Seaplanes! I saw them close to the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Again, I have to thank my friend (let's call her Claire) and her fiance (let's call him Charlie) for letting me stay over at her place during my whole time in Vancouver. It was a huge money-saver plus it had been years since the last time I saw her.
When I landed in Vancouver (Thursday August 8), it was around 4 PM. Claire and Charlie were still at work. I reloaded my Compass card (a card used in Vancouver for transit) and decided to commute to Vancouver Convention Centre to pick up my AniRevo pass. It was the right decision since I bumped into Akai Ryusei and TAM (my main reasons for attending AniRevo!).
Afterwards, I met up with my friend and her fiance at an intersection close to their living space. I made the mistake of trying to reach that intersection on foot (it didn't look that far when looking at Google maps!). From Broadway-City Hall station, it was probably 40 minutes' worth of walking (plus lugging my luggage). When we finally met up, we walked to their place to drop off my luggage. Then we went to have some dinner.
Claire and Charlie still had to go back to work, so I went back to their place by myself. I took a shower, changed into pajamas, lay on their couch while playing some phone games, and then... the next thing I heard was Claire saying, "Aww, you poor thing...". I guess I fell asleep. Crap! I was hoping to be awake to say "Welcome home!" when they got back from work, hahaha.
Every day after that, I was able to do some catching up with Claire in the morning before heading out for AniRevo. We also ate out together with Charlie almost everyday for dinner. We have our differences now and then, but she will always be my awesome friend! :)
Me (with my face grey-blocked out) with Claire and Charlie's budgie on my shoulder.
Whenever she landed on my shoulder, I would say "cheep, cheep",
since Claire said the budgie liked it when people talked to her.
Whenever she landed on my shoulder, I would say "cheep, cheep",
since Claire said the budgie liked it when people talked to her.
Breakfast on Saturday morning.
Claire and Charlie prepared that.
It was yummy! :)
Claire and Charlie prepared that.
It was yummy! :)
MY WANDERING
I was only able to do some wanderings on Saturday, because there were only two things I wanted to do at AniRevo and there was a lot of time between them (the Meet & Greet at 1 PM, and the Animusix concert at 6-ish PM). With that downtime, I decided to look for... a street piano! Days before AniRevo started, I saw a few tweets from Akai Ryusei and TAM showing videos of themselves playing on the street, with Ryusei playing on a piano that was out in the public. After seeing another tweet, I really wanted to find it.I tried Googling for locations. I picked the closest one and started walking to it (East along Hastings Street). Unfortunately, I didn't find the piano (maybe the location was outdated)... and I found myself in a place that didn't feel too safe. As I continued walking, I noticed a change in the building architecture. Also, there were more and more people sitting on the sidewalk.
When I decided to call it quits, I took a bus back to my starting point. I didn't want to walk through the area again. Later on, I found out that I was walking along Downtown Eastside. I hope that area improves over time!
ABERDEEN CENTRE
I checked this out for a little bit on my last day (thanks to Claire for suggesting it!). I got to the airport early, so I got back on the SkyTrain and got off at the Aberdeen station. Unfortunately, most of the shops were still closed (I got there around 10:30 AM and the shops opened at 11 AM).Luckily, there was a Daiso at Aberdeen Centre, and it was open. I really needed to get some cheap earphones for my flight. On my flight to Vancouver, earbuds were being sold instead of being given as complimentary. From all my past flights to Japan, I had been used to the latter!
I would like to check out Aberdeen Centre next time when it is open.
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FOOD PLACES
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THE WHIP
Contact: (604) 874-4687
Website: https://www.thewhiprestaurant.com/
Type(s) of Cuisine: Burgers, sandwiches, various
Specialty (if any): None that I know of
Price Range (for a main dish): Mid (Approx. $16-26)
Restaurant Size: Small
Recommend? Yes
Brief Impression
I thought the service was pretty good, and the atmosphere was nice.
What I Ate / Drank ...
Poutine with Bacon -- I really enjoyed this!
Some drink -- I forgot the name of the drink, but it was good.
It looks like a small bowl, but it was really filling.
The drink. I think it had a peach-flavour.
MIKU VANCOUVER
Location: 200 Granville #70, Vancouver Google Map
Contact: (604) 568-3900
Website: https://mikurestaurant.com/
Type(s) of Cuisine: Sushi, seafood
Contact: (604) 568-3900
Website: https://mikurestaurant.com/
Type(s) of Cuisine: Sushi, seafood
Specialty (if any): Aburi sushi (nigiri sushi where the top is partially grilled)
Price Range (for a main dish): High (Approx. $17-20 per sushi; more for other items)
Restaurant Size: Medium-Large
Recommend? Yes!
