An expat in Vancouver: dogs

Posted on February 6, 2012 by kmazz

There are a lot of dogs in Vancouver. The numbers are not reliable, but the city claims 30,000 dogs licensed, out of 273,000 or so households. I don’t know why anyone would not license their dog, but apparently there’s reason to believe the total number of dogs, licensed or not, is 145,000.

A Scottie-Cairn mix

It is definitely dog-friendly, possibly one of the most dog-friendly cities in North America, if there were such a survey. A luxe hotel encourages pet visitors. Community dog bowls outside of stores are everywhere. And everyone wants to know the breed of your dog or what kind of rescue mutt it is. “Can my dog come say hello?” is something a dog walker often hears. The “hello” is for your dog, of course, not you.

You had me at "hello." Woof.

Vancouver is the first city where I’ve met rescue dogs from Taiwan, India, the Philippines and other Asian points of origin. I guess there aren’t enough adoptions in those countries for dogs taken from puppy mills and meat factories.

The city has identified many areas as off-leash parks, and although some are not enclosed, they are usually in semi-protected, scenic areas where you can enjoy the time away from your computer as much as your canine friend. Some are at beautiful beaches, like Vanier Park or Spanish Bank.

Vanier Park for dogs

However, the fines for letting the pooch loose just anywhere can be steep, from $250 up to $2000. I notice people flouting these restrictions pretty regularly, but I don’t dare. And that’s what the fine is meant to do…dissuade totally. I can understand it. Not everyone likes to mix with running and jumping dogs, and let’s face, not every owner is responsible regarding controlling dog misbehavior and picking up after them. Don’t you wish they were easy to find and fine?

Finding a place to live that allows dogs is another matter. A dog severely limits your choices. And if your dog is more than 20 pounds, even more so. That might be why there are so many small dogs in the city. That and the fact that buildings squeeze residents into as little space as possible, and you have a huge imbalance between big and little dogs, from what I’ve observed. (Those black and white French bulldogs are really popular, btw. They could be Vancouver’s patron dog.)

So a building that allows dogs tends to be full of them. If your dog, like ours, can’t take the excited anticipation of waiting at the elevator for the door to open in hopes of seeing a canine neighbor without going all out of control, then you should limit yourself further by looking for a garden apartment on the first floor. We lucked out; maybe you would too.

But then, dogs are allowed in the strangest places, like the baby ferry on False Creek, Aquabus. It hardly holds more than five people, but if each person had a dog they’d be allowed.

Aquabus

Another reason to celebrate the arrival of pleasant spring and summer weather? Dog friendly restaurant patios! Ah, to imbibe a local microbrew watching the sunset over False Creek or English Bay with your shaggy friend at your feet. Until then, dogs wait outside. Because it would just be too mean to leave them home alone.

Posted in expat | Tagged , | 1 Comment

An Expat in Vancouver: Train Travel, Foiled

Posted on January 21, 2012 by kmazz

I was up at dark to catch the Amtrak #500 from Portland to Seattle, where after a one hour layover, I would transfer to a bus for the rest of the long trip home to Vancouver. As in the Vancouver to Portland direction, there is only one train that takes you all the way with no need to change vehicles.

Without exception, when I tell Vancouverites that I am from Portland, I get fond looks and an exclamation that usually goes like this: “I love Portland!” And vice versa. Yes, there is mutual admiration between the two cities. I am lucky to be able to enjoy both.

From my friend’s house the taxi took me past those Portland signposts with which I have grown familiar. We pass the Rasmussen building with its neon sign over its pre-war entryway, the iconic Voodoo Donuts shop (no waiting line at this hour), a smattering of artisanal breweries, the Norse Hall solidly referencing the city’s early settlers. Over the Burnside Bridge and under the White Stag sign we pass the homeless gathering at soup kitchens, a few lost souls standing in the rain, and whizz past the gaudy Chinatown gate and continue along the comedy clubs, music halls and strip clubs of Old Town before arriving at Union Station. Which, at 7:10am, is closed for a few more minutes. It’s not cold this morning and I don’t mind the air.

Portland Train Station at 7:10am on a January morning

Peeking inside the closed Portland Train Station early in the a.m.

