Vancouver! Vancouver!

I have been living in this beautiful city for a year now, and in that year I have barely scratched the surface to what this city really has to offer.

Top 10 sights to see:
1-Stanley Park
2-Grouse Mountain
3-Capilano Suspension Bridge
4-Granville Island Market
5-Robson Street
6-Yaletown
7-Gastown
8-The Endowment Lands at UBC
9-Kitsilano
10-False Creek

Quick Tips:

Avoid East Hastings if you are walking.

Best Way To Get Around:

The one thing that I really can't stand about Vancouver is the traffic. The road network in the lower mainland is a nightmare. The transit system is pretty good, and pretty reasonably priced as well (starting at ). If you are planning on going downtown with your car, you can expect hard to find street parking, and expensive parkinglot rates. So, my suggestion if you are still wanting to drive, park on one of the side streets and walk to where you are going.

The menu at the Monsoon is like an Asian/Thai fusion. We found this place by complete accident one evening, and it turned out to be one of our best meals! The restaurant is rather small (and is always busy), and they don't take reservations for parties under 6 people. Whenever we have out of town guests visiting us, we take them here.

If you enjoy Caribbean food, then I highly recommmend this restaurant! The service has always been great, and the food amazing (I can't get enough of the curry). Also, they have a great little patio that faces Main Street.

I love everything about this restaurant. The menu is incredible (I highly recommend number 51 - thick red curry with chicken) and the prices are pretty reasonable. We had a group of four, and our bill came to just under $100 Canadian (we all had a drink in addition to the meal).

The service is amazing, and the waitstaff all look amazing too - they all wear traditional outfits.

Simply Thai is located right in the heart of Yaletown, which is the perfect location to take a walk after your incredible meal! Here is their website if you need more information: click here.

This is a fantastic beach not only to enjoy the view, but for people watching as well. This beach is always packed with people playing volleyball, rollerblading along the paths, tossing the football around - you get the picture.

Because it is always so busy during the day, we tend to come here as the sun is setting. This is the perfect place to enjoy watching the sun go down. One of our favorite things to do is pack a dinner, and a blanket, get a campfire going, sit back and enjoy the view. There is always driftwood around, so you don't have to worry about lugging your own wood in.

On a side note: dogs are not allowed in most sections of this beach. You will get a fine if you have your dog in an area that has not be designated as a dog area. So read the signs!

Whenever I have out of town guests, and the weather is cooperative, I always make a point to bring them to see Grouse Mountain. On a clear day, this is without a doubt the best view of Vancouver!

You can reach the top of Grouse Mountain in one of two ways. First (if you have the energy) you can hike up. The cost to hike up is free, and a mere $5 to take the Sky Ride down (or if you are a glutton for punishment, you can hike back down for free). The trail is called the Grouse Grind, but I like to call it the world’s largest stair master.

If the hike up is not your cup of tea, then you can take the Sky Ride up. The cost for this is $25 per person, and will take about 10 minutes to reach the top. With a purchased round trip ticket for the Sky ride, you receive a whopping $1.50 off the Capilano Suspension Bridge -- what a deal!

Anyways! While at the top, there are many things there for you to enjoy. There are timber sports shows, a movie depicting the history of the lower mainland, wooden statues (all carved with chainsaws), an enclosed grizzly bear den (which currently holds 4 grizzlies), and a couple of restaurants.
Here is a link to their website: http://www.grousemountain.com/

Where do I begin? Wondering around the Granville Island Public Market is a great way to spend the day. The street performers, specialty shops, fresh produce, fresh sea food, the ice cream, the flowers, I could go on and on. Wear comfortable shoes, because there is alot to see!

If you are planning a trip to see this market, and Vancouver for that matter, I recommend taking an aquabus for a tour around False Creek. This will cost you C$6/person and will take approximately 15-20 minutes. The water bus service is located behind the food market. Once out on the water you will have a great view of the Granville Street bridge, the Burard Street bridge, BC Place, the sea wall (the area that was used for the Vancouver Expo), and Science World. Parking is hard to come by in the market, so if you are driving (and you don't feel like wasting time looking for a spot to park) park along one of the side streets surrounding the market. Also, if you are coming in from downtown Vancouver, check into the aquabus service, because there are pick up spots all along the False Creek area! See this website or this one.

