Last August, we attended Car-Free Day in Port Moody.
I’ll be honest. We cheated. Maverick was still pretty young, around 8 months old, and we prioritized his sleep. We didn’t want to mess too much with his naps (he has never slept well away from his bed) so we drove down the hill and parked a few blocks away from St. John’s Street, which was closed to traffic for the now annual event. Let's call it a half-car-free day. We walked several blocks, but didn't manage to leave the car at home.
This year, however, we used public transit! We waited until after Maverick’s nap and headed out together on the bus.
Maverick was thrilled to be getting on the bus that we usually just watch drive past. He let out a big "weeeeeee" when the bus took off. It's one of the best parts of parenthood right there! Seeing the world through your kid's eyes.
We walked up to St. John's Street from Moody Station, visiting different booths from the various local companies, including our neighbour Gretchen whose beauty boutique, Wildflower Beauty Bar, I visit as often as possible. There was an American Warrior Ninja blow up obstacle course that Archer tackled, a Fire Rescue truck and Police truck that the kids climbed on and mini-golf, with proceeds to BC Children's Hospital Foundation.
Brad and I had skipped lunch (which we foolishly do on the weekends more often than not when we cook a big breakfast together), so we were starving by the time we found a food truck and decided what to eat. We indulged in Shameless Buns Filipino Food Truck and it was delicious! I didn't even realize it was a sandwich place, all I saw was "Filipino food" and I was sold! By this point we were all a little tired, having walked so much in the hot sun, but we rallied, grabbed slurpees and a delicious fruit popsicle, and continued on our way.
You can bet we had our walking shoes on!
Entertainment on the Main Stage
Dress up on a Fire Rescue truck - right up the kids' alley!
For months and months following last year’s event, Archer would remind us about Car-Free Day and how we all walked down the middle of the street, heard live music, played mini-golf and made crafts. He was thrilled to drive past the spot where we had walked down the double-solid yellow lines.
Until he forgot.
When I told him what we were going to do this past Sunday, he didn’t have any idea what I was talking about! It wasn't until I reminded him about the time we walked down the middle of the road that he perked up with excitement.
I do hope that the City of Port Moody continues to put on this event every year. I love being able to show the kids that transit is a fair option for us sometimes over driving, that it is an environmentally-friendly alternative to driving.
We are lucky to live in such a wonderful community.
Happy car-free day!
Anya
Would you believe me if I told you it was Brad's idea to take this pic? 🙂