Vancouver Adventure: The Kaidan Quest
Hi there Kaidan fans, I thought I'd share a little about my recent trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. I live nearby and have been meaning to visit for a few years. Vancouver has a reputation for being a beautiful city as well as a foodie mecca. When I first played the opening scenes of ME3 I thought “hey, I know that place” and since decided that I would try to find some spots that inspired the game. I also have to give credit to G. S. Jennsen who wrote about her visit to Vancouver and close encounter with Mr. Alenko http://gsjennsen.dev...aidan-325863062. I know some people will say “Hey, Kaidan was born in Singapore, why not go there?”. Well, besides the fact that his parents live in Vancouver (in the future), they have an orchard near Vancouver, he's spent time drinking Labatt's on their Vancouver balcony and he owns property north of Vancouver on the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver is a lot closer.
Anyway, Vancouver is a gorgeous city. I assumed the water and mountain views from the opening of ME3 were exaggerated to make the Reaper attack more dramatic. But in real life, the waterfront is MORE impressive. Tall peaks reflecting off the bay, a beautiful cityscape of glass skyscrapers, I know why the game designers chose Vancouver for that epic intro to the game.
Some players recognized the Vancouver Convention Centre, Harbour Green Park and that funny looking disk just off the shore (Dead Man's Island). With the help of a flycam and google maps I was able to locate the future location of Alliance Headquarters. I will admit this is a surprising location since it currently holds many overpriced condos. I'll assume that Vancouver's real estate prices will be dropping in the next 160 years.
Flycam screenshot from game

View from the North Shore looking downtown

The twin condo towers are area for Alliance HQ

This marina is the area where Shepard and Anderson fight bad guys and wait for rescue by Kaidan and the Normandy

My hotel was a few short blocks away in a curiously quiet neighborhood that also sat next to the immense Stanley Park the many beaches. I didn't have G.S. Jennsen's luck in meeting Kaidan (and in an alt-universe confluence, Ashley too!). However, among the nearby Korean and Sushi places I did find a Ukrainian restaurant, no doubt run by Kaidan's great, great, great, great grandparents. Unfortunately my busy eating schedule didn't allow me to lunch on Alenko family cooking this trip. Maybe next time. I did, however, manage to eat one Canadian delicacy while viewing English Bay.
The beaches looking out over English Bay. Look closely and you'll see Kaidan with a brew sitting on one of the balconies

A Canadian delicacy and a view of English Bay

I encourage anyone interested in visiting Vancouver to do so. While it's difficult to find glimpses of what will happen 160 years in the future, this is a fun city wander around in. Not only are there many restaurants (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, African as well as poutine, smoked meat....), museums, concerts and performances, but also beautiful parks, beaches, nearby mountains and a very convenient public transportation system. See Vancouver before the Reapers attack!
A view from Stanley Park
