M’s parents were incredibly kind and generous, and gave M and his brothers tickets to the January 1st Canucks game, and got one for me!!! It was a huge surprise to me, but it was absolutely wonderful- I can’t say thank you enough!!! It was a fantastic two day mini-adventure in the middle of my longer trip
Obviously M has been to Canada before, but his brothers hadn’t- this trip was serious business! And by serious business, I mean, hockey- the business of Canada. We went to bed around 10pm on New Year’s Eve- 1) I don’t believe in staying up JUST to stay up; 2) it was midnight in Winnipeg; 3) we had to get up early to get ready! On January 1st, we headed north to the border to visit my fair country!
Washington was “cold” while I was there (cold by Washington standards, pleasant by mine!), so the frost would remain throughout the day in shaded areas. Made for a very cool drive!
The border crossing into Canada was relatively fast, and I was only asked one question. Huzzah for being Canadian! We got to the hotel, dropped off our stuff, and then headed down Granville Street. Part of Granville Street is not-so-great (lots of homeless people, some drug stuff happening), but get down to the Bay and it cleans up some! It is an interesting area for theatres and interesting shops. We had dinner down in the Waterfront area, and then took the Sky Train to Rogers arena!
The game was fantastic! Both teams were a touch sloppy, maybe they enjoyed NYE a tad too much?? 😉 The Ducks took the lead at the beginning of the second period, and the Canucks were able to tie it up with ten minutes to go in the third period! We go to overtime, and then a shootout- CANUCKS WIN!! It is actually the first NHL game I’ve been to where one of the teams hasn’t been one of my teams, it makes for a surprisingly fun but stressfree experience!
After the game, we stopped at a pub off of Granville, Doolin’s! M and his brothers were able to enjoy some Irish and Canadian beers.
The next morning we wandered down to the Convention Centre in the harbour, and had this lovely view:
Ahhh, the fog! Alright for M and I who have seen the view, but very unfortunate for his brothers 🙁 Hopefully when they go back next it will be bright and sunny!
After some good ol’ Tims, we headed back to the States. Don’t worry, I was asked questions a plenty by the US border patrol while M and his brothers were a-okay! Funny how that works 😉
What has been your favourite sporting experience?? Are there any teams on your list to see??
Until tomorrow,
The Historian!
That is a great gift/trip!! I am a Bruins fan and try to get to a game every year. Some years when they aren’t doing so hot, its a little easier to get in there haha. I can imagine hockey is HUGE in Canada. In the US, there are pockets of hockey popularity. New England is definitely one of them! When my mom was younger, she had a cat named after Derek Sanderson of the Bruins haha. Glad you are feeling better!
~Monica
It’s as big as everyone says, though I find that it’s bigger in smaller cities like Winnipeg! (We have nothing happening other than the Jets, haha) I might be saving a few hockey names for dogs…. annnd I got sick again 🙁 Thank goodness I’ve been on top of writing posts early! One day I will be healthy (I hope…)