Birth certificate and valid driver’s license in hand, Betty ventured through Washington and into Canada. This was Betty’s first time outside of the US (well, except for a blurry trip into TJ) and she was expecting things to feel different. But as she passed through the border, everything seemed pretty much the same.
After checking in, Betty surveys her surroundings… a look to the right…
…and a look to the left. What a sweet view! “Let’s get out there!”
A brisk stroll along The Seawall brings Betty into Stanley Park, one of the largest urban parks in North America. Within minutes she is looking back at the city among tall trees and grasses. But Betty is not alone!
A whoosh in the sky reveals a Bald Eagle flying just overhead and lands in a tree just above her. Well, this is different! Betty thinks how funny it is that she had to leave the US to see our National bird in the wild…
Seeing the Eagle made Betty realize she needs to trade in her American greenbacks for some Canadian bluebacks. She went to the front desk of her hotel where they gave her 88 Canadian cents per one US Dollar. Ouch. Things were really starting to feel different. Fortunately, Betty found a bank that was willing to give her a generous 96 cents for every dollar. Yipee!
Canadian Dollars in hand, Betty heads into the city and all roads lead to Robson Street. Shops, markets and restaurants galore. Betty isn’t sure what kind of food she was expecting to find in Canada. Canadian Bacon maybe. But what Betty found was a smorgasbord of Asian cuisine… Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai. After a long day of travel, Betty settles in for the comforts of familiar Thai favorites at Royal Thai Seafood. Betty devoured juicy Chicken Satay, Yum Nue and the classic Pad See Ew. The beef in the Yum Nue was tender; the lettuce and other veggies, crisp. It was spicy, but not blow-your-head-off spicy. The Pad See Ew was perfect. The noodles were not mushy and the broccoli was fresh. The service was super-friendly. The only way it could have been any better is if they had offered to carry Betty back to her hotel :)
But, if Betty had not taken the walk back to her room, she never would have wandered into Konbiniya, a Japanese market at 1238 Robson Street. All of the products and foods foreign to Betty were being snatched up by locals. Betty had to try something! So she tried her luck with Lucky Mini Almond Chocolate cookies. Betty returned the next night to get two more boxes to take home. Nuff said.
The next morning it was off to Granville Island. Often described as a “foodie’s paradise,” Betty was in search of ambrosia. The weather was a tad gloomy and rainy, but bundled up and armed with an umbrella, Betty set out for the trek. And she was not disappointed.
OK. Hold everything!
When Betty came across Stuart’s in the Granville Island Market, their array of baked goods were too beautiful to pass up.
Already thinking about breakfast for the next morning, Betty chose a couple bagels…
And something completely new and different, a Cinnamon Record. (It’s the round pastry towards the front of the case in a tall stack… get it?) It was flaky yet crisp; moist and deceivingly light. Kinda like a croissant meets a pie crust meets a cinnamon bun.
After a brew at the Granville Island Brewing Company, Betty boarded the AquaBus to Yaletown. This helped to avoid walking across the Granville Island Bridge (again) with the impending darkness.
While walking back through the city Betty saw a rainbow… at dusk! Talk about different.
The next morning after coffee and a Cinnamon Record, Betty was kicking to go! She headed out along the waterfront.
The seaplanes and seagulls started at 8AM every morning. Kinda like a “natural” alarm clock.
The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver, so the waterfront and areas surrounding the Convention Center are under some serious construction. The construction could not deter The National Cheerleading Competition from being held though. Thank goodness.
It was cool to see the “sails” of the Convention Center up close.
And seeing all that cheerleading action really got Betty kickin’!
Hybrid taxi cabs. Now that’s different (and really smart!) But actually getting in one and missing an opportunity to walk in beautiful Vancouver? Not gonna do it!
Betty strolls along into Gastown, named after Gassy Jack. Yeah, don’t ask.
More cool shops and restaurants. More walking.
Hmmm. Maybe the Cinnamon Record wasn’t the best thing to have for breakfast…
Through Gastown and into Chinatown.
Vancouver’s Chinatown is the second largest in North America (San Francisco’s is the largest).
Betty has been to the Chinatown in San Francisco. The one in Vancouver seemed far more authentic Chinese to Betty. And all of this Chinese culture got Betty hankering for some Chinese food (of course!). But Betty wanted to get a little closer to home (literally and figuratively), so Betty dined at a more western-friendly Chinese restaurant, Oji Asian Cuisine, on a feast of BBQ Chicken, noodles, and a Buddha’s Delight mix of vegetables in a light, sweet sauce. Betty was delighted for sure.
Betty also indulged in a Boba from Bubble World at 1325 Robson Street. Boba or Bubble tea is a beverage that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and is a mixture of sweetened tea and milk. The “bubbles” or “pearls” are tapioca that sit at the bottom of the cup. It’s served with an extra-wide straw to allow the tapioca pearls to come on up and start a party in your mouth! Holy YUM! If you haven’t tried Boba yet, you gotta… both tasty and fun!
After Betty got all her ducks in a row… it was time to say goodbye to Vancouver.
And fortunately, Betty returned home just in time to see the first blooms on her Kaffir Lilly :)
BIG TIME BETTY PROPS to viewer Dave C who used to live in Vancouver, BC and had plenty of great tips for Betty ;) You rock, Dave!
CHECK OUT BETTY’S LATEST!
Link to the The Best Waffles Ever! recipe.
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Link to the The Waffler video.
Link to the accompanying The Waffler blog post.
Thanks for watching!
first viewing on the iPhone
worked great
Gen
Hey Genny!
WooHoo! And congrats on your new iPhone ;)
xo,
Betty
Just voted for you and had to let you know, my daughter and I discovered you iTune cast and we both had to watch ALL of them!
Love your style and humor… keep it up, Betty!
Wish “Saturday Night Live” were looking for someone with something new and fresh because you deliver that for us :)
Thanks for sharing your talent.
J&A
Hi Jan & Anna!
I’m so happy you dropped by the site! I love to hear that parents watch my show with their kids – I think that is the coolest thing! It also must mean you ladies like to cook together and we all know what a blast THAT is!
Thank you so much for the wonderful words… the encouragement and of course for subscribing on iTunes AND Voting!! Holy cow! I owe ya one :)
And HEY! SNL!!! Did ya hear that?
Great to meet you, ladies!
xo,
Betty
Why call yourself averagebetty? You should call yourself superbetty! Lovely photos, in fact I am considering a move to Canada for work, Vancouver being a possibility? Do you have any advise that you could give? :) x
Sorry, Shin — I haven’t been there since 2008 and I was only there visiting for a few days. All the advice I have about British Columbia… you just read. Thanks for the kind words about the site! Hope you’ll stick around :)