Just got back from five great days in Vancouver, since painting wise I'm all about Aelbert Cuyp these days I was thrilled to see the Dutch exhibit at the VAG, they had a great Van Bloeman, a lovely Wouverman and a really sweet Ruysdael all framed in those great big black moulding frames that make skies and flowers really pop. I spent about an hour and ten minutes there, only two exhibits were open which is a bit of a rip off, and the contemporary gallery was closed for installation and wouldn't reopen until after we'd left. When you go to the VAG be prepared to be followed by security, they have a huge staff with nothing to do, I preferred the staff at the National Gallery in Cuba who just slept and left you alone, the staff at the VAG have nothing to do or maybe less than nothing, when you feel like you are being watched it really distracts from the pleasure of standing in front of a beautiful painting.
Here are some other impressions of the trip, really liked the numbers of crows that I saw in Vancouver, that was the real difference in location, the area we stayed in was very much the shopping district so it didn't feel that different than being in downtown Toronto, except for the crows.
For eats and fine comestibles I recommend "Forage" where I got to indulge in some great Bison Marrow, "Chill Winston" which had delicious Kangaroo Carpaccio and steak and "the Flying Pig" which is a great place to hang out, didn't make it to "Wildebeest" which won Best New Restaurant 2013, maybe next time, I also made sure to eat a few JapaDogs which is an acquired taste.
We enjoyed drinking "Hatfield's Fuse" a nice white by Blasted Church, the Driftwood "Fat Tug" IPA is a great beer and we brought back a bottle of Oak Bay, Pinot Noir that we brought at the Granville Market.
Made trips to both "Golden Age Collectables" and "Rx Comics" where I picked up Hickman's new series, "East to West, 1-3" and "Wild Blue Yonder, #1" both great reads.
I got to hear our Hotel Bar duo play a terrible version of "Girl From Ipanema" so scratch that off the bucket list.
Really enjoyed the 4.5 km walk we did through Stanley Park, particularly loved the huge tree stumps some had new trees growing on them like parasites, the giant slugs were also a huge plus and the Rose Garden where I got to try out the new camera I bought, my old one got damaged on the flight, but I hated it anyways.
Next time we're out that way I want to go North and get off the beaten path.
A good trip, now it's time to get back to work
A.Shay Hahn
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