Victoria, for the first time in years

Nine days ago, Conrad and I made our way to LAX,

board a flight

to San Francisco, then another flight from there

to Vancouver, then rented a car and headed to the ferry, made the crossing to the Island,

and - 12 hours after leaving the condo - got to our room at the Hotel Rialto in Victoria.  At long last.  A view of city hall,

a bed to sleep in. 

And it was only dinner time.

A local friend wasn't wild about the hotel restaurant, The Palms Inspired Kitchen and Cocktails, and had advised going across the street.  Conrad suggested that, too.  But I was tired and had forgotten any advice.  So we went downstairs.  And you know, it was fine.  It needs work, but it was fine.  The bar looked pretty darn good, and I was able to order a martini made with Ungava gin,

which I am always delighted to encounter.  The glass of wine with my meal wasn't as good, and I think that drinking it with the food disguised that it was veering toward what Conrad calls sports bar wine.  The food was not bad.  An appetizer of scallops,

a short rib for my dinner,

a creme brulee for dessert. 

I'd rate the short rib as the best, and I'd suggest that they make the creme brulee smaller and not serve it with a chocolate dipped spoon.  Conrad's tuna was fine enough, though the dish was overloaded with ingredients. 

I liked his salad more than my scallops, and he preferred my appetizer to his.  It's all good.  It was food, and it was an excellent value, and we were alright and ready to unwind.

Until I got a message from Owen reminding me that we were meeting for drinks.  Merde!  Off we trekked, over to Clive's Classic Lounge to meet him and his boyfriend, Dale. 

So yes, we were tired, and yes, we had had a couple of drinks, but still.  So good to see Owen again and meet Dale for the first time.  And fun to have a cocktail in a lounge that seemed to know what it was doing.  The Deep Dark Forest for me, a smoked concoction. 

Tasty!

And then we got to go back to the hotel and sleep.

Wednesday came, and there was an event ahead, but that wasn't until mid-afternoon.  Time enough to go out, see the city a bit, get some things done.  I took Conrad through Market Square

where I used to go every weekend for comic books when I was in undergrad.  We headed over the water of the Inner Harbour

and into the VicWest area to a Starbucks,

grabbing breakfast and lattes before cutting through the roundhouse area

and then over to the waterfront to head back to the hotel. 

Not directly back, no. 

It was nice weather for a walk, and we needed to get a shot or two at Rebar so as to send one to Rachel. 

Inside joke, sorry.

After the walk and getting dressed, there were errands to do.  Banking, for one, and a stop into a nearby wine and spirits store where we saw this 3L beauty. 

I was sorely tempted.  Ah well.  And then on past City Hall

to the Victoria Public Market at the Hudson. 

The old Bay when I lived in Victoria.  I can see what they are trying to do with the space, but it's not quite there at this time.  Still, we had lunch and it was good.

The rest of our day was mostly taken up with the birthday party, but ah, that's a separate blog post.  In the meantime, a simple reflection.  Several years ago I went to my high school reunion, and I was disconcerted by how my home town was simultaneously changed and yet familiar.  I recognized things, I was confused by the loss of other things, and I was unsure about the things that were new or different.  A former friend asked me why I hadn't expected change.  I had, in fact, but that didn't stop the change from feeling odd to me.  I was from there but no longer of there.  I had a similar sensation with Victoria, but not as strong.  A city I knew when I was younger, when I was in undergrad at UVic.  I remembered some storefronts, I was perplexed as to what had happened with others.  Change, and I don't know how I feel about it.

Too long since the last trip to Victoria.  I shan't let that happen again.

too lazy to cook

No, that title is misleading.  Not too lazy.  I had a busy day of work, a productive day, and I just didn't want to come home to be productive some more.  Conrad actually suggested pizza almost as soon as I walked in the door, but it was very much on my mind.  Birds of a feather, perhaps!

So we strolled over to U Street Pizza, sat at the bar, ordered a couple of cocktails,

ate a Caesar salad,

and shared a pepperoni pizza with vodka sauce. 

And all was good in the world.

Sometimes I need a break, you know?

work trip to Chicago

Continuing the speed catching-up on things here.  I'm falling behind as I do more things and the things I have done are getting further and further back in time.  So, let's not parse out the August trip to Chicago

to too great an extent.  Instead, let's lump some things together.

There was my long-awaited oyster dinner date with Sara. 

We had a good time at The Publican, and I promise that we said nice things about everyone else.  We also had charcuterie

and tomatoes

and awesome bread

and Sancerre. 

There was also a brunch the next day with Sara

where I enjoyed some breakfast tacos.

There were meetings wherein I tried to look pretty enough

and contribute well.  There were colleagues at these meetings, like Cindy and Sam

and Kathy

and Steven

and others.

There were morning walks in the city, usually with others, once by myself.

 

There was time for a drink with a local friend, Doug,

at Billy Sunday, an amaro daiquiri

for me and a break from library stuff.

There were cosmos for me and Sara

and Steven

plus a drink for Peter

in the United Club.  Oh, and time enough for me to get some Garrett's

to bring home for Van.

All in all, a productive and enjoyable work trip.  I should have one more jaunt to Chicago this year, and I can't wait!

we swam, ugh

Don't let the smiles fool you.  I am so out of shape and my swimming is pathetic.  But at least Conrad shared in the joy.

We did swim once in Vancouver, and I think that was the first time in a month.  But with the semester starting, I hope to have a regular schedule of getting in the water at least a couple of times a week!  So, a smile for that.

But otherwise?  Ugh.

Bullocks Wilshire

And now for something a little different:  an architectural tour!

A couple of weekends ago, the three of us

headed into Los Angeles before lunch time.  No, not into downtown, but out along Wilshire Boulevard to the Southwestern Law School campus.  One of the main school buildings is what used to be the Bullocks Wilshire department store, a revered LA icon for shoppers for decades.  Once a year they building is opened to tours (though there are private tours otherwise available), and Van jumped on the chance to buy tickets this year.  A guided tour by a librarian at the school,

a lunch up in the dining room, and an opportunity to see a building that is getting some reverential re-use - hooray!

And my gosh, is it any wonder why folks want to tour it?  What a glorious building. 

What beautiful details. 

I didn't take too many photos because I was drinking it all in.  It was a terrific tour (lunch was, well, lunch, and that was fine - we don't go to law schools for the fine dining!), and one I would recommend to other aficionados of such period pieces.