My Canadian friends!!

Post by **mr tibbs** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:21 pm

I need some help! The wife and I are planning a trip to Vancouver from June 10th to June 16th this year. We just started and I thought some of you may have some recommendations for a place to stay and some things to do. So far we are looking at staying at the St. Regis, but I wonder if it is overkill. Any thoughts or suggestions would be great!

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 6:00 pm

mr tibbs wrote:I need some help! The wife and I are planning a trip to Vancouver from June 10th to June 16th this year. We just started and I thought some of you may have some recommendations for a place to stay and some things to do. So far we are looking at staying at the St. Regis, but I wonder if it is overkill. Any thoughts or suggestions would be great!

Sweeeet! You'll be in Vancouver for my birthday! Ha!

If that is the place I think it is, it is *really* nice but also tends to be that 45 year old well-off couple and business man kind of hotel. I believe I drank very expensive wine there with some ex-relatives who were staying there.

What kind if accommodations are you looking for? Fancy as shit? Plan on using facilities or being out and about all the time?

The Silvia Hotel is old and has a great location if you want to be near the ocean and Stanley park. If you want to be more central downtown, the Regis or Hotel Vancouver or the Hyatt are better. That is speaking to location only.

If you like outdoor stuff, definitely go for hike on the north shore. Amazing views from up there, a photographers heaven!

If you have things you like doing, mention it and I'll see if I can recommend some places to fit the bill.

Post by **mr tibbs** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 6:38 pm

Fuzzy!! I would love to buy you a drink for your B-day while we are there! It would be a blast to get together for drinks one nigh!

As far as the hotel search, I could care less about the fancy crap. We will most likely be out and about most of the time. We do want somewhere nice, but without the frills. I guess clean and comfy are our main priority. After looking at the Sylvia that place looks almost perfect! I wonder if I can call up and haggle a good price for a water front view!

Post by **stipud** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:23 pm

There are a lot of nice B&B's in Van as well. That's usually the best bang for your buck. Do you plan on renting a car or taking transit?

I also agree that the best thing to do in Van is go to the mountains. Stanley Park is nice, but it barely scratches the surface. I guarantee you've never seen anything like our coastal rainforests! Bring a macro lense and a wide angle

The drive up to Whistler is amazing on a clear day too. You can also take the train up, though I think the employees are currently on strike, so I don't know how good the service would be.

Post by **mr tibbs** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:43 am

I don't think a B&B is our cup of tea. We tried it in Boston and it really wasn't our thing.

We did however reserve our Hotel today! We are staying at The Sylvia from June 10th to June 16th! Thanks for the great suggestion Fuzzy!

Now we just need sit down and actually decide what we want to do while we are there. Any nice restaurant suggestions? We will probably eat out a few nights at some fancy restaurants, and the rest of the time we will be looking for just good food.

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 10:40 am

mr tibbs wrote:I don't think a B&B is our cup of tea. We tried it in Boston and it really wasn't our thing.

We did however reserve our Hotel today! We are staying at The Sylvia from June 10th to June 16th! Thanks for the great suggestion Fuzzy!

Now we just need sit down and actually decide what we want to do while we are there. Any nice restaurant suggestions? We will probably eat out a few nights at some fancy restaurants, and the rest of the time we will be looking for just good food.

Nice! I live about 15 min walk from the Sylvia.

Almost right beside the Sylvia is Rain City Grill, which is awesome. Besides their really nice sit down menu, they have a halibut and chips takeout window at lunch time as well! If you like oysters, check out the pricey and nice Joe Fortes on Thurlow at Robson. Heck, check them out even if you don't like oysters.

If you like Sushi, I recommend Kadoya for a normally priced meal right near the Sylvia.

Denman has a lot of breakfast joints. Joes Grill is really middle of the road. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive, not boring but not super creative. Just breakfast.

While there is a ton of stuff in the WestEnd, you should also consider checking out other parts of Vancouver for eating and so forth. Commercial drive in east van is pretty awesome. Different crowd and vibe you may or may not dig it.

Ask away if you have any questions between now and when you arrive!

Post by **Francious70** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:08 am

I suggest meeting Tom and Ryan and their respective wives while you're there.

Pics plz.

Post by **mr tibbs** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:00 am

I would love to sit down with the boys and their wives, if they dare! Lol

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:34 pm

mr tibbs wrote:I would love to sit down with the boys and their wives, if they dare! Lol

I can't speak for Tom or Wendy but I dare. My wife left me so chances are you won't be seeing her.

Post by **stipud** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 6:26 pm

Lotta good food in Vancouver... it's really a foodie city! I'd say check out Nook on Robson and Denman. Always a lineup, so go at 5 to beat the crowds. Best goddamn pizza/appies ever!

And I'd be glad to show you what real beer tastes like. PNW microbrews are the shit!!!

Post by **mr tibbs** » Fri May 18, 2012 7:12 pm

Well boys, the time is getting close! The hotel and plane tickets have been purchased. Now the waiting begins!

So far on the list of things to do is:
The Vancouver Aquarium
The classical Chinese garden (Dr. Sun Yat-sen)
Capilano suspension bridge
Lynn canyon suspension bridge
Grouse Mt. skyride
Possibly a full day in Stanley Park

After that I am open to suggestions! We haven't even started looking at places to eat yet. And for the record, we are planning in using the public transportation for most of the trip. Do you guys see any issues with that?

