Micah and Jon set out for the Richmond Oval to see speed skating, while Mom and I set out to see more of the city. We had a great time walking through Kitsilano, a cute part of the city filled with shops, restaurants, bakeries, cafes and florists. Since it was the day before the Valentine holiday, all of the flower shops had lovely displays on the sidewalks under their awnings. We saw several men carrying bouquets and vases.
We meandered into different stores and were impressed by the shopkeeper’s friendliness. They all wanted to know where we were from and if we had event tickets. We spoke with a lady about the luge tragedy, and she said she wasn’t going to watch any of that sport’s coverage on TV. “I couldn’t stand it,” she said. We agreed and told her about our decision not to attend the event.
Later, we bought fabulous cupcakes at Cupcakes by Heather and Lori. I’m quite the cupcake connoisseur, and the Diva is right up there with the best I’ve eaten. Made of chocolate cake, pink vanilla butter cream and pink sugar crystals, it was delicious enough for me to still consider ordering for a special occasion from Atlanta. We had lunch at the Banana Leaf, a good Malaysian restaurant with a tropical vibe. And of course I drank coffee from various shops along the way. I was sad to reach the Wired Monk too late in our journey to have more caffeine.
Our favorite store was Shine, a boutique with consignment and new clothing. We both bought scarves, and the owner gave us free recyclable tote bags. A couple of blocks from the store a woman asked where we had gotten the bags.
Back at the house, Micah and Jon were tired from their adventure. They had enjoyed watching the event and flower ceremony. Afterwards they took the sky train to the downtown area and took photos of the outdoor Olympic torch. That night we stayed in and had a light supper and those amazing cupcakes.
For my next installment I’ll write about our trip to Whistler for the biathlon and the character from Portland, OR.
Jennifer Taylor lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and Burmese cat. Her website is www.jrtaylorweb.com
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