Mini-Trips

Now that I've been in Vancouver for a few days, I've successfully managed to drag my sister out of bed before 9 everyday so we can go out and do stuff.

Saturday my mom and sister both had to work, so it wasn't super exciting for us. Sunday my sister worked while my mom and I cooked and cleaned so my uncle's family could come over for a visit. Needless to say, a lot of wine was drunk, although I think not quite enough. We could've been much more obnoxious.

Mini-Trip #1 - Steveston (Monday):
- One of my favourite places to just sit and eat ice cream. It's usually fairly quiet because it's so out of the way and I suspect not a lot of people know about it since it's not an "obvious" attraction. I love Timothy's (not the chain) there, where they have freshly made waffle cones for a huge selection of ice cream and sorbets. The flavours aren't fantastic and won't move you to tears, but the waffle cones themselves feel like such a simple luxury. When I got mine filled with white chocolate raspberry ice cream, the cone was still warm from being just off the iron. That's what I love about everything Steveston.

Mini-Trip #2 - Bellis Fair (Tuesday):
- Crappy American Mall that's literally 15 minutes away once we cross the border. Considering we live about 15 minutes away from the border, and the wait during the day is about 10 minutes or less, this mall ends up being closer than going downtown sometimes. I'm surprised that it hasn't attracted more American stores, because the parking lot there is full of BC license plates. Anyway, I was pleased to find that they had cleaned up Target (or is it because I've come to appreciate Target more as I've aged?) that it was fun to wander through there. Target has also stepped up in big ways in terms of products that it is fun to shop for stationery, gourmet foods, and makeup there amongst other random things.

Mini-Trip #3 - Granville Island (Wednesday):
- One of my favourite places. It feels tucked away from the world as it is under the Granville Bridge which connects Vancouver to Downtown Vancouver, and that area is generally pretty old-looking with quite a few auto-body shops etc. I love to wander into all the shops on the Island because for some reason, no matter how obscure the shops' services/products may be, they'll manage to survive. They'll make you smile when you walk in becuase you would never have believed that a shop selling only postcards, or only funky hats, or only paper, or only beads, would be there time and time again for your perusal. I love the paper store. The market is a plus because it's the only market in Vancouver that I know of that resembles St. Lawrence, but without some of the steep prices because hey, the produce selection in BC is actually better(!) and cheaper!!

I feel like I've built up a track record now to keep up. However, as I'm knocking off items on the to-go list, I'm also conscious of the things I need to do at home! We will be heading to Victoria for a day trip next week, as well as the Aquarium (another dearly beloved place o' mine). Since my mom works five days a week, I'm not sure where else we may end up!

Also on the to-do list is to visit Vanessa and to bake a phallic cake with Jenn for Kristi's bachelorette party!