Four Films, Four Unique People, One Common Thread...The Perfectly Simple Bicycle

On June 1st, Vancouver Cycle Chic premiered their four debut Cycle Chic Films at Whoa! Nellie Bikes. Throughout the month of June, they have since released one film a week to the public, receiving much acclaim for displaying such individualistic perspectives of people that choose to ride a bike to get around Vancouver. I am so proud of my husband and the rest of the Vancouver Cycle Chic crew for working together to volunteer their time in making these fantastic films, and I am inspired by each of their four bike riding stars. 

As I have said previously, these films and the people they feature help to show the human aspect of cycling. They show everyday people riding uncomplicated bikes to do what they do every day, living carefree on two (and sometimes 3) wheels. Featured below are each of these four films. If you haven't yet watched them, take 8 minutes from your day and sit back and relax while you view people just like you making the simple bicycle an extension of their extraordinary lives.

Film 1 - Simon "Inspiration"

Film 2 - Cecily "Heart and Soul"

Film 3 - BIKES "Musical Spectrum"

Film 4 - Camille "The Whole Story"

Spring is in the air!

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day in Vancouver. The sun was out, the weather warmer, and it seemed that everyone was out on the seawall enjoying a little taste of Spring! Having gone for a lengthy bike ride the day before, we opted to go for a family walk instead, giving the kids a chance to run around, as well as hopefully burning off some of their energy. We travelled along the seawall from Science World to Granville Island, then up over the Burrard Bridge and onto the Skytrain home. It was so lovely to be able to enjoy a day in the sun, and as an added bonus, Coralie got to document it with her camera. This post features some of the photos she took of our day!

Heading off to the seawall

View of False Creek and the North Shore from Olympic Village

Taking a stroll while Etienne runs

Taking a rest along the boardwalk

Sweet view of Habitat Island

Peaceful walk for mom and dad while Etienne messes around

Boats in the Harbour

A nice shot of Chris and I with Etienne

Etienne at the playground on Granville Island

I took this shot of my beautiful little photographer

Heading across the Burrard Bridge for home

Long arm cuddles

I see some talent in this budding photographer

Looking West from the Burrard Bridge towards English Bay

Heading home after a wonderfully sunny day!

Year End Countdown #1 - Top Ten family bike ride destinations

Well, it's nearly the end of 2012, and while I look forward to even more Velo Family Adventures to come, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite family bike ride destinations throughout the year and what makes them so special. If you're from Vancouver, and haven't ridden to these places yet, maybe next year will be a good chance to try it out. To those that don't live here, be sure to check them out if you ever get over for a visit!

#10 - Kitsilano Beach

Kits Beach is somewhere we tend to forget most of the year, being it's a fair distance from our home in East Vancouver, but every time we go, I always have such a nice time. The kids love to play in the fantastic playground they have, which, believe me, has kept them busy for hours running from station to station. The beach area itself has an almost Californian quality, which in the summer is the perfect atmosphere, with the boardwalk right at the edge of the beach hosting numerous people walking or riding, and wherever you sit on the beach, you get a perfect view westward, where the mountains end and the water opens to the straight. At sunset, it's a beautiful place to sit and be reminded why it is we chose Vancouver to be our home.

#9 - Crab Park

This funny little waterfront park is tucked away from the city, a place literally on the other side of the tracks. From False Creek you head North towards Gastown, riding along the Carrall Street separated lane, then along Water St until you reach the end on Main Street. You then head up and over a ramp, past the lions, and on the downwards slope you see it, a small gem of a park with a perfect view of the Burrard inlet and the North Shore Mountains. Whenever we visit the park, I feel like I'm in a secret place that only a select few have heard of. It's almost always quiet, and so whenever I visit I feel like just sitting and taking in the ocean air and beautiful views.


