Christmas Morning arrived and so did a sweet little gift from the Hilton!
A happy Christmas surprise from the Hilton
Breakfast in the lounge was a festive affair with everyone wishing everyone else a merry Christmas! Afterwards I bundled up and set out for Stanley Park. The most direct route was on the bus and took an hour. First I had to walk back to the Skytrain to reload my transit card. There was a Starbucks open on the corner so I popped in for a flat white and a boxed lunch, because doesn’t it seem like you should have a picnic when you visit a park?
I got to the bus stop a few minutes early, with enough time to appreciate how cold it was! The bus pulled up and was nearly empty so I got a seat at the back. Everyone knows those are the bounciest, hence the most fun. That’s also apparently where people want to sit when they do things I am almost certain the bus driver would not appreciate! As the bus got more and more crowded, some guy sat next to me with a pancake breakfast though he apparently didn’t get a fork to go with it. So as we rolled along, he would stick his hand in the container, hunch over, and shove food in his mouth. He looked like he’d had too much eggnog the night before, if you know what I mean! Anyhow, as soon as he finished his breakfast he hopped off. By the time we got to the park the bus was packed and we all streamed off to enjoy some nature!
Bouncing around the back of the bus. Now that’s a party!
It was a lot colder at the park than it had been in Burnaby so the picnic wasn’t really very appealing. Also, all of the park benches had a thick layer of frost. I started walking around the seawall instead. The first thing I found was the Lumberman’s Arch.
Would have been more fun if there had been some brawny lumberjacks lounging around
Next up was the replica of a figurehead from the SS Empress of Japan, which sailed to the Orient from 1891-1922.
Just past the figurehead is Girl in a Wet Suit, a modern-day mermaid sculpture from Elek Imredy erected in 1972.
Luring the ships in
I was heading around the point when I noticed some amazing Totem Poles rising up a few yards ahead so I turned left instead. It was an amazing collection.
Love these
I cut back over to the seawall and discovered a magnificent view of the Vancouver skyline. Sadly, the sun was in the wrong position, so it’s hard to appreciate it from my photos.
I wish you could see how beautiful this was
I’d booked a seat for a 4:40 viewing of Rogue One and since the bus ride was an hour, I decided to head back to the bus station. I took the scenic route back to the bus stop, which involved hiking up some ice-covered slopes and past some trees that rivaled the redwoods in California.
Big tree
The bus ride back was very entertaining. I sat in the back again even though the bus was practically empty. The first stop a really smelly guy got on and sat next to me. My eyes were watering but thankfully, he got off about ten minutes into the ride. The next guy who sat in the back of the bus, sat in the seats facing me and slowly unzipped his jacket, staring at me the whole time. I was starting to wonder what was coming off next and then he looked down and a tiny dog head popped up. He looked at me again and began petting the dog and talking in baby talk. I assume to his puppy. He only rode along for a few stops and then he zipped up and hopped off. He was replaced with a couple of guys who seemed to smell OK and didn’t even look at me. I was beginning to relax and then the argument started. The guy by the window thinks family should love you unconditionally (agreed) and they shouldn’t threaten to kick anyone out ever (OK I can see that). The second guy sort of defended the family and said the first guy needed to follow the rules (makes sense) then the first guy went off on him, yelling “they yelled at me and they know I can’t take that with my condition, there can’t be any yelling any time. It upsets me!” The other guy said he was right (although clearly immune from his own rules). Then the second guy said that wasn’t why they wanted him out, it was his hygiene. This was sort of shocking but maybe that’s because I was judging him by that guy that got on first. When they left the rest of the bus ride seemed kinda dull, but the view was interesting.
Canadians are tough!
Since I hadn’t had my picnic and it was way past lunch time, I walked through the Crystal Mall on my way to the hotel. That was no problem since they are adjacent and it also allowed me to get out of the cold! Turns out it was an Asian market. I walked the entire thing trying to find some lunch. Unfortunately, they don’t market their wares for English-speaking diners. I finally found a food court that had a picture of yakisoba right next to a bubble tea shop that had English translations. Lunch was amazing!
Like a little slice of Tokyo…
Yesterday at the Metrocenter Mall I’d noticed the Silver City Movie Theater and booked a ticket to Rogue One. That’s when I learned about D Box seating. D Box seats are cutting edge theater chairs that move with the movie action. So, OF COURSE I wanted to upgrade my seat. Thankfully there was one left for the 4:40 show.
Must find D Box seats in Chicago!
Believe me when I tell you, that was the most exciting movie experience I have ever had. When Jyn was running thru the fields the chair was wobbling left and right like I was running with her. When Cassian was blasting the stormtroopers, the chair was bouncing around all over. And when the rebel fleet was zipping around it took everything I had not to call out “Pink Leader, standing by!” I’m not going to lie, there were moments I was bouncing around giggling because I was having such a good time. I do feel bad about that kid next to me. The seat was $23 (Canadian) and it was one of the best moving experiences I have ever had #worthit!
iSherri 