. I paused at windows reading menus and comparing prices. You can eat very well in Vancouver, economically. It must be because of so much competition. The weak Canadian dollar (cost me about 82¢ each) helps too. And the variety is great too. So much ethnic food. I saw one place serving poroges, borsch, cabbage, hearty Russian peasant food. The entire staff was Asian :–)
When I arrived near the hostel the street party was in full swing and my wrist band got me into the tent that Hot Hot Heat (who I had just seen at The Q) was playing. After an hour there standing and swaying to the music (Instance of Collective Joy #2) I walked a few blocks to a dance club that had only recorded music but there were places to sit and rest my feet. This place closed early (for this district) and threw us out at 0100h. A bite of sushi before returning to the hostel, then my nightly routine of shower, shave, pack up, and organize my gear for tomorrows departure. I crash about 0230h ish. Thanks to my earplugs I don't even hear Dylan come in at 0530.
Day Three
Friday. I drag myself from sleep around 1000h grab my pack and head to nearby Yaletown in search of some breakfast. Along the way I stop at a "Shoppers Drug Mart" and stock up on "Emergen-Cs" to help fortify my system. Before I know it I am near an Aqua Bus landing so I decide to seek nutrition at the market on Granville Island. A breakfast of (mall quality) sushi sustains me for the next mini-ferry trip to Vanier Park and the Maritime Museum. Good company on the voyage, a woman and child from the hinterland of BC, visiting for the big wine expo. going on for the weekend. She and her husband are vintners and have a booth at the expo. He is manning the booth and she touring the city and keeping their daughter busy. I made a mental note that if I ran out of things to keep myself busy I could visit the expo. and spend the day sampling wine. Can you believe that everyone goes around there spitting the wine out into buckets after they swill it around in their mouths for a few moments‽
I had visited the Maritime Museum many years ago — 18 or 20 — and I must say it has changed very little during the intervening years! A bit of a disappointment really, but felt I needed to try to keep some context with my past I guess.
An hour and a half later saw me boarding the same ferry with the same companions but this time I chose a new ferry landing to disembark. There, I was able to walk a section of one of the extensive waterfront trails that Vancouverites are lucky to enjoy. That lead me to a new route to the hostel and a better understanding of the lay of the land. A light drizzle began a couple of blocks from my destination, the first bit of rain while here.
Refreshed and hungry after a good nap, I headed out for a night on the town. I had sighted an interesting looking cafe a half block away so returned there to look at the menu. Warmly greeted by the owner I bellied up to the bar and checked out their tapas menu. Deuce Bungalow, Spanglish Cantina is very slick, hip cafe with a friendly staff and great food. I arrived happy hour-ish and most of the tapas and some entrees were two for one. So for 10CD I got two tapas on each plate a bed of rice of fish and chicken tacos. Four large tacos made a big dinner for me! Very good and professionally presented! All for about 8.20 USD!! It was also the first place I found a really good beer selection and something I really wanted to drink, a true Belgium Ale! Most of the pubs served a brewed pablum.
Finally sated, I made my way across the street to the street party tent just as the band The Grey Medium began playing. I listened to them for their set. I decided since my destination — Pub 340 — in Gastown was more of a walk then I was up to, I would take my first cab ride of the trip.
As so often is the case, I was unfashionably early and had to sit around drinking lame Canadian beer for an hour or so till things started picking up and the bands arrived. On the up side I got a great seat at the bar and kept it through the three bands I wanted to see. My stool was next to the open spot in the bar where people lean to order their drinks so I was able to talk a few moments with quite a few people. There was one early 20-ies chick (legal age in BC is 18) who could not have weighed over 95 lb. who, in three hours drank enough to put a sumo wrestler in a coma! I commented on it to one of her companions saying "someone's going to have to carry her out of here in a bag" and the companion said "I know her well, we play soccer together, she drinks like that and hardly slurs her words!" I would have been barfing all over the place! One of the bands The Grey Medium was one of the ones I saw at the street party earlier.
A cab ride home with a Russian driver and a short but interesting conversation about the difficulty pursuing his artistic dreams while trying to afford to raise his two kids … driving an all night cab while dreaming of the paintings he longs to create. A late night snack at the all night sushi place next door and tuck into bed about 0200h. Sweet dreams!
