Vancouver?

[chappyman66]

I am traveling to Vancouver next week and hope to have some fun along with the required work.
Can I get some slot-related recommendations?
And some good local seafood spots? Places that don't get the tourist traffic but have good seafood...I can't pass it up when I am on the coast.

[SuperSlab]

[chappyman66]

I am coming in Sunday night and leaving Thursday....so a few nights at least. I am actually staying down in Richmond, pretty close to the airport but have a car so transport is handled.
I have read much of Luf's site and I agree that he is a master track builder! It would be an honor and pleasure to meet him and more of the group.

[munter]

I made the pilgrimage to the temple of Luf last year....it was worth it although a little tricky to find first time.
There is a lane which you must get onto. It runs above and parallel to his street. Then look for a white garage....that is the place.
My name is there as one of the slower drivers on the hillclimb results board.
Luf is a genial fellow and you will enjoy meeting him....take something slotty to barter with.

[VTECFOUR]

A visit with the Lufmeister and a run on Targa Burnaby and Burnaby Grind Hillclimb is a must if you're in town. He's retired now and at home most of the time. It' best to contact him through email at luf@telus.net

Have fun!

Dan

[SuperSlab]

Just a quick update:

1. Racing on Monday evening is at Luf's track: they will be running TransAm and IROC on the Targa track and open (whatever you have) on the Hillclimb.
2. Restaurants: the Richmond/Steveston area has a gazillion restaurants but unfortunately it is pretty touristy, especially Steveston. Some thoughts:
* Not sure what hotel you are staying at but if you are OK with pub fare the Flying Beaver at the floatplane terminal by the airport is as good as any pub. Advantage is that you are siting right on the Fraser River by the floatplane terminal so you can see the floatplanes landing and taking off right outside the window. Emphatically NOT a gourmet experience but a pleasant way of spending an evening.
* Seeing as you are in the area it would be silly not to go to Steveston: this village is right on the southern arm of the Fraser River (the river splits and "surrounds" Richmond). At the Steveston wharf you can see working fishing boats and tugs etc going by: very pleasant on a nice evening (as is forecast for most of the week). Best view is from the Charthouse Restaurant, better food (esp. halibut & chips) at the Sockeye City Diner. None of these are gourmet establishments but very nice nonetheless.
* Better food in Steveston: Tapenade Bistro on Bayview St. Called a bistro but really a more than just decent restaurant. Has one of the more interesting wine lists featuring some very good, offbeat local wines. No view to speak of though.
* Reasonable seafood: Steveston Seafood House on Moncton.
* If you are into fancy and expensive: Five Sails Restaurant at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver. Bit if a drive but great view over Canada Place and the Burrard Inlet.
* Middle of the road nice restaurant also with great views (of English Bay this time): Cactus Club @ English Bay. Above average food and just a nice setting.
* Another nice setting: Dockside Restaurant on Granville Island. View of False Creek.
* Good restaurant: Salmon House on the Hill, West Vancouver. On the foothills of the North Shore mountains with nice city/Stanley Park views and good food.
* Also expensive but with something extra/different: Top of Vancouver revolving restaurant. Pricey for what you get but unbeatable view from revolving restaurant like 550 feet above the ground.
* Seasons in the Park restaurant, Queen Elizabeth Park. More inland but highish on a hill, good views, good food

And there are many, many others but this is something to start you thinking.

Feel free to pm me for more info.

Enjoy Vancouver!

Alwyn

[chappyman66]

Thanks everyone! I emailed Luf; hoping to drop in Monday night and pay homage.
As to eats, I am much more about good food at decent price - gourmet dining is not typically something I desire. If you have to travel for business, it's always nice to have a little enjoyment as well and it sounds like it should be easy to come by in Vancouver.

[chappyman66]

Last evening I made the journey to Luf's.
As with most any time I have met fellow HRWs, it was a great pleasure all the way around. Thanks to the excellent generosity of those attending, I had the opportunity to run the Targa and the Hillclimb and talk slots which is always a pleasure. The tracks are of course lovely with enough variation and interest to keep you running them a long while. Particularly if they are tinkered with periodically, and I understand that's a given.

I am reminded again about how much fun it is to run evenly matched cars no matter what the voltage and top speed. Blipping the throttle to make the corners isn't as much fun as learning how deep you can drive in to the corner and how much speed each corner can carry. I am still a fan of a track you have to drive at partial throttle.

I don't think any pictures were taken (which is OK by me).

I maybe (kinda sorta, almost by accident) might have possibly nerfed the track owner a time or two during the IROC racing..... but what's a newbie to do when he's learning a new track?

Thanks again to everyone for the hearty welcome and generosity!

[Ember]

Lucky blighter. I think many dream of worshiping at the temple of Luf.

I can at least say that thanks to proxy racing, I've had a couple of my cars on his tracks.

[Retro Racer 44]

It was great to meet you, Chappyman, and fun to race against you. You did very well on an unfamiliar track, and your times were clicking down quite easily.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your visit to our beautiful city.

I really feel blessed to be able to race on Luf's Targa and hill climb every week. You are all jealous, eh?

Keith

[oldslotracer]

Sorry it took so long...I had to re-register...

Really enjoyed meeting Paul and hope he'll visit again. It took him no time to get competitive with our racers and he kicked butt on the Hillclimb, making him our 2nd fastest visitor...

[oldslotracer]

If you haven't seen the Hillclimb, here's a couple of shots...
There's a reversing loop at the top and it has 4 sector timing by TrackMate

[chappyman66]

Many thanks are due to you, Luf....and all of the guys who were welcoming and warm!
I of course didn't bring cars, but there was no shortage of willing loaners.
I would be remiss if I didn't note that the vaunted hillclimb time was of course set with the record setting (loaner to me) car....considering I was a full 1.5 seconds off the pace there was tremendous room for improvement. It's a great course, and Luf was kind enough to give me some pointers which enabled me to make the (for now) penultimate position. I lost waaaaay too much time on the fast top sections.....

I had a great time, and really only managed to keep up when everyone else was hobbled with the slow IROC Nincos.....but that's my typical driving speed so I could handle those cars better :lol:

Luf is a great host and generous to a fault. :bow-blue:
I loved visiting, and will be certain to drop in any time I am in the Pacific NW.