We’re here! With our little dog and bikes in tow, we pointed our loaded car toward the USA’s northern border. After a four-day drive, we arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 30th. We’re staying here for the entire month of July. Because I have summers off and Greg can work anywhere, we decided to try a change of scenery.
The drive was long and tedious, as expected, but we took a lot of potty breaks and tried to enjoy the scenery. Our stop-over points were Salt Lake City, Utah (in hindsight, Ogden would have been a better choice), Ontario, Oregon (just northwest of Boise, Idaho and strangely still in the mountain time zone!1), and Corvallis, Oregon (where we visited Kid 2 for about 16 hours). Fortunately, the drive was relatively mundane. Driving through Seattle felt like it would never end, but we persevered. In Bellingham, Washington we got a full tank of gas at Costco just before reaching the Canadian border (h/t to our smart friend Margaret for that advice).
The border crossing itself was truly mundane. There was one car in front of us and when it was our turn we rolled up the guy in the booth who took our passports. He asked us where were were from, where we were staying and for how long and why. We didn’t fill out any paperwork or declare anything, including the dog. And we were prepared with her rabies certificate and vet papers. Apparently, we looked boring enough to just wave through! I thought they might at least try to confiscate her treats.
Once across the border, the Tesla parade began. I thought we saw a lot on a daily basis in Boulder County, but here they are practically every other car! We made it to our home-away-from-home for the month just after 8 pm. Not to worry, sunset isn’t until 10:15 pm here! Our first action in our temporary hometown was to download one of the maaannnny parking apps available and pay for a spot right in front of the house (more on this topic later). Once in, we could finally see the “beach casa” that I had procured online so many months earlier. Fortunately, it’s just as adorable as it looked in pictures and just perfect for our stay! It’s a 2-bedroom, 2-bath ground floor unit in a larger building. We have front and back patios, washer and dryer, full kitchen, great wi-fi, and it’s super cute to boot. It’s about three blocks from Kitsilano Beach and just a few steps from Cornwall Avenue, a surprisingly heavily-trafficked east-west thoroughfare. There are many little restaurants right along Cornwall Ave that are easy to walk to (fish and chips, bagels, coffee, shawarma, sushi, tacos, burgers, etc.).
Kitsilano is fairly quiet on weekdays, but is practically overrun on the weekends. It’s been interesting getting used to such an urban lifestyle. Car horns, sirens, people’s voices, music wafting in the air at any time of day or night. It’s a noisy world! But with the doors and windows closed, sleeping is never a problem. There’s an adorable coffee shop right across the street (which keeps traffic on our little lane flowing allllll day) and a karaoke bar (oh joy!) next door. The street we’re on is exceptionally lovely with majestic maple trees lining both sides. It’s absolutely enchanting. It’s also very fitting to be surrounded my maple leaves - “the image of a nation” on this, the symbol’s 60th year on Canada’s flag. What’s not so great is that cars park along both sides, leaving just a narrow passage for a TWO-WAY street! C’mon city planners, make it one-way!! One observation since we arrived is that most streets are fairly narrow and our car seems oversized for many of the roadways and parking spaces here.
Some photos of the house (for you, Tracy):
Having a place that meets all of our needs — whether it’s Greg’s work environment, Penny’s comfort, room for guests, etc. — is huge and not only did we get all of that, but the location is just spectacular. And the outdoor patios are the icing on the cake. I rank outdoor space up there with the most important aspects of a home.
Already, we all feel comfortable in this new neighborhood. Penny’s out there reading the pee-mail every morning and adding her own aromatic contributions for the neighbor dogs to discover. I marvel at all the different architecture not just from block to block, but from lot to lot, musing “how much does this one cost?” or “what would it be like to live in this one?” There’s a little fairy garden across the street and that really spoke to me. (I recently built one in our back yard and I’m now slightly obsessed with this concept.) It’s all a huge departure from the suburban lifestyle we lead back home and that’s exactly what we were looking for.
Oh, here’s what the local beach looks like. There are always people out walking, bike riding, sunning, playing volleyball/tennis/basketball/water sports. It’s a very vibrant community.
There is endless opportunity here for exploration, whether on foot or bike. We really don’t need the car much at all, which is why we rented a permanent space for it at a nearby parking lot. It’s handy for little getaways, but most days we walk or ride everywhere. The bike riding around here is stunningly phenomenal, which I’m getting to next! Stay tuned!!
Mind-blowing fact I recently learned: Ontario, Oregon and Pensacola, Florida are only one hour different in time! That’s CRAAAAAZZZY! Time zones are wacky!
Great post! As a frequent visitor to Canadian California I must recommend a trip to Victoria BC. Bikes travel free on BC Ferries. If you want expensive thrills there are seaplane rides to Victoria Harbor from Vancouver. If you can spend the night there, I recommend a ride on the Galloping Goose Trail out to Sooke and back. What ever, but please arrange for a High Tea at the Empress Hotel, lie back and think of England!