Rarely do I stand in the middle of the city and feel all alone. It’s a nice feeling from time to time, a reminder of the solitary nature of being, and the power of self-reliance, especially when you are about to embark on a more-than-metaphorical passage through space and time.

Under the eaves at the Portland Train Station early in the a.m.

The Union Station brown and pink brick clock tower reminds me of Tuscan hill town battle stations or churches, but once inside the dimly lit and empty waiting lounge I’m reminded of trains as a enduring symbol of American mobility and escape. The getaway sequence in Terence Malick’s “Days of Heaven” runs through my mind.

Portland Train Station Clock Tower

The idea of train travel conjures up so many facets of existence and it’s no wonder it features prominently as a backdrop to so many stories: “The Lady Vanishes,” “El Secreto en Sus Ojos,” “Anna Karenina,” “The Jewel in the Crown,” and, one of my iconic favorites, “Go West.”

The restoration of the station is tasteful, and devoid of passengers or not the lounge is spit-and-polish attractive, as in a living diorama, or a movie set. You could say the effect is a little “twee.” It is easy to imagine oneself in one of the archival photos displayed. I get a strange comfort from knowing a jazz club is housed at one end of the building. All this station needs is a B&B and this is as far as I’d get on my trips to Portland.

I settle into one of original rows of high-backed seats and I am taken to the train station scene in Peter Weir’s “Witness.”

Historic Americana at the Portland Train Station

It turns out due to mudslides the train track won’t be operative today, so a bus will stand in.

And we’re off.

Like Johnny Cash, I long for the train. I console myself with a mental medley of some my favorite train songs. There’s “500 Miles,” “There’s a train a’comin‘”, “Love Train,” “Peace Train,” “Midnight Train to Georgia” and of course “City of New Orleans” as a partial list.

In Seattle, some of us connect with other buses to complete our trips. My bus to Vancouver, B.C. leaves in 1.5 hours so I enter the King Street station to wait. What a let down. The station is of the same era as Portland’s, and is currently being restored. For now the the overall look is derelict.

Seattle Train Station

Dozens of short wires hang ominously from the coffered ceiling, like so many swords of Damocles, a hideous effect.

Weird wires hanging at Seattle Train Station during restoration

The rest room doors have chains and bars on them, and a homeland security video blares out in a continuous loop assuring travelers of Amtrak safety. “Amtrak bomb detectors train every day.” Imagine if we had these videos in every airport lounge. We wouldn’t have airports.

There’s a cheesy sequence reenacting a scenario where passengers spot and report suspicious activity in the station, like a skinny male in hoodie twitching nervously in a corner. “If you see something, say something!” Suddenly I wonder if someone will turn me in for taking photos around the station.

I like how this Cascadia traveler stuck to the vintage theme with her luggage.

I’m excited, however, to think that the next time I pass through this station the restoration will be nearly complete. The place will be transformed, with a cafe and patio, and a shop or two to while away the waiting time. There will probably be wifi like there is in Portland, and the gorgeous Beaux Arts decorative details will stand out as proudly as they should given their provenance.

Detail of Seattle King Street Station

Italianate original floor in Seattle King Street Station awaiting restoration

Is this interest in reviving historic train stations a sign of better train travel in the future? I hope so. I hope we get a few European or Japanese bullet trains on the Cascadia corridor. We can use a little slow time, and the train station beats getting the TSA grope.

Posted in expat, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

An expat in Vancouver: Train travel

Posted on January 16, 2012 by kmazz

Amtrak Cascades in January

Now that airfares are beyond what’s reasonable to pay, I’ve been forced to resort to the Amtrak train for my Vancouver to Portland travel. There is really just one daily train: the #513 Cascades departing at 6:40am from the Main Street Terminal arriving in Portland, theoretically, at 2:50pm.

All the rest are in fact buses to Seattle, where after an hour layover you board the actual train to Portland. That rigamarole means what would be a seven hour drive becomes what in New York might be called an 11 hour schlep ride.

I’ve taken the #513 three times and will do so again.  Although it is a pathetically slow haul, it has its Old World appeal in its waterside views and leisurely pace. It leaves early enough to catch the sunrise over the delta in Richmond, B.C. or over the various broad bays that lay south of Vancouver all the way to Bellingham, Washington, where the waterways fragment and multiply until reaching Tacoma. Unlike the highway, the train track hugs the coast and steers clear of civilization, and I have each time caught sight of herons, hawk, eagles and seabirds, and even an occasional otter and seal.

