We made a decision to spend this summer taking in all of the great things that Vancouver has to offer. While this is our second summer living downtown we spent most of last summer away on both work and personal trips. But this year we have planned our summer to be here as much as possible and May long weekend always feeling like the official start of the summer season so off we went.
We started out Saturday morning with our usual ride around the Stanley Park Seawall. This was about our 5th or 6th ride of the season but this weekend was different. For the past 6 weeks we have enjoyed a somewhat leisurely ride but still at a good enough pace to get some exercise. Today however it was a ‘start and stop’ adventure, veering around the multitude of people who decided to take advantage of the lack of rain and ‘almost’ sunny conditions. Since we work from home and work at odd hours we tend to forget what happens to the city on a long weekend. But the walkers, bladers and bikers who do not care to read or follow the posted directional and lane signs were out in full force as a reminder that summer is coming, even if the weather is still suspect.
We did mange to make our way around the park and instead of continuing further we decided the best way to spend an hour would be to get some food and sit at English Bay Beach. Now, everyone who lives in Vancouver has an opinion on who sells the best fish and chips in town. In our opinion it is the Raincity Grill on Denman. The take out window is great for bikers to ride right up to and for $10 (cash only) you get batter wild halibut with housemade chips, coleslaw and a bottle of Mineral Springs water. The meal takes about 5 – 8 minutes to get and is fresh and hot. Raincity uses paper bags and bio-degradable containers and cutlery. The fish is the best quality around and the batter is not too heavy. The tartar sauce is thick, chunky and full of flavor. And what better way to enjoy fish and chips than sitting on a log with a great view of the bay. Oh, and of course we had to stop at 7-11 for slurpees to wash it all down.
Check back tomorrow to read the final installment of “Long Weekend in the City”
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