23 Days in Vancouver: Last Week in Vancouver

Sorry to everyone for slacking the last few days. I have had no time to update this blog.

So it's Tuesday... One week from today I head home. I have mixed feelings about it. I can't wait to sleep in my bed and see John, etc. However I really like Vancouver! It is different from Toronto and I love it!!

On Sunday I had a day off along with Chris and Steve. We are the Robson stock team so we all work the same shifts. I woke them up and we headed off to Stanley Park. The weather was warm and sunny - awesome! To get there you have to take a bus through Chinatown which was pretty cool. Usually I really dislike taking buses but this time I was wide-eyed looking at everything. What a great way to see some of the city. Also taking the SkyTrain is pretty cool. The track is high in the air so you can see everything. It goes right over the Olympic Village.

Once at Stanley Park we headed to the Aquarium. It was a blast! It wasn't busy at all. We saw the Dolphins, Belugas and of course my favorite; Sea Otters. Also they have a 4D movie we watched. 4D means you 'feel' everything. Example the Dolphin jumps in and out of the water you get misted with water. Or you are on a boat speeding, you feel the wind on your face.

After the Aquarium we headed over to Granville and Nelson. We went down 2 1/2 hours before the Canada vs. USA hockey game. We wanted to watch the game a bar downtown and Granville and Nelson is the bar/pub/club district of Vancouver. The streets are all closed for the Olympics but normally they close the streets every weekend at 7pm to car traffic. The streets were packed!! Everyone was dressed in red and white and I mean EVERYONE! The only exception was Steve. He was wearing a Roots USA International Collection T-Shirt. He was hiding it under a hoodie. Showing up 2 1/2 hours didn't help us get in anywhere. Every place had a massive lineup. I really doubt people waiting in line even got in. Once people are in the bar and have a table - they are not giving that up. We walked forever. We ended up in the 'Alternative Lifestyle" section of town (sorry I am trying to be as politically correct as possible). Even the bars there were lined up. We gave up and headed away from Downtown. We finally ended up at Boston Pizza with a great table. We all know the outcome of the game so no need to talk about it. I can tell you people Downtown were not happy. I would not dare walk anywhere in Vancouver with a USA hockey jersey on. I am serious people were pissed!! Losing to the USA is just as bad as losing the final.

Monday and Tuesday the weather has been overcast and drizzle/rain on and off. I am back to a 7am start time. I have to get up at 5am but at least I don't have to have a cold shower as no one else is up. At last count we had 25 people in the house. It is a little crowded since the last 6 arrived over the weekend. Grocery shopping for that many people is such a chore. We go through everything so fast. For example we bought two HUGE orange juice jugs last night and this morning we had half of one left. Not even 24 hours and its gone! I guess I am not used to shopping for that many people...

The store has still been super busy. Traffic was a bit slower the last two days because of the weather but sales are still crazy.

Shipments have been insane. They are really putting my stock skills to the test. Yesterday was 160 boxes and today was 224. You have to get rid of every box on the same day you receive it as there is nowhere to store it. Liz Doggett and Melinda McDonald were both here and they saw. Ask them how small the receiving area is. It is a hallway. I will have to take some pictures otherwise no one will believe me.

I almost forgot Cuba Gooding JR. was in the store last night. He came in after I had already left for the day but some staff did get pictures with him. I will post as soon as I get them. They all said he was super nice and was taking pictures with everyone. He walked out with some Roots gear which his bodyguard carried for him...