Vancouver recap – the weather was gorgeous and we had just about two days to see and eat our hearts out. With some help from a friend, we landed a great Airbnb spot… hard to beat this view. We settled on a spot in Yaletown which happens to be a pretty nice neighborhood. I relate Vancouver to a cleaner SF. Our first day we walked all around to Gastown to Chinatown and pretty much ate everything on our walking path.

Gastown – clearly known for being the historical neighborhood in Vancouver. We had to see the steam-powered clock. Where we actually learned that the clock wasn’t powered by steam, but the steam powers a little pulley that lifts steel balls which then use the weight to power the clock.

Chinatown – was basically like home, but cleaner (again). We were on a mission to find a good egg tart, but instead found some amazing roast pig. Maybe it was the walking that made these taste better, but it was definitely picture-worthy.

And of course, we bought it from a place called “Money Foods Ent.”

On the way out of Chinatown, we stopped by a cute little garden (Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s) where Betty found the bicycle of her life.

On the way home, we found a “donuterie” called Cartems Donuterie where we ate an Earl Grey donut and brought a few apple fritters home.

Cafe Medina – if there was one breakfast/brunch place I would recommend in Vancouver, this would be it. The food is slightly pricey, but there are some unique items and it was delicious. Between a lavender latte, homestyle waffle with marmalade and an a Fricassee with short ribs… it was quite a good meal.

On our second day, we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It was a pretty cool crossing the bridge and exploring the different walkways and treetop pathways. Since it was such a dry season, there wasn’t much running water, but it was great to have different vantage points of the valley from the treetops and other lookouts.

That afternoon, we went to Stanley Park. We ate some ramen near the bike rentals and then picked up a few bikes to do the Stanley Park bike path. We saw more totem-poles, Brockton Point Lighthouse, Lion’s Gate Bridge and of course a selfie of ourselves on the bikes. The path was a nice flat ride with a good variety of views and lots of cool places to stop and even take a longer break on the beach.

 

 

 

On the last morning before we left, we went to Granville Island, which was a short water taxi ride away from Yaletown. If I was a local, I’d be there frequently on weekends because it’s basically a farmers market, flea market and art show all in one. It definitely embodies a lot of the local’s life of Vancouver.

We ate at Blue Water Cafe the night before we left and it lived up to the hype. We had some toro and oysters along with some other seafood, but it was all delicious!