It’s kind of crazy I flew to the west coast of North America twice in the same year, but I did. I planned an almost week-long trip out to Vancouver, Canada in early November 2022 to visit Helena while she completed a graduate diploma program at Regent College. It was supposed to be a bigger girls’ trip that included Izzy and Nicole, but they both fell sick and decided to cancel to be responsible. It turned out to be a bit of a solo international trip for me, which I hadn’t done in a while, but I found the swing of things pretty easily.
There are many things I really appreciate about solo traveling. The two that really stand out the most are: you can do things on your own timeline, and you only the things you want to do. If you’ve joined a pre-planned itinerary or have planned a trip with other people, you know you’re either not allowed a lot of choice or you have to compromise.
But I digress.
Vancouver is located in western Canada in the province of British Columbia. It’s one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in the country, as well as the most densely populated. It’s one of Canada’s warmest cities in the winter, and receives very little snowfall. It was really pleasant when I visited in early November and was in the 40-50s Fahrenheit (though it actually snowed a few days after I left).
Day 1: Downtown and Granville Island
For my first full day in the city, I had a bit of lazy morning since I flew in late the night before. Our Airbnb was located very centrally on Granville Street in downtown, so I was able to get there easily and for the rest of the trip, walk to many destinations. I walked to lunch, taking time to take in the downtown shopping area and residential streets.
I had lunch at Fat Mao Noodles, which I found through a recommended list online. Their main specialties are Thai-inspired noodle soup dishes, though their restaurant name is Cantonese inspired. It feels more like Asian fusion but still with authentic flavors. I had their roti with curry to start and khao soi chicken curry as my main. Definitely would have benefited from having someone else to split the meal with and also try more things, but I still had a good time. It was very filling.
After lunch, I went to explore Granville Island and actually headed there via a small ferry called Aquabus. Granville Island is a shopping district with a public market, restaurants, brewery, and more. It was formerly an industrial area with factories making equipment for mining and forestry industries. The public market was established in 1979 and has dozens of vendors selling fresh produce, cheeses, seafood, meats, and other products, mostly locally sourced. I was primarily there for Lee’s Donuts, which was featured in the Netflix series Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner when Seth Rogen brought David Chang there. I forget what it’s called now but I had a chocolate covered donut with coconut flakes. It was a delicious break while I stayed out of the drizzle. I also stumbled upon a really cute stationery shop called Paper-Ya, which carry lots of Japanese stationery.
For dinner, I wanted to get local oysters and settled on Fanny Bay Oyster & Shellfish Company, which is the sister restaurant to Taylor Shellfish in Seattle. I got some happy hour oysters and then an additional shucker’s dozen. I don’t really remember what I ate but had a good time! It really solidified the fact that I enjoy going to oyster happy hour as a solo activity.
Day 2: Rainy day in UBC and Kitsilano
On Day 2, I met Helena at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, one of her favorite places to visit in the city. It was first established in 1949 as a department within UBC and moved to its current building in 1976. It is a teaching museum and a leader in bringing indigenous art into the mainstream. It was incredible seeing how the museum is structured and how much variety was in their collections. One of my favorite exhibits was on the culture of feasts and how people carved special spoons and vessels for an event.
Afterward, we hiked down to Tower Beach via this trail as part of Foreshoe Trail, a scenic beach trail connecting various beaches. The forestry was so stunning to behold on our way down. It was also pouring rain. I would have liked to see more of the beach and the coastline, but the weather was bad and we decided to leave to get a snack.
Helena took me to a Grounds for Coffee location in Kitsilano for cinnamon buns. It was nice to get out of the rain and rest. For dinner, we went to Ramen Danbo, which is a chain originating from Japan. The Kitsilano location was one of two first locations outside of Japan. They’re known for their Tonkotsu ramen (my favorite kind). We split some gyoza and both got their classic rekka ramen which is their signature tonkotsu with some spice. Very delicious and much needed on a rainy day.
We called it an early night since Helena had to get home to do school work. I think I went back and just watched some episodes of F1 Drive to Survive before going to bed.
Day 3: Stanley Park
I decided to spend most of my day at Stanley Park, a huge public park that makes up the northwestern part of Vancouver’s downtown peninsula. Much of the park remains densely forested as it was in the late 1800s when it was colonized. It’s recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada for being such a remarkable urban park and for its natural environment and cultural importance.
I started my day by visiting Vancouver Aquarium, the first ever public aquarium in Canada when it opened in 1956. It was a really cool opportunity to learn more about the Pacific Ocean ecosystems. One of the coolest animals I spent some time admiring was Piku, the pig-nosed freshwater turtle native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. The species is so named for its pig-like snout, and was discovered in Papua New Guinea’s Fly River. It is the only surviving species of a turtle family that has been around for 65 million years.
I also really enjoyed seeing the otters, one of the museum’s most popular animals. All the otters were rescued as orphaned pups. It was one of the otters’ birthdays when I visited so he got an extra special treat that we got to see him eat off a board.
