Although it hasn't quite arrived yet, summer is in the air this
weekend. The sun is shining, the leaves on the trees have emerged,
line ups at the Denman Street gelato and fro-yo places are forming.
It's the time of year that Canadians, Vancouverites included, pretend
that it is summer despite being not quite there yet. Once the snow, or
rain in this part of the country, has dissipated, Canadians will wear
minimal clothing in the spring that they would never dream of wearing
when the temperature is the same in the fall. At 15°C in the spring,
down vest are moulted. At 15°C in the fall, the same down vest are
worn to fight shivers.

 I broke out the sandals a couple of weeks ago and yesterday I wore
shorts for the first time of the season, pumped up the tires on my
bike, and went for a bike ride on Vancouver's magnificent seawall. The
seawall is great in that it offers spectacular views of the ocean, the
mountains, and the city. It is also quite flat, so it makes for a nice
leisurely bike ride when taking in the sun and fresh air trumps
fitness goals (which is usually the case in my world). Since the
seawall is only minutes away, it's difficult to find a better place
for a weekend ride. That's if you ignore the fact that every other
resident of the city plus all the tourist think the same thing. The
perfection of the seawall is both a blessing and a curse.

 A ride on the seawall is a bit like maneuvering through an obstacle
course. The bike path is separated from the pedestrian walkway for
most of the seawall - but not all of it. For the portions where the
two are merged, a cyclist spends more time watching out for wandering
toddlers, off-leash dogs, and rogue pedestrians (those who change
course without notice and just about walk into your moving bike). When
the bike path is separate, these hazards are not necessarily removed.
There are always pedestrians who don't realize the distinction or
choose to walk on the bike path for reasons I have yet to comprehend.
When you take your eyes off the path immediately ahead to take in the
views, you are taking a big risk.

 Then there are the hazards of the seawall itself, which is under
construction in some areas and badly designed in others. In the
construction areas, pedestrians and cyclists are funneled into narrow,
fence-lined paths riddled with blind corners. Those are fun. The
portion of the seawall paved with flagstones is also ... interesting.
Whoever thought that flagstones were a good choice for a bike path
should be forced to ride on it for a prolonged period of time. The
vibrations, loose stones, and potholes where stones are missing are
genius for adding unwanted diversity to a smooth, leisurely ride.

 Despite its shortcomings, I will continue to ride the seawall by bike.
I won't take for granted that the seawall, a continuous path along the
ocean from downtown to UBC, is a unique gem. Despite some design
issues, the City of Vancouver planners got it right when they chose to
preserve and promote public access to the ocean. Vancouver is located
in such a beautiful place and the seawall provides a perfect vantage
point to take it all it. If you're on a bike, I recommend pulling over
first.