2004-01-27 - 9:14 a.m.

Vancouver

As a child my grandparents took me into Ontario, though not very far from Niagara Falls. That was my first experience in Canada, though being a child, I was sheltered. And being so close to the United States, I noticed no real difference.

This weekend, Redwood and I flew to Vancouver to visit Cricket. This being my first trip as an adult to Canada. It was great to see Cricket again, and I have a feeling that she'll be very happy in Vancouver. It is a lovely city. If it were a bit warmer I could see myself living there.

Actually, even if it isn't a bit warmer, I could see myself potentially living there. The people are fairly open minded (as far as I could tell) and everything is laid out very nicely.

Two days is too short a time to really get to know a city, but I plan on returning to Stanley Park. The park is so much nicer than San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which isn't shabby in its own right!

At a party on Friday night I was pleasantly surprised when a bunch of Canadians were talking about the U.S. Presidential election. I butted into the conversation to offer an American POV, and was happy when they let me talk a bit about what is being said about the Democratic candidates in the United States. They weren't interested in telling me what they felt or believed, which in this case is a shame.

I was hoping a few of them might offer me some insights. Though I have been following the Democratic campaign (I think Senator Kerry would make a bad President), I also think that since American Presidents tend to screw around with the rest of the world, that it is important for American voters to pay attention to world opinion. I'm not saying that I should vote the will of a majority of non-Americans, but at the same time, I actively am interested in hearing the opinions of people who have nearly the same stake in the election as me. Their perspective is actually necessary!

We also went to a club, Sanctuary, in Gastown (a part of Vancouver). Canadian goth girls are very cute. Many of the men and women were dressed up. The music at the Sunday night club was very diverse and pretty good. Of course I'm easy to please. The DJs found this out when they played Mlada Fronta and This Morn' Omina (one I requested, the other was a happy surprise).

My new debate is do I return to Vancouver soon or save my money for a trip to Toronto in April? I'm leaning towards Toronto!

n.p. collection: d�arnell andrea :: coll age 1988 - 1998

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