#8 - Central Valley Greenway East

We live very close to where the 10th Avenue Bikeway intersects with the Central Valley Greenway, and while most trips take us West, I really do enjoy our trips along the CVG. Usually we ride it to do errands, like groceries, or those special occasions when I get to go to the art store, but there's something about this pathway that I love. Maybe it's the fact that for most of the ride you're separated from cars, or that you get to follow along with the Skytrain a VIA Rail tracks, meaning every once and a while you get a glimpse of a passenger car heading in or out of town. Or maybe it's because it's one of the quieter bikeways, meaning when we ride as a family, we almost always get to ride side-by-side. Whatever it is, it's holds a special place for me and that's why it's on this list.

#7 - Hillcrest Park and Pool

We made many treks out to Hillcrest this year, many to visit the pool, which is always a great treat after a hot summer bike ride. But there's something else great about this destination, and that's Nat Bailey Stadium. Each summer we try to catch at least one Vancouver Canadians game. We're not huge baseball fans, but there's something about watching it live, getting to participate in the seventh inning stretch, and the deliciously bad for you ball park food. During the season, they also host firework evenings, so for the price of a ticket, which averages about $15-20, you get to watch a successful ball team (winners of the Northwest Division two years in a row), but you get a fantastic fireworks display to round out a great evening. Of course, one of the added bonuses of riding to Hillcrest is that since you've reached one of the higher point in Vancouver, the whole ride home is downhill! Can't argue with that when it's late and you're hauling two sleeping children in a trailer.

#6 - Adanac Bikeway/Union Market

The Adanac Bikeway holds a special place for my family and I. For my husband and I, we love riding through the old Strathcona neighbourhood. The area has a lot of character, and there's a real sense of community whenever we're in the area. In the summer, the kids love to play at MacLean Park, which has a great play area, as well as a splash pad for cooling down. We also like to treat ourselves after a long ride with a stop at Union Market. This cute little shop is situated right along the bikeway, and is a destination for many residents in the area for a coffee and a chat with a friend. Our kids like to stop and get "candy pop", better known as cream soda. As I've said before, life's about the simple pleasures!

#5 - Stanley Park Seawall/English Bay

This pick is sort of a no brainer. Everyone who lives in Vancouver or has visited knows there's something pretty amazing about walking or riding along the expansive seawall around 404 hectares of West Coast Rainforest right in the heart of the city. Some of our rides have included seeing bald eagles, one of the many herons who nest there every year, and even seals. Almost always, we tend to end our rides at English Bay. The kids get to play at the beach, and we almost always get a treat from one of the shops along Denman Street. It's just a great place to be any time of the year, even on a cool damp winter's day.

#4 - 10th Avenue Bikeway

If you've been following this blog for a while, you've probably caught on that I spend a lot of time on the 10th Avenue Bikeway. It's the city's East/West connector, going all the way out to UBC if you follow it long enough, but I've never ventured further than Alma by bike, being less than eager to climb to get to the campus. There is a stretch of road, from Cambie, heading East to Clark, where the trees create a beautiful canopy over the street, and I love to ride through as the seasons change. In the Spring, the Cherry Blossoms create the look of cotton candy overhead, giving way to summer and the shade from the immense Chestnut trees, followed by the sometimes harrowing experience of falling chestnuts and leaves in the fall. Riding along this bikeway is one of those experiences that makes me so happy to be able to ride my bike in this beautiful city!

#3 - Olympic Village

Without intending it, Olympic Village ended up becoming THE start and destination for many of our rides this year. It's such a convenient place to meet up with a group of people, and you're left with many options of where to head from there being directly on the seawall. For the Velo Family, we stopped during so many rides here for a rest. While the children ran through the plaza, my husband and I would get to enjoy a coffee from the nearby cafe, reminiscing about our ride that day, or just taking a moment to reflect on where life has taken us so far. It is also where we spent our wedding anniversary this year, enjoying a glass of wine and a view of the city lights across False Creek.

#2 - Granville Island

Granville Island is by far one of my favourite places to go in the summer with the kids. With the fantastic new playground, the splash pad and the water slide, it's hours of summer fun for absolutely no money. And the seawall ride to get there is nothing to complain about. About once a week I would head over with the kids this past summer, complete with a packed picnic lunch for when my husband would walk down from his office just a few blocks away on South Granville. I have so many great memories from our trips here over the summer, including sliding down the water slide with my son in what will surely be his last year needing a parent with him. I'm actually a bit sad that we haven't gone as much now that the weather's become so wet and cold, but I have to remind myself that warmer days are on their way again...eventually!

