Labour Day!

Yes, Canada celebrates Labour Day too. They just add an extra letter in there. Anyway, John was here for the long weekend so I did have company and didn't mope around the whole time. It rained pretty consistently on Saturday and Sunday though Monday cleared up a bit. While this foiled some of our more adventurous plans (Stanley Park, Lynn Canyon) we did get to see a lot of the city.
John loved Granville Island and the rumors about Go Fish were spot-on. The line-up's are long but worth the wait. We had a halibut sandwich on Saturday which was delicious and went back to try some fish and chips on Sunday. Also, delicious. They work directly with the local fishermen so the fish is always fresh and their specials changes with how the catches go. And it's situated right near the Wharf so you can see the water and lots of boats as you eat at one of the few little tables. Go Fish is really just a food stand so you'll have to brave the weather and the wait.
We did the Granville Island Brewery tour which so-so but we did get to try some of their brews which I quite like. Probably only a one time deal and mostly for tourists though I did like the idea proposed by one employee that people go get some food from Go Fish and bring it on back to the Taproom. I'd definitely do that. And of course the Granville Island Market is always a joy. For all you Philly folks, it's like a smaller version of Reading Terminal. With maybe more fish.
That night we went down the street to The Noodle Box which was exactly what we needed after a long day. It's easy and delicious and close to home. Then we went on a foray to the liquor store and John was appalled by the price of alcohol here in Canada. And it is expensive. I think it's the taxes that are levied but I'm not going to get into it. Just be prepared for that when you visit.
Sunday we woke up to more rain but set out for Stanley Park anyway. By the time we got downtown though, we bailed on that plan and instead explored the city. John had seen Anthony Bourdain visit a particular hot dog cart here in Vancouver so we found it also. Japa Dog is totally whacky as are the hot dogs. We tried two (the Terimayo and something else which I can't remember) and there were curious but good. The something else one had dried bonito flakes on it which was weird but also ok; still, I might not get that one again. But after our hot dog eating, we wandered our way over to Chinatown. It was pretty quiet down there though and I suspect that if anywhere is considered a bad place to be at night, it might be on the outskirts of Chinatown. More exploration of the area needs to be done, especially because Vancouver's Chinatown is the 2nd largest in North America (after San Francisco's). But quickly we wound up in Gastown which is the old, historical part of the city. It was cute with a farmer's market and lots of little shops. I can imagine it being quite picturesque during the winter time.
For dinner that night we went to Hell's Kitchen, sorry, no, not affiliated with Gordon Ramsay. Pizza and beers were on the menu for us and one pizza that was featured was delicious. It had a list of toppings that I can't remember but notably, peaches were on there. John hates peaches but liked this.
By Monday morning, the weather had cleared a bit. I took John to UBC so he could see campus and where I'll be spending most of my time. Then we came home and went to various markets to pick up ingredients for dinner. I'm lucky in that within 2 blocks of me, there is a butcher, a fish market, a produce market, several bakeries, and for good measure, a Safeway and a Whole Foods. John made a bouillabaisse for dinner which turned out well for his first attempt.
This morning we had to get up early so he could get to the airport and I could get to campus for my first day. Unfortunately, my first day was very anti-climatic as both my classes were cancelled and I couldn't get various other tasks done because of administrative slowness. But hopefully, tomorrow, with my one class, one meeting, and one department reception will go well. It's just too bad I couldn't use today to shake some of my nerves. Ah well. I'm sure I'll be longing for a quiet day like today within a couple weeks.