Vancouver, BC
While we try to figure out where the heck we will be working in a few weeks we are trying to take advantage of our 3 day weekends. This past week we headed to Vancouver, BC!
Day One: We attempted to hit to road early… but some of our recent bad luck remained. We had to deal with car paperwork before heading over the border. In the process I also realized I lost my credit card. We have been rather stressed lately and much much more frazzled than usual. Luckily we got the car stuff sorted out and found out that my card was secure at a local restaurant (dinner was so good I left without it).
The trip took us about 3.5 hours from Tacoma. This includes about 30 minutes to get through Seattle rush hour traffic… because it took us so long to get on the road.
Since our first day was supposed to be the best weather day we headed for our outdoor adventure – Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. We read this was definitely a tourist destination, but was worth the money. For about $35 (US) each we had access to their suspension bridge, cliff walk, treetop walk and more. It was a bit manicured for a forest… that being said it was VERY beautiful.
Next it was time to find our Hostel. Ever since our first hostel stay in Portland we have been eager to try more. We chose to stay at the Samesun Backpacker Hostel in Vancouver. We were greeted by a busy hostel with lots of color and community activities. The room prices were very reasonable, but the canadian taxes did make them a bit more expensive. We stayed in a private room which had its own bathroom (or washroom in Canada)… a luxury in a hostel. Everyone was very nice and we again enjoyed the uniqueness this type of lodging offers.
After checking in we hit a local market to pick up a few Canadian goods we were a bit tired and decided to check out the hostel restaurant recommendations. There was a sushi place on the list… so obviously we went there. It was delicious and our favorite was the spicy maple roll. How Canadian!
Day 2: When we woke up we unfortunately confirmed Patrick was sick, probably due to stress, lots of illness at work, and not much downtime. In order to take the day generally easy we decided to to try out the day bus pass. For about $10 canadian we were able to utilize public transit all day. This was SUPER helpful and allowed us to explore where we wanted to.
First we stopped at Granville Island. It is a small peninsula across False Creek from Downtown Vancouver. The peninsula is filled with businesses and markets which were great to explore. My favorite discovery was mustard pickles and although it was a cloudy day we got some great views of the city.
Post binging on poutine and an afternoon nap we hopped on the bus and headed to the Gastown district. This area is well known for its steam clock that whistles every 15 minutes and is completely powered by steam. Built in 1977 this clock is the main attraction in the most historic part of Vancouver.
After convincing ourselves we needed some canadian t-shirts to commemorate the trip we picked one of the many restaurants to eat in Gastown. The Flying Pig was both delicious and stylish. We just about collapsed into bed after our busride and getting some beers in our hostel
Day 3: After breakfast at our hostel we tried Tim Hortons and visited Stanley Park. The drinks at Tim Hortons weren’t anything special, but I wanted to try it before leaving. Stanley Park was beautiful and reminded us of Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. It offers lots of trails that make you forget you are in a city as well as some beautiful views of downtown.
We then hit the road and managed to get back through Seattle traffic relatively unscathed and I promplty tucked Patrick into bed with a cup of tea. He is feeling much better now!
Fun Facts about Canada (sorta facts):
- Downtown Vancouver looks different from traditional american cities due to the abundance of high rise apartment buildings with large green spaces in between. Only the more historic areas of the cities as well as the suburbs have more traditional connecting or close together buildings.
- Canadians are very nice! This isn’t a surprise, but the stereotypes are true. Walking down the street we saw no altercations and everyone we interacted with during our trip was incredibly pleasant. We heard about some theft and petty crime due to homelessness, but we were informed of it by some amazingly helpful security guards that took time to help us figure out where to park.
- Vancouver is a VERY international city. We heard many languages being spoken and met people from all over the world. The city seemed much more diverse than any major city we have visited in the US. We enjoyed exploring the melting pot of culture (all the good food).