Vancouver Uncouvered

TRAIN LOG

TRAIN: VIA RAIL 1, "THE CANADIAN"

DATE: SUNDAY, MAY 25 TO MONDAY MAY 26, 2014

DEPARTURE: JASPER, ALBERTA, CANADA 15:30

ARRIVAL: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA 08:37

ELAPSED TIME: 17 HOURS, 7 MINUTES

TRAIN HOURS TO DATE: 98 HOURS, 59 MINUTES

I decided upon leaving Jasper two days earlier than stated in my itinerary. It was a true spur of the moment decision, requiring an immediate return of my rental car two days early (I saved $8!) and a ticket change with under an hour to go until departure. My friends from the train had all departed for Kamloops, a seemingly strange town in South-central British Columbia, two days prior. With the hostel I stayed at my first three nights booked solid with a large group, I began resorting to sleeping in the back seat of my rental vehicle the nights of the 23rd and 24th. This was scary, and difficult, as I was parking in a pull-off in the woods on a rural mountain.

This post is about the whimsical city of Vancouver, however, so I digress.

But some quick bullets about my quick 17 hour train ride:

• The on-board musicians became ill, and I was asked to play a set in their place on my 3/4 sized Gretsch Americana traveling guitar. I played mostly contemporary folk by way of the 1960s. This went over well. 

• I ended up making another new friend, Lillian from Ireland. This being my last post about Canadian train travel for a while, I will say this: the best part of the Canadian portion of this trans-continental trip was that I met zero (0) Americans. I don't know if this is a weird anomaly, but from what I, personally, can tell, my fellow patriots have no idea what they're missing above the boarder.

Now:

Vancouver is seemingly the perfect city. Mountains to the North, Pacific Ocean to the West, and completely walkable. And that's primarily what I did, save a few quick jaunts on the most beautiful subway/metro I've ever ridden.  Putting the MTA to shame, I am seeing an appeal to inhabiting a major city that also has fewer than 17 million persons.

Despite an effort made to Couchsurf (a seemingly easy thing to accomplish in Vancouver) I had to stay in a Hosteling International bunk for the entirety of my time in the city. It was located in the Red Light District, which pretty much could have been a beautiful side street in any other major city.

MATTERS CULINARY:

I had the best coffee of my trip (and life) at Revolver Coffee in Gastown, a small neighborhood known for its place as an historic district, featuring cobble streets et al. Anyways, the coffee was Bolivian and on Chemex. I got my own serving carafe. I'll never forget it.

The carafe was even insulated.

I've had sushi before. I think >4.5 billion of us have had sushi before. But short of traveling to Asia, or, like, I don't know, I guess I'm just trying to say Vancouver had the best sushi I've ever had and not trying to be racist about it. I didn't take a picture of it. It was vegetarian.


On my final evening in the city, I traveled to the neighborhood of Granville Island, mostly known for its brewery of the same name. I got to go with my friends from the train, and it was good.

Why yes, I did participate in the Children's Festival festivities.

They would only allow us two mini beers because of odd Canadian law.

MATTERS CITYSCAPE:

As mentioned prior, there hath never been a better melding of urban-oceanic-massif geography than the great city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Here:

URBAN GREENSPACE

+

OCEANIC EXISTENCE

+

SCENIC CORDILLERA RANGE

=

PERFECT CITY

MATTERS MUSICAL:

While I had plans to see noted rock outfit Band of Skulls while in the city, I decided my time was better spent further exploring for free. That said, I went to popular nightclub "The Roxy" after a night on the town (only after they stopped charging cover) and listened to the house band tear through accurate covers of mostly terrible 80s staples. At one point towards the 2am hour, someone requested Seven Nation Army. Not knowing the lyrics, they were about to pass on the song, at which point the front man looked into the crowd and asked if anyone did know the lyrics. Like a magnet, he looked to his right, but then, like, a little lower to the right, and locked eyes with me, my beer in hand, proclaiming, "You! You know the lyrics." And I did. And as I was pulled on stage in front of these several hundred drunken Vancouverites and their drunken guests, I entered my element and nailed it. This has since been my calling-card story whenever the topic of Vancouver arises and I am within earshot.

