Vrooming around Vancouver

Hi all- long time no write! It’s been a busy month- ish of traveling, celebrating my 22nd birthday, showing my cousins around the beautiful city of Chicago, and just enjoying my last months of Seattle  before I move back. This time of year, in my biased opinion, is the best in the PNW- the beautiful fall foliage adds to its ambiance and colors are always better than the gray Seattle winters we tend to be more famous for. But I’m back & better than ever, and thought I’d share today about the gorgeous city I visited last weekend: Vancouver, BC. There’s truly nothing like being asked at work on a Friday what you plan on doing that weekend and getting to answer “leaving the country”, even if it is only a just over 2 hour drive to the border.

I got the idea to take a road trip to Vancouver back in May during my Alaska cruise. We were only docked in Victoria, our last stop, for a matter of hours, but even then I knew the western side of Canada demanded some more attention. I’ve only been to Canada on a real trip years ago, on a different cruise, where I visited Montreal and Quebec. But where that side is deeply rooting in its French culture, I was curious to discover a blend of American and Canadian cultures. & I mean who could justify skipping the trip when it is so close? No need to deal with TSA, no hassle at all except some scary looking border control officers and figuring out how many kilometers per hour equates to 70 mph! For anyone visiting or living in or near Seattle, I couldn’t recommend enough the short drive up (especially in the fall where the leaf-peeping industry- the weird name for fall tourism- is in full swing). It was a truly beautiful drive and I couldn’t take my eyes off the scenery on our way up. Heads up if you’re making the drive: allocate sufficient time for the drive back. Depending on when you plan to go, the drive in is much quicker than the one out and the majority of our return trip was spent in the border control line.

Once we arrived, we headed straight to Granville Island Public Market for a stunning view on the water and an incredible market experience. For those who’ve followed along with my travels, you know I’m sort of the market expert- I’ve visited every market in london and Washington, and I’ve also been to markets in Milwaukee, Charleston, Alaska, and Chicago this year alone. This one was pretty epic too, with the freshest fruits and vegetables and food stalls from every corner of the world. Perhaps the highlight was the Vancouver fish company stall, where I tasted some of the freshest lox I’ve ever had. But there was definitely nothing fishy about the view into the harbor, which we admired during a bagel break where a seagull and I almost went head to head. Other buildings we passed on the island that looked pretty cool but we didn’t have enough time to check out are Granville theatre and the Granville improv center, which do daily shows and the latter focuses on audience interaction.

After the market, we headed to northern Vancouver, where my friend and I had rented an apartment. If you’re planning on heading out there, I cannot recommend enough not getting a stuffy hotel and opting for an Airbnb outside of the city instead. Our apartment was super affordable and it was huge-two bedrooms, a living area, and free parking. Not to mention that it was a two minute walk from a bus stop - to a bus that took us straight into the center of the city. If buses aren’t your jam, Vancouver also has incredibly affordable rideshare options. For a 30 minute trip to our apartment at the end of the day, we each paid about 10 American dollars. It’s a city that makes getting around easy and doesn’t break the bank. It might look like Seattle from its skyline, but I’m glad it doesn’t spend like Seattle. Finally, a time I checked my bank account and didn’t power off my phone out of shock.

But what is there to do in Vancouver? Once we were in the city, we explored its many different pockets, which include the west end shopping district, Gastown, the international district, and the marina. The West End is a very Seattle-esc . The shopping district centers at Robson square, a huge area in front of the city’s public mall where many demonstrations, performances, and events occur. The beautiful Queen Elizabeth theatre is also there, home to some of the biggest musical talents. Our walk took us next to the Vancouver convention center, located besides the marina. We observed seaplanes take off and land from the water, which was a really unique experience with beautiful views. We also walked around the pier, which gave us a lovely vantage point on the water. I have to say here that you can also book a ticket to the Vancouver lookout tower, which we didn’t do, but the view from the convention center was truly just as memorable (and free). Gastown was another super cool, youthful part of the city, complete with a Dollarama (the Canadian equivalent of of a dollar store, or a Poundland in the UK)- where we tried our some fun Canadian snacks (highly recommend the All Dressed up chips). I also recommend the Gastown Steam clock, the worlds first steam powered clock, which stands in the center of the area. Each of these areas in downtown was super unique and fun to explore. One of the most convenient discoveries I made is that Vancouver is extremely walkable. Once you’re in the city, you can get from one side to another within 25 minutes walking. Given that there is so much to see and do, this makes having a car not necessary at all to check everything off the Vancouver bucket list.

Saturday night, we grabbed some delicious Udon (the Asian food in Vancouver is a bit hit) and went to Relish, a stunning outside bar patio, for a cocktail. Then we visited The Roxy, which I have no choice but to RAVE about. If you love live music like me, but like me are sick and tired of songs you don’t know playing at bars and having to mouth random words so it looks like you aren’t lost, this is the bar for you. When we first got there at 9, it was mostly old-timey music and drunk  50+ aged people, but that transitioned into a beautiful harmony of millennials and Gen Z, and the music changed in turn. It was a blast, and we followed it up with some delicious Canadian poutine on the drive home.

We spent the next morning out in nature. We had originally planned a trip to the Capilano suspension bridge Vancouver is known for, but after checking out the price tag- $60 American for a single trip - we reconsidered. One day I will check this park out, but in the meantime, we found the next best thing. If you’re visiting Vancouver and don’t want to dole out $60 but still want to see some neat suspension bridges, I HIGHLY recommend Lynn Canyon suspension bridge, which overlooks the beautiful Grouse mountain and has some great trails in the park. The best part- it’s absolutely free and has tons to do! It was also just a short drive from our Airbnb, located in North Vancouver, and the perfect stop post the mandatory stop at Tim Hortons. Our last stop of the short weekend getaway was Stanley Park, an Urban park located at the tip of the city with beautiful views onto the Vancouver bridge, lighthouse, and city skyline. I highly recommend a stop at Prospect point, which was the perfect way to round out seeing Vancouver- I’ll count that as the end instead of the long wait at border patrol that I referenced earlier😂

All in all, I really think that Vancouver is an unmissable, quaint, and cultural infusion of a city, especially if you live just a short drive away. I was so glad I was able to take my mind off of work for a few days and visit somewhere new and exciting! Although I didn’t really hear a Canadian accent while there, I did find out that Costcos in Canada have poutine in their food court, which pretty much makes the drive there and back completely worth it. As you all know, I love a good travel adventure, & last weekend was the perfect  fall destination I won’t soon forget! Talk to you all next week:)