I was fortunate enough late last month to go on a business trip to Vancouver, BC. I'm not usually a fan of solo business travel, but both the city of Vancouver and MPI's World Education Conference made up for it.
My first full day in Vancouver was a busy one. The volunteer project hosted through WEC began the day. We took a bus to Vancouver's north shore and learned about the salmon life cycle. We even learned how Vancouver's Convention Center has a fish estuary underneath of it to help the teenage freshwater salmon transition to adult saltwater fish. The second portion of the project took us to Lynn Creek where we spent an hour or so pulling up invasive plants along the creek and pathways. I had the duty of pulling up knotweed which was pretty close to trying to rip up bamboo with your bare hands.
After a quick lunch, I headed for a Historic City Tour again set up through the convention. We toured by bus, trolley, foot and boat through Vancouver's main neighborhoods. The majority of my pictures are from Saturday since the sessions kept me pretty booked.
The opening night welcome party blew my mind. It's been years since I've been to an event of this caliber. They friggin' lit the Olympic cauldron for us! There were performers of all types, a raw seafood bar as well as an excellent selection from the open bar all while we overlooked the Vancouver Harbor. When the party started winding down, I raced a mile and a half down to the Burrard Bridge to see the fireworks over the English Bay. What a day!
The remainder of the visit was spent at incredible educational sessions and networking events. I snuck in a concert one night and even managed to start one day off with a bike ride along the seawall at Stanley Park. It was a great trip and I can't wait to head back with Greg to take advantage of Vancouver's great outdoors.
