So on our last full day in Vancouver I had a meeting Dr. Mary Lynn Young, the Director of the Master’s of Journalism program at the University of British Columbia‘s (UBC).  I went to my meeting at the Journalism School at the UBC campus and I met a lot of great people, including future professors, so it was a great experience but the real awe of the day happen as we walked around the UBC campus.

We were walking by Green College, a residential college at UBC, and got a call from Maria telling us that we need to go down Trail 3, because that is where she was and it just happen to be the UBC beach.  It took us at least 15 minutes to walk down the stairs (so many stairs) and then we finally made it to the beach.

The beach was amazing.  It wasn’t the typical sandy beach, it was a stoney beach but we sat there for some time taking in the mountainous view.  We had to force ourselves up and get back on the way after sitting at the beach for at least half an hour. When we met Maria she told us he experience with the need beach patrons.  I don’t want to tell the story as it wouldn’t do it justice, so ask Maria what her Vancouver beach experience was like.

After the beach we decided to walk to the UBC bookstore so I can pick up a few pieces of school clothing and buy some parent gear from the bookstore for my parents. The book store was really quite big and I got a UBC hoodie that has become my favorite hoodie in a very short time.

This little girl was on the bus with us and ran out, while her mother was still getting, so she could scare her mother from around the magazine dispenser.

Lindsey and I try to balance on the log as we get ready to have Maria take our photo.

Me and Lindsey pose for a photo.

Lindsey Peacock and Maria Arshad sit on a log on the UBC beach.

Lindsey Peacock and Maria Arshad pose for a photo.

A beaten log sits on the stony shore while the mountains are in the background.

Maria stands on the beach for a photo.

Maria Arshad attempts to throws a stone into the water.

Maria treks up the UBC stairs as we head to the UBC bookstore.

What we didn’t plan was the photo session that the stroll spontaneously lapsed into. The water and lights were pretty, and we decided to take advantage of them as a great background. There’s some great couples shots of Hassan and I, and some cute ones of Maria and I. Please ignore our gangsta poses. You can take the girls outta the ghetto, but can’t take the ghetto outta the girls …

Please enjoy our lameness and Maria’s inability to focus a camera. :)

Along with the expected but yummy dishes such as beef sashimi and edamame, there were some interesting combinations. The most delicious item I discovered was the Kabocha korokke, which is an unexpected combination of pumpkin, a boiled egg and Japanese mayonnaise all layered in a perfectly fried croquette. Get the defib paddles ready, ’cause I had a tastegasm that almost sent me marching to the bright light at the end of the tunnel.

In addition to the yummy, tapas-sized menu items, the restaurant was a fun take on the usual sushi bar/hibachi scene. The small restaurant offers what they describe as a traditional experience close to what you might find in a similar establishment in Tokyo. The waitresses, all Japanese, all greet you as you enter and leave the restaurant and shout out orders to the cooks from each table entirely in Japanese. While it’s loud and a little chaotic, I was overwhelmed by the authenticity of the experience.

Now for the real draw: the food porn. Arigato and sayounara for now!

–Lindsey

The Guu Restaurant canopy... Too bad it isn't a sun-setter retractable awning...

Lindsey Peacock and Maria Arshad pose with the menu.

This was Guu's special menu for the day, both menus offered something different and we used both for our order.

Maria Arshad goes through Guu's regular menu looking at the various choices.

The waitress cleans off a table and gets ready to seat another party. There were many people waiting outside the restaurant for seating.

Guu waitress walks to our table with our food in hand.

The atmosphere in Guu was definitely picture worthy. We all sat on small wooden stools or a equally small wooden bench, with only one plank. This was an experience worth noting.

Grilled Beef Skewer, the beef was cooked rare to medium rare and was absolutely delicious.

Kabocha korokke is an unexpected combination of pumpkin, a boiled egg and Japanese mayonnaise all layered in a perfectly fried croquette

Kabocha korokke, an inside view of the tastiness

After lugging our bags from the underground station of our stop, I realized just how wrong I was. As soon as we hit the open air of the city, Vancouver began pulling at my heart strings. Skyscrapers, street vendors, spectacular alleyway views of the Canadian Rockies and a diverse pedestrian population littered the streets around me, and it feels good to be back in a big city. Oh civilization, how I have missed thee.

After checking into our chic boutique hotel (more on that later), my travelling party and I were starving. We decided on a a chain-looking establishment across the street from our hotel called Don Guacamole’s. While it looks quite ordinary on the outside, I was surprised to find a full Spanish-speaking staff (always a good sign to prove authenticity of the cuisine) and a variety of dishes. I ordered what I expected to be a normal veggie burrito, but was served an overflowing masterpiece of grilled, gooey goodness smothered in a tangy red sauce. The restaurant offers traditional Spanish flavors wrapped up in gourmet packaging. Muy bueno. My compadres were as impressed with their lunches as I was, and we all took it as a sign from the gods that a random restaurant pick turning out so delicious boded well for Vancouver being a true foodie haven.

