10 things to do on a Sunny Day in Vancouver

If you’ve ever spent any amount of time in Vancouver, you know why the rest of the country fondly refers to the area as the “Wet Coast.” Yes, it’s true, Vancouver does get more than its fair share of liquid sunshine, it is a rain forest after all, but we also have warm, sunny summers that seem to go on forever. That’s when you’ll see tourists and locals alike breaking out the flip-flops and getting outdoors to explore the city. But if you’ve spent any time in Vancouver, you’ll also know that the locals don’t need an excuse to get out and enjoy the city, but a little sunshine sure helps!

Walk/Bike the Seawall
With over 22km to walk, bike or rollerblade, the ever-expanding seawall is the perfect way to spend a sunny day. With the main attraction being Stanley Park, the seawall also brings users through Coal Harbor, Yaletown, Kits Beach, and now the Olympic Village, to name a few. There are 2 outdoor pools along the way, 16 parks, and countless beaches, cafes, concession stands, pubs and tourist attractions, such as the Totem Poles in Stanley Park, or the nearby Vancouver Aquarium. Visitors to the city that make use of the seawall get an almost complete tour of Vancouver. Two things to remember though; bicycle traffic is one-way only through Stanley Park, and the walking and bike path are entirely separate. Woe to the seawall user that confuses the two, or cycles the wrong way on the bike path. Locals are not shy about pointing out these two simple rules to out-of-towners. And with good reason; before these rules came into effect, collisions between pedestrians, cyclists, and rollerbladers were an everyday occurrence.

Grouse Grind
Feeling energetic? Make your way to Grouse Mountain and hike the Grouse Grind. The unofficial record time for climbing the Grouse Grind is 24:22, but you don’t have to try for the record. For most users in reasonable physical health, it’s about an hour and a half hike, give or take. A beautifully maintained, but very steep trail through the woods brings you to Grouse Mountain, a local ski hill popular for both summer and winter sports. The view from the top makes the climb all worth it. Take in panoramic views of the city while enjoying fine dining in the Observatory Restaurant. There are also casual dining choices and coffee bars in the lodge. If you’re not feeling up to a brisk climb (and those who are making the ascent for some fine-dining probably won’t, in their formal attire) there is an aerial tram called the Skyride which makes for a pleasant ascent up the mountain, and is included in the cost of your dinner at the Observatory if you make reservations in advance.

Granville Island
Talented street performers, a diverse selection of freshly prepared local and ethnic foods, plenty of local artisan shops, and inexpensive water taxis to and from Granville Island make this a highly enjoyable way to soak up the sun. With plenty of outdoor seating, order up a spicy curry, homemade perogies, or fresh baked artisan bread with a selection of cheeses and deli meats from the market to make your own little picnic on a bench overlooking False Creek and just spend the day watching the boats go by, listening to local musicians, or wandering through the markets. There are also several pubs and restaurants if you’re looking for a less self-serve experience. You can find just about anything you’re looking for on Granville Island. Loaded with bakeries, fresh produce markets, delis, wine merchants, art supply shops, glassblowing studios, a mall just for children (even equipped with their own pint-sized door for entry), it’s easy to lose track of time here. You can even book whale watching trips or boat tours from Granville Island.

Salmon Fishing
Head down to the marina at Coal Harbor and take a stroll along the seawall. You’ll have no trouble finding a charter boat for day fishing trips, weekend trips, harbor dinner cruises, and the like. Even if you don’t catch a thing, spending a day on the water in the sunshine is still a pretty enjoyable way to spend the day. Catching some salmon certainly improves it though! From personal experience; I would recommend Preston and his crew on the SeaStar. I’ve included a link to the SeaStar’s website at the end of this article. Preston’s crew made sure that all twelve of us on board had a fantastic day on the water, providing BBQ’d salmon and sandwiches, salads, and chips for lunch, as well as soft drinks and bottled water. If half a day on the water is sufficient for you, you can opt for the morning or the afternoon departure. Preston does his very best to take you where the fish are biting. Of course no sport fishing company can guarantee a catch, but we were happy to haul out a 28 pound salmon to take home with us. He even gutted and filleted it for us when we reached the docks, feeding the scraps to waiting sea lions, who put on their own little show for us with all their barking and diving, attracting quite a crowd.

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tours
If walking tours are not your thing, and you want to get a decent tour of the city, the Hop-on, Hop-off bus tours are the way to go. A two day pass comes at a reasonable price and takes you through much of the downtown core, including Stanley Park, Chinatown, Granville Island, English Bay and Gastown. Grab a seat on the open air top deck and relax in the sunshine. With stops all over the city and another bus coming along every fifteen minutes or so, you can disembark and explore the sights that interest you at your leisure. With a narrated tour along the whole route, you can also learn a little of the history of Vancouver. Having taken the tour myself when entertaining visitors from overseas, I was pleasantly surprised to learn a little about Vancouver that I hadn’t known before, and it was all around just an enjoyable sightseeing tour.

