Eric Joseph Rubio: Vancouver 2018, Days 1-3

For our second wedding anniversary, Naomi and I decided to vacation in Vancouver. It was Naomi's first trip to Canada and my second, though the first was during my elementary school years and to the Niagara Falls area and I remember very little.

DAY 1 (THURSDAY)

We left on Thursday, August 2, from Chicago, connecting in Las Vegas. The first leg was on United Airlines (on a Boeing 757-300 retrofit to include 21 more economy seats, and I was pleased to find no change in the comfort level for the nearly four hours on board), but the second was aboard Air Canada Rouge, my first time flying the carrier. A two-hour maintenance delay at LAS rather ruined what might have been an interesting experience for me as a minor avgeek.

Still, we arrived to Vancouver only 90 minutes behind schedule, and enjoyed the display of First Nations artwork along the arrivals corridor. The immigration and customs process was effortless as was getting the rental car and without too much difficulty we found our way to the University of British Columbia. UBC has convenient guest housing available to tourists, and it was fun to have the gorgeous UBC campus as our base for our exploring the area (more on the campus later).

View from the starboard window on approach to Vancouver. Airport is in the middle of the picture, UBC campus on the end of the Point Grey peninsula just above. Suburb of Richmond in the foreground.

One of the First Nations art pieces in the arrivals corridor at Vancouver International Airport.

After getting settled we went into town to Whole Foods for grocery shopping (our room had a full kitchenette, pardon the oxymoron), and happily discovered that this Whole Foods had a burrito bar, so we had "Chipotle" for dinner! And then promptly collapsed into bed, exhausted from the full day of traveling.

The Burrito Bar at the Whole Foods in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver

DAY 2 (FRIDAY)

We went running along one edge of campus in the morning, and then headed into downtown Vancouver for breakfast at Smak Fast Food, which despite the name was nothing like a McDonald's or a Dunkin Donuts. Naomi had a smoothie bowl and I a bowl of scrambled eggs with sweet potatoes and a sausage patty. I thought the paper bowl presentation was odd but I suppose it makes it convenient for people to take to their downtown offices.

We then proceeded a little farther across the downtown peninsula to Stanley Park, one of the largest urban park in the world (30% larger than Manhattan's Central Park). We rented bikes from a nearby shop and biked the Stanley Park section of Vancouver's seawall, affording gorgeous views of downtown, Vancouver Harbour, the North Shore, and English Bay. The seawall path had separate lanes for joggers/walkers and bikers/rollerskaters, making it a safe and convenient way to enjoy an hour of exercise.

We returned the bikes and walked to the Yaletown area of downtown for lunch of burgers at Meet. Five stars for food quality and service!

Meet at Yaletown's outdoor dining area (where we sat, of course!)

The Crispy BBQ burger with side salad (fries in the background)

Back to UBC, we set out to explore the campus. We walked along the main thoroughfare admiring the varied buildings, browsed the modern art gallery, walked through the lobbies of the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (sadly the performance spaces themselves were locked), and visited the bookstore for a souvenir (we picked a refrigerator magnet with an aerial view of the UBC campus).

University of British Columbia: Library

University of British Columbia: Flagpole Plaza

University of British Columbia: Chan Centre

University of British Columbia: Fountain at intersection of Main Mall and University Boulevard

DAY 3 (SATURDAY)

After breakfast, we headed to Granville Island just outside downtown Vancouver and the Granville Island's location of Ecomarine Sports for stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) lessons. It was a great day for it, with sun, little wind, and not too hot. Our instructor was Holly, originally of Sweden. Naomi and I plus a Korean couple were out on the water quickly after Holly gave us the safety and technique briefings. We paddled around the marina for practice and then out toward Burrard Bridge, then under Burrard Bridge into English Bay. I fell in, twice I might add, but had a blast. Holly mentioned that we were only the second group she had been able to take beyond Burrard Bridge.

Naomi and I paddleboarding into English Bay

Following our two-hour lesson and workout, we headed to Virtuous Pies for plant-based pizza, most delicious. We wandered through a nearby Chinese garden and then back to our room to nap, tired from the paddleboarding.

That afternoon we went to Spanish Banks Beach, just around the corner from campus on the north shore of the university's peninsula, with great views of downtown, Stanley Park, English Bay, and the north shore.