Hey guys! Sorry for being MIA last month. One of the reasons I didn’t post much was that I went back to Vancouver! One of my good friends moved out to Vancouver last year. I went in February to visit her and decided to go back in the summer to see her again. If you haven’t, I highly recommend checking out my first Vancouver trip post because there were so many good food places we went to last time! My last post also includes more of the touristy spots whereas this trip was more relaxed. Let’s get into it!
Day One
The first day was my travel day. Like last time, I did a half day of work and flew out in the early evening. I know that things have been hectic at Pearson and Air Canada lately but I didn’t have too many issues. My flight out was delayed an hour but otherwise, I didn’t have any major issues. I didn’t check a bag so I can’t attest to any baggage issues. I will say they were very strict with the number of liquids I could fly with so I did have to throw out a few things.
My first evening was pretty chill. I just caught up with my friends!
Day Two
If you read any travel blog for Vancouver, you’ll see everywhere all the beautiful hikes you can do in Vancouver. But if you know me personally you’ll know I’m not the biggest hiker. I love being in nature but I had a few bad falls while hiking so I tend to stick to easier trails. My friend said I had to do at least one hike so we did Bowen Lookout at Cypress Mountain.
If you’re a hiker novice like me this one wasn’t too bad. Because it’s located at Cypress Mountain, which is a ski hill, you get to drive up a decent amount. The trail is around 4km and took us about an hour and a half. It’s pretty flat for the majority of the hike. To get to the lookout there is a series of steeper switchbacks. The path is gravel, so while the elevation is steeper at least the trail is not bumpy. Normally at the top, there is a breathtaking view. Unfortunately, it was raining the way we went so all we saw were clouds. But the rainy day gave the whole hike a sort of PNW-Twilight vibe to it.
After the hike my friend and I were hungry so we went to ZUBU Ramen. They had a deal going on where you could get a four-course meal for $30! The food was delicious! The last time I went to Vancouver I went to Jinya Ramen Bar. I would say that the Ramen was better at Jinya, but the whole menu is great at ZUBU Ramen. Either way, we enjoyed our meal at ZUBU.
We finished our Saturday night at The Cider House. I’m so sad this place is in Vancouver because I absolutely loved it. As a big cider drinker, I was in heaven. This place combines the vibe and style of a brewery with a bunch of delicious, local ciders. I got a flight and there wasn’t one bad drink. There are also a bunch of other bars nearby, so this place would be a great way to start the night. This place is right at the top of places I recommend going to in Vancouver.
Day Three
After having quite a few ciders the night before, my friend and I decided to take our Sunday a little slower. It was also a cloudy day with a few showers. We decided to walk from her place in Kitsilano to Jericho Beach Park and Spanish Banks Beach. It’s a nice way, where you can go along the shore or walk along the rich houses of Vancouver. Another fun aspect of this walk is that Jericho Beach has a bunny problem, so there are hundreds of wild bunny rabbits in the park. They are very used to people so you can almost walk right up to them and they won’t run away. Just don’t feed or touch the bunnies because they can carry diseases such as Lyme disease. But it was very cute to see.
For dinner, we decided to try out the infamous Tacofino. Having started as a food truck in Tofino, the brand has expanded and now has restaurants across Victoria and Vancouver. I love a good taco so I was excited to try the place out. It’s a fast-casual restaurant so we got the tacos pretty quick. I was a little disappointed, I won’t lie! Having seen the brand be featured on a bunch of cooking shows, I had high expectations. While the tacos were good, they weren’t as out of this world as I had expected. I think if you went to Tofino it would be cool to go to the original food truck, but I would pass on going to any of the Vancouver Tacofino locations.
We finished off the night by seeing The Lumineers! This was actually the whole reason behind my trip. My friend and I had seen them twice before and knew we wanted to see them again. It wouldn’t out better with our schedules to see them in Vancouver than in Toronto. And I have to say this was probably the best concert I’ve seen by them. It makes sense because the band said during their set that Vancouver has a special place in their heart, having been the first city they ever sold out a concert. If you ever have the chance to see The Lumineers I highly recommend it because they are amazing live.
Day Four
While my friend worked during the day, I did a little shopping around Kitsilano. One of my favourite stores is The Nooks. I mentioned the store in my last post because I bought a necklace there. I decided to continue the tradition and purchase another necklace. For my Ontario gals – they have locations here too! I would recommend checking them out. They are a physical storefront for small, local, Canadian brands!
After my friend was done work we decided to have a bit of a bougie night. We started with some happy hour oysters at Chewies. We decided to try all the oysters they had and we both preferred the east coast oysters. 😅 Then we decided to head over to The Keg. I don’t often go to The Keg, mainly because my parents prefer buying steak and cooking it themselves. But I had a gift card and thought going on vacation was the perfect time to use it!
Day Five
Tuesday was my final full day and the nicest weather wise so I was going to use it to my advantage! I spent the majority of the day at Kitsilano Beach since it’s right down the street from my friend’s place. It was so nice to just relax by the beach and read my book. I’m a big beach girl. Just give me a body of water and a book and I’ll be good all day.
We cooked our dinner that night but decided to finish off the day with ice cream. We went to Rain or Shine Ice Cream. The prices are a little bit on the higher end but the flavours are unique and worth the price. I had the Strawberry Earl Grey and it was sooo good. After we grabbed our ice cream we walked down to the beach and were able to watch the end of the sunset.
Day Six
The only bad thing about travelling to Vancouver is that you waste almost a full day travelling back. This time around I booked my flight at 1 PM so I was able to grab some breakfast before heading out. We went to Body Energy Club. They’re a vitamin and supplement store that was a great smoothie bar. We both got a smoothie bowl and it was delicious. It did a good job of keeping me full through all the hassle of going through security and getting on my flight. And just like that my trip was done and over!
If you have any questions about my trip, let me know in the comments! I have the travel bug and now want to go to so many different places! I’m already planning where I want to go next!
xoxo
Lea
Leave it to Lea 