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The Little World of Victoria
by acdickson
AC and Susan are back from a wonderful trip to Victoria BC. The next time you make a sojourn to Vancouver or the San Juan Islands, do yourself a favor and spend a day (or a week!) in Victoria. In fact, from Seattle you can take the ferry there in the morning and come back in the evening.
Victoria is the perfect sized place to explore on foot. Start with a two hour walk from downtown past the endless shops of Canadiana, through the glorious Monaco-esque inner harbor towards the fisherman's wharf (don't forgo the freshly caught fish and chips) and continue on towards serene Clover Point park with its views of Washington. Tell me living anywhere along that journey wouldn't be heaven. Going the other way, further into the city, you'll find an abundance of great thrift stores. A good handful are a short walk from the harbor. And with that favorable US to Canadian dollar exchange, it's like the whole city is having a 12% off sale. AC would also heartily recommend the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, a fantastic contemporary art center that recently hosted Live Art 2 featuring the AC Dickson seminar. It's a nice walk up Fort Street from downtown. The Szechuan soups at Noodle House are a must on the way there or back.
Victoria is also either the miniature capital of the world, or AC and Susan were stuck in some rabbit hole Matrix of all things small. First off, there's Miniature World. Housed in the Empress Hotel complex (arguably the classiest, if most touristy hotel on the West Coast), Miniature World was the Empire State Building of the miniature world when it was constructed in the 70s. Today it's a little dated, but we like that. Don't forget to use your AAA card when you pay and enter a world of painstakingly recreated scenes of Civil War battles, Swiss Family Robinson, and Gulliver's Travels. But don't take my world for it, feast your eyes on these small but savory digital pics.
As if that wasn't enough, doll house stores and culture seemed to permeate every nook and cranny of our Victoria experience. Even the liquor bottles in our hotel room mini-bar were tiny! Then, as if things couldn't get any smaller, we met with the winners of the auction listed during our seminar... brunch or drinks (winner's pick) with AC and Susan.
Having fetched a princely sum of $30, we met Jean and John for an East Indian buffet brunch at the Bengal Lounge in the Empress (where else?). We knew Jean from the show two nights before as she was the only PowerSeller in attendance. More often than not, the seminar audience is a sea of rare and non-users. Soft putty in AC's hands. But it also was a pleasant surprise to see fellow experts.
What does this PowerSelling lady sell? Do you even have to ask. Miniature stuff! More specifically handmade miniature books and tiny sewing kits! We had a fantastic time and we even invited back to their house to see where the magic happens... you know, where they make their miniatures. We were also granted entry in the collectible room and showed a bounty of antiques bought at bargain at local thrifts stores and eBay itself. And just to close the circle, it turns out their gorgeous modern house was designed by a local architect whose work was part of the show at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.
Do you hear that? That's AC setting down his soap box and standing on it. This is the true promise of eBay folks. Bringing people together. Finding connections across countries, generations, and collectible categories. So what are you waiting for? If it's been a few weeks (or months!) since you hopped on eBay, check it out. It misses you. We miss you.