Shopping
Skip the malls on a sunny day and hit the streets for some shopping. But where do I start? Vancouver has so many shopping districts, and where you go depends on what you’re looking for.
Robson Street has all your typical shops like Gap, Club Monacco, American Eagle and the like. There are plenty of dining options as well on Robson if you work up an appetite with all that shopping.
I’ve already touched on Granville Island, but basically, if you’re in an artistic frame of mind, Granville Island is the place to be. If you’re looking for funky and unusual, look no further than the island.
Commercial Drive is a vibrant blend of Italian, Cuban, Middle-Eastern and Greek shops, delis and restaurants. With an interesting mix of hippie, gay and lesbian shops thrown in for good measure. Home of the Dyke March and the Parade of Lost Souls, Commercial Drive is one of the more interesting neighborhoods in the city and the sunny patios along the drive are always in high demand.
If you’re looking for something a little more upscale, the intersection of Alberni and Burrard Streets and the surrounding area provide high-end boutiques such as Tiffany’s, Betsey Johnson, Agent Provocatuer, Louis Vuitton and the like. There are also several fine dining options in the area to show off your new haute couture.
Both Davie and Denman Street in the West End used to be home to many interesting local businesses. Sadly, with lease prices in the West End rising astronomically, you tend to see a lot more Starbucks, Tim Hortons, McDonalds and other franchises these days. However, this is Vancouver’s major gay and lesbian district, and there are still plenty of unique shops along Davie Street that are definitely worth a look.
Locals will notice that I’ve skipped a few choice shopping areas. There are just too many to name, and half the fun is discovering them for yourself.

Capilano Suspension Bridge/Treetop Adventure
Just the way to conquer your fear of heights! Or possibly make it worse. The swaying bridge has thrilled visitors to the area for years, and the recently added Treetop Adventure completes the experience. Built in a unique rainforest setting high above the Capilano River, visitors can continue on from the bridge along seven more suspension bridges set up to 100ft above ground in the treetops. Guided tours are available, or you can simply explore at your own pace, stopping for First Nations wood carving demonstrations, musical entertainment, or just the amazing views. I’m told by visitors from the UK that the Capilano Suspension Bridge is occasionally highlighted on BC travel shows, along with the voice over the loudspeaker chastising tourists for “shaking the bridge.” My visitors were happy to report back home that they got to hear the voice from the loudspeaker. I apologize to the staff at Capilano, in hindsight; it probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do.

Hit the Deck!
What better way to enjoy the day than sitting on one of Vancouver’s many sun-drenched patios, enjoying a chilly pint of local microbrew beer. With several to choose from, English Bay, Coal Harbor, and Yaletown offer some of the best waterfront views. Some great patios on the water include; Bridges on Granville Island, The Boathouse in English Bay, Nu Restaurant overlooking False Creek, Carderos and The Lift Restaurant; both in Coal Harbor, and Provence Marinaside in Yaletown. Don’t limit your options to these restaurants though, there are so many along the water to try out, and it’s almost impossible to make the wrong choice.
There are also some spectacular patios a little more inland in the downtown core. Try Joe Fortes on Robson, The Keg in Yaletown, Brix Restaurant, also in Yaletown, or L’Altro Buca at The Buchan Hotel in the West End.
Whatever your choice, waterfront or no, fresh seafood, tasty beer, and extensive wine lists make for an unforgettable experience at any of these fantastic patio restaurants.


Pitch and Putt in Stanley Park
There are oodles of pitch-and-putts in Vancouver and the surrounding area. The Stanley Park pitch and putt just happens to have the best location. And what I consider to be the most beautifully landscaped course. Set amidst lush gardens of rhododendrons and mature trees, even if you’re not much of a golfer, you’ll enjoy a day putting around this course. Novices can enjoy the walk around this 18 hole course, practicing their swing with occasional sightings of squirrels, raccoons, ducks and geese. Within walking distance of tennis courts, a lawn bowling club, English Bay, Lost Lagoon, and the Fish House Restaurant, you and your family can make a day of it.

Horseshoe Bay
One of my favorite things to do on a clear day in Vancouver is to load up the dogs, hop in the car and take the scenic drive out to Horseshoe Bay. Grab some take out fish and chips and clam chowder from one of the restaurants in the bay and find a patch of grass to sit and watch the ferries come in from the islands. The dogs love chasing a ball along the rocky shoreline. If you’ve got no plans for the day, hop on a ferry to the Sunshine Coast, Nanaimo, or nearby Bowen Island. Or take your fish and chips and head up to Whytecliff Park, about a 10 minute drive from Horseshoe Bay. Spend the day on the beach watching the seals in their protected habitat. This is also a popular spot for divers if you’re into some underwater exploration. With plenty of picnic areas, tennis courts, a playground and walking trails winding through the cliffs overlooking the Howe Sound, you’ll find the perfect spot to sit down and enjoy your lunch in the sunshine.

These are just a few of the many sunny-day activities to be found in the city of Vancouver, and I didn’t even mention sun-bathing on Kits Beach, cheering on your horse at Hastings Race Course, or BBQ’ing in Stanley Park! Come visit and discover the city for yourself, just bring your raincoats! Having said that, I’ll leave you with a quote from Canadian band favorite, Trooper; “So have a good time, the sun can’t shine every day. And the sun is shining, in this rainy city.” I’m pretty sure they were singing about Vancouver.

Link for salmon fishing charter tours:
http://www.oceanadventurecenter.com/

Rambling La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain

One of the things I have always loved about great European cities is their ability to move seamlessly into the present while still retaining that which made them great to begin with. Barcelona is no exception to this rule.

If you travel to places the Spanish have occupied, even for a brief period, you’ll see echoes of Barcelona. Cuba, Mexico, Morocco – all have retained some pleasing aspect that the Spaniards brought over with them. It’s no surprise that these countries repeated Barcelona’s city planning over and over again. Barcelona is an extraordinarily well planned city. Having said that, it can be somewhat overwhelming upon first arriving in Barcelona. It’s a huge, busy, metropolitan city and it’s hard to decide where to start.

