GCA X: Goodbye Banff, Hello Vancouver

It was the day to head back to the city, so we got up earlier than usual and checked out. Drove back to Banff to have breakfast at Melissa's Mistake, a famous breakfast place in town. We went for the weirder items-- crab and asparagus omelette and eggs benedict with chorizo. Surprisingly, the potatoes came grated, like noodles. Pour over coffee was bottomless but wasn't that great (expected I guess). Their large pancakes are quite popular too.



Before leaving Banff, we had time for a few more tourist attractions like The Hoodoos, a weird rock formation that looked like a huge termite nest. With one hour left in our schedule, we squeezed in the Banff Springs Hotel. Took a look around the luxurious and historical hotel (1888) and then continued driving to Calgary to catch our flight out to Vancouver. Returned our rental and took a look at the final reading of the odometer-- 900+km, not bad at all. Fast food at Chick-fil-a was lunch and a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.









Watched a few more episodes of The Big Bang Theory on the plane and we were back in the big city. For the first time, we took the sky train. Wasn't really sure how it worked cause there was no control station nor turnstiles. We just bought a couple of tickets for Broadway City Hall station and hopped on a train. Dragged our bags to East 8th Avenue and Main where our hosts were waiting.





Ruven and Goldie lived in Depencier House, a heritage house made of wood that was actually jacked up and relocated during the construction of Main Street. It ended up in an awkward location hence the address 8½. We were a bit dismayed when we found that we had to drag our large bags up two long flight of stairs. At the landing, we were greeted by BearDogg, their adorable pet Chow Chow. We were shown to our room and there were more surprises-- no door lock, no attached bathroom and the window was held open by Webster's Guide to American History. Aiyak. But it was a nice room. And the house was full of art and knick knacks that reflected the hipster neighbourhood very well. All around us was cafes, thrift stores, art galleries, local fashion boutiques, vapour lounges (medicinal cannabis wor...) and curio shops. And strangely with a street full of adventure gear stores.











Our hosts gave us some pointers on the bus and train system (the honour system!) and presented us with some food options. After settling down, we went out in search of dinner. The huge dinner crowd at Martini's was very reassuring, so when chose that. Went for the garlic mussels and pork ribs with penne. Both were excellent choices. Also got a Kolsch and to KH's delight, he was requested to show his ID. Cheh. With such a satisfying dinner, we got home, showered and skanked. Bliss.