Vancouver

Headed out this morning, essentially eating my way from Seattle to Vancouver. The normally 2 hour drive took me 10, and my stomach is filled to the brim.

1. Needed coffee. Somehow managed to function just long enough without it to get into the car and drive 5 miles to Cloud City Cafe. Just loved the Seattle cafe vibe, which does not equal Starbucks. (Although I will admit I do have a Starbucks card.) With mocha in hand and coconut bread in mouth (heaaaaaven!), I popped out to I-5 and headed north.

2. Following the Bon Appetit article, I headed to Snow Goose Farms. But I took a slight detour, when an antique store caught my eye. An hour later, I was the proud owner of some random old postcards, a metal pencil box, and a tin Cadbury container. I got back on track and headed to the farm. When I walked into the farmstore, I was hit with a whiff of sugary baked goodness--waffle cones. So it was toffee crunch ice cream in a homemade waffle cone for lunch. Grabbed some other snacks for the drive and hit the road again.

 

Antique shop finds that would not fit in my suitcase

3. Entered into the lovely town of Edison, with Breadfarm as the destination. Still full on ice cream, I bought a carrot cocoa muffin and roasted beet foccacia for later.

4. Headed to the ferry to get over to Lummi Island. Of course, the day I go, there is no car ferry service. So I just walk on board, hoping the island has some sort of public transportation. And lo and behold, the shuttle is on break for the next 2 hours. But the kindness of strangers swoops in and a gentleman named Hal offers me a ride with him and his wife. We stop by the "grocery" which is actually a little peony farm. I chat with the owners, who are just lovely and I'm ready to move in with them and start raising the chickens.

But alas, I move on. Hal and his wife drop me off at Nettle Farms. Place is deserted so I just make myself at home and walk through the farm. Then I head down to the Willows Inn, munching on blackberries that I'm picking off bushes along the roadside. At the Inn, I say hello but unfortunately both the restaurant and cafe are closed. By this time, the shuttle is running again, so I head back to the ferry.

5. Now it's into Vancouver. The clouds are filling up the sky, but right as I cross the border, the sun starts to peek through. I enter into town and already I am in love.

6. Dinner is at Guu with Garlic. It's lively and packed, but there's always room for one at the bar. One of the benefits of traveling solo--quick seating. Hamachi sashimi with little fried garlic chips--my taste buds are just bursting with joy. Baked mackerel with roasted lemons--what a treat! I should've stopped there, but the tuna sashimi caught my eye. Overindulgence gets you in the end! It wasn't so good and my tummy is paying for it now.

Should have said no to the tuna...

7. Finally to the hotel--the Waldorf. This place is like one-stop shopping for the party enthusiast. (Maybe it's a Walmart spinoff. Get it? Wal-dorf. Wal-mart. Eh? Eh? Never mind.) Anyhow, you can have dinner, grab a drink at the Tiki bar, go downstairs for live music, head upstairs for an art exhibit, and then stumble down the hall to your room. I've managed to polish off a drink at the bar and shuffle back to my room. This bed is quite comfy and sleep seems imminent. But then again it's 80's night at the Tiki bar. I think I hear Simon le Bon calling me...