My husband and I arrived by train from Costa Brava, a coastal area about an hour and a half from Barcelona by rail. We disembarked at Estacio de Sants (Barcelona Sants Station), and from there we hopped onto the Metro to take us to the city centre. We spent probably the first two hours wandering around with our rucksacks, enjoying the sunshine and soaking up the city vibe.

First things first. Finding some lodging to ditch your gear so you can properly begin exploring. Traffic in Barcelona can be quite heavy, and unless you have a particular reason for staying on the outskirts of the city, finding something in the city centre is optimal. Even the budget hostel prices here can run quite high (around 70 Euros and up) but, keep in mind that you’re paying for the location as well; saving yourself the hassle of public transit, taxis, and getting lost along the way.

We managed to find a clean, tidy hostel near La Rambla (great location!) that was a little on the pricey side, but served a free continental breakfast every morning. Small victories, people, small victories.

After taking a wander through La Rambla, enjoying a dish of Paella with a glass of wine, and tucking in for a good nights sleep, the first thing I recommend that you do with your first full day in Barcelona is to purchase a two day pass for the hop-on, hop-off bus tour. With stops all over the city, and another bus coming along every 15 minutes or so, this tour offers an inexpensive way to travel around this vast city, hitting all the major sites along the way. What we did was to grab a seat on the open air top deck, armed with a map, and take the first day to simply enjoy the ride and see the sights. We took note of those sights which we were most interested in, and used the next day to get off at all the stops we had noted the day before, skipping those that we didn’t think we’d have time to include. This ensured that we used the time we had there to do what we actually wanted to do, and the first day spent riding around in the city helped us to get our bearings.

In this article, I’ll touch base on some of the stops that interested us; but don’t let that stop you from checking out all the sights available while you’re exploring Barcelona, as we had limited time there and obviously couldn’t stop to see absolutely everything we wanted to.

Nou Camp Stadium
Being a rabid football (soccer, for you North Americans) fan, this was one stop my husband insisted that we make. I was prepared to indulge him in this, but was pleasantly surprised to find myself quite interested in the history of this famed football ground. Home to Barcelona FC, the Nou Camp Stadium (also called Camp Nou) is the third largest football pitch in the world after Sao Paulo, Brazil and Mexico City. With a fan seating capacity of upwards of 98,600, watching a match here can be an amazing experience and I’m sorry we didn’t have the opportunity to do so. Located between a maternity hospital and a cemetery, locals often state that their football matches are “between life and death.” If you’ve been to a game here, you might just agree. The stadium also houses a large football museum with a complete history of Barcelona FC. If you weren’t a football fan when you walked in here, you just might be when you leave.

La Sagrada Familia
By far the most visited tourist attraction in Barcelona, this cathedral, designed by famed architect Antoni Gaudi is a fascinating work in progress. The first stone was laid in 1882. Reports tend to differ on the expected completion date, but it seems to lie in the area of 2025-2030. Walking through and around the cathedral, it is interesting to note the changes of style in architecture as one architect passed away and another would take over. The stained glass work is incredible, as are the views from the towers, which can be reached by climbing tiny spiral staircases with ancient stone walls surrounding you. The only thing I found disappointing about this was the amount of graffiti that caretakers have allowed to build up in the stairwells over the years. However, as a friend pointed out to me, graffiti is one of the most ancient forms of communication, and doesn’t that fit in with the age of the cathedral? I thought that was probably a good way to look at things, but I’d still prefer if more artistically talented graffiti artists had made their mark there, instead of random scribblers with Sharpies.

Modernist Buildings
Three of the popular modernist buildings sit on the same block, known as the “Illa de la Discòrdia” (“Block of Discord”).
Casa Batllo, another famous Gaudi design, is like something of a fairy tale, inside and out, and you can see how heavily Gaudi was influenced by flowing designs found in nature.
Next door to Casa Battlo sits Casa Amatler, a gothic inspired design by Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
Casa Lleó-Morera, designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, underwent restoration beginning in 1992 and is somewhat of a medieval construction, with plenty of arches, busts, and mythical fairies.
All three of these beautiful, yet contradictory buildings can be found on the same street; Passeig de Gracia. A little further up the same street you’ll find Casa Mila, another stunning creation by Antoni Gaudi.

La Rambla
Also known as Las Ramblas, La Rambla is my favorite tourist attraction in Barcelona. I was delighted to find a twin of this stretch of street in Havana, Cuba, if not quite the same festive atmosphere. Comprised of a collection of various different stretches of streets with different names, La Rambla is an enjoyable stroll, be it morning, afternoon or evening. It begins at Plaza Catalunya and ends up at the Monument of Columbus at the Port Vell Harbour of Barcelona. Lined with outdoor patios ranging from casual to fine-dining and colorful street performers, it has a bit of a carnival feel to it. Each stretch of street we made our way along seemed to have a different theme; for instance, one stretch would only have caged yellow birds for sale, the next stretch flowers, the next paintings and sketches by local artists, and so on. If you’re sitting down for a nice meal and don’t wish to become part of the entertainment, however, my advice is to request a table away from the street or try your best not to make eye contact with the street performers. After sitting down to our dishes of paella and a glass of wine, I somehow ended up standing on the shoulders of a street performer as he ran up and down the street (and I was wearing a skirt, not exactly acrobatic attire), as my husband laughed and clapped along with other spectators. Not exactly the dinner I had in mind. Fun though.

