Friday, July 24, 2015

Vancouver


I'm in Canada!  I came North yesterday to attend a blogger convention hosted by my friend Suzanne. I met Suzanne in New York a few months ago; she has an exceptional blog and is a sweet person.

From what I've seen so far, Vancouver is a hip place with lots of fun boutiques and cool restaurants. The city is surrounded by water so everything feels like waterfront property. And there are mountains! You can see mountains from any spot in the city. Toto, we're not in New York any more.

I arrived a day early to spent solo-time with my friend Jodi. Jodi also has a blog and I've always wanted to meet her. Aren't there bloggers whom you wish you knew in real life? Jodi's one of those. She's a marathon athlete who competes in incredible events like running 50 miles, then swimming 100 miles, then bicycling 500 miles. She and her boyfriend are always training or competing and they look as fit as Olympians.

Jodi grew up in rural Canada with two brothers and she enjoys outdoor life. As a little girl, she split logs and hauled heavy loads. In fact, it's been only recently that Jodi started exploring her feminine side. That may be why we hit it off -- we connect with that experience. As strong and confident as Jodi was in normal life, she felt uneasy and insecure when first wearing feminine clothes. That's why she started her blog: to learn and improve. Her ability to dress well got better quickly and she now impresses you in either mode. There's certainly a parallel between Jodi's experience with femininity and mine -- we both explored it in adulthood.

Today, before the convention starts, Jodi promised to take me on a hike through the beautiful parts of Vancouver. I'm looking forward to it -- but apprehensive that a "hike" might mean something different to Jodi (a marathon athlete) than me (a aging New Yorker). At some point when my sneakers start to melt, my legs get wobbly and we pass Mile 42 of our journey, I might cry uncle. I'll try not to whine because I can be unexpectedly macho when it comes to stuff like this, but I'll surely collapse in a puddle before Jodi breaks a sweat. Oh, well... at least we'll have a good chat.  :-)

26 comments:

  1. I love love love love love Vancouver. Our last visit was our honeymoon! If you're in downtown Vancouver, grab breakfast at Scoozies. It really felt like showing up at the family's breakfast table. Oh, and Granville Island. And Stanley Park. So much to do! So much to see!

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    1. I agree! We're going to Granville Island tomorrow. Thanks for the recommendations.

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    2. Ooooh, have a Granville Island brewski for me! LOL

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    3. We spent yesterday eating and shopping at Granville Island! I learned it's the second-biggest attraction in Canada (behind Niagra Falls).

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  2. I hear Vancouver is really cool. I've never been. Hope you have a great time.

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  3. I hope you are having a wonderful time! I have never been to Canada before...
    Larissa
    http://cenestquedelachance.blogspot.de/

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    1. The people here are super-nice! Canadians are much more polite than Americans.

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    2. But not the BC drivers! They were terrifying between the border and Vancouver. They love to tailgate and speed.
      I'll see you tomorrow! I got in late.

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    3. Come on Anne! I've driven in LA before! LOL Why do you think they call it a "California lane change"? {wink}

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  4. Hahaha I'm sure you'll do just fine on the hike! Vancouver sounds lovely - and you're visiting at the perfect time!

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  5. Ohhh how fabulous ! I cannot believe you are there !!!
    Have a great blogger meet up, give Sheila a hug for me!

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  6. It's nice to get to meet other blogger's in real life. Hope you enjoy Vancouver. I love it there, so beautiful. /Madison
    Nautical Embellishments

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  7. WOW Vancouver is far from New York. I visited there when I lived in Seattle, it is a nice city, and how exciting, traveling to meet bloggers. Good for you!

    Allie of ALLIENYC
    allienyc.com

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    1. Yes, it's far! It took me 12 hours to travel here door-to-door.

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  8. I have told Canadians are very similar to Australians, all the Canadians we know are amazing fun loving people and i can't wait to go visit.

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  9. I've been to Vancouver once and loved it. Have the best fun at the blogger meet and make sure to take all the pictures you can!

    -Kati

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  10. Hahaha at the 500 miles and the definition variations of a hike!!!!

    So glad you made it safely and are having a wonderful time so far. Your happiness means the world to me!

    I love that you and Jodi started your blogs as a way to learn for your own selves. I think that's actually a big part of the reason why I started mine, without even realizing it. Someday I hope to get back into it!

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  11. Mile 42!? I don't think I'd make it past mile 5.

    7% Solution

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  12. My dream is to meet my friend Ally!!!!!! One day is one day that we will meet in New York for coffee!!!

    Hope you are having a blast at the Blogger Meet-up ~ I spent my weekend with my scrapbooking girls.

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    1. Lynn, if you don't get here soon, I'm gonna have to jump on a plane and visit South Africa!

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    2. Get on that plane ... Wendy and I will meet you at the airport!!!!

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  13. Oh lovely, and can't wait to read more of your trip to Vancouver - how exciting! It's where LincsGeek and I are starting and finishing our big adventure next summer and I'm already excited as people have told me some lovely things about the city. Enjoy the blogger meet up.

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  14. I loved meeting Jody. She is a really lovely woman inside and out and I can see why she attracts you. I wish I'd had more time to get to know her. I loved meeting you too and was really happy to have more time for that! I'm glad you like Canada and Vancouver. Anne's comment above about BC drivers speeding and riding your tail reminds me of my taxi ride to the plane on Sunday. I thought the driver was going to run over several people and crash into cars and was amazed at the speed he did in short distances. I'm not used to driving in a city though. Also, you should go and visit Lynn. She is such a sweetheart and what a great trip that would be!
    xoxo

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  15. I'm so happy that you were able to meet up with Jodi earlier and she showed you around the city.

    Glad you found Canada welcoming. I told everyone to be extra polite for your arrival ; P

    bisous
    Suzanne

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