Brief Impression
One thing I really wanted to do in Vancouver was eat some good sushi. So I Googled "Good sushi in Vancouver" and Miku popped up. I checked out the site and saw that it was pretty pricey... but I still wanted to check it out.
I got Claire and Charlie to join me and I offered to treat them, as one way to say "Thanks for letting me crash at your place!". Claire pinched me everytime I mentioned it was my treat. We were lucky to get a table. We didn't make any reservations and we were told that bar seats would be available in 10-15 minutes.
Miku looked really spacious and swanky. Definitely not a place I'd be able to afford going to on a regular basis! When we were seated, the server told us that Miku specialized in aburi sushi and told us that each sushi was sauced just right, so that it could be enjoyed without needing any soy sauce.
We decided to each order a roll and share them.
If you are ever in Vancouver and enjoy sushi, I recommend trying this place out at least once!
I got Claire and Charlie to join me and I offered to treat them, as one way to say "Thanks for letting me crash at your place!". Claire pinched me everytime I mentioned it was my treat. We were lucky to get a table. We didn't make any reservations and we were told that bar seats would be available in 10-15 minutes.
Miku looked really spacious and swanky. Definitely not a place I'd be able to afford going to on a regular basis! When we were seated, the server told us that Miku specialized in aburi sushi and told us that each sushi was sauced just right, so that it could be enjoyed without needing any soy sauce.
We decided to each order a roll and share them.
If you are ever in Vancouver and enjoy sushi, I recommend trying this place out at least once!
What I Ate / Drank ...
Ebi Fritters -- This was really yummy.
Red Wave Roll -- I didn't really like the bits at the top (I think they were onion). Other than that, it tasted pretty good.
Miku Roll -- This was my favourite. The combination of all the ingredients made for a nice flavour and texture.
Saba Oshi Sushi -- This was light and refreshing. 
And bottom right: Red wave roll.
Out of the three, I enjoyed the Miku roll the most.
THIERRY CHOCOLATE PATISSERIE
Location: 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver Google Map
Contact: (604) 608-6870
Website: https://www.thierrychocolates.com/
Type(s) of Cuisine: Quiche, soups, pastries, desserts
Contact: (604) 608-6870
Website: https://www.thierrychocolates.com/
Type(s) of Cuisine: Quiche, soups, pastries, desserts
Specialty (if any): Dessert
Price Range (for a main dish): Mid ($7-9 per cake piece)
Restaurant Size: Very small
Restaurant Size: Very small
Recommend? Yes!
Brief Impression
This was a dessert shop Claire and Charlie took me to. It also sold some cafe items like quiche and danishes, but all I focused on when I entered the shop was all the chocolate and yummy-looking cakes!
There were very few tables for dining in, so unless you plan to stake out a table, expect to buy for take-out.
There were very few tables for dining in, so unless you plan to stake out a table, expect to buy for take-out.
What I Ate / Drank ...
Passion Fruit Cake -- This had a very strong tangy-sour taste. I liked the macaron.
Tiramisu -- I enjoyed this the most, although I would switch out the dark chocolate pieces for milk chocolate.
Millefeuille -- This was great.
and the Passion fruit cake.
Out of the three, I enjoyed the tiramisu the most.
Here is a breakdown of my spending in Vancouver (Excluding any spending related to AniRevo). Even though I treated Claire and Charlie to Miku, they treated me to a couple food things, too, which I really appreciated! :)
UP express tickets (roundtrip): $18.50
Plane ticket (roundtrip): $858.61
Compass card: $60
Total foods (airport snacks / water, all dinners): $145.20
Misc spending (earphones, batteries): $17.76
Total spending in Vancouver: $1,100.07.
That's it for this blog. Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions or comments on anything, feel free.
Have a good rest of the weekend and until next time! :)
UP express tickets (roundtrip): $18.50
Plane ticket (roundtrip): $858.61
Compass card: $60
Total foods (airport snacks / water, all dinners): $145.20
Misc spending (earphones, batteries): $17.76
Total spending in Vancouver: $1,100.07.
That's it for this blog. Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions or comments on anything, feel free.
Have a good rest of the weekend and until next time! :)
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