Saturday August 3 – Fireworks!

I had already decided to retire the bike instead of renting it overnight when I discovered how close the viewing platform for the fireworks was: a fifteen-minute walk. I strolled down to my favorite tea place, Bottega Café, on Cadero St. between Nelson and Comox streets. It’s crowded with locals in the morning (owner John Manestir wanted to create a place for the community to hang out), and in the afternoon, you couldn’t ask for a more pleasant place to sit and enjoy a cuppa and pastry, and maybe a chat with one of the sweet young European girls who work the counter, or one of the friendly local folks.

Even the postboxes are cute

I wandered down to the fireworks viewing area, which was on the beach. Essentially, anyone can come and watch the fireworks for free, if they’re willing to reserve a spot on the beach for several hours ahead—I took the easy way out, and bought a seat on the viewing benches, right across from the fireworks barge, for $42. I didn’t want to waste precious time staking out territory when I could be exploring. Food trucks lined the walkways, and I took my seat at 8:30PM, jumbo hot dog in hand. The two couples next to me turned out to be from San Francisco and Marin;
the fireworks and beauty of Vancouver throw a pretty wide net.

Before the fire show, a trick flyer did dives and loops in the sky, fireboats did an ornate ballet in the water, and the sunset put on its own spectacular. Finally, the show started close to 10PM (the sun stays up later here). Words fail me, which is why you have to see the video: http://vimeo.com/71997462.

Walking back, the crowds were so persuasive that I got a little lost. Fortunately, a group of handsome firemen directed me to Cardero Street. While walking, a young man commented, “Wow, the energy is so happy here,” and he was right—nothing like a ton of explosives in pretty colors to re-program people’s brainwaves into patterns of joy.

See the video: http://vimeo.com/71997462.