It was on 30 May that I departed the nation of Canadee-I-O for these United States of America, Time Pacific Standard. In my final act as an expat I stopped in at the one place that required my attendance, which was the House that Timothy Built, as I am deciding to call it.

Always "Fresh".

I'd like to thank Canada for being a stellar host. Till we meet next, friend.

Jasper the Friendly City

TRAIN LOG

TRAIN: VIA RAIL 1, "THE CANADIAN"

DATE: SATURDAY, MAY 17 TO TUESDAY MAY 20, 2014

DEPARTURE: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA 22:00

ARRIVAL: JASPER, ALBERTA, CANADA 15:36

ELAPSED TIME: 65 HOURS, 36 MINUTES

TRAIN HOURS TO DATE: 81 HOURS, 52 MINUTES

The keen reader may note that this post comes nearly two and a half weeks ex post facto my time in Jasper, which was May 20th to 25th. Traveling sans computer comes with its downsides, like not being able to provide you, most cherished reader, with what critics have been calling "that sweet blog nectar". I don't know what that means either.

Jasper and surrounding regions, put most simply, were the most gorgeous places I have ever seen. Because we are talking about sight, this post will be extra-image based. Here is a map outlining where I was. Ignore Edmonton. I did not go there and thus it does not matter to you right now. I was in Jasper primarily, though drove the entire Icefields Parkway (the red line between Jasper and Banff), and stopped in Lake Louise for a day.

Please also ignore Calgary.

For the majority of my time in these locales I traveled with three people I met on the train, an Ottawan guy, and a Mexican and German girl. When one is on a train for, as seen above, SIXTY FIVE AND A HALF HOURS straight, you actually don't just sit in your seat and you actually do have an experience. Look. I can't explain to you what it was like in this place. I encourage you, whoever that may be, to visit this place that I was lucky enough visit myself. It is beyond words, and for that reason, I leave you with only pictures. Thank you.

Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park, taken from the train.

Pyramid Lake

Pyramid Island

Pyramid Mountain

I located the Grand Budapest Hotel.

Tyler J. Elliott and Lake Louise

TYLER J. ELLIOTT AND A GLACIER

Athabasca Falls

Athabasca Canyon

Mountain Man Beard at the peak of Whistler Mountain

Athabasca River

The most beautiful place I have ever seen.

Pyramid Falls

Toront-oh!

TRAIN LOG

TRAIN: VIA RAIL 65
DATE: THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2014
DEPARTURE: MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC, CANADA 11:50
ARRIVAL: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA 16:50
ELAPSED TIME: 5 HOURS
TRAIN HOURS TO DATE: 16 HOURS, 15 MINUTES

As I departed Montréal I had no idea where I'd be sleeping that evening. Luckily I found the most bomb cheap hostel ever in Downtown Toronto. I checked into a six-bed room and was the only person in that room for over 3/4 of my stay.

The view from my hostel.  The CN Tower. I didn't go in it because it was expensive.

They put a maple leaf by Canadian player's names on the scoreboard, which was a nice touch.

My first evening consisted of only one event: a baseball game between the hometown Toronto Blue Jays and the Cleveland Indians. Toronto won 4-2 so that's all I have to say about that. But Rogers Centre was quite pretty for having artificial turf and a dome over our heads (which was lucky because it rained all day evening).







I ventured the city primarily through public transport, the Toronto Transit Commission. The Streetcars, while running on no specific schedule it seemed, were a nice way to see the area in relaxing bliss. Except when they were packed beyond belief, which was every time. In doing research for this post, I found that there is a Toronto Transit Society (TTS) - yes, a society dedicated to public transportation in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). They are a fully functioning group with an executive board, monthly meetings, and open membership. My American readers may join here. If this sounds like a cult, it is likely because it probably totally is. I hope to someday infiltrate their ranks and have it be my magnum opus piece in my illustrious investigative blogging career.

