In June 2021, as we were coming out of Covid, Sally and I enjoyed several Staycations around the Lower Mainland. One of the most memorable was at the Seaside Hotel, part of North Vancouver's Shipyards redevelopment. I wrote about it here. http://gellersworldtravel.blogspot.com/2021/06/staycation-3-city-of-north-vancouver.html
While I have returned to the Shipyards on numerous occasions, yesterday, Sally and I decided on a return visit to the hotel after hearing CBC Stephen Quinn's extravagant acclaim on his Early Edition program for a show at the Polygon Gallery https://thepolygon.ca/exhibition/jeremy-shaw-phase-shifting-index/. It is fascinating, and portions were visually outstanding. But I couldn't really understand what was going on. The gallery suggests you take at least 35 minutes to watch it. I would suggest you take more time, and also do some research beforehand.
At 5pm the gallery closed, and we headed over to the hotel. If you haven't been, the entrance can be difficult to find, especially when there are thousands of people milling about the area. But just follow the signs.
The hotel's restaurant offers Happy Hour from 3 to 6pm. All the 'small plates' are half the regular price. But when I saw other tables enjoying giant platters of oysters, I asked Megan, our very stylish and welcoming server, whether discounted oysters were also available. She assured me the 'buck a shuck' oysters were still on offer. I ordered two dozen. When Sally questioned two dozen, I reduced the order to 18!
We also ordered the chili garlic prawns, tacos, lobster roll and crispy chicken. We would have ordered more but were planning to go out for dinner. The prawns and crispy chicken were superb. The lobster roll and tacos were not as good, but still enjoyable especially at the modest Happy Hour price. The 9-ounce $9 white wine was good enough to justify a second glass.
It was a beautiful evening and fortunately we had a table by the window. However, as we left, we noticed a very attractive couple sitting at an outside table with an extremely large platter of oyster shells. I had to ask. "How many did you order?" "Four dozen !" they told me. It turned out they were both engineers working at nearby Seaspan and go there every week.
The Shipyards is now one of the best public spaces in the Lower Mainland, along with Granville Island, Steveston Waterfront, and Fort Langley. Yesterday it was full of vendors including a large area devoted to second hand vintage clothing. The pier was jammed full and the city skyline, a Seabus ride away, was beautiful.
If you're staying in town this Labour Day weekend, I highly recommend a visit. Based on our Happy Hour experience, I would also urge you to visit 'Provisions' for its Happy Hour specials, but also for dinner as well, especially if you can get a table outside. (Although the inside is very elegant and cozy at the same time). If you do go and meet Megan, tell her you read about her here. And if you see Jeremy Shaw's phase shifting index and understand what it's all about, please explain it to me.
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