As somebody who grew up within the Vancouver suburbs and now lives simply outdoors downtown, I’ve all the time loved exploring town.
Listed here are seven of my greatest suggestions to expertise Vancouver like a neighborhood, from having fun with nature and catching a present to eating at a few of the greatest eating places.
Granville Island is a must-visit hub for arts and tradition.
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Granville Island is not truly an island (it is a peninsula). However it’s a vibrant arts and tradition hub within the metropolis, residence to quite a lot of artwork galleries, stay theatre, a comedy membership, a bustling meals market, and avenue performers.
I like to recommend spending a day within the neighborhood, wandering via the market earlier than grabbing dinner at both Alimentaria Mexicana or Granville Island Brewing, after which heading to The Improv Centre for amusing.
Get outdoors year-round to hike, bike, ski, or snowshoe.
Alyssa Wiens
Vancouver is among the few cities the place you possibly can hike a mountain within the morning and hit the seashore within the afternoon.
So, do because the locals do and get outdoors — whatever the season.
In the summertime, cease by Spanish Banks Seashore, or go biking, rollerblading, or strolling across the seawall at Stanley Park. Then, within the winter, escape to the mountains for snowshoeing and snowboarding.
Town’s delicate climate additionally means many low-elevation mountaineering trails are open year-round. One among my favorites is the Canine Mountain path at Mount Seymour Provincial Park — it has epic views.
The college campuses are value a go to — even if you happen to’re not a pupil.
Alyssa Wiens
Town’s two main universities — the College of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser College (SFU) — each have fascinating campuses value visiting.
My alma mater is SFU, and the principle campus sits atop Burnaby Mountain, with mountaineering trails, stunning views of Larger Vancouver, and attention-grabbing modernist structure.
In the meantime, UBC is bigger and has attractive campus grounds full with trails, seashores, rose gardens, and even the Museum of Anthropology.
For the proper rainy-day exercise, head to the Vancouver Artwork Gallery.
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The Vancouver Artwork Gallery is almost 100 years outdated and has rotating displays year-round.
That includes over 13,000 artistic endeavors, the gallery showcases items from Indigenous artists, in addition to these from British Columbia, Asia, and past.
It is a good rainy-day exercise within the metropolis — spend a while wandering after which seize a chunk to eat on the on-site bistro or one of many many close by cafés and eating places.
Do not miss out on town’s seasonal festivals.
Alyssa Wiens
Irrespective of whenever you go to Vancouver, there’s seemingly a pageant or seasonal occasion taking place.
Yearly, I cease by Dine Out Vancouver, the place eating places throughout town curate fixed-price menus. I’ve additionally been taking part within the metropolis’s Polar Bear Swim for the previous couple of years, ringing within the new 12 months with a dip within the ocean.
Different enjoyable festivals I’ve loved are the PNE Honest, the Sizzling Chocolate Pageant, Bard on the Seashore, and the Richmond Evening Market.
Vancouver’s meals scene is extremely various.
Alyssa Wiens
As a port metropolis, Vancouver is a global hub that provides a various vary of worldwide cuisines — from basic Italian to Mexican avenue meals.
Just a few of my favourite eating places embrace Anh and Chi (Vietnamese), Zarak (Afghan), Nuba (Lebanese), or ChongQing (Chinese language).
When you’re up for leaving Vancouver correct, the encompassing suburbs are hubs of worldwide flavors in their very own proper.
I’ve discovered that Richmond has the most effective Chinese language meals, Surrey has the most effective Indian eating places, and Coquitlam is filled with wonderful Korean spots.
Catch a live performance at a neighborhood venue.
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Each time doable, I feel it is an incredible concept to make reminiscences in Vancouver by attending a stay occasion.
Stadium excursions are held at BC Place (the place Taylor Swift completed her Eras Tour) and Rogers Area. These venues additionally host skilled hockey, soccer, and soccer video games.
For smaller venues, the Commodore Ballroom and Vogue Theatre are my favorites, as they host wonderful artists in a comfy, intimate setting.