Because of the early hour of departure, most of the few passengers on-board for the first couple of hours are content to doze, and you can gaze on this splendid view of water and wildlife with only your thoughts.

Early morning train

If that’s not enough entertainment for you, the wifi usually works and there are power outlets next to the seats. The bistro opens as soon as the train leaves the station. I hear the coffee is not bad.

After Seattle the tone changes brusquely, as groups board and some people invariably make for the train bistro to drink beer regardless how early in the day it is to begin imbibing. The landscape changes and becomes industrial, sparsely populated with the odd homestead of small house with peeling paint and rusted farm equipment, or lonely nondescript clusters of new houses, squalid strip malls and truck stations. You are half-way there.  Forests open occasionally to the water or a flat industrial or agricultural establishment.

What a chill from the train windows this Sunday morning! I imagine the people in their homes snug and snoring under warm blankets. Luckily, the train is toasty too.

After weeks of rain in Vancouver, I am surprised to see so much snow. The colors under the heavy clouds are white, gray and brown.

Here are some other views taken onboard.

South of Vancouver, in the delta

Over the border

Northern Washington state

A splash of sun in-between clouds, rain and snow

One of those newer developments you see in Washington state

Washington state farmland

When it stopped snowing for a while

Old industry

Approaching Oregon

Every rise was blanketed

Posted in expat, Travel | Tagged | 2 Comments

An Expat in Vancouver Favorite Eats cont’d: Suika

Posted on January 1, 2012 by kmazz

Everyone knows you can get excellent Chinese food in Vancouver. And one of the best Indian restaurants in North America, it is widely perceived, is Vij’s. Chefs at the best of these establishments can be very creative in putting together their fabulous meals.

But before moving here, I didn’t realize that there are also loads of Japanese restaurants here.

Sushi joints are on every block, practically, but quantity does not mean quality. I’m doing my due diligence and seeking out the great ones. More on that when I have something to report.

It took me a while to find an izakaya I really liked but happily when I did, it ended up being in my neighborhood. Suika is about a year old, and it got a lot of attention when it first opened and for some reason (probably how busy I was trying Chinese and Indian food) I only made it there this week.

Clams on udon noodles at Suika

It was crammed, predominantly with Japanese. I’d say that speaks for authenticity. We had a smattering of their small plates (some weren’t so small, btw) and there wasn’t one that disappointed. Rich broths, vegetable fritters, pressed sushi, ramen, a clam and udon dish that was reminiscent of Italy’s clam and linguine dish, and matcha cheesecake were tasty enough to linger in our memories days later. So we have to return.

Pressed sushi

Posted in expat | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

December Shadows

Posted on January 1, 2012 by kmazz

Well, we’ve passed the shortest day of the year, on which we were spared the double whammy of being rainy, in which case Dec. 22 would have been the darkest and gloomiest. Now things are looking up. By February we’ll have noticeably more light in the morning and evening.

There is no denying that the period from December-February can be very bad times anywhere in the coastal Pacific Northwest, otherwise known as Cascadia because of the mountain range that traps precipitation separating wet from dry regions. In Vancouver, compared to Portland, the higher latitude means significantly shorter winter days. By “significant” I mean anything more than one minute, because at this time of year you notice every nano of difference.

Every year I think we are having record amounts of rainfall, but the records usually prove me wrong. It’s always this bad.

People cope with ski weekends, restorative soaks at Harrison Hot Springs and Vitamin D refueling in the time shares in Baja or the Yucatan of Mexico. Travel out of the area is wise. We should all plan on it. Even a week in Arizona or Palm Springs will restore energy and hope for a long time to come. Until July when the sun can be coaxed out more often than not.

Otherwise, the rule is to not let the rain beat you down. Put on your breathable rain gear, from head to toe, and enjoy the sensation of walking in a downpour and staying dry. Catch up on movies, preferably really long ones. Try a lot of happy hours.

For us, our earlier travel to Europe emptied the travel fund, so its only the occasional jaunt when a sliver of sun breaks through the clouds, as it did on Dec. 30th on our walk with the dog.

December shadows

Posted in expat | Tagged , | 1 Comment