Neither here nor there ...

I’m getting around to it!  LOL   I hope you are all well and keeping it real there. 

It was cold and had been raining steadily so it was nice to head someplace warm to watch the Super Bowl.  We really lucked out because we didn't have a reservation and – to be honest - didn't really think that one was necessary.

Afterwards, Miss Lisa and I took the bus back to her place and I left her to do school work and I called it an early night back at the hotel in New Westminster.  On Monday, Lisa had a busy day with school and we wouldn't meet up until the evening.  This would allow me to sleep in a little bit.

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On Saturday, Lisa met me downtown around 10. We walked to the The Bay, one of the large department stores downtown, and went to their 2010 Olympic section.  The Bay, part of the Hudson’s Bay Company, is the Canadian clothing supplier for the 2010 games.  We went inside and looked at what they had to offer; Lisa and I tried on some clothes and she ended up getting a few sweatshirts for her family.  I ended up getting a discounted 2009 calendar and a shirt. 

From there we went to North Vancouver where there is an Iranian restaurant called Yaas Bazaar and had lamb, rice, and eggplant.  Lisa’s boyfriend introduced her to the place and it was really yummy. From there we drove to the Capilano Suspension Bridge which is also in North Vancouver.  There are several sections beyond the bridge over the Capilano River. It’s been there for over 100 years and was really neat.  They also had a nice gift shop where Miss Lisa checked out a book about bears.  Part of the park featured a walk through the trees that was reminiscent of the Ewok Village from Star Wars.

From the suspension bridge we headed north a little bit to the Capilano River Regional Park.  There, they have a Salmon hatchery that’s managed by the Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans. We saw some information about the types of salmon and how they are bred in captivity for release back into the wild. The recent heavy snow had made some of the area inaccessible.

After that we went to Deep Cove, a quaint fishing village in east-North Vancouver.  After that we went to check-in at my hotel in New Westminster. From there we went back and hung out at her place and she made mozzarella grilled cheese sandwiches with basil & tomato.  It was a great day!

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Last week I flew from Pittsburgh to Vancouver.  I went to check out the sights and to visit my friend, Lisa, who is in the Geography masters program at Simon Frasier University. I stayed at three hotels over the course of my trip. The first night was downtown at the Hyatt, the following two nights were at the Inn at Westminster Quay which is about thirty minutes to the SW of downtown.  It is in New Westminster, the original province capital, and sits on the water.  It had been recently renovated and was very comfortable.  The last night I stayed at a hotel close to the airport.  I didn't want to fight traffic on my last morning trying to get to the airport.

The weather while I was in Vancouver varied from mild and partly sunny to cold and wet.  I didn't really mind it as it is somewhat similar to Pittsburgh yet not as cold.  I picked up a rental car from Budget - a Toyota Corolla - and headed to the Hyatt.  I was able to check-in around 1pm and then I had lunch at McDonald's - a grilled Southwest chicken sandwich on ciabbata bread - unlike anything they serve in the States.  It was very tasty! 

After checking in and eating lunch, I did a walking tour or the downtown area, seeing all the construction and work happening for the Olympics.  I saw a very old church, the 2010 countdown clock, the cruise terminal called Canada Place (which also houses a museum) and the expansion work on their convention center.  They are enlarging it so that it can be used as the media center next year.

That evening I met Lisa at her school - Simon Frasier University - and we went for sushi at Sushi Town, which is relatively cheap in Vancouver.  I think that this is because of the cheaper seafood and abundance of sushi places because of the huge Asian population.  Coming from the East Coast, I was getting tired by this point and went back to the Hyatt after dropping Lisa off at her place.

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NPR’s wonderful midday news magazine, Day to Day, is moving ever closer towards it’s final broadcast.  I was so sad to hear of its demise – I’ve been a fan since it started.  I cannot count the numerous occasions when it helped get me through my day. 

Here’s an interesting video from the studio – with Madeleine Brand & Alex Cohen talking about what it’s like to lose their jobs with NPR.

Sandy got me a CUTE OVERLOAD page-a-day calendar.  Look at the first pic!  I love it!!!  :) Check out their website at www.cuteoverload.com.  From the cover page: The goal of this fine Page-a-Day calendar is to fill your daily allowance of Cuteness, and even put you over the edge. (their emphasis).  WOAH!

The end of the summer has come and gone but I didn’t sit idly by.   I stayed busy and had a great time.  Check out some of the things I did with the pics below! 

In late July and early August I had the opportunity for some more quality swim lessons at Lezlie’s

• At the beginning of August we celebrated the Twins’ birthday a couple times – once at Lezlie’s with her parents and then another time with our chums at Pittsburgh Rare – a super restaurant at Station Square, near downtown Pittsburgh.

I had the honor of going to the Mazzotta Family Picnic.  I had a great time that day – the park where it was held was really nice. 

Prior to Cruise 2008 we had a gathering at Lezlie’s.  Denise joined us for a good time. 

Cruise 2008 was amazing – no surprise there, right?  

This year, instead of driving to NJ, we flew to Miami and took a 7 night cruise on the Liberty of the Seas to the Eastern Caribbean. Laura and I had a balcony room which was super!  I would recommend getting a balcony whenever possible!  I will handle those pics in separate blog posts.

Laura and I met Maria at Starbucks one evening – it was super to see her!

Dan, his friend Bryan, and I went to the McCain / Palin Victory Rally … this was right after he chose Sarah as his running mate – it was really neat to see them in person and shake their hands!  

At the end of the summer, over the weekend after Labor Day, Sandy & Tom came out for a visit with his family before he started back to school. We met at the Denny’s in Irwin and it was great to visit with each other for awhile.

      

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

ALL PICTURES (click to see)

More Swim Lesson	Twins’ Birthday
Mazzotta Family Picnic	Pre-Cruise Party
Starbucks with Maria	Tom & Sandy in town
Cruise 2008 – STAY TUNED!	McCain / Palin Rally