Vancouver Cityscapes

Vancouver is a beautiful city from almost any perspective. Including the view from our balcony, below.

Vancouver Street Art

Vancouver is full of graffiti, yet this city has nothing on Buenos Aires. In BA, graffiti is absolutely everywhere. It can be obnoxious or political, simple scrawl or beautiful art. Street murals in Buenos Aires are a beautiful expression of life and the creative energy of the artists.





In Vancouver the graffiti is often less political, just as mindless, and sometimes more humorous than what we saw in BA.

The murals of Vancouver, often encouraged by the municipal government, are eye catching and impressive, and like those in Argentina, provide a positive and creative expression for young artists.

The murals shown here are located near Granville Island in central Vancouver.

Vancouver Coffee Shops ~ part 2

Near the corner of Broadway and Main in Vancouver is an interesting neighbourhood coffee shop called Kafka's. Urban, chic, hip and youthful, Kafka's serves good coffee and almost nothing else, though some of their baked goods are worth a look. There are a variety of brew styles offered including the syphon type, which is well worth a try. Local art works, good music and a friendly bunch abound at Kafka's.











At Granville Island Market we find our second favourite coffee shop in Vancouver; Elysian being still our  first choice.









J J Bean has thirteen locations throughout MetroVancouver and this one seems to serve the best coffee, and truly not much else.

Other locations have a variety of bakery items and sandwiches, and even comfortable seating. This location offers the best coffee on Granville Island, from an efficient and amiable crew, under rather crowded conditions. You have to find your own seating elsewhere; no one should stand and drink coffee from a paper cup.



Order your coffee "for here" and get it served properly, with water and a spoon. And for those having a difficult time finding a decent cappuccino, J J Bean offers a traditional cappuccino in a small cup, which is much more to our liking. At least the former Berton House writer-in-residence seems to think so.