Museu de L’Erotica
I’m almost embarrassed to say that, while we didn’t find the time to fit in a visit to the Picasso Museum, we did manage to find the time for the “Sex Museum.”
This was just a fun stop on La Rambla for my husband and me. It’s a fairly tame collection of “porn”, sex toys, and erotic photography from the 20’s, 30’s, and in some cases, even earlier. Certainly not on the scale of the Picasso Museum, but worth a stop, if you’re in the mood for something silly, sexy, and a little romantic.

The Olympic Harbor/Village
Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics in 1992 and revitalized the waterfront area to house the athletes during their stay. It is now a lovely neighborhood that makes for a great walking tour, with various cafes, shops and sculptures throughout. It is also populated with colorful Quaker Parrots that make their presence known as they squawk from tree to tree. The Quaker Parrots, also known as the monk parakeet, are a particularly raucous breed that only “talks” while in the air, becoming silent again once perched in a tree. It’s a non-native species that has become somewhat of a pest to locals, due to their voracious appetites, but still a draw to bird-lovers visiting the city.

Barrio Gotico
The Gothic Area of Barcelona has some of the oldest and most beautiful buildings and streets in Barcelona. Roman walls and ruins can still be seen throughout the area. It’s not the only place in Barcelona you can visit Roman ruins, but it’s one of the most interesting. Stop by the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat and you can explore remnants of Roman houses and streets. There are also some extraordinary cathedrals in this area of the city. You can stroll through at your own pace or organize a guided walking tour if you’re interested in hearing the history of each site as you walk through. There are several scenic plazas to stop in and have a seat to just watch the world go by, complete with local street musicians. Also on offer are plenty of popular restaurants and cafes, should you work up an appetite doing all that walking.

I wish we’d had more time to spend in Barcelona, there are still so many sights there we didn’t have the opportunity to see. I guess there’s nothing stopping us from returning there and finishing the job on our next trip to Europe, however. If Barcelona’s not on your itinerary for your next European vacation, definitely consider adding it!

Exploring California’s City by the Bay, San Francisco

Sitting in Vesuvio Bar, off Jack Kerouac Alley, sipping on a pint of Anchor Steam, one could almost believe they’ve traveled back in time and are sitting in the San Francisco of yesteryear. You expect to turn to the barstool next to you and see the man himself, Jack Kerouac, drinking off last night’s hangover, as some famous beat poet or another rails against humanity from the dimly lit corner of the room. To me, this bar truly felt like the San Francisco I had long imagined.

But it’s not just funky retro bars I came to see here, although San Francisco has more than it’s fair share of them. I wanted to see the whole city; tourist traps and local haunts alike. It would be easy to spend a week or two in San Francisco, enjoying that west coast vibe, but if you only have a weekend to spare, I’ve laid out just a few of the sights you should definitely check out while you’re here.
May through September is usually the best time to visit, when you’ll get the most sunshine and the warmest temperatures. However, I’ve gone during winter months as well and been happily surprised with the mild temperatures and clear, blue skies. Locals informed me that I’d lucked out with the weather. Taking in the sights around San Francisco can involve a lot of walking, if you’re so inclined, and it helps if the weather cooperates.

Fisherman’s Wharf
Yes, it’s definitely a tourist trap, but there’s a reason for that. It’s a great way to spend the day! Stroll around Pier 39, wandering in and out of art galleries, watching the street performers, sampling some fresh seafood or a bowl of hot seafood chowder (great on a rainy day), or just taking in the view across the bay towards Alcatraz. The absolute number one thing to do here though is to watch the sea lions. They showed up some 20 years ago and began colonizing the piers amongst the chowder and seafood shops. Experts speculate this influx was due to earthquake activity at the time, the Loma Prieta quake, which hit the Bay Area in 1989. With a population of 200-400 sea lions, it’s easy to spend a couple of hours just watching them bark, dive, play, or just lounge about on the docks, soaking up the sun. Following the mysterious influx of some 1500 sea lions in the fall of 2009, news coverage has shown an equally mysterious departure of the famed sea lions shortly after, but more recent reports have shown the slow return of San Francisco’s much loved sea lion population.

Alcatraz Island
Often referred to as The Rock, Alcatraz is the most famous tourist attraction in the San Francisco Bay Area. Located 1.5 miles off the mainland, Alcatraz Island began it’s history as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, a military prison, and finally a federal prison which housed such notorious prisoners as Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert Franklin Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz). Between the years of 1969 and 1971 it was occupied by Indians of All Tribes, Inc, in what began as a symbolic occupation to awaken the American public to the need for Indian self-determination. This soon turned into a full scale occupation which eventually culminated in the forcible removal by armed marshals and FBI agents of the remaining occupants; five women, four children, and six unarmed men.

Today the prison remains open to flocks of tourists, arriving daily by ferry from Pier 33. If you want the full history as you explore the prison and its grounds, headsets are available which provide a running narrative from your starting point. Alcatraz is not only a fascinating place to explore American history; it also has somewhat of a seawall with some great views across the bay into the city and towards the Golden Gate Bridge. It makes a perfect spot to pack a picnic lunch and watch the ships roll in.

Pubcrawling on Columbus Street
The aforementioned Vesuvio Bar can be found on Columbus Street (across from arguably one of the best bookstores in the city, City Lights Bookstore), along with many other colorful and diverse pubs, clubs and cafes along the way. It helps to have a copy of San Francisco’s Best Dive Bars, by Todd Dayton, for this endeavor. It’s a guide which lists, by neighborhood, some of the seediest, grittiest, and most genuine hole-in-the-wall dives in the city. Mr. Bing’s Cocktail Lounge on Columbus Street is one that holds a special place in my heart, this is a true local haunt, and you’re guaranteed to meet some interesting characters in here. Start at the bottom of Columbus and make your way up, making sure to detour into any dead-end seeming alleyways that promise a drink around the corner. This is where you’ll find some of the most interesting little Irish snugs, stuffed to capacity with fascinating Americana and historic memorabilia.

