On a beautiful spring day in the oft-rainy city of Vancouver, British Columbia, where Out There was there doing a little gay reconnaissance, it seemed the whole urban populace was outside, enjoying the natural light. At Morton Square in the city's West End, we saw artist Yue Minjun's bronze sculpture A-maze-ing Laughter, part of the Vancouver Biennale public art program, draw in both young and old for snapshots with its 14 identical laughing men, their gaping grins modeled on the artist's own diabolical countenance. Minjun's Execution became the most expensive piece by a Chinese artist in 2007 when it sold at auction for nearly six million dollars. Laughter adds to the landscape, and brings that elusive art quality, delight.
We were abroad last week on a short getaway facilitated by the Vancouver Tourist Bureau, who want you to put their metropolitan area on your travel calendar, perhaps for the upcoming North America Outgames and Vancouver's gay Pride fest, both this July. The city is a quick two-hour flight from San Francisco, it's the same time zone so you don't have to adjust your watch, but it's great to be out of the U.S. for a change.
From our 29th-floor suite at the Westin Grand, we could see the huge steel-girder crown of BC Place Stadium, closed until fall for the installation of a new retractable roof. The faux-Coliseum of the city's Public Library loomed directly below us. The blue-grey steel and glass of Vancouver's many towers reflected the slate-blue colors of typically cloud-laden skies and the waters all around.
Vancouverites sure do like their coffee, so even after several attentive refills during breakfast at Hidden, the restaurant in our hotel's lobby, a charming waiter offered us a cuppa to go. Go we did, running uncharacteristically a bit late for our morning "mancial" provided by Skoah in Yaletown, a chic industrial district full of warehouses converted to coffee places and bistros.
At the spa, we took off our clothes and got horizontal on the massage table. A small heating unit at the small of our back opened up our chakras. Spa attendant Lisa Yeung wanted to know, had we ever had a facial? We had a boyfriend once who put a pot of water on to boil, held our face over the steam with a large towel, then squeezed out the blackheads. But is that too much information?
Yeung estimates that 30-35% of her clients are men. That seemed high to us, but upon further inspection the men of Vancouver did have nice skin. In any case, she was expert at exfoliating off the dead skin, leaving our reddened cheeks and nose to tingle. Moisturizing masks, cucumber eyes, we got the whole schmear, plus neck and shoulder massaging to help banish travel and editorial stress. Skoah promises "no whale songs, no bubbling cherubs," but even without all the new age window-dressing, our mancial got the job done.
Rain comes to Vancouver like an intimate friend: drops by, stays for a while, goes away, comes back soon. The heated pool on the Westin's outdoor but canopied deck was steaming in the chilly afternoon. Its length was far from Olympian, but offered just enough space for doing laps. We got both in the water, and later, onto the water. On an aquabus over False Creek to Granville Island, photographer Jim James and OT reminisced about taking the public boats over the Chao Praya in Bangkok. But in B.C., we had the small skiff to ourselves, and the young captain happily shared secrets of the boating trade.
There were seafood stands and plenty of snack opportunities in the Public Market on the island, where the region's prized spot prawns were in season and on offer, and the profferers were adorable. But we held out for a waterfront table at the Dockside restaurant in the Granville Island Hotel, hotels being our natural environment, and were rewarded by a sumptuous lunch served by a man named Laurie.
Canadian geese are large, imposing creatures with plump bodies, long necks and silly expressions. Thus they make somewhat comical urban sights, honking loudly as they glide down city streets between condominium towers. We saw a whole entourage of ducklings following their mother nervously as she navigated some landscaped parkland by the creek. But what was that commotion of competitive shouting and grunting in the distance, on a small grassy hill? Turned out it was a group of university students involved in a tug-of-war contest, a healthy outlet for testosterone-fueled aggression.
At the spa, we took off our clothes and got horizontal on the massage table. A small heating unit at the small of our back opened up our chakras.
So we think we did the whole Davie St. scene, sampling the wings and outdoor patio at Score, and various whistle-wetters and nightcaps at the pub Pumpjack and lounge Oasis. On two visits now to B.C., we've found the men of Vancouver to be friendly and natural. They're more lumberjacky than those in SF, and also less attitudinal. Then there were those cute boys from Montreal who approached us. "Sorry, but we're from Montreal, we don't know how to procure what you're smoking!"
When it came to creature comforts, we were well-provided. Three distinctive, luxurious dinners in Vancouver began at the cozy, Old World-charming Il Nido, a temple of simple Northern Italian cooking. Chef-owner Franco Felice greeted us, and we felt well taken care of by the staff. Here and elsewhere we eschewed grappling with the menu and left the courses to the kitchen, which turned out classic trattoria fare. This proved to be excellent strategy for the control-prone: leave the choices to the chef, it's liberating.
Next night we were game for more experimental, experiential repast at the sleek and modern Regional Tasting Lounge (r.tl) in Yaletown. Our visit happened to coincide with an important hockey play-off game for the home team Canucks - that's why so we saw so many urbanites clad in jerseys - but despite having one eye on the TV over the bar tuned to the game, the staff made sure our procession of courses was stately.
On our last night in town, we had a dinner date at Chambar Belgian restaurant in Gastown, a fine-dining establishment with exposed-brick ambience, a Continental menu, and plenty of fans. Chef Nico Schuermans presented moules frites sauced three different ways, ostrich carpaccio, and an inspired assortment of wines. Chambar's motto is "civilized debauchery," a concept Out There can clearly get behind. Thanks to everyone in Van who made our brief visit special, with special shout-outs to Danica Jeffery, Kate MacDougall and Jorden Hutchison.
Vancouver will host the 2011 North America Outgames, July 25-31, when up to 4,000 LGBT and queer-friendly participants from around the world will converge on the city for a week of athletic competition, workshops and partying. Among the 18 featured sporting events are badminton, volleyball and swimming, plus poker, dragon-boat racing and bowling. The event also features a three-day human rights conference. The 2011 North America Outgames is a preliminary competition leading up to the 2013 World Outgames in Antwerp, Belgium.
On July 31, the Vancouver Pride Parade and Festival begins on Robson Street, travels through the West End, and ends up at the Sunset Beach festival site. We've done Pride there, and it's fun.
www.tourismvancouver.com
www.gayvan.com
www.vancouver2011outgames.com