BTW, I need to get your guys' contact info. I would love to get together for dinner and drinks one night! (my treat of course!)

Post by **stipud** » Mon May 21, 2012 9:33 pm

That sounds like a textbook stop in Vancouver. Have you considered going to Whistler? How do you guys like hiking?

Public transit is pretty great in Van, though it may take awhile to get to some of your spots in North Van. You'd most likely want to take the sea bus to Lonsdale, and then catch a bus from there, but the sea bus terminal is on the north east end of downtown. Just use Google Maps, and it should be easy peasy!

Post by **ttocs** » Tue May 22, 2012 2:16 am

been dying to make it to whister for a summer mountain bike trip for ever now.

Post by **mr tibbs** » Tue May 22, 2012 8:04 pm

stipud wrote:That sounds like a textbook stop in Vancouver. Have you considered going to Whistler? How do you guys like hiking?

Public transit is pretty great in Van, though it may take awhile to get to some of your spots in North Van. You'd most likely want to take the sea bus to Lonsdale, and then catch a bus from there, but the sea bus terminal is on the north east end of downtown. Just use Google Maps, and it should be easy peasy!

Is textbook good? Or, are there things on the list that are worth skipping? Any other suggestions besides Whistler? I will have the wife do some more research on Whistler. Hiking might be on the list, if it's an easy hike!

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Wed May 23, 2012 6:51 am

I would recommend finding a way to get on a chartered/private/small boat (preferably a sailboat) and cruising the waters around Vancouver for a day or half day. Only problem with that is boat charters are expensive and the more affordable large boat harbour cruises aren't nearly private or awesome.

finbar · Post by **finbar** » Wed May 23, 2012 4:59 pm

There are several fishing charters from downtown, king salmon are running.

Post by **stipud** » Fri May 25, 2012 12:26 pm

Wendy's cousin shares a sailboat, so we can get access to one occasionally. It would depend on if one of the other shares will be using it at the time, and obviously the weather.

There are a shitload of hikes, ranging in difficulty and duration. Stanley Park is good for grandmothers and crybaby Americans, while the Grouse Grind is a good hike if you want a heart attack! Most stuff in the city can be done in an afternoon. On the way out to Whistler there are the longer day hikes... if you're into nature at all, these ones are the best. For beginners, i'd recommend Lighthouse park, Capilano Canyon, Lynn Valley/Headwaters, or any of the mountains (seymour, cypress, etc).
Check out: http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/
Biking is also awesome fun in Vancouver. Easily my favorite way to get around. Lots of nice rides and trails here both on and offroad, and some killer downhill mountain biking terrain parks.

As for your list:
The Vancouver Aquarium - awesome. Smoke some BC Bud first

The classical Chinese garden (Dr. Sun Yat-sen) - never been, seems cool. Chinatown is right beside, to the east and north... good place for cheap trinkets and souvenirs. If you walk east on Hastings St. you can see the Vancouver east side, which is one of the poorest areas in Canada. Lots of mental health issues, homeless, drug addiction, etc. But surprisingly most people there are fine to deal with and physical violence is rare. Just don't leave your bike unlocked... Underneath it is a pretty tight knit community with lots of interesting stories. Definitely recommend eating at Save on Meats if you are nearby, esp. if you love meat.
Capilano suspension bridge - overpriced and touristy IMO... I would rather suggest a hike from the cleveland dam down capilano canyon, where you see the same trees and the canyon from the bottom (for free)
Lynn canyon suspension bridge - free bridge, not as wide of a span as Capilano but its extra wiggly and fun, and the canyon is more interesting. Good easy hikes around here, varying in length. Nice short canyon loop to the south (right turn past the bridge)
Grouse Mt. skyride - maaaajor tourist tax on this one. $$$. I'd suggest driving up Cypress or Seymour instead, if you can. Good easy hikes up there too.
Possibly a full day in Stanley Park - i'd suggest checking out the gardens, seawall, and make a brief stop in the forest, but it may be redundant if you do any other mountain walks

Post by **mr tibbs** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:20 pm

We got home late last night from a GREAT trip! We have fallen in love with Vancouver!! At least as a vacation spot, I'm sure the wife would move there without much of a fight though!

We did get to have an evening with Tom and Ryan (and the lady folks). It was a great time and I'm glad to finally meet these guys in face! Some drinks and ery good Indian food were had by all.

Pics of the vacation are soon to come. I had to go to work today (what a rude awakening!), so I am just now downloading them. Hopefully they will do the place justice!

Thanks again guys for the awesome evening and thanks to the City of Vancouver for a great time!!

Post by **stipud** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:00 am

Sorry about the weather. Next time will be better.............. I hope

I really wanted to show you guys the drive up to Whistler and the REAL mountains, and more of East Van. I ended up fixing my car on Friday night, but Wendy needed it all day Saturday.

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:57 pm

I'm glad you and your wife had a good time, Casey!

Thanks again for dinner and such, you are a most generous person.

I realized shortly after we departed ways that we never got a phorum photo of the bunch of us together. Shucks! Maybe next time I am down in Utah... Hehehe.

Post by **mr tibbs** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:15 pm

No problem Ryan! We had a great time, Vancouver is one hell of a nice place. Any time you or Tom want to come to Utah you are more than welcome here! We have a nice spare bedroom and would love to show you guys around!