Another great place to stop for a pint of Guinness and a pub lunch is Lefty O’Doul’s, located on Geary Street off Union Square. Simple fare and plenty of seating, along with countless T.V.’s playing any sport you can imagine, Lefty’s also boasts a great piano bar, which fills up pretty quickly with business clientele, coming in for a glass of wine and a sing along after a long day at the office, so get there early if you want a seat near the piano.

Ride the Cable Cars.
It’s just not a trip to San Francisco unless you ride the cable cars. Preferably hanging off the side with one foot on the running boards, “just like in the movies,” as my husband put it. We insisted on doing just that, much to the annoyance of all the seated passengers who said we were blocking their view. Sorry folks, but it had to be done. A day pass, for $13.00, buys you riding privileges on the three separate routes, which gets you a pretty good tour of the city. Stops include Powell Market, Nob Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf, the financial district, Chinatown, Russian Hill, and Ghiradelli Square (Mmmm, chocolate). The Powell-Hyde cable car line has a stop at the top of Lombard Street, unless you want to do what we did – jump off at the closest stop at the bottom and hike up Lombard – whew! Lombard Street is billed as the “crookedest street” in the city, which, oddly enough, it isn’t. But it’s a beautiful street nonetheless, with steep switchbacks all the way down (or up, depending on your point of view) and is lined with lovely landscaping and Victorian mansions. Spend a half hour or so watching the carloads of people navigating the hairpin turns and screaming in mock terror at every corner.

Napa Valley Wine Train
Sample a taste of the luxurious Napa Valley lifestyle. If you book at least one day in advance, you can ferry over to Vallejo from San Francisco, where a shuttle will pick you up and transport you to the Wine Train. There are several different packages you can choose from; lunch, dinner, weekend getaways, or even weddings. Several offer winery tours as part of the packages, which I recommend you take them up on, as admission can get pretty pricey at some of the wineries when not part of a package ($60.00 and up). Top notch service and a glass dome roof riding car make this an unforgettable experience.

Some wineries worth mention include the recently renovated Francis Ford Copolla winery, where wine lovers and movie buffs alike can get their fix, touring through the winery, which is interspersed with sets from some of his movies. The Clos du Val Winery is another one worth stopping by - I found a wine merchant in Vancouver that carries a select few of their reds, much to my delight! For a perfect day, start at V.Sattui Winery; take a browse through their market place, picking out fresh deli meats, cheeses, and breads, then pick up a bottle of their crisp strawberry Gamay Rouge and picnic on their two and a half acres of shaded grounds outside the gorgeous stone winery building. Some other wineries of note include Sterling Vineyards. Perched atop a hill with sweeping views all around, Sterling’s architecture is somewhat reminiscent of the Greek Island of Santorini. And finally, Castella di Amerosa, where the winery itself is a castle built from stone brought over from Italy for this specific purpose. But I’ll let you discover the rest on your own, there are so many award winning wineries in Napa and the surrounding area, both large and small, and everyone seems to have a different favorite.

Dine Out.
With restaurants like Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio, and Jardiniere, it hardly needs to be said that San Francisco has a dining scene rivaling that of New York City. So I won’t spend a huge amount of time listing all the fabulous restaurants this city has on offer. I will, however, point out a few of my favorites that are definitely worth a try while you’re there. The Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel is an absolutely amazing tiki-themed restaurant that must be seen to be believed. Tables are situated around an indoor lagoon, upon which floats a barge with a lively Calypso band to entertain you while you dine on Pacific Rim menu options. Occasional tropical storms pass through the room, complete with thunder, lightening, and rain, but not to worry; you’ll stay dry under your thatched umbrellas. If you’re in the mood for a little dancing after dinner, take a spin on the dance floor built from the remains of the S.S. Forester.

You’ll probably recognize The Fog City Diner from television or movie sets, as it’s used frequently when the script calls for a scene in a typical American style diner. With checkered tile floors, stainless steel décor, and a decidedly 1930’ish feel, it perfectly fits the bill. The food here, however, is not your typical American diner fare. A little on the pricey side, this is a restaurant where you can dress down but still enjoy an upscale dining experience.

Located on Powell Street, Lori’s Diner is a nostalgic throwback to the fabulous 50’s. Simple menu choices; burgers, shakes, malts, fries, etc, make this a great place for families to dine, with reasonable prices to match. No fine dining here, it’s just fast-paced fun. Classic oldies add to the upbeat atmosphere (there’s even a jukebox), and there’s plenty of memorabilia to wander around and admire as you wait for your meal.

The Haight
Famed for its role in the 1960’s hippie culture, the Haight-Ashbury district still retains much of the laid back, peace loving mentality it became known for, if peppered here and there with trendy clothing stores and nightspots these days. It’s still worth a wander through here if you’re hoping to find some relics from the Summer of Love. The well maintained Victorian homes in the neighborhood, known as “Painted Ladies” are absolutely gorgeous and make for some great photos. The Haight-Ashbury Street Fair is held on the second Sunday in June every year, and can get quite busy, as it is a tourist destination in itself. Much of the street is only open to pedestrian traffic for this, with live bands playing outdoors.

