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On Monday we spent the whole day in Grouse Mountain.

Getting there is not difficult, but it could definitely be simpler. First we walked up Granville, where we passed a medical marihuana dispensary (“Victorian Pharmacy”), to Canada Place, where we bought the tickets at the tourist office assisted by a very nice old lady. From there we walked to Waterfront Station where we took the SeaBus to North Vancouver. Then the 236 bus at dock 8, that took us all the way up to Grouse Mountain, stopping at several cute residential streets, including Cortell street!

Once at the base of Grouse Mountain, we decided not to do the “grind” (walk up the mountain) so we rode the red SkyRise Gondola. Arriving at the chalet, we viewed a half an hour movie about the history of the mountain as a recreation center (let’s say it was “skippable”), and then ventured into the mountain, where we saw a lumberjack show (good for kids, of the little variety I guess), a bird explanation (owls, falcons and eagles flying by, domesticated ones mingling with wild ones), and saw two amazing grizzly bears eating grass, wrestling, napping, and just having fun… a couple feet from me!

The experience was sublime. Breathtaking nature and views. Trees everywhere, lakes, rivers, snow… Extremely beautiful.

To wrap the day off, we had dinner at Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar.

When the oyster menu is longer than the wine or dinner menu, you know they know their oysters. So we decided to sample several we had not tried before: Kusshi, Black Pearl, Chefs, Royal Miyagi, Shigoku, and Raspberry. Except the last two, the rest were absolutely delicious. Buttery, soft, tender, smooth, velvety. And the lesson was clear: when in doubt, get your oysters from the Pacific Ocean. 

We also had delicious sturgeon, sablefish, and a yuzu cheesecake. One of the (if not the) best restaurants in the city without a doubt.