72 Hours: Vancouver, Canada
/My first international trip of the year! It was just a 2,5 hour drive over the border from Seattle, but it still involved my passport (and a million border patrol questions about why a Texan is driving over the Washington state border) so I’m counting it as an international trip. It was also one of my first weekend trips of the year and I was so excited to squeeze in as much fun and exploration in the 2 days I would be in town. Check out my Vancouver adventures below!
Where I Stayed
I booked a hotel way back on Black Friday when I initially heard I had a Seattle work trip coming up in March so I was able to score a great deal on Hotels.com (highly recommend booking refundable hotels on Black Friday for these insane deals). Because it was my first time in Vancouver I wanted to stay where the action was, which meant downtown Vancouver. The Sandman Hotel in downtown Vancouver was under construction while I was there, but I never heard any noise and business was in full swing- the hotel was packed. The location allowed me to walk all over central Vancouver instead of having to deal with the Vancouver parking situation.
What I Did
YTR Cycle- I love working out on vacation and checking out the different studios that a city offers. Anyone who knows me well knows that spinning is my favorite workout, so when I saw that this studio was offering a Kpop themed class I knew I HAD to attend. I’m obsessed with Kpop music and have always wondered why spin studios didnt hold theme classes for it because the music is just so catchy and fun! The class felt like a Kpop concert honestly and was one of the best workouts I’ve done!
Robson Street- The US dollar is a lot stronger than the Canadian dollar so shopping at all your favorite brands on Robson Street is a must. I bought a ton at the Lululemon store because Lululemon is actually Vancouver based and the prices are extremely competitive. One of my favorite stores, however, was the Indigo bookstore. I love bookstores and loved checking out this Canadian one!
Biking Stanley Park- I debated on skipping this activity because it was slightly too cold for me and I didn’t want to push it after just recovering from a cold, but its such a classic Vancouver thing to do that I decided to just rent the bike and go. And I’m so glad I did! The bike path around the Park is clearly marked and maintained and passes by most of the Park sights (like the Totem poles!) and scenery points. It was a great way to explore the Park without having to walk or drive around. The whole route (which is one way) took about 1.5 hours. I rented my bike from Spokes Bike Rentals for $7 an hour, which wasn’t the cheapest option but was the closest shop to the bike route starting point.
Vancouver Art Gallery- If it wasn’t so rainy and cold the days I was in Vancouver, I most likely wouldn’t have stopped at this Art Gallery because its so small, but I really needed a break from the cold air that day. There were two floors of exhibits that took about an hour to walk through. It wasn’t the most interesting art of the best museum, but it was located in the middle of downtown and a great place to hide from the cold for a bit.
Granville Island- A little island located south of downtown and one of the coolest places in Vancouver! There is limited parking on the island so I would suggest either taking an Uber or parking along the streets outside of the island and walking on the bridge over (its a short walk). There is a bustling market at one end of the island and plenty of artsy shops and boutique stores all over the rest of the island. The Public Market has some of the most popular food- I loved Siegel’s Bagels, Lee’s Donuts, and Bon Macaron. Its also a great place to enjoy the fresh air and the beautiful views of the city!
What I Ate
I never ate so well in my life. The Asian food selection in Vancouver is amazing! I didn’t expect Vancouver to offer so many diverse cuisines and extremely good coffee so it was such a nice surprise. I spent so long each day deciding where I wanted to eat because there were too many great options and I’m already planning my next trip to the city because I didn’t get to eat everything I wanted! Here were some of my favorite spots:
La Foret Cafe- A Korean owned bakery that is in a huge building decorated with plenty of greenery and serves a variety of coffee, pastries, and sandwiches. There were so many options and everything looked so good in the display case that I had the hardest time choosing what I wanted. If you’ve ever been to Korea, you’ll know that Korean cafes place an lot of emphasis on aesthetics (both with food and interiors). La Foret didn’t disappoint on both fronts!
Kouign Cafe- Located in Chinatown, Kougin Cafe, which I discovered on Instagram, serves Asian inspired savory and sweet snacks and specializes in buns.
Noodle Arts- Handmade, knife shaved noodles! That was enough to convince me because chewy knife shaved noodles is seriously lacking in Houston. Noodle Arts serves solid Chinese food and with its location on Robson Street near Stanley Park, its the perfect dinner spot to hit up after shopping or exploring the Park.
Pizza Maru- I was SO tired after a day of exploring and decided to order Pizza Maru’s popular Korean pizza from UberEats. Best Decision Ever. Korean pizzas are another missing food group in Houston and with its unique pizza toppings like potatoes and corn, it was something I couldn’t wait to eat in Vancouver. Delivery ended up being a great idea too because the line for dine in at Pizza Maru is long.
Saku- I love tonkatsu, the deep fried Japanese pork cutlets, and was so excited to try this tonkatsu only restaurant in Vancouver. All they serve is different varieties of tonkatsu, and still I had a hard time deciding what to order. I ended up picking the cheese tonkatsu and spent the next hour in cheesy fried meat heaven. Saku is also located on Robson and has a waitlist at times (that I recommend joining prior to arriving at the restaurant!).
Coffee: There are so many coffee options in Vancouver- evidence that Canadians take their caffeine very seriously. Since I only had 2 short days in the city, I left with a long list of coffee shops I needed to return to Vancouver to try. But there were 3 cafes I managed to squeeze in on this trip! Revolver Coffee, Nemesis Coffee, and Timberline Coffee are all within walking distance of each other in downtown Vancouver and all serve up some strong delicious coffee. I learned that Canadians don’t do cold brew in the winter, but have plenty of iced americanos ready for those like myself who prefer cold coffee anytime of the year. Nemesis Coffee also has a variety of really great food options and pastries that are extremely tempting sitting in their pastry display cases.
Vancouver is consistently rated one of the top ten happiest cities in the world and after visiting its hard to not understand why. The air is so fresh and clean, the people are nice, and the food is amazing. I loved my Vancouver weekend trip and cannot wait to go back in the summer to experience the Richmond Night Market, bike around Stanley Park again, and trek to the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