The Castro
For gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender visitors, this is The district to check out. It is known as the world’s first gay community and has become a symbol of pride and acceptance throughout the years. This is where Harvey Milk lived, worked and began his political career as a gay activist. Everyone is welcome here, and some of the Pride Festival events outdo any carnival anywhere else in the world. If you have the opportunity to attend the Pride Parade, don’t pass it up, it’s incredible.

These are just a few of the attractions on offer in San Francisco, one of my favorite cities in the world, and I haven’t even touched on the live music scene, Chinatown, Sausalito, shopping in Union Square…. It’s no wonder there’s over 1000 songs written about this city, and still more yet to be written, I’m sure.

Author’s note: Props to my wine-genius friend, Corey Barlow, who was good enough to take my sorry, broke self in after I returned from traipsing around SE Asia. Corey lives and works in Napa Valley, firmly entrenched in the wine industry. He was also kind enough to tour me around some of Napa’s amazing wineries, of which my memory, is, not surprisingly, a little fuzzy. Thanks Corey, for everything, but also for supplying the names of wineries that were just on the tip of my tongue, and for suggesting a few new ones I’ve yet to explore. But I will. Soon.

Surviving Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh is a difficult city to write about, for many reasons. It is a city rife with contradictions; extreme poverty and opulent luxury exist side by side, seemingly in harmony. Ancient temples of long ago glory sit next to bombed out buildings, never repaired, simply used as is. Beggars mournfully approach, displaying missing limbs, sheared off by land mines, only to turn around and produce a cell phone from the folds of their garb to text a friend.

Another reason I find it difficult to write about Phnom Penh is the mindset I was in at the time, I fear that I will not do this great Asian city the justice it so deserves. I arrived in Phnom Penh the day after receiving an email from back home imparting the news to me of the death of a close friend. Perhaps this was the worst possible time for me to visit the Tuol Sleng Museum and The Killing Fields; when my own mortality was foremost in my mind. Perhaps it was the best possible time; when my mind was most open to truly understanding what happened here, during the horrific and brutal reign of the Khmer Rouge regime. Whatever the case may be, there I was, on my own in Phnom Penh, with a load on my mind, and I threw myself into exploring the city and it’s surroundings, so that I didn’t have to think about what was really on my mind, and in my heart.

I arrived in Phnom Penh from Siem Reap by a combination of bus, then boat. Phnom Penh is situated at the convergence of the Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassac Rivers. After an idyllic sunrise ride through the floating markets and villages along the Tonle Sap Lake, it was a bit overwhelming to be dropped off amongst a manic crowd of moto-taxi drivers clamoring for my business, many of them, I was told, heavily addicted to what is known locally as Yaba, or more commonly known as Yama, a form of methamphetamine.

I picked the one standing furthest away from the frantic cluster of moto-taxi drivers; in other words, the one I thought looked the least drug-addicted and therefore not so desperate to earn $2.00.

He showed me a photo album with the name “Same Same But Different” emblazoned across the front. This was a bit of a cheeky name for a guest house. “Same same, but different” is a phrase you’ll hear throughout Thailand and Cambodia. It applies to the mass of backpackers following the “route” through SE Asia looking for that unique, off the beaten path experience. It barely exists anymore, and finding it usually requires no small effort on your part. So they use it amongst the foreigners to describe whatever latest tourist destination might have made it into Lonely Planet, or Rough Guide, etc. For example; Me: “Can you take me to the Reclining Buddha?”

Tuk-tuk driver: (driving in the complete opposite direction of my destination): “Ya ya. I take you there.”

Me: (speaking a little more slowly now) “The Reclining Buddha. I want to go to the Reclining Buddha.”

Tuk-tuk driver: “Ya ya. Same same.” But different, as I soon discover after being dropped off in front of some sort of temple that appears to be utterly Buddha-less. To the locals that work in the business of tourism, one destination is as good as another and I assumed my moto-taxi driver in Phnom Penh thought the same.

I flipped through his album, looking at pictures of the Same Same Guesthouse, but he had me at the first page. It was situated on Boeng Kak Lake and the first photograph showed a sunset shot of their stilted bamboo patio, potted palms in silhouette against the sky, a couple of travelers sipping on some cold Angkor beers, watching the sun go down on the lake. That was enough for me, and I agreed on the $2.00 (US) fare as he piled my rucksack precariously on his handlebars and I jumped on behind and off we went, at breakneck speed, for my first glimpse of the city of Phnom Penh.

The first thing I noticed was the amount of scooters and motorcycles streaking about on the roads, with what seemed like entire families perched upon them. The most I saw was a family of five (including their young baby) piled atop one another, baby astride the mommy’s hip, cruising carelessly along, flip-flop clad and helmetless. By the end of the day, I was no longer agog at such sights.

The second thing I noticed was the gorgeous French colonial architecture, amid bombed out buildings, outdoor markets that seemed to lack any sort of organization, Buddhist temples, and well kept modern styles of building. What a unique, eclectic city.

My driver entered what seemed a labyrinth of tiny, dirty alleyways, turning this way and that, still at incredible speeds, and finally pulled up in front of the Same Same Guesthouse, where he kindly deposited my rucksack at the front desk for me. I gave him a one dollar tip and he seemed a little overwhelmed by that, smiling and bowing repeatedly at me, hands clasped in front of him, prayer style.

