Hello Fellow Lovers of Travel. I know it has been a minute, but it has been a busy season of life. I have a great experience to share with you! I went to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada last week for three days and it was AMAZING!!!! I arrived at YVR at 11 am local time (pacific). I stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott Downtown Vancouver.
It was in the heart of everything, and I could walk every where (if the weather didn’t stay crappy). Fun fact: Locals call Vancouver Rainvouver because it rains most of the winter. This was the case when I arrived, and it rained until the last day I was there. Anyways, since I could not check into the hotel until 4pm I decided to do the Gastown Historic Walking Food Tour by Taste Vancouver.
The Gastown Historic Walking Food Tour was a 3-hour tour (Singing “a 3-hour tour!!!” Gilligan’s Island reference for those who are old enough to remember Lol). It had seven stops and was led by Chirag (pronounced Cheer-rug). The group met at the historic Waterfront Station, which was modeled after Washington, DC’s Union Station. After introductions among our group of six, we were told the history of the station and moved to our first stop.
Steamworks Brew Pub is a brewery that makes their own beer. I am not particularly fond of beer, but the one I had, a Flagship IPA, was tolerable and I would drink it again. It was an Indian pale ale with grapefruit and passion fruit. It was a nice dinner spot, although we did not eat here. The atmosphere was a good place to watch sports or just to hang out with friends and family.
The next stop was a place call Guu.
The best way to describe this place is it is a Japanese version of an Irish pub. Here we had what I believe was called Chicken Kara-Age, but don’t quote me on it. I forgot to write the name down. Everyone else used chopsticks but I just used my hands because I am not great at using chopsticks Lol It was a piece of fried chicken thigh with aioli mayonnaise. Whatever it was called, it was really good!
On the way to our next stop, the group made a quick stop by the Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery. Chirag gave us history about
how the metallic ceiling was imported and put together by hand. We also stopped by the famous Steam Clock designed by Ray Saunders. It plays Westminster Quarters on the quarter hour. Fun Fact: The band Nickelback used a picture of the clock for a cover of one of its albums called Here and Now.
Brioche Ristorante, the next stop, is an Italian restaurant founded by Eduardo Bilardello, who began his culinary career in Sicily at the age of 14. Here, the tour group had a cheese tortellini with rose’ sauce with Parmesan cheese and French bread. I though it was tasty, but to be honest it reminded me of hamburger helper Lol (I really need to get out more smile)
Stop number four was a place called MeeT. The name is a fun play on the word “meat” as it is a vegan restaurant. It serves comfort food but vegetarian style. We had sweet chili cauliflower in representation of boneless chicken wings. The “wings” were made of cauliflower with a tamarind sweet chili sauce. I liked it as something different but I’m not sure I would eat it again. I would want to try other things on their menu before I
say I did not like the restaurant as a whole.
Chirag spoke with us about how where MeeT is located, used to be a parking garage and across from it used to be the town jail. The jailors used to leave the doors unlocked so when the drunks sobered up, they could just walk out and start their day. We moved on to a place called Six Acres Pub.
Six Acres Pub is located in the heart of Gastown. When we arrived, Wu-Tang Clan was playing in the background which sort of surprised me because the inside looked like an old English pub where the Manchester United team would hang out. (Think EuroTrip and the scene where Scotty and Cooper accidently walk into a soccer club instead of a regular bar). It actually was a really nice atmosphere, and we were welcomed with red wine and a famous Canadian dish called Poutine. This dish consists of French fries topped with cheese curds and a brown gravy.
It sounds nasty, but it was actually good. (It could have also been the several glasses of wine I had at the various restaurants before then too Lol)
After all of the food we ate, it was time for dessert! Waffleland Café, (you guessed it!), is all about waffles. According to their website, “Waffleland Café offers a playful take on Belgian and Norwegian cuisine with broad European influences emphasizing Liège Belgian Waffles and Norwegian Waffles“ (Waffleland Café, 2002).
The group had one Norwegian waffle shaped like a heart with Nutella and one piece of Belgian waffle. It came with strawberries, peaches and whipped cream. I’m a huge fan of sweets so I loved it! The café nailed the sweet and savory taste they were going for.
Being in the rain for so long, it was nice to get to our final stop because it was all about getting warm. Café Kitsune is a nice little coffee shop that serves coffee, tea, hot chocolate etc. Our tour group stopped there for coffee and hot chocolate. I chose the hot chocolate, and it was pretty good. It was hot enough to warm you up, but not hot enough to scorch your tongue like most places serve hot drinks.
As this was the end of our tour, we said our goodbyes and I headed to the hotel to check in. It was a quick process since I am a Marriott member. The front desk was very friendly and highlighted some tourists attractions that I may be interested in. The room was very neat, clean and pretty spacious. I walked around the room and checked everything, then settled in for the night deciding to start fresh in the morning.
Day two was the day I would try to fit in as much as possible since I was only in Vancouver for a short time. I was up at 2am because my body had not adjusted to the time change. Since I was already up, I took the time to schedule my day. I left out of the hotel around 0830 for breakfast. I went to this restaurant around a 5–10-minute walk from the Residence Inn called White Spot.
The White Spot Legendary Restaurant is famous for their burgers, but I got their Turkey Avocado Breakfast Wrap with endless smash brown potatoes. As you can see, the smash browns is their version of hashbrowns but not shredded. It reminded me sort of potato wedges cut weirdly. Since it was a Friday morning, the place was pretty empty due to people at work and children being in school. The meal was very filling, and I would revisit on a return trip.