#1 - Sunset Beach

Topping off my list of destinations is Sunset Beach. Conveniently located along the North side of the False Creek Seawall, this beach holds a special place for me. It was one of the first places I took the kids on our bikes when we started this blogging adventure back in July, and it is the spot my husband and I have shared many a romantic evenings over a picnic dinner and bottle of wine. Being one of the quieter beaches in Vancouver, I tend to feel calmer, enjoying the warm sand, the views North to the mountains and West to Kitsilano. It's one of those places where words won't do it the justice I mean to give it, but trust me when I say, every trip there has been worth it!

Where will my wheels take me next year?

Guest Post: "Connecting With My City" by Chris Bruntlett

So by now you've probably read Melissa's account of her five days in Edmonton. When she returned to Vancouver, she asked me to write a guest post for "Velo Family Diaries", in order to provide a contrast for her fairly uneventful, auto-centric trip, and provide her readers with an update as to what we got up to while she was away. Here it goes:

The first three days were pretty uneventful, with Coralie in school, Etienne in daycare, and I at work. With it being the first week back to school, we were still getting into a routine. This time of year, I always gain a new appreciation of the life choices we've made, and having the ability to walk and/or cycle the short distances we need to go. After all, it was only three short years ago that we were living in a South Vancouver suburb, and I was making the gruelling 75 kilometre commute to Abbotsford each day.

We have been enjoying a dry and sunny September, so we definitely wanted to make the most of our weekend. We collectively decided that Saturday would be spent on a beach, so we packed up the bike trailer with a picnic, and headed down to Third Beach. Since my own bike didn't fit the trailer hitch, I took Melissa's step-through, sit-up bicycle, which was a little small, but worth the effort. Compared to my hybrid commuter, it is so comfortable and easy-to-ride, and with two smiling kids in the back, turned plenty of heads along the way. I enjoyed the experience so much that I was inspired to sell my sporty ride on Craigslist the following week, and pick up a Dutch bike of my own!  

A rare shot of all of us taken by a kind stranger

The route to Stanley Park from our apartment is an incredibly enjoyable one. The Mosaic and Adanac Bikeways provide us with a convenient route downtown, and then the Dunsmuir and Hornby Separated Bike Lanes take us safely to the water. From there, it's several kilometres of leisurely seawall riding, soaking up the views of the ocean, mountains, parks, and glass skyscrapers. We arrived at Third Beach around lunchtime, which gave us a couple of hours to eat our picnic, toss the frisbee, build some sandcastles, and then head home. We continued along the seawall on the north side of False Creek, making sure to stop for gelato on the Adanac Bikeway along the way!

The gorgeous view of the North Shore from Third Beach

Sunday was overcast and a bit cooler, so we decided to take a ride to Granville Island instead. This time around, Coralie wanted to ride her own bike, so I pulled Etienne on the Trail-a-Bike. We rode the Central Valley Greenway downtown, which connects with the Olympic Village on the south side of False Creek. We did have a minor setback, when Coralie took a spill in the middle of the intersection at Quebec Street and East 1st Avenue. Luckily, the surrounding cars were giving her plenty of space, but I had to hop off my bike, walk her over to the grass in front of a nearby fast food restaurant, and take about 10-15 minutes to recover from the injuries and the shock of the fall. She had a few scratches and bruises, but soldiered on with the promise of treats and playtime ahead.

Etienne "trailing" behind on the Central Valley Greenway

From there, Granville Island is a short ride on the waterfront, giving the kids a chance to soak up the scenery and people around them. We grabbed a slice of pizza at the Granville Island Market, a sugary treat from Lee's Donuts, and the kids took an hour to play in the park there. It was during that time that Coralie told me she didn't want to take the seawall home. Instead, she wanted to take the longer, more challenging route over the Burrard Street Bridge, through the downtown core. Given her spill earlier, it was obviously a surprise, but that's exactly what we did, riding about 20 kilometres together in total that day. One thing I really appreciate about being a cycling family: the kids know the streets, neighbourhoods and landmarks of Vancouver like the backs of their hands! 

