Before the pandemic exploded into Canada, I took a quick weekend trip to Vancouver with my friend to meet another friend of ours that lives there, so we could celebrate her leap year birthday. Little did I know, this would probably be the only “vacation” I would be taking for some time. This was my third time in Vancouver, but the city is massive and always has new stuff to do, so you could go there one hundred times and still find something new. Since international travel is still restricted, I thought this would be a good time to post a Canadian destination (sorry to everyone outside of Canada reading this). Shockingly, I didn’t make an itinerary for this; probably because I’d been there before and will likely be there many more times.
We arrived late on Thursday night, after a delayed flight, and the airline almost losing my bag. We decided to check our bags at the gate, because they asked for volunteers to check their bags for free (and I’m all about free, even though checking bags is annoying). After about 30 – 45 minutes, and talking to the lost baggage guy, who couldn’t quite figure out where my bag was, because the computer said it was in Vancouver, my bag came flying off of the luggage carousel; it had apparently gotten stuck on it’s way down. I was thankful, because, since this was my carry-on that got checked, I only had the clothes I was wearing; so not quite sufficient for a weekend in Vancouver. We ended up being too late to pick up our key to the VRBO, but thankfully, the owner was able to meet us. Not the best start to the trip, but tomorrow is a new day, right?!
Friday morning we were meeting our friend for breakfast and then heading for a hike at Quarry Rock, located in North Vancouver. For those of you that know me, you know I’m not the most athletic or outdoorsy person, but this hike is easy to complete and I enjoyed it. I would say it was probably an hour each way and it seemed to be pretty popular. Plus, if I can do it, anyone can. Side note: there were children at the top, but I’ll just assume that outdoor Vancouver lifestyle they’re used to gave them some extra power to complete it with their tiny legs. Or their extra fit parents just put them on their shoulders. Anyways. Everything was so green and there were lots of water features to enjoy, and the view from the top was pretty amazing as well! We packed some snacks and water to enjoy up there, while taking photos. Everything for the ‘gram, right?
After the hike, we headed back downtown to walk around. We ended up walking the sea wall, but we didn’t get very far, since it started to rain (classic Vancouver). I’ve walked it before, through Stanley Park, so I would definitely recommend checking it out (the sea wall and Stanley Park). Stanley Park is a great way to spend time in the city, because it doesn’t actually feel like you’re in the city, and it’s free, so it’s a great place to visit if you’re on a budget. You can just hang out, check out the different attractions or rent a bike; whatever you feel like. After being drenched, we went back to the VRBO to warm up for a bit, before heading out for a quick dinner. We ended up finding a tiny sushi place (Sushi Maki) super close to our condo (obviously sushi is everywhere in Vancouver, so we looked for somewhere close, with good ratings, and wasn’t “fancy”, because we didn’t feel like getting ready). It looked like a little hole in the wall, but the food was great and the prices were even better! For two different rolls, gyoza, miso soup and green tea, I paid under $14 (including tip)!
The next day, after doing some shopping, crepe eating (I remember eating crepes and thinking “ahhh I’ll be in Paris in three months”. HA! Was I ever wrong) and people watching (Vancouver is always great for this), we ended up taking the aqua bus to Granville Island. The aqua bus is $6 round trip, and it’s like a one minute ride. Obviously we went pre-COVID, and the amount of people at Granville Island was crazy. We went inside to grab some food and we were basically shoulder to shoulder to entire time. Ahh the good ol’ days, right?! There was also some entertainment; a comedian/magician, that we sat and watched while eating our treats. It’s a pretty cool vibe and I would recommend checking it out. You can hang there for hours if you just wanted a cool place to chill and relax. Even though we had a dinner reservation later that evening, we all had a craving for ramen so we ended up at Horin Ramen Bar, and crushed some noods so we could warm up a bit. Even though you’re in Vancouver and it’s not like winter in Alberta, it was still the end of February and the wind can be cold!!
That night, we were celebrating a birthday, so we went to Nightingale, which was a fairly new restaurant, with a beautiful setting. The menu is made for sharing, so we ordered five dishes (pizza, pasta, a focaccia like bread, oysters and olives [the girls ate those, I’m not into them]). Hellooooo carb city; population: us. It was a higher scale restaurant, so it was pricier than what I would spend on a regular night out/dinner, but this was a special birthday dinner! If you’re celebrating something or it’s a special occasion, check it out and splurge; because it’s worth it. I think it was around $220 or something (tip included), for the three of us, and we had a few drinks too. After dinner, we went to Yuk Yuk’s, and then hit up a couple of bars downtown, which was fun, but we didn’t get too crazy. We did; however, get a buffalo chicken poutine from Mean Poutine, which, as you can imagine, is fairly busy at 2 a.m. on a Saturday! I like poutines, but I don’t love them (does that make me a bad Canadian??), but this one was really good. All in all, I don’t think we had a bad meal the entire time in Vancouver. There’s tons of places to eat, and these were just a few that we tried, but ended up loving. You definitely won’t go hungry there!
I thought I would recommend a few other places that I’ve been to while visiting Vancouver previously, and one of them is Capilano Suspension Bridge. It’s in North Van, but when I went (about five years ago) there were buses that you could catch from downtown that would take you there, for free! I’ve checked online and they still offer that service, with some obvious changes because of COVID-19. They have a large suspension bridge (obvs) to get across and then you can go throughout the forest, kind of like a treehouse, with steps, and other bridges to cross. I’m not a huge fan of heights and the bridge does move a bit, but it’s not scary. It’s a beautiful area, with tons of trees, fresh mountain air and water. It’s a little on the pricier side ($55 for adults) but you could spend all day out there if you wanted to.
Another cool attraction they have in Vancouver is Fly Over Canada, which is located in Canada Place, downtown. It’s a virtual ride experience through Canada, where you’re strapped into a seat, and you feel like you’re actually flying while seeing various landscape photos of places in Canada, from each Province and Territory. It also has some special effects too, such as a mist when you’re flying over the water. It’s something different to try, and if you have a family, it would be appropriate for them as well. Adult tickets are $26 and children (under 12) are $16, so it’s not necessarily a budget purchase, but the price is reasonable.
Vancouver is a massive city, with lots of things to try for every different lifestyle and budget. For us Canadians, I think we’ll be spending more time within our own country while the world continues to get a handle on this pandemic. Hopefully I have given you some ideas, or at the very least, made you want to visit Vancouver, if you haven’t already!
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