Ten things I learned on my trip to BC
#1 Movies about baseball are always good. I watched MoneyBall on the airplane ride out to BC. I chose it at random and because it had Brad Pitt in it, and having no pre-conceived expectations, I thought it was really good. I was thinking afterward that all movies about baseball are good. Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, Eight Men Out, A League of their Own, The Natural – all about baseball, all good.
#2 Having the airport connected to the subway is a fabulous idea. When we arrived in Vancouver, we quickly found the skytrain (we followed the crowd) and were whisked away to downtown Vancouver for $3.50 and in about 25 minutes. As the airport is the first stop, we got a seat.
(As an aside: Come on Toronto, you need this.)
In Waterloo Region, we are on the right track (no pun intended) with our intermodal transportation hub.
#3 Vancouver’s Skytrain (at least the Canada Line) operates on the honor system. Bad idea. According to my dad, it loses millions in in unpaid ridership revenue.
#4 Grocery stores use paper bags. If you want a plastic one you have to pay three cents. We should have to pay if we insist on harming the environment.
#5 Victoria is a nice city to drive around in. The traffic is pretty heavy but the topography is interesting. It’s all hills and corners.
#6 I wouldn’t want to be a real estate agent on Vancouver Island. Houses would be so challenging to price as the styles of houses and lot sizes are all so varied. In a hillside suburb of Cobble Hill there are about 60 houses, all of them different: different styles, different building materials, different states of repair, different lot sizes and some have ocean view. What a nightmare.
#7 The people in BC are real friendly. They love to talk. It seems to me that they have more time than us Ontarians, but I suspect they have less money. Would you rather be friendly and poor or busy but rich?
#8 Coffee. We drink a lot of coffee in Canada, but BC must lead the other provinces.
#9 Wine is more expensive in BC.
#10 It’s a great place to visit, but I’m glad I live here.