Gone Shoppin'

 fig. a:  Old Market, Charleston, SC

Excuse us while we do a little last-minute shopping.

We'll be back (with stories to tell!) shortly.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

aj

Westward Ho!

fig. a: Granville & Robson

"Wait a second. That's not Montreal." Right again. That's not Montreal because, come Tuesday, we're taking the show on the road again. As we did in 2005, we're heading west. And once again, Asian delicacies of all sorts (Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, etc.) and fresh seafood are near the very top of our list of priorities.

fig. b: Ho Ho Chop Suey

fig. c: Only Sea Foods

Any guesses? No, we're not making a return visit to California (although it's tempting to get a car and just keep heading down the coast). This time we're staying north of the border for the most part. This time we're going to Vancouver.

We're going in large part to attend a wedding and to get some much-needed R & R, but this particular 7-day journey has the added of benefit of being a trip through time. You see, both Michelle and I lived in Vancouver in the late '90s. Funny thing is, though, we didn't actually meet until we found ourselves in Montreal at the turn of the millenium, even though we'd had a number of mutual friends back west. So we'll get a chance to catch up with a whole slew of old friends, eat and eat well, and see an ex-hometown of ours anew.

Our itinerary is already pretty chock-full--including a whole host of old haunts, like Gyoza King, Vij's, and Continental Coffee--but if any of you out there have any additional suggestions for us, please send them along.

aj

[photo credits: Vancouver, 1959: Fred Herzog; Ho Ho Chop Suey and Only Sea Foods, Maurice Jassak]