Vancouver Canada

Well, I was born and raised in Vancouver and did my first degree in Victoria. Both are worth a trip.

In Vancouver, I recommend:
for shopping at independent shops, Main Street beteen 12th and 28th
Bang On, a great T shirt shop
Deluxe Junk
Mountain Equipment Co-Op and Taiga for cheap Gortex gear
On Fourth Avenue Betwen Burrard and at least the 2500 Block, there's loads of shops, from surfing shops, kitchenwares, organic food and everything  

Food:
Solly's
The Naam
Vij's
Banana Leaf

Great link:
http://www.vanmag.com/restaurants/restaurantawards07.shtml

To find out what's going on:
http://www.vanmag.com/outabout/index.shtml or pick up the Georgia Straight, a free paper that comes out every week

To Do:
Lighthouse Park
Grouse Grind
Van Dusen Gardens
Chinatown
Dr Sun Yat Sen Gardens
Deep Cove
Buntzen Lake pedalos
Stanley Park Seawall
Kits Beach, or Wreck Beach if you are adventurous!
Vancouver Art Gallery
Granville Island

If you stay within the City of Vancouver, public transport is fine.

In Victoria, I recommend:

To Eat:
Pagliacci's
The Blue Fox Cafe
Re-Bar

To do:
tour the Parliament Buildings
Butchart Gardens
Fan Tan Alley
Craigdarroch Castle  
Emily Carr House, if you want to learn about Canadian Art  

Hmmm, I'll try and think of more later.

I thought if anything this would be a good flashback to the past for you. 

Let me think about that

I so wish I remember the places we went to eat.  When not feeling awful, the food was so good!

A lot of TV shows & movies are filmed in Vancouver - if you're a SciFi fan that's where show's like the Stargate franchise & Eureka are filmed (not that I'm a SciFi geek or anything).  

A friend of mine is there right now for a three month work thing and Men In Trees was filming right outside her window. (So she said!)  Cool!

A friend of mine is there right now for a three month work thing and Men In Trees was filming right outside her window. (So she said!)  Cool!

Mmmmm... James Tupper right outside my window ... now that would be nice! 

Back to the main topic - it's been far too long since I've been to BC, and I'd love to go back! If only I could get the bf away from the office. 

Vancouver is just a nice place.  I'd live there in a heartbeat. 

Olive, how long are you planning to visit?  The weather in December can be a bit depressing... take a warm sweater and a waterproof coat!  

Hotel:  I highly recommend the Sylvia, but ask for the old wing.
http://www.sylviahotel.com/
Close to Stanley Park and shopping and good restaurants!  After living in London, Robson St seems reasonably priced... If you want tips on which shops, just tell us what you're looking for.  For me, it's always footwear.  And this place is heaven!
http://www.vancouverplus.ca/portal/profile.do?categoryID=8&contentType=0&profileID=1054526
Dang, their website is down.  Gorgeous stuff, though, and not available here.  Their shoes/boots fit narrow feet.

Sightseeing:  Chinatown and Gastown are musts, just be prepared for the junkie scene.  It's pretty shocking..  I also recommend Commercial Drive, loads of good restaurants and funky shops. Granville Island is a fun place, but watch out for the cement trucks.  Especially after a few of the local micro-brews.

If the weather forecast is set to 'miserable', West Jet has very good prices on flights to Kelowna.  Winters are usually sunny in the Interior!  

I was last in Vancouver in july 99...

Fantastic place ! I was there for around 9 days and split it between some family and some friends and I remember thinking this place is really awesome!

I'll always remember being in the warm july sunshine and looking all around the city and seeign snow capped mountains as a backdrop, then a nice little drive to white rock (I think thats the name of the place?) and seeing even more of the area with that backdrop.

I had a good afternoon at that Capilano suspension bridge place and another afternoon wandering around the stanley park area and english bay (I think thats the name?)  a nice day trip to that Granville island place as well. Rest of my time was spent between family stuff and going out with my friends and hangin out, going clubbing, getting a bit langered and getting stopped by coppers for 'draaavin a lil fuuunny'

I want to go back soon too!

DtM! West London & Slough UK!

I love Vancouver too.  I have close friends who live there and I really wish I visited them more often.  A crowd of us went over 2 years ago for their wedding.  We rented a house on Vancouver Island (Sooke) for a few days...Victoria was one of the loveliest places i've ever been to...then we stayed in the Hyatt in Vancouver for a couple of days either side of the wedding...then onto a houseboat on Lake Okanagon.  It was my best holiday ever.

Granville Island, Stanley Park, Victoria were particular favourites.

Oh, yes, Commercial Drive: how could I forget? La Casa Gelato on Venables near the Drive is the best place for ice cream! Cafe Deux Soleils, Cafe du Soleil, Sweet Cherubim, Calabria are all decent places for eats or coffee, in the case of Calabria.  

I have heard mixed reviews about the Sylvia, but the ivy the exterior is beautiful.

Death by Chocolate on Denman is a must for a pie / cake and coffee for an afters, post seawall walk!  

Hon's in Chinatown or the new on on Robson Street a great cheap eat place, suitable for all dietary needs.

Reviews of the Sylvia

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-reviews-372893-prod-hotel-action-read-ratings_and_reviews-i;_ylt=AvkbH5d_514gkXPfye_EwV7iphQB

Seems like you either love it or hate it... I don't like new hotels, and I love places that accept pets and are near the beach.  So.  It also depends on the room you choose.  I didn't like the single I used last time, nor the room in the new wing we had a few years ago... but the suites are great!  The kitchens are pretty large, and so are the living rooms.  Of course, I need entertaining space when I'm in town, and I like to cook. I'd love to pop into the Granville Market now...

I'm not a Hon's fan, but I don't think I've ever known the name of my favorite restaurant in Chinatown.  It's a few doors down from Hon's (going West). 

Thanks for all of your ideas!! I wrote them down in my notebook and look forward to exploring.

Any transport tips or suggestions from getting to/from seattle? I checked out the Amtrak site and got the train/coach times.

Go to Wild Garlic restaurant by Stanley Park. It's like our favorite restaurant in the world!! Excellent value and food.

Taking the train/bus will be fine, and they both end up at the same depot.  I've always flown from Seattle, but the bus/Amtrak depot is downtown.  I imagine the train would be nicer.

So far it looks like I will be doing a lot of shopping and eating in Vancouver.  My favorite activities in a new city.

I would like to take the train but the times aren't ideal. 

If you have time you might look into taking the ferry.  I believe there is one that goes from Seattle to Vancouver.  I don't know the costs or logistics, but that would be an awesome trip!  Puget Sound is so beautiful.  You could probably google "Seattle Vancouver Ferry" and come up with some hard info.

There's no ferry service between Seattle and Vancouver.  You can go to Victoria, though!