I was given the choice of a room with a private bathroom ($4.00 US) or a shared bathroom at the end of the hall ($3.00). I decided to splurge on the private bathroom, and once in my very basic room (fan, lumpy bed with sheet, rickety bedside stand); I opened the bathroom door with relish, anticipating a nice long, cool shower. I immediately closed the door and vowed never to open it again. It resembled a dark, concrete cave, and I swore I saw something move in there when I opened the door, something that maybe hadn’t been exposed to the light of day for a very long time. Shared bathroom it is, I thought.

I went down to check out the lakefront patio and it was everything the photo I’d seen had promised. Low key chill-out music drifted from the speakers and a few backpackers sat around, quietly discussing the best sights to see while in Phnom Penh, all the while gentle waves lapped quietly at the moorings. After a long day’s travel, this was the perfect place to sit back and watch the sunset after I ordered a Khmer curry dish with rice and a cold bottle of Angkor to wash it down. (All for about $3.00 US).

There are quite a few of these lakefront guesthouses clustered along the edge of Boeng Kak Lake, all with perfect sunset vantages, and they range from the very basic (like mine) to slightly fancier, some even boasting air conditioning and pillows and blankets with your bedding. Price ranges are all ridiculously cheap, though. In the evenings, after sunset, most of them show movies in the common area, should you need a night off from the frenetic Phnom Penh night life. One of the guesthouses, while I was there, showed Mel Gibson’s Braveheart nightly, to a packed house of English, Irish and Scottish, all of them cheering on their own country, as though history hadn’t told them just how it was going to turn out.

The next morning I mentally prepared myself for what I had actually come here to do; explore the Tuol Sleng genocide museum, and The Killing Fields. I had picked up a book in Bangkok called Surviving the Killing Fields on the recommendation of a fellow traveler who had just returned from Phnom Penh. It’s written by Haing S. Ngor, who also played the part of Dith Pran, a Cambodian journalist in the movie The Killing Fields. It’s a graphic first hand account of one man’s tale of survival of the “Intellectual Cleansing” carried out by the Khmer Rouge, with Pol Pot at its head. I found this book to be very disturbing, to say the least, but it also brought home to me what I was going to see here, which when hearing about it back home, seemed far off and not quite real. Not so now. Reading this book may not have helped my state of mind any, after the sudden death of my friend, but I feel that to really understand a country’s people and it’s culture, you must explore both the glorious and shameful aspects of its history.

According to the Khmer dictionary, Tuol Sleng, which was named long before the Khmer Rouge appropriated it for their horrific purposes (it was once a high school), loosely translates to mean “Poison Ground.” This couldn’t be more appropriate. The very air felt poisoned there. After stopping on my way in to give a dollar or two here and there to the amputees begging outside the prison walls, having lost limbs to one of the many land mines this country still hides under its soil, I paid the entrance fee and began to explore in earnest. The former classrooms of Tuol Sleng Highschool were converted into prison cells, with all the windows enclosed by iron bars, and covered with barbed wire to prevent any possible escapes. Some were divided into small cells, designed for single prisoners, some left as is and used to house mass groups of prisoners. In each cell, the regulations were posted on small pieces of black board, including rules such as “While getting lashes or electrification you must not cry at all,” or “Do not make pretexts about Kampuchea Krom in order to hide your jaw of traitor.”

The cells were mainly left as they had been during the reign of Pol Pot, iron beds with shackles, set in the center of the room, and in some rooms you can see splatters of what appears to be blood staining the ceiling or the walls. One of the most disturbing aspects of the museum, I found, was the Khmer Rouge’s attempt to document each and every prisoner that had come through its doors. This was evidenced by a collection of photographs taken of the men, women and children that had passed through here, or died here. The photographs are now on display in black and white throughout the museum and along the hallways. Some of the prisoners stare at the camera distantly, eyes glazed over, spirit broken, but some stare defiantly into the camera, challenging. Some faces still show evidence of brutal beatings. Some very few, heartbreakingly, smile into the camera sunnily, as though they know they will soon be released into the waiting arms of their family. The photos of the children are the hardest to bear witness to. But bear witness we must.

I left there shaken and decided to wait until the next day to visit The Killing Fields. I just didn’t think I could take any more that day. I hopped onto a moto-taxi and headed back to the guesthouse. In dire need of some light-hearted entertainment, I made my way to what I had dubbed “The Braveheart Guesthouse”, ordered an Angkor, sat down on the Scottish side of the room, and joined them in cheering on William Wallace (apologies to my English husband, but I think the Scottish needed more than Mel Gibson on their side.)

The next morning, slightly rested after a night of fitful sleep, I awoke to the single drum beat of the Buddhist monks gathered in the alleyway outside the guesthouse. The drum beat marks the beginning of their early morning chant, which echoes back and forth among the concrete buildings as they make their way from door to door accepting donations of rice, fresh baked bread and the like. I took this as a good note to start the day on, and made the journey over to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, the most well-known of the sites of mass burial graves used by the Khmer Rouge to dispose of their victims.

If you have ever been to Auschwitz, in Poland, you’ll find shades of it echoed here in Cambodia. There is a commemorative stupa, a tower of skulls encased in glass, a monument to the victims who were murdered here. Also on display are the clothes that were taken off the bodies before they were tossed into the mass burial pits, many of these clothes were used again on new prisoners brought into Tuol Sleng Prison. Most disturbing of all, perhaps, are the shoes left behind by the victims, some small enough for tiny baby feet.

I wandered around the surrounding fields and forest to pay my respects at the mass graves; now empty pits in the ground; small wooden signs to mark their existence. As I made my way around them, small Khmer children ran up to me again and again, taking my hand and imploring me to “take picture,” as they smiled sweetly up at me. To these children, who didn’t live through the horror of the Khmer Rouge, this is just another opportunity to make a dollar or two, but it just didn’t feel right to me to be taking pictures with happy children as though we were in Disneyland, so I smiled back at them and sent them on their way.

