VanCity #2!

The 5 hour plane ride from Ottawa to Vancouver was longgg. Luckily, I kept myself entertained with The Amazing Spiderman movie that released this year, and Men in Black 3 (MIB3). Spiderman was a pretty sick movie, and I'd say it's up there with the original. I felt like this film had much more action, and the story was a lot cooler. MIB3 was a bit of a disappointment, but at least it helped move time along faster. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in their original film (MIB1) was much better - guess it's hard to continue an alien series like this one. I ignored the cabin lady countless times when she came by to ask if  I wanted a snack or drink. I was too into Spiderman. LOL

The plane took of a bit late, and got to Vancouver 25 minutes after the scheduled landing time of 9:20PM, maybe Kristy wait a full half hour for me. 

Day 1 (Saturday) - Metrotown Shopping

On the first day, we met up with Alex (only of Kristy's closer friends in Van) along with two of his friends for dim sum at Sun Siu Wah Restaurant. We ordered A LOT of food, but managed to devour all of it by the end. I had Roast Squab, also know as a pigeon, for the first time in my life. It was surprisingly delicious. Nobody would eat it, so I had 2/4 pieces that were on the plate :)

Afterwards, Kristy and I made our way to Metrotown for some shopping. I ended up being the only one making purchases. I bought a wireless mouse (it was on sale), 2 shirts from Club Monaco and a sweater from H&M. 

Before leaving, we made a stop to TnT, which was also in the Metrotown mall; bought a lot of groceries for the week. I got Kristy to try this shark fin + crab salad, and she liked! 

By the end of all of this, we were starving and tired from all the walking! 

Day 2 (Sunday) - Vancouver Aquarium, Ramen, booked trip to Portland/Woodburn Oregon

The night we before, we talked about making a trip down to the States for some shopping. We ended up deciding to go to Portland, Oregon. The last time I was in Portland was back in 2003 when Jennifer, Brian, Herman, Shirley and I went to visit Gu Jeh and to go to Disneyland! 

We've sketched out our itinerary, beginning with picking up our rental car at 7AM at the YVR airport, then heading straight down to the Woodburn Company Center for some shopping. Gu Jeh dropped us off at Woodburn for 4-5 hours last time, and I don't think we hit every store even with that time we had. The best part though; all outlets + no taxes!

It was pouring rain on Sunday, but we still decided to get out and do something. So Kristy and I went to visit the Vancouver Aquarium. It was the first time that Kristy's visited an Aquarium  and the closest I've ever got to one was when I went to the Montreal Biodome. I don't think that counts... 

The Jelly Fishes were the coolest things! But we also saw some Beluga whales - man are they ever cute! Wish to at least pet one some day :) Here are just a few photos from our little adventure:

(Jelly Fish - check out the colors, truly beautiful)

(they call these Mood Jelly)

(Kristy right by the tank where a ginormous Turtle swam by - turtle not in the picture)

(Me and Kristy by a large underground tank)

(cute Kristy and hand puppet dolphin)

(Kristy and I near the entrance of the Vancouver Aquarium)

After being drenched in the rain for a second time (leaving the aquarium), we went to slurp up some delicious ramen noodles at Santouka Japanese Ramen. As you can see, ramen is very oily... lol but the food was good. 

Day 3 (Monday) - Adventure to Lighthouse Park, Almighty Delicious Meat & Bread

Third day of rain in a row. The last time I was in Vancouver, the first week, which was also my break week, was nice everyday except for one. I guess it balances out. 

Kristy and I were feeling adventurous so we bussed to the Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. It was an extremely long and cold journey. We were seeing our own breath by mid-day when we got to the Lighthouse Park. During our bus ride there, I asked Kristy "do you think this was worth it?" And she said "I think so."

Our minds are always oblivious to the unknowns. In the past, I've always found that, although you might have doubts as to how something may turn out, things can turn out quite fun if continuously have a positive mind and think it will be a thrill. It was hard to think that visiting a lighthouse was going to be a thrill, but some of the photos and readings I did prior to us going made me think this was a great place to at least venture out into. And it was. Not only did we hit our destination, we roamed around and found some trails that lead us to the rocks that were on the same level as the lighthouse. Very nice view. Wish there was a bit of sun though. 

Afterwards, we made ourselves back into the city and stumbled at Meat & Bread. Just 2 minutes prior to closing, the crew openly and very nicely told us that we could place our order and eat in the restaurant while they closed up. I had the Corned Beef, while Kristy tried their Monday Special (braised lamb shoulder). I couldn't get enough of that sandwich! Both of them! Mine was packed with a ton of meat, and it was tasty too! Highly recommended if you ever need a fast place to stop and grab some grub! (not only fast, you can sit and take your time too - it's worth it!)