On our way home at Main and Dunsmuir

Melissa landed that evening, and took the Skytrain back to our apartment, with a newfound appreciate for the bubble in which we live. Funnily enough, in riding around in that bubble with the kids all weekend, I had also rediscovered what it is we take for granted. I'm always surprised at how hesitant Vancouverites are to get on a bicycle. Trust me, if our little family can safely navigate the bikeways, seawalls, and separated lanes of Vancouver, anyone can! It's remarkably easy, affordable, healthy; but most of all, it connects you with your city in ways that other modes of transportation cannot!

Public Transit to the Rescue!

A couple of days ago, when biking home from the grocery store, our reliable trailer got a flat tire. No problem, we can fix it with a patch, or so we thought, until I tried filling it at a gas station to make the 5 minute trip home, and as fast as the power air filled it, it emptied. So it turned out we needed a replacement tube. Until then, I was stuck without a means to transport Etienne with my bike, and yesterday was forecast to be another roasting, sunny day. So what's a velo Mom to do? Well, knowing we needed to find a place to cool down, Etienne and I resorted to public transit to get us to the splash pad at Granville Island. Suited up and ready to go, we hopped on the B-Line and bussed it out to Granville Street. Etienne was actually really stoked to watch the world go by outside the bus window, shouting "I'm so excited" several times! I wish I had his enthusiasm when on the bus, I'm sure it would help quell some of the motion sickness I get.

Etienne riding at the back on the B-Line

After spending a good hour splashing around and going down the water slide, it was time to head home to get Coralie from daycamp. Now, sometimes I am known for having some forethought. Yesterday was one of those days. I knew Etienne would be exhausted, so I dusted off my baby sling from my earlier mom years, and got Etienne to slip in and have a snooze. I realize I am not an official form of public transit, but Etienne got to relax and sit in the sling as I transported him to the bus home.

Etienne snuggled up in his sling...I'll admit, I kind of miss this

Not wanting to walk all the way up to Broadway from Granville Island, I hopped on a bus downtown that picks up right at the entrance to the Island, but not before picking up that replacement tube. Once downtown, we switched to the Skytrain, which takes us just one block from our front door. We are really lucky to live in the location of Vancouver that we do. We're right by the Commercial/Broadway transportation hub, and numerous local bikeways. While we sometimes dream of moving to other neighbourhoods, the convenience of public transit so close to home makes life so much easier, when taking our bikes are not an option. And Vancouver doesn't disappoint for being as accessible as any other big city when you're a family without a car!

Etienne snoozin' for the Skytrain ride

Off the train and heading home

I love my boys!

After the overcast and rainy weather earlier in the week, and my urban cycling drama a couple days ago (click here to read Tuesday's post), I was feeling pretty low. Add to that the fact that my daughter is now off to day camp for seven hours every day and it seems like summer is over for me in a way. Back to routines, rushing kids off to programs, etc. But today, with the beautiful sun shining, and Etienne done his soccer camp in the late morning, I decided we take a trip to Granville Island for a picnic with Daddy and, of course, some time in the water park.


So we made the trek along the 10th Avenue Bikeway to Ontario Street...I had learned my lesson from Tuesday and steered clear of the CVG. There's something so spectacular about the tree lined streets along 10th Avenue that are so calming and lift my spirits every time. Plus, Etienne loves the hills and shouts "Weeeeee!" every time, which is so awesome.

I love that kids can vocalise what we feel inside
without qualms! I wish I could say "weee!" every time
I coasted a hill, too, without looking crazy

After a lovely and peaceful seawall ride, we set up and waited for Daddy to come and meet us. Once the three of us were together, we enjoyed a nice picnic in the park, just me and my boys. After all the negativity, it was so nice to just relax and enjoy their company. Even more spectacular was sharing a total of four slides down the water slide with Etienne, who was simultaneously scared and overjoyed each time.

