EXPLORING VANCOUVER, PART TWO

Man, did we pack it in during our Vancouver trip with my Mom.

First of all, let me show you one of my favorite places we visited for a meal.

Peaceful consistently showed up on most of the “Best Of'” lists I found for Vancouver Chinese Restaurants, and as there were a couple of them around town, I picked the branch that routinely got the best reviews.

It was on West Broadway — and  it was packed.

Luckily, the wait wasn’t too long as I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head when I saw the noodle dishes arriving at all the tables around me.

When we finally got a table, we dug right into the menu.

We ordered so much — Gingered Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, and Pork Soup Dumplings (XLB’s).

And because they specialized in noodles…

… we got two different kinds of those, too.

We ordered a delicious stir-fried version with chicken and then their Dan-Dan noodles.  

A woman in line ahead of us insisted we ordered those and they were nothing short of spectacular.

These Dan-Dan noodles were one of my favorite things I ate on this trip.

It came to the table like this and then you toss it all together — the spicy peanut-y sauce, the pork, the crushed peanuts and sauteed pork — and then fight over who gets the lion’s share.

Deliciousness.

Next up, Science World.

On a rainy Vancouver day (of which there are many), this is a good place to kick back for a few hours and enlarge your brain– apparently, it’s an uphill struggle.

Every day I feel a little dumber than the day before — and now I know why.

So many interesting things here to see and do here although most of the activities did cater to the younger set (there were lots of water and ball play experiments).

Still there were plenty of attractions I’d never seen anywhere else.

Think OMSI meets Experience Music Project.

We all lifted our bodies on a pulley (no small feat considering our recent exploits), engaged in all kinds of experiments that tested our alpha waves, and both heart rate and grip power.

We also watched how smart windows turned giant panes of glass from clear to opaque with the flip of a switch.

Oliver says his modern house in the future will only have these windows.

Afterwards we wandered through Granville Island. 

And then checked out all the beautiful stalls of food inside the market hall.

There was row after row of purveyors of all kinds– pasta, seafood, delis, butchers, candy shops, produce shops, chocolatiers, specialty groceries and bakeries.

And you’ve got to marvel at a place that offers up an Eiffel Tour of macaroons.

And lastly for our second leg of the trip, we took advantage of some rare sunshine and drove up to Queen Elizabeth Park.

The park is a twenty minute drive from downtown and offers up unparalleled views of snow-dipped mountains, towering skyscrapers and glistening water and beaches below.

At the park there was a fountain with a Henry Moore sculpture, a Conservatory, and panoramic views everywhere you looked.

Vancouver has so much to offer — including wonderfully luxe rentals to relax in after long days of exploring.

We loved our home away from home.

Next up, aquariums, beaches and a bakery that has been on my bucket list for years.

More soon.