After just a few days I've got my head around my little Broadway/City Hall area. I know where the free wifi is, which bus goes where and which supermarket is the cheapest. Yet I haven't seen much of Vancouver itself. On Thursday after my interview I decided to go visit Joe at work, which happens to be at one of the main tourist areas in Van: Granville Island. Joe, who was in the navy for seven years, works at the boatyard there. Not a bad place to be on a sunny day. I'd timed my visit well: their was a farmers' market on. I really have a knack for finding these things. I said hello to Joe, admired his boat, which has kept him back late after work to fix up a bit, and headed into the market. It was the usual array: vegies, fruit, flowers, local cheese etc. I spied a man selling cooked corn which you buttered up with a paintbrush and made a note to visit him when I got hungry.
Granville Island is an eclectic mix of markets, galleries, shops and even a factory. There is an undercover public market that houses all sorts of stores. More fruit and veg, florists (where Elise worked when she was in Van), chocolate, jewelery etc. There are theatres, artists studios, art supply stores etc. The boat yards are busy, there's heaps of yachts moored at the harbour, and stores renting kayaks and jet skis. But that collection isn't even the best thing about Granville Island. It's selling point (for me) is the Starbucks back on the mainland. Not the store itself, but face that it, and every other chain, isn't allowed on the island. Granville Island has achieved something Beijing's Forbidden City couldn't. It's chain-free.
I still haven't explored Vancouver centre, but it's quite attractive with the mountains towering behind it. I ate lunch by the water with a couple of birds for company. Despite Granville Island being one of the main tourist haunts, it still seemed like a great place to hang out. There is so much to explore and I know I only touched on a little bit.
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