When I was in Seattle just before Christmas I pondered why doing chores or shopping (which fall into the same category for me) in a different City made it more appealing than when at home (read
here). So today I was going downtown to have lunch with my close friend Kim (which is not a chore at all) and decided to act like a tourist and try and see my hometown through new eyes.
I took the Canada Line from Richmond Centre to City Centre in Vancouver which takes about 25 minutes.
I love the ride - no driving or parking hassles to deal with and time to enjoy a bit of the scenery before the train goes underground and then you get to people watch. Such a diverse crowd in my section of the train today - a very old Chinese couple, looking a little bemused, obviously off to shop with their basket on wheels. I tried to imagine what it must be like to be in a strange land so far from their roots at their age trying to adapt. I imagined what it would feel like if it was the reverse and I was on a train in China with no signs in a language I could read or understand....... I watched a little girl standing at the front of the train obviously enjoying the sensation of pretending to drive the train - her dad watched her with obvious delight.
I had a lovely lunch with Kim - she and I used to live in the same Co-op and worked in the same office (for different organisations) 15 years ago and we have been great friends ever since. She lives about an hour and a bit east of where I live so we don't often see each other although we talk on the phone almost every week. It was lovely to have time to chat face to face. We did a little shopping on Robson Street together - we realised we have never shopped together and it was quite funny - we have opposite taste. I ended up with some workout clothes from a store I would never have gone into usually. Thanks Kim!!
It was great to hang out.
I strolled back to the train station with my camera in hand pretending to be a tourist on this beautiful sunny day with brilliant blue sky (although pretty windy and cold). Here are some shots of downtown Vancouver.
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| Robson Street |
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| A little fountain at the side of the Art Gallery I had never noticed |
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| Street Food Vendors are all the rage here now |
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| The Maple Leaf Forever |
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| So much to do...... |
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| The mountain view is always to the north |
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| A shot of Mount Baker in the USA from the train |
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