This is the Life

Week 31: Vancouver, B.C.

Morning. Wake up to bright sunshine and a panoramic view of glass high rises with the sea and mountains in the distance. Morning coffee and email. Perhaps a bike ride around Stanley Park? A strenuous yoga class? A day at the beach? Each day includes a fabulous meal of some sort, usually the incredible fresh seafood one can get in B.C. Go to work at 7:30 and entertain a couple thousand laughing, cheering people and GET PAID for it. Go out for a drink at a hot bar or nightclub, or a late snack at a local eatery. Roll in to bed. Sleep. Repeat.

Yep, Vancouver is pretty spectacular. It has all the things you want in a city--great restaurants, ethnic diversity, cosmopolitan style. The bonus is the natural landscape that surrounds the city.
Stanley Park, one of the most incredible public parks I have seen, is only blocks from my apartment here. The park is situated on 1,000 acres of a peninsula at the west end of Vancouver. The woods, lawns, and diverse ecosystems of the park are all embraced by the sea on all sides. The bike ride or walking path that takes you along the perimeter of the park is just breathtaking and it has become a daily ritual for me. Unfortunately on our second Friday night here, I fell off my bike along the seawall path and banged up my leg. It was only bruised and swollen but I did have to sit out the performance; my third missed performance in 7 months.

Dinners out here are fantastic, especially if you love seafood. At Rodney's Oyster House in Yaletown we feasted on a fresh variety of B.C. oysters, which are smaller and delicately flavored. This with fresh sourdough bread and a nice bracing local lager was heaven.
At Coast, and also at The Fish House in Stanley Park, I was introduced to the wild B.C. salmon, which is unlike any salmon you have ever had. Light, buttery, not fishy, and with an amazing dark pink, almost red color. Of course sushi here is fantastic too, what with the fresh ingredients and the large Asian community in Vancouver. A trip out to Granville Island brings more culinary blessings, because it is home to the Granville Public Market, a great place for fresh produce and gourmet goodies. Also ate lunch at the Sandbar, which is beautifully situated right under the Granville Bridge with a great view of the water and the skyline of Vancouver just across.




There are also very interesting cultural activities in Vancouver. Of course I visited the local art museum, the Vancouver Art Gallery. The current exhibition of cartoon art and anime art didn't wow me, but it wasn't really my thing. There were some smaller exhibitions from some interesting contemporary artists, the most interesting being Beijing -born Zhang Huan. A performance artist, photographer, sculptor and self-portraitist, Huang is a compelling artistic mind. Included in the exhibit were photos from his stunning performance art events, as well as photographs like this one, (Huan himself holding the child). He also makes sculptures and paintings that express his feelings about his Chinese and Buddhist roots, using as his material the tons of incense ash that gathers from offerings made at Buddhist temples in China.



Sales for the show are picking up and the audiences have been increasingly receptive and responsive. I really think they are loving it here. I am sure by the end of the run we will be very full. I have some activities planned for next week, including a group outing to go kayaking, which, if I don't drown, should be a lot of fun. Meantime, Vancouver life continues to be a pleasure--an expensive one, but worth it.