Conquering Canada: Vancouver for the Weekend
I skedaddled from work just before noon on Friday with my eye on the cooler weather in Seattle and Vancouver. With temperatures already in the triple digits in Phoenix, you couldn’t get me out of the desert faster.
After an uneventful flight to Seattle, the vacation out of the heat had officially begun. I quickly dropped my bags at a friend’s house and joined Cody, Cody’s Uncle Ron, and Chris at Safeco Field for the Mariners vs Royals game.
Two-and-a-half hours later, the game was over (yes, it was that fast) and we were on our way towards the various Seattle bars in Capitol Hill.
We first decided to UBER until they couldn’t find us so we picked up bikes. No one told me that we’d be going up some major hills and I had been drinking since the plane ride. (Side note: I got two free drinks on the flight. Shout out to American!)
Anyways, we had fun that night doing various shenanigans and ended up meeting up with some of Cody and Chris’ friends from ASU who live in Seattle.
Onwards To Vancouver
Fast forward to the AM where I picked up the rental car, got Cody and Chris from their place, stopped by REI to get some last-minute supplies for the backcountry, and then we were finally on our way to Vancouver.
Three-and-a half hours later, we were checking into our Airbnb “yacht.” It’s in quotes because we’re not sure it’s a yacht but it’s not just a boat either so it’s someplace in the middle. Either way, we were all stoked to be spending the weekend on the water.
Chris also decided to read to the bear while we got ready.
With bags dropped off, we sped off to the heart of Vancouver with sushi on our mind. We were a tad early, so we made a pit-stop at a bar for a beer (it’ll become a theme of this vacation).
So, the thing with sushi… I’d never had it before. This was 100% an experience to say the least. I liked it all and it tasted good, but for the price, I don’t think it was worth it after getting a peek at the bill.
I’m a pretty humble guy when it comes to food. If it fills me up, you won’t hear a peep from me. But in this case, I looked at it as paying for an experience – not for food – so it worked out.
After that we headed out on the town and bar hopped for a while before settling in on this one bar (that I have no idea what the name is). They played great music, we shot the shit and had an exciting time. Plus, we got pizza afterward.
It’s never a bad night when pizza is involved.
Back on our floating house, we chilled on the deck for a little while before retiring to our respective beds and getting a much-needed night sleep.
Day 2: Canada Day
The next morning (Sunday and Canada Day for those trying to keep track) we woke up, took in the sun and blue skies Vancouver was offering, and then headed into the city once more.
We started out at an Oyster bar Cody recommended. After eating loads of seafood, we walked into a jazz festival near the harbor.
Then, after attempting to walk onto Granville Island, we realized the walk would be obscenely long and we opted for a boat. Once over there, we checked out the various shops, grabbed ice cream, and then landed in a bar.
Shocker, right!?
The bar was a cool spot where we ended up playing games for nearly two hours before hopping on bikes and making our way towards Stanley Park.
Over in Stanley Park, we checked out the Totem Poles which are of significance to the Native Peoples and their history. We weren’t there more than 10 minutes before we returned to our bikes…. and found them gone! So, this isn’t theft. We were on a hop on hop off bike system but we definitely should have figured out how to hide? protect? our bikes better. Uggh.
We waited a little bit before heading back to the car on foot as we needed to stop for food before heading out onto our Airbnb hosts’ yacht to watch Canada Day fireworks on the water.
On the way back, the three of us stopped by a small Asian restaurant called Lion Hot Pot. Let me get this out-of-the-way. It was amazing. The vast quantity of food made my heart skip a beat and it was delicious. Definitely the best meal on the entire trip in my opinion considering it came out to be less than $30 USD.
After filling up with seafood, chicken, veggies and whatever else was included in this meal (it was so much I’ve lost track), we waddled back to the yacht to catch some fireworks.
I’d never been on a real yacht before, making this an amazing experience. The fireworks were pretty good (and a nice fill in considering we weren’t going to get any on July 4 in Whistler).
After spending a couple of hours on the bay, we made it back to our “small” boat and began packing up, as we had an early morning ahead of us.
I think I can speak for the entire group to say that we absolutely loved Vancouver. The people were nice and friendly. The weather was to die for. The food was scrumptious. And we ran into zero complications.
I know not every trip can begin like this one did but we were fortunate to have a helluva start to an amazing vacation.
Next up, the trio takes on some whitewater rapids in Squamish and loads up on Tim Hortons.
Until next time adventurers, take care and be safe.
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