It's Go Time

So, as I have mentioned before, Vancouver is where I'm calling home these days.  Since my arrival, I have been diving head first into this city and Canadian culture- I have found my local market, grocery store, workout place, salon(s), shopping spot, and sushi- I have traded my Louboutins for Hunters and have basically converted everything I know into Canadian currency short of watching hockey (and that's coming) in efforts to make this lovely town feel like my home away from home-and yet something was missing that I couldn't quite put my finger on... But on one rainy afternoon, after greeting my visiting family,  I walked out to an empty parking lot and felt the cold panic rush over my body, and then the familiar realization flooded into me like a hot punch in the face, and I realized I was officially home- I had been towed!

This brings me to my topic at hand- alternative (to car) transportation! LA has a ton of pluses but way up there on the minuses is traffic and the lack of alternative transportation available. The transportation this city offers is unreal. It's fantastic! Should you want to use the bike, EVERY street has it's own bike lane and their own traffic signals, including the highway and parks. No matter where you are, there is a safe way to get from A to B on your bike. Now, since it rains 75% of the time and the weather is in the mid 30s, I would not be caught dead on a bike, but you will catch me at the train station everyday of the week for several reasons:
First, Eric and I only took one car to Canada, so we have to share- the train is a great alternative when there is no car to be had.
Second, it's not complicated like the New York sub because it's smaller, more like the London Tube- really straight forward and really clean. Again, should you bike. there is a spot for your bike on the sky train.
Third, It runs from 5:00 am to 1:30 am- Which is perfect; it gets you out of the bar at just the right time (as no one really needs that last shot at 1:30) to catch the last ride home.
Fourth, a huge plus to the sky train ( and I have always seen this as a NY strength as well,  and an LA weakness) is you get to see the rest of the community.  You get to see fashion and the people who are living around you. It's totally social. And, as an added bonus, after sitting and eating dinner or hangging at the bar, you also get a nice walk to work off food coma/ drink haze a bit- and it's lovely.
Finally, and most importantly, no pollution, no tickets, and no towing!

                                          This was actually taken in Paris- but you get the point

Now my second favorite form of transportation (and this comes as a very close second maybe first) is the aqua bus taxi. This is the COOLEST thing in the world. since we have the great fortune of living on the bay, we live right outside the Aqua Bus/ taxi stand and can catch a ride to anywhere on the bay i.e restaurants, the Granville Market, Science World, anywhere! Even if you are out for a jog and you think you can run further than you can and you need to take the aqua bus back across the water, no problem (I'm not saying that happen to me the first week I was here). Obviously this can only work where water is involved, but it's just such a pleasant way to travel. $6.00 round trip, dogs are welcome and the drivers are always so pleasant and give Chance treats.
In this case, for sure, the journey really is half the fun.

                                                   Aqua bust taxi stop at Granville market

                                                       Eric and Chance waiting in line

                                          Mom, Eric, me and Chance getting ready to take off

Could you just die- how cute are the boats! Just another reason to love this place! My parents were here last weekend, and my in-laws come this weekend, and next week our best friends are visiting from LA, so I will have tons of great spots to gush over!
Sending all my love,
Katy