We’ve made a major alteration in our travel plans. Instead of our long anticipated trip to the East Coast, which I’ve mentioned in several threads, we’ve decided on a cruise up the Pacific Coast that stops in San Francisco, Victoria BC, and Vancouver BC.
The concept of sailing from L.A. to San Francisco makes me think of some old Peter Lorre movie, as if dark, trench-coated figures will appear out of the fog, as I stand on deck, and force me into strange and terrible conspiracies.
We’ll be on the Royal Caribbean “Vision Of The Seas”, sailing from San Pedro on May 22, so if anyone else is going to be on the cruise let me know and we’ll have a drink.
Yeah, I’m sorry to miss out on New York, but this cruise looked too good to pass up.
Well, I was going to suggest a Guiness at the Irish Times pub, but I see that you’re only “in town” here from 9:00 am to 5:30…
Take advantage of some of the really nice BC wines while here; Mission Hill’s “Oculus” is very good, as is their outstanding 1999 Estate Syrah (if you can find it).
Burrowing Owl Estate’s 2001 Cabernet Franc is also very, very good.
There’s an excellent wine store about 1.6 miles from where you’ll be docked (grab acab, it’s quick and cheap): Cook St Village Wines (http://www.villagewineworks.com/). Go to the Cook Street location–Royal Oak is way the hell out of downtown.
A really nice place for lunch is the abovementioned Irish Times, just opened three or four months ago in a fully-restored heritage building. (Just walk up Government Street, and you’ll find it at a place called Bastion Square.)
Coffee stop: Murchie’s, just a few steps away from Irish Times. Incredible pastries, great tea and coffee.
Oh, and visit Munro’s Books, also on Government St, and also in a restored heritage building. Great bookstore.
Thanks for the tips. Certainly I’ll make sure to try some BC wine; we never see that down here in the stores. It never even occurred to me that BC was a wine-producing area; though it should have been obvious due to your relative proximity to Washington State, whence much wine is shipped around the States.
Oh yeah, the Okanagan Valley is a kick-ass wine producing place, once they ripped out all the apple orchards and tarred and feathered the producers of Baby Duck.
In Vancouver, you’ll get off the boat and be right next to both Gastown, Chinatown, and right in between is Canada’s poorest neighbourhood.
If you like stogies, pop in to Cigar Connoisseurs on Water St. and say hi to my uncle François. He’ll set you up with some Cubans (and if you’re real nice, ship 'em over the border for you).