After starting my day with a hearty breakfast, I caught a Lyft to Science World. I probably could have walked, but it was raining, and I was trying not to get sick. The trip was about a 10-minute ride. I wasn’t really paying attention because I was taking in all the sights. Once I arrived, I noticed a large group of children awaiting the opening. I can only assume they were on a field trip.
Science World is a two-story museum filled with science experiments for the kids to try out and animal facts. I liken it to the Natural History Museum and Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC mixed together. I love museums like this one, but it was definitely geared towards children in elementary(primary) and middle school.
Despite it still raining, I decided to walk to my next adventure. A 15-minute walk to Vancouver’s Chinatown took me to a quaint little place in the heart of the city.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is a traditional Ming Dynasty-style garden-home and the first to be built outside of China. Here I took part in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. The tea ceremony consisted of tasting two teas, black and oolong. It was very peaceful and serene, and it took away from the fact that this garden is literally in the middle of a busy city. I was the only one there, so I was able to take my time and try both teas at various intensities. I found it fascinating that the lady performing the ceremony would pour tea for me, herself, and then over a little statue placed between us. She explained that when she is performing the ceremony alone, he is her little buddy to share her tea with and it makes her feel at peace. After the ceremony, I explored the rest of the gardens before heading to lunch.
Lunch at De Dutch was awesome!! The beautiful view of the waterfront was beautiful, but I have never seen something like the meat lovers pannekoek, and it had me in awe. The #17, as it is listed on the menu, has DeBakon (pork cottage roll), ham, sausage, and turkey bacon inside a pancake with Dutch cheese and a tomato as a garnish. No syrup needed! It was so much I could not finish it!
I rolled myself out of my chair from being so full and headed to Harbour Air Seaplanes to take the Vancouver Panoramic Classic Seaplane Tour.
I have been in small planes before, but it was interesting to take off from the water in a propeller plane. We flew in the De Havilland Turbine DHC-3T Otter. It was a 30-minute experience from start to finish and gave you scenic views of the city of Vancouver to include the mountains, Stanley Park and various small islands off the coast.
Before my next adventure, I wandered down to Coal Harbour and took a few pictures of the Christmas decorations. My favorite is Santa on the boat and the penguin family.
Being a little cold, I stopped in Caviar Bistro to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate while I waited for my Lyft to one of the coolest bars in Vancouver, The Shameful Tiki Room.
The Shameful Tiki Room is a tropical oasis in the middle of a busy city. If you are not looking for it, you would miss it among the various shops. I walked past it twice before I realized where it was. When you step inside, it feels like you are stepping into a tropical hut on a Hawaiian Island. It is a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the city. Tropical music plays in the background while old black and white movies play on the two TVs behind the bar. The two drinks I had were the blue Hawaiian and the Chi-Chi. I have to admit, I got the Chi-Chi because I liked the way it sounded. It was a mix of pineapple, coconut and absolute vodka.
While I was feeling good from my liquid courage, I went to my final stop of the day. The
Capilano Suspension Bridge hosted their annual Canyon Lights. This bridge which started off as a foot bridge made of hemp and cedar planks across the canyon, is 140 meters (460 ft) long and 70 meters (230 ft) above the river. I went across with fear and trembling because although I am not completely afraid of heights, this bridge was swaying in the wind, and it was raining so I was nervous. I made it across after saying a prayer and took pictures of all the Christmas light displays. My favorite is in the video.
After being tired of being cold and wet, I headed back to the hotel to warm up and end my night thoroughly enjoying my day; but I made a pitstop at
Breka Café and Bakery. This café stays open 24 hours and although it was late at night, it was a busy place. I ordered the steak and cheese panini and a red velvet cake. To be honest, I did not like the panini because it had mushrooms on it, and I don’t like mushrooms. The red velvet cake was delicious though.
Day three started off at 6am. After all the rain, day three was a beautiful sunny day. Today I decided to take a tour of Granville Island and Stanley Park. Because I wanted to enjoy the view from my hotel balcony, I just opted to eat the hotel breakfast. It was alright, but not great compared to the food I had been eating for the past few days. The shuttle bus picked me up from the hotel and this started the Vancouver City Sightseeing Tour: Granville Island & Stanley Park. This bus tour is an overview of Gastown, Chinatown, Stanley Park, and
Granville Island Public Market. At the Granville Island Public Market, I had a traditional German Schnitzel plate from Kaisereck,
an apple cinnamon crepe from Muffin Granny Crepe and bakery café,
and two canelés from La Bise Canelés - one salted caramel and one cookie butter. The salted caramel was my favorite. I probably should have completed this tour on the first day, but nonetheless it was still a nice tour.
Because I did not want to rush to the airport, I chose to go ahead and make my way to the airport after the tour. While waiting for my flight, I took advantage of the downtown and drank wine flights at Vino Volo. The first flight I had was called the Passport to Chile. This flight consisted of Sauvignon Blanc, Rose’ of Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Now I am not a wine connoisseur, but I do enjoy a good wine. I enjoyed all three white wines as a regular person. The next flight I tried was the Shades of White. I’m not a huge red wine fan because I have not found one that I like. This flight consisted of Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. I finished just in time to board my flight.
Overall, it was nice to visit, and I think if I had one more day, I would have done everything I set out to do. I was not able to visit some of the beaches and Grouse Mountain like I wanted to because of the weather. I am planning on visiting again during the summer season to visit the things that I missed. I hope you enjoyed the trip with me to Vancouver and one day you will be able to make the trip in person.
Disclaimer: I, Artilya Key, also known as A. Key (A Key To Adventure), am not affiliated with any of the links, places or sites mentioned in this blog nor did I receive any compensation for this post. Should you need more information, please refer to the linked information or contact the company or entities. Any copywritten information belongs to that entity and is not associated with A Key To Adventure.
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