Vancouver author returns with a second Perfect Day for a Walk book, looking at the city’s waterways

“By sea, land, and air we prosper” has long been the motto of the City of Vancouver. “By sea” also sums up a new book that takes the reader on a series of excursions in, on, and even under the waters of our city.

When we last spoke with author Bill Arnott, he was promoting A Perfect Day for Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, on Foot. Now, a year later, comes the sequel, A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water: Exploring Vancouver’s Shores.

Arnott says he came up with the idea while researching his previous book.

“During those walks, I was so aware of the fact that there was always a coastline present,” he said.

“There were shores, beaches, and bays that I feel define a lot of this city. And I thought, what a wonderful opportunity to almost invert that perspective and all of a sudden realizing there’s a wealth of new stories to unveil from this perspective.”

This time Arnott pushes the walking concept to include driving, kayaking, and riding the SeaBus. And while he is pictured behind the wheel of the Burrard Chinook, Arnott insists he didn’t actually get to pilot the vessel.

“Having said that, it was awfully fun to be in the big chair, or in this case, one of two big chairs, that can make those engines go ‘vroom vroom.’ And I felt like a kid with my Hot Wheels but on a much larger scale. So, that was a huge privilege.”

Arnott’s research also took him to the UBC pool where he even learned to scuba dive.

“Chlorinated water, folks doing their aerobics, and toddlers; it’s not necessarily the same image of romance and the wide-open sea that one might imagine. However, ultimately, when we were doing our open water dives here on the West Coast and up in Howe Sound, it did become magic and another wonderful vehicle for learning and engagement.”

The book covers a lot of ground, or water, to be precise. Arnott explores Spanish Banks, Point Grey, Locarno, and Jericho beaches on Vancouver’s West Side, as well as Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet, the North Shore, Coal Harbour, Granville Island, English Bay, the Port of Vancouver, and Stanley Park, among others.

While A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water may read like a guidebook, it’s so much more than that.

“The last thing in the world I want to do is get on a soapbox and tell people what they ought to do and what they ought to see,” he said.

For Arnott, good travel literature shouldn’t just tell you what to do, it should take you on a journey.

“To me, the magic of exploration and discovery are those unexpected things…the difference between being a traveler and being a tourist, getting out there, perhaps getting uncomfortable, meeting with locals, fellow travellers, experts, and getting a little sense, a glimpse into these cumulative narratives that really, genuinely make up this land in our city.”

And it’s all informed by Arnott’s insatiable curiosity that respects the past while casting an eye to the future. For example, he takes great care to include Indigenous place names and to introduce the reader to historical figures like Chief August Jack Khatsalano and Chief Joe Capilano. Arnott says it’s important to decolonize these spaces.

“So, what does that entail? Well, it means having a strong Indigenous presence, leading with land acknowledgments, [and] reimagining the space for a sense of proper, authentic, deeper engagement and representation.”

Arnott feels A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water has a lot to offer, whether you use it as a guidebook or just an easy armchair read.

“We’ve got gorgeous original maps and contemporary photos, along with some archival for a now-and-then perspective. It’s very much a rich sensory engagement in real-time mixed media that I’m terribly proud of,” he said.

A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water: Exploring Vancouver’s Shores is published by Arsenal Pulp Press.