24 Hours in Vancouver, BC; Spring 2018
After exploring Seattle for a couple of days we decided to drive up to Vancouver, BC. We left
Seattle about 1pm. And arrived in Vancouver in just a couple of hours. We passed through Canadian border patrol and they asked for either a Passport or Drivers License. So this is definitely a trip you could take without a passport. Mr.C got out of the car to take pictures and shoot video while I waited in the border crossing line. We were in line so long that he literally had enough time to get out of the car take pictures, shoot several videos and make it back before it was our turn to go through inspection.
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| Peace Gate at the Canadian Border |
In true Chatman fashion we didn't book a room until we were heading into Canada. We got extremely lucky and booked a Priceline express deal for $167 and ended up with a room at the Sheraton Wall Centre right in the thick of it all. Rooms typically start at $706, so this was a great success. I will note that parking is not cheap, it was $30 for overnight parking in the garage.
After checking in and dropping our stuff we headed out on foot with no real destination in mind. We ended up at the Nike Store to see what kind of stuff they had. Its interesting how different the merchandise is from country to country. This store was on the smaller side and pretty expensive. A basic mens dry fit t shirt ran around $80. He made his purchase and we were on our way.
Coincidentally we walked straight into the Louis Vuitton inside of the Hotel Vancouver. I was hoping they had a Monogram Pochette Metis because I had just broke my Musette Tango that morning on our way into Starbucks Reserve. I was in need of a new cross-body. Unfortunately like every other store they were sold out. So I settled on a Keep It Bracelet in Damier Ebene. Mr.C also got a Keep It Bracelet in Damier Graphite. He then finessed himself a new Passport case in Mono Eclipse. This was the first time we were offered champagne in the Louis Vuitton store, even those this was one of our smaller purchases. Go figure. While perusing the mens section we noticed security locking down the store and we were confused because it was only 6 pm on a Saturday. So I asked what was going on. Apparently there was a Foreign dignitary coming into the Hotel and they needed everything in the surrounding area to be on lockdown.
Once we were allowed to leave we began our hunt for food. There were so many restaurants to choose from but we ultimately decided on local street food. I had a chicken and waffle sandwich, not bad. And he had an order of Kimchi fries. After eating and a bit more walking around we headed back to the room.
We woke up late the next morning and checked out the room. We were able to leave our bags at the hotel while we found food. Per google the best breakfast experience to be had in Vancouver was at The Elbow Room Cafe so we walked in that direction. Very thankful that I read the reviews otherwise when the man told me to stop fucking around and get my ass inside, I might have been a tad bit perturbed. The waitress was really sweet and didn't partake in any of the additional "humor", but the rest of the staff were pretty spot on. She also told us about some hidden gems and places that we needed to see before leaving Vancouver. Our food came and the "Kid Sized" pancake I ordered was monstrous. The food was really good, service was prompt and the price was RIGHT. After we paid we had a chance to sit and talk with the owner. He was really cool and down to earth. If you're ever in Vancouver, We highly recommend The Elbow Room. I wouldn't recommend it if you have the kids in tow as the language can be pretty colorful. Also if you order water you are to grab it for yourself. Any other drink will be served to you. Love, Love, Love this place. You have to experience it at least once!
After breakfast we took the waitress's advice, picked up our luggage and Rental car from the hotel and drove out to North Vancouver to experience Lynn Canyon Park. We were wanting to experience our first suspension bridge. And we were originally planning to go to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park at a price of $46.95 per ticket. But Lynn Canyon park is free, Score! It was about a 30 minute drive from Downtown Vancouver.
Once you get to the park parking is scarce so park in the first spot that you see. Prior to entering the trails there is a restroom, ranger station, gift shop, information to download the app/map and small cafeteria. There are several trails to choose from, but we chose the one that started with the suspension bridge. It was pretty crowded, but we were able to walk along without bumping into anyone. Once on the other side of the bridge we chose what we thought was a short easy route. We walked quite a bit and went down a few stairs at a time throughout the trek. However once we were about 80% through and crossed the next bridge there were mountains and mountains of stairs. I thought about just staying down there and giving up. Every time I thought we were finally finished with stairs we'd walk some more and there'd be another set. We finally finished and I wanted to fall out, but I kept going and made it back to the vehicle. I will say it was a rough trek for an out of shape novice, but the views were amazing. Breathtaking. And even with all the pain i'd definitely do it again.
