I woke up at 5:30 am and didn't feel like sleeping more. While consuming a couple of Vietnamese 3in1 instant coffees (22 sachets for $4.99 on Renfrew & 1st) and lazily perusing eBay offers, I realized that there are only so many great deals that the general public misses and I find. But I was fully awake now, as I had to realize after my laying down in bed for 5 minutes did not result in more snoring, as it usually does. So, what to do now? My stomach was voting for food, but except for blueberries my fridge was empty. Fish and Chips at Denny's at 6:30 am? Oh, please NO!
A thought formed in my head but was quickly dismissed on grounds of bridge traffic during rush hour. More stomach grumbles forced the brain to give the matter more attention along the lines of "If I hop in the shower quickly, I can leave at this time and the bridge shouldn't be that bad. And it's a nice place to sit."
Shower completed, I started my car at 7:15. Being located right at the foot of Lions-Gate bridge helped and there actually was not traffic to deal with. So at 7:44 I am on my second plate of buffet-style breakfast on the 42nd floor of Cloud 9, overlooking Lions-Gate Bridge, Stanley Park, Coal Harbour, and numerous cargo ships anchored in the harbour against a backdrop of the North Shore mountains. Apart from the click-click of the cutlery of about 10 Japanese tourists or businessmen all one can hear is a quiet murmur of the conversations of about 15 guests in total. For the price of my $17+tax breakfast I can stay here until 10:30!
No, we're not talking all I can eat here! This is a very nice place to sit, as at least the newspaper-reading long-duration breakfeaster at the table behind also seems to have realized. At the Harbour Centre's Vancouver Lookout you pay $15.75 to take an elevator and to walk around a barren windowed space high up and they try to get more money out of your pocket with binoculars, junk food, and tourist trinkets. Here at Cloud 9, I sit in a comfy club chair with a table for my laptop and for $1.25 more I get all-the breakfast I want. Go figure. Now if the waitresses would just stop trying to take my plate away!
8:55 am and I am back in North Vancouver. I left the restaurant much earlier than planned. No, attempts to take my plate away were not the reason; offers of fresh coffee were continuing to come in from the great staff! Either the heating malfunctioned or someone at some undisclosed hotel mission control location set the thermostat incorrectly: As noticed by both staff and customers, it kept getting warmer. When I left, the heating outlets under the window were still happily spewing much warmer than room temperature air. Ah well, next time I get to read a book with a view ;-)
On a another visit at a future date I will finally realize what draws me to this place: The absolute absence of car noises. In our time it seems to be so hard to get away from them that any place without them automatically seems like a peaceful place. And I am living in one of the least densely populated countries in the world!
No comments:
Post a Comment