Words cannot express my love for weekends away. Mini-vacations are all I can really afford to do with work and life in general these days (woe is me, to be a mid-twenty-something and not get a college spring/christmas/summer break)…I certainly didn’t waste my college years, studying abroad twice and visiting countless exotic locations…all unforgettable experiences that I am extremely thankful to have had. But I am getting too off topic here, my past travels are most definitely stories for another time…
So anyways, Canada….
Vancouver, BC to be specific.
Just a hop, skip, and a jump over the border from Seattle. Roughly a 3 hour drive directly North when you factor in border wait times, and the high likelihood you will get lost as shit reading the stupid Canadian road signs…WTF Canada, your signs are in English, I thought I would be able to figure this out?!? No exit numbers…wait, why did the freeway logo thingy just disappear off of EVERY road sign and now I’m not even sure if I’m on the right highway…? Ugh. That was the most frustrating part of our trip – and I even google mapped everything before leaving! Guess who’s highly considering the purchase of a GPS now?
We finally arrived at our hotel – The Met Vancouver, and I couldn’t help but feel a interesting vibe the whole time. Maybe it was me coming off an I’m-lost-in-Canada-and-need-a-freakin-drink rage, maybe it was the sketch parking garage under our hotel, maybe it was the interesting “retro” feel of the place…but it was a Living Social Deal, and things were actually pretty great. Next time, I would highly recommend the Four Seasons (Seriously, who wouldn’t?) or the Pan Pacific. Our room overlooked the Four Seasons epic indoor/outdoor pool, I was pretttttttttttttty jealous the entire time. The Pan Pacific is a recommend from a friend and right next to the Convention Center on the waterfront.
this was not our hotel...I kind of wish it was though...
Our Living Social deal included a nice “Canadian” Breakfast – hearty and worth it. Fun Fact: did you know “back bacon” is Canadian for Canadian Bacon? Hilarious!!! Imagine how pissed a Canadian would be if they just read that…
Other than our Canadian breakfast and tons of ketchup chips and vodka rockstars (novelties not in the US, and I told you I needed a drink after our horrendous drive) we did one splurge dinner at Coast. Why Coast you ask?
Because it was featured on Top Chef…obviously! Cliche, yes – but I don’t regret a thing. Jordan and I shared a bunch of small plates and we loved every single bite. I would recommend this place to anyone who goes to BC – one of the best reasons is they have lobster poutine. That’s right…
Lobster Poutine - french fries with cheese curds, lobster, and gravy. Canadian Decadence to the max...
Our other amazing dishes included…
fresh oysters on the half shell...
A fish and chips handroll?!? So unique and delish!
Blackened Prawn Wedge Salad...also incredible
There were tons of other tasty things on the menu – I want to go back right now!
Other notable stops along the way – the Vancouver Aquarium. Even though the place was packed, I enjoyed every second of it. I would definitely recommend going right when they open to avoid crowds and lines though. Here are some of the highlights…
Belugas are my new favorite animal.
I also really love starfish…but not so much the guy below…I don’t know what he was, but he was humongous and scary.
On our way out, we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge that was only about a 15 minute drive outside of downtown. We AMAZINGLY did not get lost going here – everything is pretty clearly marked for all of the people that visit the bridge.
Longest Suspension Bridge in North America!
Even though it was a bit of a steep admission price at $30C, I don’t regret going. The park has a lot more going on than just the bridge, you can easily spend a few hours exploring everything.
In addition to the bridge, there are a lot of other fun spots where you are suspended very high above ground...
You can also explore high up in the trees...
That pretty much sums up our weekend in BC. Super fun to get away, and definitely went by too fast.
Vancouver, BC.
Sites
Vancouver Aquarium
845 Avison Way (In Stanley Park)
Vancouver, BC
V6G 3E2
Capilano Suspension Bridge
3735 Capilano Road
North Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada, V7R 4J1
Dinner
Coast
1054 Alberni Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 1A3
Baked Northwest 