You would think that after that we would be done for the day, but we weren't. We pointed the car towards Stanley Park. The park is really big and parking can be a bit confusing because there are so many entrances. I recommend dropping a pin so that you can locate your vehicle. Walking into the park we saw a sign for a train, we imagined a nice little train ride around the park. We bought tickets and stood in line. Imagine our surprise where this tiny baby train pull up. We're good sports but I imagine we looked completely crazy riding the train without children. Its a nice ride for kids, most of the ones on the train were really amused. The ride only covered a small portion of the park that is only accessible via train. After the ride we walked the perimeter of the park and walked upon a couple of cricket games in progress. I had never seen a Cricket game so we found a shaded spot and took a seat to watch. After watching the game for a bit, we realized it was time we begin our trek back to Seattle to catch our flight home.
Side Notes About Stanley Park:
But not before one last bite to eat. Mr.C loves authentic Ramen noodles and Vancouver happens to have a Ramen restaurant with their only other locations being in Asia. So he was pretty excited to try Yah Yah Ya Ramen. I'm not a Ramen fan but I took the "L" for him, because he always does for me. I'm sad to say he was unimpressed, The soup base didn't have enough flavor for him.
On our way back to the car we stopped at a small eatery that had a ice cream hot dog. It looked interesting so I had to try it. Basically it was a fried bun dipped in Sugar and Cinnamon; reminiscent of a Churro. Inside of the bun sat a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
And that's how we ended our 24 hours in Vancouver.
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| Street Art on a Building in Downtown Vancouver |
Once we were allowed to leave we began our hunt for food. There were so many restaurants to choose from but we ultimately decided on local street food. I had a chicken and waffle sandwich, not bad. And he had an order of Kimchi fries. After eating and a bit more walking around we headed back to the room.
We woke up late the next morning and checked out the room. We were able to leave our bags at the hotel while we found food. Per google the best breakfast experience to be had in Vancouver was at The Elbow Room Cafe so we walked in that direction. Very thankful that I read the reviews otherwise when the man told me to stop fucking around and get my ass inside, I might have been a tad bit perturbed. The waitress was really sweet and didn't partake in any of the additional "humor", but the rest of the staff were pretty spot on. She also told us about some hidden gems and places that we needed to see before leaving Vancouver. Our food came and the "Kid Sized" pancake I ordered was monstrous. The food was really good, service was prompt and the price was RIGHT. After we paid we had a chance to sit and talk with the owner. He was really cool and down to earth. If you're ever in Vancouver, We highly recommend The Elbow Room. I wouldn't recommend it if you have the kids in tow as the language can be pretty colorful. Also if you order water you are to grab it for yourself. Any other drink will be served to you. Love, Love, Love this place. You have to experience it at least once!
After breakfast we took the waitress's advice, picked up our luggage and Rental car from the hotel and drove out to North Vancouver to experience Lynn Canyon Park. We were wanting to experience our first suspension bridge. And we were originally planning to go to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park at a price of $46.95 per ticket. But Lynn Canyon park is free, Score! It was about a 30 minute drive from Downtown Vancouver.
Once you get to the park parking is scarce so park in the first spot that you see. Prior to entering the trails there is a restroom, ranger station, gift shop, information to download the app/map and small cafeteria. There are several trails to choose from, but we chose the one that started with the suspension bridge. It was pretty crowded, but we were able to walk along without bumping into anyone. Once on the other side of the bridge we chose what we thought was a short easy route. We walked quite a bit and went down a few stairs at a time throughout the trek. However once we were about 80% through and crossed the next bridge there were mountains and mountains of stairs. I thought about just staying down there and giving up. Every time I thought we were finally finished with stairs we'd walk some more and there'd be another set. We finally finished and I wanted to fall out, but I kept going and made it back to the vehicle. I will say it was a rough trek for an out of shape novice, but the views were amazing. Breathtaking. And even with all the pain i'd definitely do it again. |
| The scenery was so beautiful inside of the park |
Side Notes About Stanley Park:
- They have several restaurants scattered throughout the park
- There are also quite a few concession stands which sell drinks, ice cream and other fast foods.
- You can purchase guided tour. Options include A horse drawn carriage, trolley or tour bus. We typically prefer to explore on our own.
- There are 3 beach areas including, A kids Waterpark and a Heated Beach pool
- The Vancouver Aquarium is located inside of the park
But not before one last bite to eat. Mr.C loves authentic Ramen noodles and Vancouver happens to have a Ramen restaurant with their only other locations being in Asia. So he was pretty excited to try Yah Yah Ya Ramen. I'm not a Ramen fan but I took the "L" for him, because he always does for me. I'm sad to say he was unimpressed, The soup base didn't have enough flavor for him. 
On our way back to the car we stopped at a small eatery that had a ice cream hot dog. It looked interesting so I had to try it. Basically it was a fried bun dipped in Sugar and Cinnamon; reminiscent of a Churro. Inside of the bun sat a scoop of vanilla ice cream.And that's how we ended our 24 hours in Vancouver.
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