Thursday 12 March 2009

A City Mostly Nature

We are going to visit our brilliant daughter (she has a science PhD) at the coast tomorrow. She likes her privacy and does not want to be blogged about, so she will be mentioned as DD and there are no bragging pictures. Alas, the weather will turn to RAIN just in time for our visit.

Since it won't be good weather for pictures here are some I took last August. Whenever we visit the Vancouver area I understand why so many people want to live there. It is just gorgeous.

No matter where you are, you can lift your eyes and see beauty. OK, you may have to walk a few blocks. But even from the depressed East Hastings neighborhood the beach is only a bus ride away.

DD is in a satellite community, not Vancouver city. She has a community garden plot and even the walk to it from her apartment is pleasant. Blackberry bushes are everywhere! This area borders on a linear park that contains a salmon bearing stream, so there is no spraying. Organic fruit free for the picking.

The creek. It feels like the forest primeval, yet a 5 minute walk takes you back to the suburban streets.

Chris and I often take skytrain downtown. I love sky train! They come every five minutes and are wheelchair accessible. Not that we need that, but it is a nice touch. We started going the long way around, so we don't have to change trains and can just enjoy the tour. This is taken from the skytrain. The Fraser River near Westminster is a working river, with a lot of industrial bustle.

In its final stretch the mighty Fraser takes its time getting to the Pacific, leisurely dividing itself into a number of channels. Vancouver is a city of bridges.

The beach at English Bay! I just love that place. It is all there: a working harbor with real freighters in the distance, a sandy beach with gorgeous mountains and water clean enough (most of the time) for swimming, and a lively downtown right around the corner. Total travel time from DD's place in Burnaby about an hour. Walk 10 minutes from home to skytrain, two blocks between skytrain and bus. Sometimes we walk the bus part. It takes us through the liveliest part of the West End, a perfect city fix.

Vancouver, what's not to love.

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