First, how do you get there? From Highway 1 (Trans-Canada) take the Lynn Valley Rd. or Mountain Hwy. exit. From Lynn Valley Rd. turn right onto Peters Rd. This will take you to the Park Drive.

Lynn Valley has a great suspension bridge, so if you don't feel like spending the $20 (or so) at the Capilano Suspension Bridge, then this is the perfect alternative!

There is a great network of trails in this park, most of which follows along Lynn Creek, and you will be completely surrounded by big cedars!

If you enjoy hiking, then you can plan on spending at least 3-4 hours here. The trails are not difficult to hike.

This park has a small consession stand, and washrooms.

You can bring your dog to this park, but they will need to stay on the leash. The admission to the park is free, and by donation if you wish to browse through the Ecology Centre.

The Alluminary Festival occurs the last Saturday of July, located at Trout Lake. Bring a latern (and be creative), because this celebration starts once the sun has gone down!

During the course of the evening you will be entertained by a fireworks display, live music, fire jugglers, stilt walkers, and vendors -- oh and don't let me forget people watching! Many people come to this event dressed in fairy costumes, or dressed in their home made laterns!

If you plan on making this an entire evening event, my suggestion to you is get to the park early, bring a blanket, candles (tiki lamps) a picnic basket and stake out a good piece of ground and let the parade of people go by. It is much more relaxing way to enjoy our evening!

Parking is very, very limited, so avoid driving if you can. Vancouver has a great transit system, here is their website: http://www.translink.bc.ca/ Trout lake is located at East 15th Avenue and Victoria.

Enjoy!

From what I have been told, this is the second largest Chinatown in North America outside of the one located in San Francisco. All that I know is that it is very easy to spend an entire day here and still not see everything. Besides the obvious shopping to do in Chinatown, I highly reccomend that you wander through the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Park and Garden located on Pender Street, in the Chinese Cultural Center.

Here is a link for you to check out: click here.

When you see Vancouver for the first time (even the second, third, and fourth time), it is hard to get beyond the natural beauty of the city. Crossing the Cambie Street bridge, you see the downtown district, the mountains behind the towers, and the ocean.

People are often shocked when they see the homeless people, the drug addicts, prostitutes, and squeegee kids--Vancouver does have its share of problems. East Hastings (chances are you will pass through this area on your way to Gas Town) is a prime example of how Vancouver is dealing with these problems. Herd all of these sick, addicted people into an area that is approximately two city blocks in size. You can only imagine the scene. Before we moved to Vancouver, my first taste of the city was driving through this area.

I couldn't believe that there was an area like this in Canada. Living in Toronto for many years, I thought that I had seen it all--sadly, I hadn't.

If you are looking for a great off-leash dog park, then this is the place for you to go. There are two great locations around the lake where dogs are permitted without a leash--the remaining areas you will be required to have a leash on your dog or you could face a fine. Here is a link to check out if you are interested in the off leash portion of the park: click here.

But really, there is so much more to this place then just being a great off leash dog park. Trout Lake is a great community park--on the weekends you will find a great little farmers market (May to early October East Vancouver Farmer's Market: sale of produce from local farms, food, and crafts. Every Saturday from 9am to 2pm. Trout Lake Community Centre, 3350 Victoria Dr., Vancouver; 604/879-3276), festivals through out the year, the bluegrass society practices at the park during the summer evenings (on Monday's if I am remembering correctly) really I could go on and on.

Surrounding the lake is a marshy area which attracts many variety of ducks, song birds, and heron. If you are lucky you will see the occasional bald eagle fly over head, or an osprey fishing in the lake! What a sight to see! There are two concession stands, sporting fields, one designated swimming area, gazeebo's, picnic tables, barbecue pits, washrooms, outdoor showering areas, and a community centre (web site link is here).

Trout Lake is very easy to find--approach Victoria from 12th Ave or Broadway if going east/west. Drive up Victoria if coming from the south.

Location: 13672 Reichenbach Rd, Pitt Meadows
Cost: $8.00/person (children under 4 are free)
Website: http://www.meadowsmaze.com
I know that this isn't in Vancouver, but it is close enough for a day trip!