I got to see some enrichment time with the sea lions. I remember one of them being blind, which further reinforces that animals in the aquarium’s care are typically rescued. There was also a momma sea lion that recently gave birth to a pup, so they were kept together in a separate enclosure. I had never seen a sea lion so young and it was really cool to see how they interact and how the pup feeds.
After the aquarium, I left the park to grab lunch in the West End. I settled on a restaurant called Noodle Arts because I wanted hand-pulled noodles. They were pretty good! After lunch, I rented a bike so I could bike around the perimeter of Stanley Park. It’s 8.8 kilometers (5.5 miles) of seawall with various points of interest, including Totem Poles, Lions Gate Bridge, Siwash Rock, and Second Beach. There was a really nice souvenir shop by the Totem Poles, so I got to pick up some postcards and stickers.
For dinner, I met Helena at Hello Nori, a hand roll sushi place in downtown Vancouver. One of the best meals of the trip! We were lucky enough to get seated immediately without a reservation. It was fun to take Helena to her first hand roll sushi experience. It reminded me a lot of Kazu Nori in NYC, though they are independent of each other.
We walked around Yaletown after and visited Mister Artisan Ice Cream. They make ice cream with locally sourced ingredients and liquid nitrogen. They’re popular for their ice cream sandwiches, especially the creme brûlée as they’ll add sugar and torch it. It was pretty good, though a little gimmicky.
Day 4: Gas Clock, Hockey game
For “breakfast”, I went to Japadog to get a Japanese-inspired hot dog. There used to be locations in NYC, though they shuttered a few years back. They were really popular when I was in high school, so I wanted to get one for nostalgia’s sake.
After a quick bite, I walked over to Gastown to experience the neighborhood and popped into a few shops as I waited for Helena to meet up with me. We went to see the Gastown Steam Clock, one of the few steam clocks that exist around the world. They’re powered by steam engines. The one in Gastown was built in 1977 to cover a steam grate and as a way to harness the steam. It’s quite entertaining to observe.
For lunch, Helena took me to Lunch Lady, one of her favorite Vietnamese spots in the city. While we waited for a table, we checked out some of the stores on the street. We went to a brewery (that I’m forgetting the name of) to hang out for a bit and played Skip-Bo. I also got some ice cream from Earnest Ice Cream.
That evening we went to an ice hockey game at Rogers Arena to see the Vancouver Canucks play the New Jersey Devils. It was both of our first times going to a hockey game and tickets were only about $40. The Devils beat the Canucks 5-2. It was a lot of fun, even though the home team lost.
Day 5: Lynn Canyon Park
For part of my trip, I wanted to go beyond just the Vancouver city center, so Helena and I decided to do a little day trip to North Vancouver. It’s about a 15-minute ferry ride across Vancouver harbor. For a little breakfast, we got empanadas at the Lonsdale Quay Market and donuts at Cream Pony.
Then we took an Uber to Lynn Canyon Park, whose main attraction is at suspension bridge that towers 50m (160ft) over the canyon. Suspension bridge parks are very common and popular in Vancouver, and I knew I wanted to visit one. Lynn Canyon is free to visit and has been a public park since it opened in 1912. We walked the Baden Powell trail, which is relatively easy on a mix of wooden walkways and flat ground. It was absolutely stunning and one of the points of interest along the way is the 30 Foot Pool. The water is super clear (and cold) and it’s a popular swimming spot in the summer.
For lunch, we headed back to Lower Lonsdale. We picked up a shawarma to share and got beers and dumplings at House of Funk, a brewery. We also stopped by Windfall Cider & Co on our walk back to the harbor to try a flight of ciders.
I had the evening to myself and got dinner at Rodney’s Oyster House. Had the best service at the bar and got to chatting with the bartender, who was a nice guy from Saskatoon. I tried a few happy hour oysters and then got additional ones: Low Tide, Kusshi, Chef Creek, Little Wing, Savage Blonde, Shipwreck, and Sunseeker. I also got steamed clams, which the bartender very kindly comped because he forgot to add it to my bill. Really fantastic experience.
For a late snack, Helena and I got poutine from a place around the corner from our Airbnb. It was very good, particularly because the fries were nice and chunky.
Day 6: Granville again and Nandos
For my last day in Vancouver, it was a rainy one. Helena and I went to Granville Island so we could get more donuts from Lee’s. We also picked up some kebabs so we could cook them later for dinner and dropped off stuff at her house. Her neighborhood was so picturesque with big trees and pretty houses.
We went to get Nando’s for lunch, which was a delicious choice. I tried their chicken wings and absolutely loved them. Afterward, we got dessert at Nana’s Green Tea and browsed a few shops before heading back to her home to hang out. We cooked an easy dinner and then I had to leave for the airport for my flight.
Verdict: I had so much fun in Vancouver and enjoyed the city a lot. There’s so much good Asian food given some international influences. I’d love to go back in the warmer months to do more outdoorsy things, like more hikes, or even in the winter and ski in Whistler.
THE IN BETWEEN 
Leave a comment