VANCOUVER, B.C. — As much as I loved Granville Island, I did venture into other areas of Vancouver. We went to Chinatown one warm Friday evening to check out the Night Market. There's one in Richmond as well. The long days and summer's slower pace make this a delightful diversion. It runs 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Live entertainment punctuates the later hours, and dim sum and noodle vendors will keep you fully fueled for shopping or browsing.
Now, this is not designer fare by any means. Much of what was for sale might also be found at your local flea market. But there's a time and a place for that too. Finding a few hand-crafted items was a nice surprise. Fabric covers for tissue boxes made a nice souvenir — and provided inspiration to try making my own, perhaps in vintage fabric with more mid-century styling. Also found tiny beaded zipper pulls — quite the rage among tweeners, I gather — in Chinese astrological symbols and other icons. Cherries, a horse, a jacket and the ubiquitous Hello Kitty have found a home with the girls. How thoroughly have I brainwashed my daughters? The elder wanted to know if I could make them too. Possibly; they appear to be basic bead weaving. I might go blind trying, though.
Yaletown is a style maven's haven, but it's not terribly well suited for visitors. Furniture shops — ranging from antiques to modern — predominate, with a few trendy apparel shops, salons and eateries tossed in for variety. The location is intriguing from an urban planning perspective — it's clearly the old dock-and-warehouse district. Nice reuse of structures that have outlived their original purpose.
Made the obligatory stroll along Robson Street. It's been compared with Rodeo Drive, but what I saw was far more comparable to San Francisco's Union Street. Or, even more accurately, Georgetown's Wisconsin Avenue in the late '70s-early '80s. Chic, relatively upscale but not ridiculously so. What was refreshing was to see Canadian (or at least not American) brands, and independent stores. Well, there was an obligatory Gap and Banana Republic, but not much else.
Never made it to the other Eastside shopping clusters on Main Street, or even to the Commercial Drive shop I wanted to visit. I guess I now have a reason to return someday!