A short but sweet visit with my honey

With the unimpressed look only a mother could love

It really is the little things that can make everything better, and while my husband and son are not small parts of my life, the simplest of moment are such a treasure, and for that, I love my boys!

Photo care of our 3 year old photographer, Etienne

Free for the weekend

What a beautiful weekend! We here in Vancouver have finally got the sunshine and warm weather we were waiting all of June for, and the family an I made sure we got out and enjoyed it as much as possible. Like most families, we like to find affordable ways to get out and about with our young children. This weekend, the goal was to keep it as free as possible, and I'm very pleased to report that we didn't spend a dime, but still had a fantastic weekend doing a variety of things around Vancouver. Here's a taste of our weekend on the cheap...

Friday night there came an out of the blue request from my husband to go catch a Whitecaps FC PDL game out at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. For those who love watching our local MLS team but maybe can't afford to take the whole family to a game at BC Place, going out to watch the Reserve or PDL team is free, and you can see some of the up and coming stars of the beautiful game. We headed out to the game with some friends on our bikes, and watched as our team won 4-0, all with the backdrop of the North Shore Mountains and the huge trees in Burnaby Central Park. All in all, it was about a 15kms journey, with Coralie trailing behind her dad on the trail-a-bike for most of the journey, then joining her brother in the trailer behind me for a snooze the rest of the ride home. For an impromptu trip, it was great to ride in the cooler evening and do something new.

Whitecaps FC PDL playing to win against a stunning backdrop

Coralie trails Chris on the night ride home from the stadium

Saturday brought a long awaited meet up with some old friends for a picnic on Kitsilano Beach. I'm sure it's news to no one that a simple picnic on the beach is a great way to get out and not have to spend tons of money on food. But I am definitely thankful that I have so many beaches here to chose from, especially when a beautiful day can be followed by watching the sunset over the mountains. We all had a great time, what with the ride along the seawall, playing and relaxing on the sandy beach, splashing in the ocean, and enjoying a picnic with friends, there was little to complain about. It was another lengthy ride to and from, total 20kms. Coralie took the chance to rest this time, with Etienne trailing Daddy on the way and both sleeping in the trailer behind me on the way home. It's funny, but I hear so often now from our single friends that they wish their parents had a trailer like ours to take them home instead of having strapped them in a car. I guess that makes our kids pretty lucky, and I'm pretty darned proud of our family "station wagon on two wheels".

So happy to be able to ride behind
daddy!

Chris was pretty happy to be able to join us on our sunny adventures,
even if it was only for the weekend 

That's right, we take her to the beach, she reads...I'm not complaining! 

For the first time, Etienne enjoyed the ocean water, waves and all! 

Very happy to spend the day together in the sunshine

Watching the beautiful sunset over the water 

He may be a rascal, but he's still Mama's boy 

And of course, we have Daddy's little girl

So, if you've gotten this far, you know we did a free soccer game on Friday night, a free day at the beach on Saturday, so what do we do on a hot Sunday afternoon? Go to a splash park, and it was back to the slide and splash park at Granville Island. This time Chris and I brought our bathing suits so Etienne could actually go down the slide...although one time in the cold water was enough for him! The splash parks in this city are fantastic, and best of all, they're free! What more do kids want on a hot summer's day than a bunch of spraying water to run through screaming...and that's exactly what our kids did for 2 hours. 

Waiting in line for the first ride down the slide
after the 7.5km ride to Granville Island 

Coralie enjoying one of a dozen slides 

Etienne's only ride...fun, but cold and not to be repeated 

Coralie, after her rest the day before, rode her own bike for the 15km return trip, and she was such a trooper yet again. This past week, she has cycled a total of 46kms on her own, and about 15kms trailing behind Daddy on a trail-a-bike. She has received kudos and applause from strangers, and her tenacity has encouraged people we do know to have their young ones try a longer ride, too. We are incredibly proud of her willingness and strength to do these rides with us. It seems such a small thing sometimes to go for a ride out with her, but we quickly realize with all the comments and smiles she receives that she is pretty awesome. Hopefully she's inspiring other youngsters out there to ride, too!

The family "station wagon"

A well deserved ice cream after a long but exciting weekend!