There is hardly anything that connects Vancouver, BC and Reno, Nevada. We visited both places within a short span of 5 days to make a family reunion in Vancouver and to catch a concert of Sam Hui, the Cantopop legend, in Reno.
Vancouver is a beautiful and quiet city with good food and friendly people. It is a very livable city without the hustle and bustle of a city. My brother immigrated to Vancouver a while ago. My last time there was back in 2018. With only a 2-hour flight, we would have visited more often if not for the pandemic. Pandemic made it hard for us travelers, it also made it hard for people receiving us. Are people comfortable with the gatherings? Should we visit their homes? Should we suggest a gathering? Should we tell them if, after the trip, we get COVID? What is the mask protocol?
With the weakened COVID virus, we are more comfortable to plan family reunions. If someone told our late parents that their children would be spreaded around the world in Hong Kong, Vancouver and the Bay Area, they would have been speechless. The world has evolved so drastically that such a setting has become quite common for HongKongers. In this family reunion, five traveled from Hong Kong, two of us traveled from the Bay Area to visit my brother’s family in Vancouver. We picked an airbnb in Burnaby that offered 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms with a lot of living space, a spacious backyard and a deep front yard. The neighborhood is nice and quiet, there are some views of mountains with snow caps, and a number of restaurants are within walking distance. Some evenings, we gathered at the airbnb to relax, catch up, watch TV, order take-out, and make a lot of noise. Another day, we casually ate at a nearby Korean restaurant before we hiked around the beautiful rice lake. Another evening, we dined at an expensive restaurant serving whole suckling pig, and various yummy dishes. One morning, we slowly jogged to Metro mall, Crystal mall and more. I can imagine the happy thoughts that many have in their family reunion after the last three pandemic years of isolation.
There is no direct flight from Vancouver to Reno. We had to fly home first and took a short flight the next day from San Jose to Reno. It was a short flight, just a bit longer than the time to take off and the time to land. Near the Reno event center, it felt like the gathering of HongKongers around Reno. We ran into some friends going there to watch the concert and there was a lively and a bit of a nostalgic vibe. Sam is in his 70s, and we treasure every opportunity to watch his concert. A 3-star Michelin restaurant is sometimes defined as a restaurant that you would specifically travel to enjoy the dining experience. Sam Hui is the evergreen 3-star Michelle restaurant/concert. We thoroughly enjoyed the Sam Hui Concert in Reno. The Sam Hui 2023 Reno concert recap posted on YouTube has unexpectedly earned us 30K views and counting. At least we know there are still a good number of die-hard fans for our Cantopop legend.
What better place to enjoy a buffet than in casino city. The good buffet at the Atlantis Casino Hotel answered the call before we flew back home.
For my siblings traveling from Hong Kong, Vancouver made the first stop of a one-month US and Mexico trip. We will see each other again in a month’s time as they reach San Francisco.
oliviatamccue 
Leave a comment