Summer in Vancouver

For me, summer in Vancouver is walking home from work over the Burrard Street Bridge. 

I kind of  love bridges. Different cities, different favourite bridges. San Francisco has the Golden Gate, London has the Millennium Footbridge (affectionately called the wobbly bridge), Victoria has (for now) the Blue Bridge, and in Vancouver its Burrard Street.

I lived in Vancouver once before, in the summer of 2009, and the best part of my workday was walking home from downtown, across the beautiful span of the Burrard Street Bridge.

Sure more cars go across Granville, and the Lions Gate is impressive with its own gorgeous views and those lions decorated for every cause, sports team and season. But it’s the Burrard Street Bridge that is my favourite. Maybe its that you can sense the history in its concrete designs, or the bike lanes that make it seem somehow friendlier. But for me its the way the light hits it in the evening, the sun slowly sinking into English Bay.

Summer in Vancouver is the sun and the ocean and the trees and the skyline. Summer in Vancouver is weather warm enough to walk endlessly, but cool enough to stay outside for days at a time.

Summer is this bridge and the views from its railings. Downtown, the mountains, English Bay, the boats, Granville Island, the Ocean, the West End, Kitsilano, at the tents set up for Bard on the Beach.

After living in Vancouver for almost four months now, I was so happy this past week to have sunshine and fair enough weather to walk home along the Burrard Street Bridge.

Of course, I can hear raindrops falling outside my window as I post this. But that’s life in Raincouver.