Later in the day, we took to the streets for exploration, shopping and to try the elusive Japadog. You may have seen this concoction on shows such as Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, but if not, the Japadog is a hot dog dressed up with Japanese-inspired ingredients. There are several stands around town, but we visited the closest one at 899 Burrard. The staff was extremely friendly and ready to pose for photos and explain various ingredients and hot dog types. I had the Veggie Terimayo with seaweed, Japanese mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce. I have to tell you, it was a little piece of heaven on a sesame seed bun. Despite the inevitable lineup at the stand, I could imagine gorging myself there every day.
With a delicious burrito and hot dog settled nicely into my belly, I realized it. I was in love. Vancouver, you have won my heart. Now what do you have in store for me on Day 2? We’ll find out bright and early tomorrow.

Today we finally began our three-day conquering of the major metropolis of Vancouver. After a pretty horrible day of travelling through a freak April blizzard on Friday through the night and into this morning, we were all exhausted upon reaching our destination. And I must say, when our plane landed, I wasn’t too impressed. I saw a bit of dinge and a lot of industrial space as we efficiently moved on the Sky Train toward our hotel in the western portion of downtown.  After lugging our bags from the underground station of our stop, I realized just how wrong I was. As soon as we hit the open air of the city, Vancouver began pulling at my heart strings. Skyscrapers, street vendors, spectacular alleyway views of the Canadian Rockies and a diverse pedestrian population littered the streets around me, and it feels good to be back in a big city. Oh civilization, how I have missed thee.

After checking into our chic boutique hotel (more on that later), my travelling party and I were starving. We decided on a a chain-looking establishment across the street from our hotel called Don Guacamole’s.While it looks quite ordinary on the outside, I was surprised to find a full Spanish-speaking staff (always a good sign to prove authenticity of the cuisine) and a variety of dishes. I ordered what I expected to be a normal veggie burrito, but was served an overflowing masterpiece of grilled, gooey goodness smothered in a tangy red sauce. The restaurant offers traditional Mexican flavors wrapped up in gourmet packaging. Muy bueno. My compadres were as impressed with their lunches as I was, and we all took it as a sign from the gods that a random restaurant pick turning out so delicious boded well for Vancouver being a true foodie haven.

Later in the day, we took to the streets for exploration, shopping and to try the elusive Japadog. You may have seen this concoction on shows such as Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, but if not, the Japadog is a hot dog dressed up with Japanese-inspired ingredients. There are several stands around town, but we visited the closest one at 899 Burrard. The staff was extremely friendly and ready to pose for photos and explain various ingredients and hot dog types. I had the Veggie Terimayo with seaweed, Japanese mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce. I have to tell you, it was a little piece of heaven on a sesame seed bun. Despite the inevitable lineup at the stand, I could imagine gorging myself there every day.  ?With a delicious burrito and hot dog settled nicely into my belly, I realized it. I was in love. Vancouver, you have won my heart. Now what do you have in store for me on Day 2? We’ll find out bright and early tomorrow.

– Lindsey

I am actually not sure what building that is but I just liked the compostion.

This man dropped one of the balls he was trying to learn to juggle with, this was right in front of the The Vancouver Art Gallery. There were people teaching and people learning to juggle.

This image was taken at the Vancouver Art Gallery. I liked the contemporary design of Robson Squre (foreground) and the classic design of the art gallery.

I liked this image because of the color and contrast. It was a hallway for people wheelchair access of Robson Square.

This is a Red Spring Artwork sitting outside a Vancouver Courthouse.

Some people sit and enjoy the Red Spring artwork sitting outside a Vancouver Courthouse.

Construction workers put up new Vancouver banners.

This is one of my favorite pictures, this is the Vancouver Public Library in Downtown Vancouver.

Another image of the Vancouver Public Library

An inside view of the Vancouver Public Library.

The Japadog street vendor prepares to take our order.

Another Japadog employee poses for an image as he fills up one of the condiment bottles.

Lindsey Peacock and Maria Arshad pose for an image.

The Japadog street vendor puts ketchup on the Japadog.

Lindsey Peacock gives a thumbs up as she prepares to eat her Japadog

My Japadog, it looked too good to take a picture of it whole.

Maria Arshad bites into her Japadog.

Another image of Maria Arshad.

Lindsey Peacock and Maria Arshad enjoying their dogs.

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These pictures were taken at the Georgia State University Library.  We decided to take them on the 5th floor because that is the quiet area.

The cigar had a very interesting and distinct flavor.  It had a sort of sweet flavor.  It smelled much better than the cigars you smell in The States.

Oh and I took the opportunity to have Lindsey take a few new pictures of myself.  Most of my pictures are outdated.

Yes, this is me.

It was a lot of fun and we got to see the monstrosity of a mall called the West Edmonton Mall.

Umar, Maria, Me, Lindsey, my mom and dad are all in these pictures.

Enjoy the pictures

Umar doing some work in the hotel.

Lindsey very descripitivly explaining about her former professor Fink and his eyebrows.

Complete family excluding Lindsey.

Maria took this picture of Umar

Another one of Umar's pictures of Maria

Maria fixing her scarf. Umar took this picture

Me and Lindsey

the family excluding me

My dad, my mom and me

Umar, my dad and my mom

Umar being very modelesq

My mom

a cool shot of Umar

North Dakota, contrary to my preconceived notions, was actually one of the most beautiful states we drove through.  Originally when we first entered North Dakota Lindsey was saying that America should just give North and South Dakota to Canada.  Once we left and saw the sunrise she changed her mind.

We arrived at our hotel in Bismarck at 9 AM from driving all night from Chicago.  It was a long drive but the sunrises were worth it, not to mention the fields of sunflowers.

Anyway, enjoy!