Been There Done Nat

I love living in the pacific northwest. While most people get tired of the cloudy, rainy weather I thrive on it. Which is probably why I’m one of the few people who thought vacationing to Vancouver in January was a great idea.

(And honestly I was pretty excited to not be in America on January 20th.)

First stop: the Vancouver Aquarium. It’s not a cheap visit, but this place is well stationed and features many aquatic animals that may not be familiar to folks unfamiliar with the sea life on the northwest ocean coast. And if you happen to have a student ID, you can get a discount on your tickets. They do check when you enter, though, so make sure you have it on you.

Inside the aquarium, areas are sectioned off by type and location. You can explore the B.C. wild coast, then walk through the doors to a tropical exhibit with birds and goeldi’s monkeys. My two favorite areas were exploration gallery full of jellyfish and the outdoor rehabilitation center. Hundreds of jellyfish of all types float serenely around their large ocean enclosures in the dimly lit exploration gallery, and as someone who’s only seen jellyfish on the shores of Galveston Beach (not their most flattering) it was breathtaking. The outdoor rehab centered featured seals, sea lions and sea otters that can’t be released back into the wild. One bay was full of blind sea lions including an impressive chonky boy named Señor Cinco who was sent to live at the aquarium after a gunshot wound made him blind.

There’s also an entire frog exhibit, axolotls, sloths and even a Giant Pacific Octopus if you’re lucky enough to spot him outside his favorite hiding cave (we caught a glimpse of a tentacle).

One of the main selling points for visiting Vancouver is all the outdoors activities – hiking, sightseeing, nature walks — they’re everywhere. So Stanley Park was a must-visit for us, especially since we were already in the area exploring the aquarium. It’s nearly a thousand acres of nature preserve with a road that wraps around the coast. There’s a pier, several forested trails you can hike and bike your way through, a seawall ledge where you can watch the ships come in and out of the bay, and a gigantic hollow tree with its own preservation society that’s been in the area for around 3,000 years.

It’s also a short bridge away from downtown Vancouver, where you can rent a bike and make your way over without needing a car. There are also plenty of restaurants on the island (the Teahouse is popular), as well as picnic spots and places for kayaking, boating and even a yacht club. In a city where everything feels expensive, it’s a good low-cost family friendly outing with plenty to see from season to season.

Vancouver has a reputation as a foodie town and boy howdy did it not disappoint. We aren’t fancy and aren’t big drinkers, so we were really looking for iconic spots. Diners that had been there forever, places that defined Vancouver food beyond the maple syrup Canada is famous for instead of how many Michelin stars they have or which celebrity chef cooks there.

The first name that came up was Tomahawk Restaurant, which boasts itself as the oldest family style restaurant in town. The kitschy themed merchandise as you enter is exactly my vibe, but if it isn’t yours don’t let it fool you. The food here is solid, from salads to burgers to pies. It describes itself as Canadian comfort food, and it definitely has that vibe. It’s decently priced too, with my dinner coming out to around $20CAD, around $14USD.

You can’t talk about Vancouver food and not mention Granville Island. Even in the off season its bustling, and if you’re okay with crowds it’s a fun place to explore. I personally did a little research ahead of time and planned out definitive spots to purchase treats, but I did also wander the whole place. My two favorites were A La Mode Pie and Bon Macaron.

A La Mode is infamous for good reason. The pies are phenomenal. You also have the option to order some in advance, frozen and not yet cooked, so you can take them home and continue to enjoy them at home. I personally ordered the sugar free strawberry and rhubarb, the Tourtiere pie and their crab pie. I regretted zero of these purchases. If they shipped pies I would be on their website shipping pies instead of writing this.

There are several macaron places in Granville, but what stopped me was Bon Macaron’s savory options. I’d never even heard of savory macarons. Bacon? Blue cheese and pear? Goat cheese and fig? They even had some sweet flavors I’d never seen, like lychee and apricot cardamom. They’re as delicious as they are confusing. The bacon macaron somehow tastes like a well-made, sweet macaron and bacon at the same time. Not just a smokey flavor, but actual bacon.

Another place that kept popping up on our “must eat” lists was Jam Cafe. This is apparently THE brunch spot, and I love me a good brunch. I read horror stories about waiting for hours outside in the cold (it’s Canada! In January!) just to get a table, but it has a couple spots and I’m never excited about having to park in downtown Vancouver anyway. The North Vancouver location had a parking lot right next to it, and the wait was short. we made it from the line to our table in about 10 minutes. Score!

Here’s where I admit my hubris. I’m a sucker for chicken and waffles, and theirs came highly recommended. As a southerner I’m pretty judgmental when I see southern dishes where they shouldn’t be (like the Tex Mex restaurant I spotted in Edinburgh, Scotland) and y’all, my stomach is growling as I write this remembering my plate. It was huge — I could only finish half of it. The pork sausage gravy was brilliant, the coffee was fresh and well brewed and the service was impeccable. I’m not one to repeat restaurant visits when I’m traveling, but I’d come back here.

One of the reasons I love to travel is I learn something about myself wherever I go. That it’s not scary to go somewhere with a language or culture you aren’t familiar with, that at the end of the day we’re all just people. That doing my laundry in a bathroom sink is possible but not preferred. And on this trip, that wow I really hate suspension bridges.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is gorgeous. We got there almost exactly as it opened, and with the chilly weather (there was ice on the deck) it wasn’t packed at all. Gorgeous trees, little exhibits along the route explaining the history of the area and the bridge itself. It was icy out, so they had a mat down across it to keep you from slipping.

This did not reassure me.

Did you know that suspension bridges sway back and forth? I feel like action movies semi prepared me for this, but not enough. It must have been about thirty seconds after stepping on the bridge that I said “Nope, absolutely not.” I had my buddy take a photo of me on the bridge to prove I’d stepped down onto it, not for a moment releasing the death grip I had on the frozen metal railing, before ambling back up to look at the pretty trees. On flat land. That did not require I cross a bridge to see them.

My friends went on to explore the remainder of the park, and if you aren’t a coward like I am it’s absolutely worth the trip over. You can climb around in the trees via raised walkways, check out even more exhibits and learn the history of the region. The bridge crosses the aptly named Capilano River, and leaning over to watch it with the crisp smell of trees and the natural flow of the river as your soundtrack is relaxing enough to forget the death bridge you just survived (stepped on for 1 minute).

I adored Vancouver. It’s not the largest city, but the seasonal activities and foodie buzz make it well worth multiple trips. I’d love to explore more of North Vancouver, take a sky gondola tour of Whistler, go whale watching or check out the anthropology museum. Stay tuned for future visit updates!