A Vancouver visit offers stunning
If you’re visiting British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb and other ski locales and you’re not adding on a Vancouver visit, you’re definitely missing out.
I’ve done that myself, flying in and jumping in a car to head to the mountains. I’d
pass by cityscapes, mountains, wide ocean bays and tall trees on my way elsewhere and think “that looks incredible; like it needs to be part of this trip.”
This year, I visited Vancouver (https://www.destinationvancouver.com) to
wrap up a Whistler stay.
What I learned: Vancouver is a must-visit.
We wrapped up a magnificent ski week at Whistler, grabbed our VIP Whistler Car service (https:// www.vipwhistler.com) and gazed at the dramatic landscape during the drive to Vancouver proper.
We chose the Shangri-La
Vancouver (https:// www.shangri-la.com/vancouver/shangrila/) as our home base, a great choice not just for the comfort and beauty, but also for location. Tucked into the West End, it placed us steps from museums, galleries, incredible dining and shopping.
Our first city adventure took us to famed Granville
Island (https://granvilleisland.com) and its massive market (filled with craftsmen, fresh food, tchotchkes and more), said to be the second most visited site in all of Canada (Niagara Falls comes first).
Another Vancouver lesson: there is no singular “must have” food there because the wildly diverse blend of cultures offers so many great things. From German sausage in a fresh roll (“Crunch these potato chips right into it,” the server told me. “Just trust me on this.” I did. She was right) to Asian meals to, of course, dock fresh seafood made countless ways, we noshed our way along the waterfront spot.
It’s a destination unto itself.
We next headed back to the city center and visited the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coastal Art, giving us an up close look at the culture and arts history of the city.
We chose Glowbal (https://glowbalgroup. com/glowbal/), one of the city’s most heralded restaurants, for our first dinner. Glowbal is all about locally sourced ingredients — and fun. A woman laughed at a nearby table when her cocktail came topped with cotton candy. I loved the rolling shots bar, piloted by Aiden, a young man from Ireland who made me a Jameson based shot that was a memory in itself. We stayed for hours.
Day two was about nature — a strange goal when visiting a city. While Vancouver has a vibrant downtown with skyscrapers, a cab or (free) bus ride just six miles or so north takes you to the other Vancouver; the part with trees taller than those skyscrapers, snowy ski areas and deep, lush rainforest.
We started up at Grouse Mountain (https://www. grousemountain.com), a ski spot worth a visit if just for the gondola ride up and a meal at the top.
Just downhill a bit (via an easy-to-hop city bus
from the base of Grouse) we visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park (https://www.capbridge. com). I expected walking the bridge — built back in the late 1800’s — to be exciting. What I didn’t know was the rest of it: a journey deep into the rainforest via low paths, high suspension bridges and a cliff walk would offer so many “wow” moments.
Like the “Grandma Tree,” thought to be more than 1,000 year old. Or the waterfalls. Or the breathtaking vistas. We planned a quick stop and yet stayed for hours.
That night we dined at a spot as special as that forest: Hy’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar (https://www. hyssteakhouse.com) a Vancouver staple since 1962.
We started with their famed cheese bread and were hooked. We split a delicious steak so we could enjoy lots of sides and a tableside-prepared Caesar Salad.
Then, our two-day adventure was over.
We’d missed some things: a bike ride along the seawall that everyone told us we had to take, some more museums to poke through, and the live music scene later at night.
But that’s okay. A great city leaves you wanting more.