[Traveling] Vancouver!

Victoria is a must see.

If you have time during the day, there's this science museum that anyone would enjoy.

There's a lot to do, especially in the downtown area.

ENJOY!

 

It's about a 2 hour drive from Vancouver to Whistler if traffic isn't bad.

There's a bbq restaurant at the Base of the Whister Creekside called Dusty's. It's really good. I know it sounds weird that I'd be talking up a bbq restaurant in Canada, but it was really good. I was there in a group of 8 Texans and everyone agreed that it was great. Whistler Blackcomb is an amazing mountain. I'd recommend spending every second you can snowboarding.

 

I'm so jealous. I've wanted to go to Vancouver ever since they showed the skyline during a Rockets-Grizzlies game back in the day. I've researched the place and seen so many pictures since then, and it just intensifies the urge. For some reason my family is addicted to Banff though, so whenever we go to Canada, we always seem to go there.

 

Victoria is a definite must see. The homes scattered on the outlying islands that you'll see on the ferry ride over are absolutely incredible! My wife and I always talk about going back to Vancouver Island and touring all over the island itself. Personally, I'd skip the city and hang on the island.

 

Banff is very pretty and a great place to visit. Vancouver/Whistler/Victoria is just freaking awesome though.

I've been quite a few times, and for some reason, I miss this particular place a LOT. There are two ferries that take you over to Vancouver island from Vancouver......the north route and south route. The north route takes you to Nanaimo, and this resort/spa is about an hour north of the Nanaimo ferry landing (on Vancouver island). The have this thing called the Pacific Mist Hydropath, and it could make a spa lover out of any guy. Coolest thing ever.

http://www.kingfisherspa.com/

They also have REALLY high tides there (like 19 feet the couple of times we went), and you can literally sit out on your balcony and watch the tide go in and out. One minute you'll see a boulder on the beach, and 20 minutes later, it will be under water. When the tide is out, you can go out into the rocks and see all of the vibrant purple or orange star fishing hiding from the sun until the tide comes back. Hundreds and hundreds of them. There are also some nice towns along this stretch of coast and some good restaurants. Man I miss it.............Vancouver and Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands is like my favorite destination.

 

Love Vancouver!

Robson district is pretty awesome. Just walk around and plenty of places to eat and party.

Victoria is amazing.

Pikes Place in Seattle is pretty fun in the evenings.

 

Green w/ Envy.

 

Van local here....Hmmmm, I will start off by saying that you might be disappointed when I say that Tim Horton's draws the lineups for lunch. Food is not to be compared to Texas - especially portion size, the people up here just don't seem big on big, heavy meals. As far as hole-in-the-wall - nothing really - you're going to have a spend a little to get decent food. Yaletown has all the super yuppie restaurants - just pick and choose at random, theyre all kind of the same. I would suggest a somewhat pricey Chinese place downtown called Shanghai bistro on Alberni. Also, in the Main/Broadway area, there's a place called the Reef, which is excellent Jamaican food. Oh, and in N. Van - You MUST try the doughnuts at a place called Honey donut in Deep Cove - best doughnuts on earth. And yes, I've lived in Texas so I do know what good food is! I will say that Chinese cuisine here is the best I've ever had (no surprise).

Van Island - They call it a place for the newly wed and nearly dead, heheh. It's a beautiful place though, but if you're looking for nightlife, I would steer clear.

People LOVE to walk in this city, they walk everywhere - I would suggest strolling down to Granville Island market - such a cool place, and makes for a good little outing. Other than that - this city is all about the outdoors - snowshoeing to skiing, give one of the local hills a try if you don't want to brave the scene at Whistler.

 

just came back from whistler 2 weeks ago. if you fly continental, u land in vancouver at midnight. get to whistler by 2. really no construction at night, just really hard to drive. i have skied all across the us, and have got to say- whistler is the best skiing resort i have ever been to. every aspect sets it apart from resorts such as key stone, steamboat, snowmass, etc.

vancouver, itself, is also beautiful. canadians are so nice. lost in dtown vancouver, stop by a hotel and the concierge is more than happy to assist, regardless of where you are truly staying. enjoy it!

 

i want to retire in vancouver =)

i used to go to whistler/blackcomb every year in undergrad...never gets old.

 

I agree with everyone else that you must go to Victoria as well. The ferry ride to Victoria is a fun experience.

 

We did it once, and we enjoyed it. Took us about four trips before we finally got around to doing it though. Seeing it once is probably enough, but the treetops thing was fairly cool, and you'll get a pleasant walk in.

 

eat here in Richmond or Vancouver. Every time I go to visit my grandma in Vancouver we go there and it's packed, but worth it (especially because they know my grandma and we just walk past everyone to a table).

 

We did dim sum there at the one in Richmond one day. Never been to China, but I have to assume that it was pretty much the real deal. Really enjoyed it.

 

yes its still in ski season! I used to go during my spring break/xmas vacation during undergrad! I dont remember the rooms being too terrible in price. We had a group of 6 or so in a big condo and it was maybe 50/person/night...

whistler is a must see if youve never been

 

Skiing in Whistler is amazing just now. I went last week.

A hotel will start at $150-$175 mid week. A condo will be about the same for a studio to several hundred for a big place. If you stay 'in the village' there really aren't any 'bad' hotels. Two good sites to book are:

www.alluradirect.com for condos. Prices are decent, but most have minimum night stays. If you're last minute you can always email and make an offer. Weekdays are always cheaper then weekends.

www.whistlerblackcomb.com Check the accomodations link.

You can stay creekside or village. Choose village. Much more to do. Buy your lift tix at the 7-11 on the way up and you'll save about $15/tick.

I've never done the ziptrek -- but I hear it's great.

The road to Whistler's not a big deal. Its about 75 mi from Vancouver, takes about 1.5 hours. Stop at Britania Falls on your way up, and hike up to the waterfall -- takes about 10 min. You could check for construction closures ahead of time -- I never do...and I've rarely been caught for more then a 15 min delay. I travel the road a lot.

Cap Suspension Bridge is a bit of a tourist trap -- but really well done. I'd say it's worth it for a visit.

There are three ways to get to the island from Vancouver. By bus tour, by plane/helicopter, or by ferry.

The link to the ferries is..www.bcferries.com. You should take your car. Unless you're going weekends you shouldn't need to buy ahead of time. You can do so if you want for a slight additional fee. It's very much low season in Victoria so you should be able to get a good deal at a hotel.

Good luck.