If only you knew the secrets of the TTS.

This picture was crooked so I made it smaller
 to distract you from that fact.

A highlight of my full day in the city was the St. Lawrence Market, where I ate the largest eggplant sandwich you have literally ever seen. It was from a booth called Uno Mustachio and this was good enough for me.


Something off the beaten track was Toronto's First Post Office. I went in expecting a quick 10 minute history lesson and got a one hour crash course on writing with quill and ink for only $2.00 CAN. I wrote a nice letter to some good friends back in New York City.

Delivery options included steamship and pony.
Additional fees applied.

I later went to Massey Hall because it is famous and because my favorite work by Neil Young was recorded there in 1971. It was a bigger deal to me than it was to you, so I'll spare you all but a picture. A big picture.

It wouldn't let me make it any bigger.

My final day in Toronto was punctuated by a trip to the Toronto Railway Museum. I feel, while I just happened upon it, it was unavoidable. Sadly the lady at the front desk wouldn't haggle with me, as I refused to pay the $5.00CAN entrance fee when the museum was only opened for 15 more minutes. So I didn't go in. But they had a lot of cars out front, and a brewery that's Canada-famous.

This picture is awful, I'm sorry.

In all, Toronto was the New York City of Canada. Or maybe it was the Seattle. I'm not really sure. But it existed, I was there, and that's pretty much all you need to know.

Till time next.

Quebec was (Mont)réal

TRAIN LOG

TRAIN: AMTRAK ADIRONDACKS 69
DATE: TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014
DEPARTURE: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 8:15AM
ARRIVAL: MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC, CANADA 19:30
ELAPSED TIME: 11 HOURS, 15 MINUTES
TRAIN HOURS TO DATE: 11 HOURS, 15 MINUTES


After a sleepless night spent packing all my belongings into five (5) green crates, I departed for Canada on the 8:15am Amtrak Adirondacks 69 bound for Montréal, Quebec. It was a pleasant jaunt up north, though admittedly I spent the first six (6) of its 11.25 hours sleeping. But after that. Man. Geo-facies and outcrops like you wouldn't believe. ANYWAYS.

My couchsurfing host, Martin, picked me up from Montréal Central Station upon arrival. Probably the kindest guy I will meet on my trip. We headed back to his place where there were two other surfers, Mario from Mexico and Chung from China, and his Quebecois intern, Sam. Everyone spoke their native language, English, and French, among other tongues, making me feel thoroughly American. Martin is a professional chef and sommelier, so naturally all the food in Montreal was home-cooked and absolutely fantastic. I never thought roasted peppers and potatoes could be that incredible.

Cooking. To my right: Sam, Mario, and Martin. Note: I am not usually that blurry in actual life.

Culturally, Montréal is bizzaro France. Everything is french language first, which I knew going in, but knowing is not seeing. Here were a few highlights:

I could read this.

And this.

This one, too.

After an hour-long tour of the city by car from Martin, I went to the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (that's the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts for all you non-French speaking rubes) for a couple hours on Wednesday. Here is the only thing you need to know about that museum:

The King's Beavers by Kent Monkman, 1965. Medium: Oil on canvas. My favorite part is the man in back hugging the beaver, deeply.

But it was actually a beautiful building:

Just look at that street.

Later in the day I got a Canadian SIM card so I can now have contact with the world again, as this is a computerless trip for me. I have unlimited texting to the entire continent of North America, so please, type kind words to me: (514) 432-3754.

To round out my time in the city, I experienced something very special to the Montréalers: A game 7 playoff win in an elimination game over the Boston Bruins, their most dastardly rivals. I can't really say it any better than I did on Facebook at the time, so here is a screenshot. You can try and "Like" it below. Or save yourself the embarrassment and click here.

Meta social media.

Thank you for reading. This was longer than any of us would have desired, and for that I apologize. Thank you for fighting the good fight. And reading the good read.