(Kristy picked up this ginormous leaf along the way to the Lighthouse Park)

(me at the end of the trail where we could oversee the lighthouse)

(Kristy by the Light House View Point sign)

(Lighthouse from Light House View Point)

(we ventured into the "dark" forest and found this opening to the rocks!)

(Me and Kristy)

(me feeling free!)

(Kristy standing on the rocks with the entire lake behind her)

(Kristy just can't get enough of Meat & Bread - her Monday Special)

(Monday Special - braised lamb shoulder)

(Corned Beef sandwich)

Day 4 (Tuesday) - went to Granville Island for mussels, trekked to the Arc'teryx factor Store

Finally a nice sunny day in Vancouver! My friend told me that it was nice up until I got to Vancouver... I don't think that's a sign of anything, but it sucked to hear that! 

Kristy and I went to visit Granville Island. Our mission was to find some awesome mussels! That's one thing that we both love; is deliciously cooked mussels! :) (if you want to try a recipe I cooked before - check out this one: Normandy Fish Stew with Mussels, it's delicous!! ;). 

We ended up at the Bridges restaurant. My coworkers can I had come here before, and I had ordered their mussels - very good, but it wasn't enough at the time for an entree. So we ordered the mussels as an appetizer, and I got Fish & Chips, and Kristy got the Crab & Halibut Sandwich.... yummmm! We were stuffed!

(our Mussels dish! mmmm)

(my Fish & Chips)

(Kristy's Crab & Halibut sandwich)

After lunch, we trekked ourselves over to the Arc'teryx Factory Store. I ended up purchasing a black jacket - surprisingly there was a small available, so I snatched it quickly! Unfortunately for Kristy, she didn't find one that fit her. The blue jacket really suited her well. Hopefully their next shipment will have one one in size xs or s :)

(more spending - me with my new Arc'teryx jacket)

Day 5 -6 (Wednesday - Thursday) - road trip to Portland OR, Woodburn, Shopping

We decided to get away from the rain for a couple days. So, we rented a car and drove down to Portland, OR. The last time I was in Portland was in 2003 - a trip with my Jennifer, Herman, Brian, and Shirley. Good times - we were there for a good two weeks. We visited Brian's Gu Jeh, and that is where we stayed the entire time. We shopped a ton, and also ended up booking flights to Disneyland *woohoo!*.

This time, there was no Disneyland. Maybe Disney World next time :p The drive down to Portland was longer than expected. Google Maps told me it would take just over 5 hours, but we didn't get there until 7 hours in. Don't get me stated on the trip back, it took us 9 hours because of a truck collision on freeway 5.

(Kristy sitting on pumpkins at the Woodburn Center)

(at the Woodburn Center)

So when we arrived, the sun was out and the weather was very nice. We shopped the rest of the day, and spent lots and lots of money! The biggest purchase for both Kristy and I was the Nikon V1. Yes, we bought a mirrorless camera together :) I think the moment we both saw that camera, we wanted it. It's white! We picked the camera up the next day, because we pondered on whether or not to get it, and they didn't have the white version in stock at that time so the guy picked one up on his way into work the next day (how nice of him, and he even picked up extra lenes, all in white). We ended up adding a prime lens to our package, and a bag too! haha Oh yes, we got sold! It was a nice purchase, and a really good deal!

(new shoes that I had to order and ship, originally $130, paid only $30 for it, lol!)

(Kristy the eskimo!)

(Kristy's new kicks!)

For those who don't know, you don't pay tax in Portland! :)

Kristy and I visited Gu Jeh on Thursday, right before we left. We visited her and uncle at her place. Then, we went out for lunch at a rotating sushi restaurant. It was nice to see Gu Jeh - she was in Ottawa earlier this year, but her company always brightens my day! :)

(the conveyor belt of sushi!)

(this is how much we ate! not a whole lot... lol)

(me, gu jeh and Kristy prior to us departing)

 Day 7 (Friday) - Visit to the Nude beach

 Kristy and I went on a trek on Friday, a very, very, very exhausting and long walk :) We a nice dinner before our trek. This is what we had:

(just before we depart on our walking adventure)

We walked around the UBC campus - man is it every big! Part of our journey, we ended up at the Nude Beach. At this time of the year, there are no nudes (duh!). But check out the sign - I thought this was hilarious!

We walked around the beach for a bit. The view was just beautiful. The sun was shining, a bit of wind coming in from the waters, and the sound of water gave it all a nice feeling to be on a beach in October. 

 

(me writing out Kristy's name)

 

(Kristy and I crouching down to take a photo of our writing :)

(our writing - Jackson + Kristy = <3)

 (view of of the waters from the beach)

(Kristy and I)

(some art we found on a log, very cool!)

Day 8 (Saturday) - Ultimate frisbee and delicious handmade noodles!

