The Public Market at Granding Island in Vancouver is a world apart from Pike Place in Seattle.
For one, you can move here. For another, it’s a lot less fishy. And for yet another, it has the air of an actual public market rather than a public market-turned-tourist trap.
Of course, we were there on a Sunday rather than a Saturday. And my cold was in finest of fashion. I had three vendors offer me tissues, despite the fact that I was carrying a handful.
Just the kind of person you want traipsing around your fresh fruit and veggies, eh?
To tell you the truth, I don’t remember much about this day. I remember taking the pictures. I bought a little purse and a pair of earrings. I lusted over the Cookie Monster cake. I could have kissed the vendor with the truffles after she saw me drooling and offered me a couple of freebies.
They were salted caramel. The path to my heart is paved in salted caramel.
The rainbow roses made me smile.
I stared at these fish for far too long, half expecting them to break into song.
I lost myself in the texture of the clam shells.
I walked around repeating “Octopus Soup” all day because, well, “Octopus Soup.”
I drew inspiration from signs wedged amongst the fruit.
We stepped outside and I marveled over Canadian Whimsy at a Concrete Factory.
And I shook my fists at Canadian Geese chanting, “This is where you belong! Stay here, dammit! Stay here!”
I’m pretty sure I had a fever.
Earl and El Jefe wandered around the Kids’ Market while I sat at a cafe table and tried to will my nostrils to open. El Jefe made comments about the luxury sport car dealerships we passed in the cab on the way back into town. Earl asked to play on my phone and I let her.
We had the cabbie wait while we ran in to Cadeaux Bakery to pick up the cakes El Jefe had ordered a couple of days earlier. One was a London Fog cake infused with Earl Gray Tea, because it’s their most highly touted cake and El Jefe was jonesing. The other was a chocolate deal with birthday wishes written on top because chocolate is Earl’s favorite.
The three week mark of our trip coincided with Earl’s last day in the single digits.
We were back at the hotel by 2 pm, at which time I promptly sent El Jefe and Earl out to explore Science World while I dozed and demanded my body cooperate and heal itself. I hated that I was missing so much of our time in Vancouver. I still haven’t quite forgiven myself for not pushing harder. But I had to get better while I had El Jefe there to rely on. I had to take it easy while I could.
After all, I refused to lay around in the hotel room all day on my kid’s 10th birthday.
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