In the Month of May

It is May 1. It is soon.

In under two weeks, I will be departing on a Trans-Continental rail-based adventure that still requires too much planning. But it will occur, and it will be good.

With me will be a single backpack filled with clothing, provisions, my passport, grains (fermented or otherwise), a sleeping bag, and several other accessories required for my general survival. Through the Canadian state I will take rest by couchsurfing, setting camp, and riding the rails. Once arriving on the Pacific Coast I will be accommodated by some of my best friends, but that tale will be for another time. In Alaska I stay with my Uncle, Aunt, and their several (read:  >14) canines of the mushing designation.

My itinerary is set. Much like my historic two week European train jaunt of April 2012, I have provided you, dearest of all readers that there ever were or will be, a picture that saves you the great hassle of interpreting the cryptic "words", "sentences", and "paragraphs" I laboriously scrawl out with the chicklet keys of a destitute MacBook of yesteryear. For you quasi-intellectual types, I will go into more depth after the break.

I'm going here. Red=Train; Yellow=Car; Green=Flying Machine.

 OFFICIAL OVER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN RAILS ITINERARY

All trips by rail unless otherwise noted.

May 13
DEPART New York City, New York, United States of A
ARRIVE Montreal, Quebec, Canada

May 14
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

May 15
DEPART Montreal, Quebec, Canada
ARRIVE Toronto, Ontario, Canada

-Cleveland Indians @ Toronto Bluejays, 7:07pm EST, Rogers Center-

May 16
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

May 17
DEPART Toronto, Ontario, Canada

May 18
EN ROUTE to Jasper, Alberta, Canada

May 19
EN ROUTE to Jasper, Alberta, Canada

May 20
ARRIVE Jasper, Alberta, Canada

May 21-27
Jasper National Park, Alberta Canada
Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
[Camping, rental car]

May 28
DEPART Jasper, Alberta, Canada
ARRIVE Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

May 29
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

May 30
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

May 31
DEPART Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
ARRIVE Eugene, Oregon, United States of America

June 1
Eugene, Oregon, United States of America

June 2
Eugene, Oregon, United States of America

June 3
DEPART Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
ARRIVE Portland, Oregon, United States of America

June 4
Portland, Oregon, United States of America

June 5
DEPART Portland, Oregon, United States of America

June 6
ARRIVE Los Angeles, California, United States of America

June 7-9
Los Angeles, California, United States of America

June 10
DEPART Los Angeles, California, United States of America
[Flight]


June 11
ARRIVE Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America


There are no plans for a return to the Continental United States of America at this time.

They are forthcoming*.







*TBD

Confirmation

I have just purchased my first ticket for this adventure, a flight pass from Los Angeles, CA, to Fairbanks, AK on Tuesday, June 10th at 7:05pm PDT. The following is correspondence with Adam J. Bianchi, informing him of the itinerary update:

In abeyance,

T

With Intent To Travel

I travel again. In the month of May in the year 2014 I will depart New York City for Canada by rail, destination Fairbanks. There is no set timetable, except that I will begin the adventure on May 13th and will be on the British Columbian West Coast by May 31st. This is due to VIA Rail, Canada's national rail system, having obfuscated, substandard travel rules, rendering my 21-day rail pass useless after their "high season" begins on June 1.

From there, I will likely spend time in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles before flying to Fairbanks. My initial hope was to take a ferry on the Alaskan Marine Highway System (AMHS) from Bellingham, Washington to Whittier, Alaska and then take Alaska Rail to Fairbanks, but the ferry, sadly, would cost upwards of $550, which is not in my budget.

Pictured: Me, in three months (I'm in the second car).

An in-depth itinerary is forthcoming, but my expected journey will be as follows:

NYC > Montreal, QB > Toronto, ON > Winnipeg, MB > Churchill, MB > Jasper, AB > Vancouver, BC > Seattle, WA > Portland, OR > Los Angeles, CA > Fairbanks, AK > ???

More soon,

TJE