If I can recall, this Saturday I was dragged into playing frisbee for Kristy's team! 1.5 hours per game x 2 games = 3 hours of intense running back and forth chasing a frisbee. It was fun though :) Met Kristy's teammates (all MBA students) and they all seem very nice. Because I hadn't worked out my leg, nor have I ran for a long time, my legs were beat for 3-4 days! It was pretty bad how much pain I was in. Kristy was in as much pain, lol!

Later that evening, we still decided to go out and eat. We went to a handmade noodle house - this is where they have like 100 different types of noodles. Just kidding - there is a selection but all of very different. It was super yummy!

(Kristy sitting in front of me waiting anxiously to get her bowl of noodles!)

Day 9 (Sunday) - Haircut day!

We went to Zeal, which was located in the Aberdeen Mall, to get our haircuts. Kristy was nervous about her's, because she was cutting off a good length of her hair. I told her I would love her no matter what :) I think that calmed her down a bit. After her cut, she fell in love with herself :p I really like her short hair too!

(Kristy and I after our haircuts)

The rest of the week... 

(Tuesday November 23 was our 10 month celebration. We climbed a mountain to get to this fancy restaurant. The food was fantastic. View was just stunning. Good choice babe :)

(Kristy and I at the restaurant trying to capture the nice view)

(Alex L performing at a coffee shop. He did great!)

 (we went to do the Vancouver Lookout)

(my last day at the CP Vancouver office - with Casper and Eduardo)

(Kristy and I touring on my last day in Vancouver)

(me being silly)

This will likely be the last time I visit Vancouver for a while (or maybe not if Kristy finds a job there :p). Until next time...

Busy time, Trip down to DC

It's a busy time of the year. I can't recall if I've had more out of the city trips in such a short time span before. Here is what my schedule looks like for the next while:

September 23-28 - Wasginton DC
October 2-4 - Boston, MA
October 12-27 - Vancouver, BC

Call me insane?

All are business trips, with the exception of the first week in Vancouver. This week + 1 day will be the last of my vacation days this year... boo hoo! It will be nice to spend it with Kristy, hoping to hit up a few more unseen places in Van.

Having gone to Washington DC a few times already this year, I didn't think there was much more to see unless it was the museums. I didn't end up going to any museums this time around, again. My work hours and the museum hours just don't work nicely with each other. Everything closes at 5:30.

During one of my previous trips though, I got to visit the American art museum for an hour,  Washington monument and the Smithsonian Castle. All were pretty cool! But, time was limited then and for the most part, I was on my own.

I travelled to DC on U.S. Airways Express. The trip was short; only took 1 hr 30 mins. Coming back was even quicker; just one hour! I'm not sure how planes control their speeds in the air or if this aircraft went a few clicks faster than the one I took on the way there, but it sure got us there fast!!

After I landed, I went to the hotel and checked in. Afterwards, I toured around Chinatown a bit. It was practically next door to my hotel - and everyone seems to grab about their chinatown. I didn't see all that different, but the food in the area was good.

I ended up grabbing a bite at Clyde's. I tried their Crab cake sandwich. OMG - it was delicious! I even wrote a review for them here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/local/*/s/by%3A102450591677203177780

Later that night, I met up with my fellow colleague Alan, who works out of our Vancouver office. I work very closely with Alan and after getting to know him better on this trip, he's a real down to earth guy. Surprisingly though, he's super tall! 6'1 he said. Or maybe I'm just short (5'7). That night we went out for some grub at the Matchbox, another recommendation by the hotel navigator. What I ordered was not what I expected. I guess I picked the wrong item, because I was not expecting a roast beef and cheese pizza, lol.

The second night, Scott (my colleague from the Ottawa office) and I toured around DC even more, visiting a few of the well known monuments like the White House, Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. I'm not sure who's decision it was to walk the entire way, including back to the hotel, or maybe it was a mutual decision to save money on a cab ride. When we got back, it was lights out.

I had black spaghetti for the first time... see...

It wasn't so pleasant to look at, and it didn't taste good either (bleh!). Bad choice, never go there again (forget the name of the restaurant now, but will using my photographic memory to avoid that place later).

Here are some of the awesome food I had throughout the week:

Yummm! I was surprised to find that the food in DC was exceptional  You just have to find the right places to go I guess. We asked the navigator at the hotel for recommendations, and overall he did us a good deed.

Next stop... Boston. I will be heading down to Boston this Tuesday to attend / present in two sessions at the GAUGE conference. I put a short post together on my work blog if you're interested in reading it - http://jacksonlo.com/doing-seo-right-with-wordpress/

Boston should be a fun trip. A bit nervous right now for my presentation, as it will be my first time presenting at an official conference. Been working long hours the past few days to get my slides down, and my notes together.

After that is done, then it's Vancouver! :)