By backing Pol Pot, the Chinese, and, more subtly, the U.S.A., have done a great disservice to this country. An aide to Jimmy Carter has said that Pol Pot was an “abomination,” but admitted to “encouraging the Chinese to support him.” During the Khmer Rouge regime, at least 200,000 Cambodians were murdered, many of them considered intellectuals. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants and the like were among the first to be executed. Eventually it came to the point that if a person wore glasses, they were considered to be an intellectual, and this gave the Khmer Rouge cause to execute them. Who knows how many generations this loss of Cambodia’s greatest resource, knowledge, will impact in the future. Much of the Khmer Rouge regime will never be brought to accountability for their actions, one reason being that it was an army comprised largely of children, who were simply doing what they had to in order to survive.

After spending two days looking at the aftermath of genocide, I had some misgivings about heading out to the shooting range and firing a gun, at anything. But a line from a movie kept sticking in my head, in which one character enthuses about how, in Phnom Penh you can “blow up a cow, for, like, a dollar.” Not that I desired to fire a bazooka at some poor, unsuspecting cow, quite the opposite. My intention was to tag along with some English fellows that I’d met at the guesthouse and observe as they fired AK-47’s, etc, with solemn promises not to “blow up any living creatures.”

We were presented with a menu when we arrived. This included target shooting with AK-47’s, Uzi’s, M-16’s, and 12-gauge, semi-automatic combat shotguns. There were more options, but my knowledge of weaponry only extends so far. Nowhere on the menu was there a cow on offer, but there was an option to blow up a car, for the hefty price of $200 US. However, as the saying goes, money talks. And in Cambodia, if it’s to blow up a cow you desire, then a cow you shall have. One of my new friends was pulled aside and discreetly offered a chicken, if he wanted to target practice on one, but he politely declined. After sipping a couple of rounds of cold beers in the shade, and firing off a few rounds (I know – beer and guns – bad idea,) we left with wallets considerably lighter than when we’d arrived. It’s more expensive then you think to visit the firing range here, with most target practice starting at $20 US.

Shootin’ guns is thirsty work. Or not. But it’s a good excuse to head out on the town for a drink or two. And if you’re looking for a night of mayhem, with very little recollection the next day, then Phnom Penh is more than happy to deliver. A book written by Amit Gilboa, addresses this very subject. Off the Rails in Phnom Penh, a controversial look at the dark side of Phnom Penh, offers a somewhat disjointed take on the drug addiction, prostitution, and general lawlessness that many expats are drawn to there. It’s not pretty. But it’s there, and you can’t ignore it. Sex tourism, sadly, is big business in Phnom Penh, bringing many foreign visitors over for the young boys and girls on offer there.

However, if it’s just a drink you’re after (and I sincerely hope so), then a few watering holes of note include; Elsewhere, The FCC, the Magic Sponge Bar, and of course, the rather infamous Heart of Darkness, which seems to draw mixed reviews. I think it depends on the crowd present on the night you’re there. My experience there was great, if not so much the next day. It’s open until sunrise, and I took full advantage of their long hours. At one point, I was surprised to see many locals dancing to Dead Kennedy’s Holiday in Cambodia. I asked one of the locals who had joined me on the dance floor if he knew the lyrics to it, meaning, “Are you okay with dancing to a song about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge?” He made a peaceful gesture with his hands, kind of pushing them down and away from himself and said, “No Khmer Rouge. Just dance. Have fun.” Okay. Got it. And this is pretty much the reception you’ll receive when trying to broach the subject of the Khmer Rouge with any of the locals. The younger ones, at least.

After you’ve shaken off your ridiculous hangover the next day, there’s a lot more that this city has on offer besides The Killing Fields and gun ranges. Take a stroll through the outdoor markets and down to the Tonle Sap riverfront, it makes for a pleasant walking tour, and many sights worth seeing are nearby, like the Royal Palace, and the neighboring Silver Pagoda. You can also take a river cruise for a different vantage of the city. There are plenty of great restaurants and pubs along the river as well.

When it comes time to return to your guesthouse, the cyclo, a bicycle rickshaw, is a more relaxing, and even cheaper way to get there than by tuk-tuk or moto-taxi. There is somewhat of a language barrier with the drivers though, as they tend to be older and know a lot less English, or other foreign languages, than the moto-taxi drivers, so explaining your destination can be a bit of a challenge, and lead to some interesting end results. When I asked my cyclo driver for a ride to the Same Same Guesthouse, he smiled and nodded and began on his way. I was confident that he knew what I meant, but after an hour in what felt suspiciously like the wrong direction, I began to wonder. I gestured for him to pull over at a gas station, and went in and tried to explain my situation to the staff there. Luckily, they spoke some English and were able to translate to him where I actually wanted to go. They told me that he had mistaken my request and was taking me to a town some two hours away, where he thought I wanted to go. I was thankful that we had caught our misunderstanding before it was too late, but I couldn’t help marveling at the fact that he was still willing to pedal me two hours away for $2.00!! I gave him $4.00 when he brought me safely to my guesthouse and he was ecstatic.

After a couple of weeks of city living in Phnom Penh, I was more than ready to hit the beach again, but I’m glad I got to experience all that what was once known as “The Pearl of Asia” had to offer, and it’s an experience I know I won’t soon forget.