Last week, we returned from spending the entire summer in my hometown Vancouver, Canada. It was an incredible summer with family, visiting our favorite places, knitting, relaxing and enjoying time together. I don't get to see my family very often, so I try and enjoy the time that we're given to the fullest.
Of course I wanted to share a little bit more in depth about our time in Vancouver here on the blog, but I also was looking for a creative way to do so. Most of the day to day of our trip I was sharing via Instagram, (and I've also already shared about some of the yarn stores I made it to...) so today I thought I would do something a little different. I thought I would write a little city guide about some of my favorite places and things to do in and around Vancouver, while sharing photos of our trip.
Today I'm sharing Part One:
Stanley Park
This is probably at the top of almost every city guide to Vancouver. It's a beautiful space right downtown, a park surrounded completely by the Pacific. This summer I managed to bike the seawall with my brother, and visit a few of the beaches on the west side of the park. One evening, while watching the sunset at Third Beach, we even saw a whale! If you're ever in the area make sure to stop by.
I've always loved Granville Island. It's an island in False Creek with markets, boutiques and studios where you can wander for hours. This summer I made it there twice, enjoyed good food, visited a few textile studios and watched my friends and hubby get pooped on by seagulls (no joke! if you visit watch out...)
False Creek is also a really beautiful spot. We hung out in the area a few times, visiting the Food Truck festival, Craft (my brother's favorite restaurant) and even managing to take a boat trip (the photo above is our lunch on the boat).
Main Street (& Commercial Drive)
My mom and sister have developed a huge liking for Main Street since I've moved away. While I didn't hang out there much before I moved, I so enjoyed visiting with them several times on this trip. We went to Le Marche St. George cafe (pictured above) as well as Lucky's Doughnuts and wandered in and out of sweet little shops and boutiques.
Commercial Drive is another really great neighborhood, and where I spent more time when I lived in Vancouver. We visited several times- mostly restaurants and thrift shops, and Waldi's favorite diner for all day breakfast (Bon's off Broadway). It's a spot you wouldn't want to miss visiting.
Deer Lake Park, Burnaby
One of my favorite parks in the area is Deer Lake. This summer I visited several times, to walk around the lake with Waldi and my brother (it takes about one hour) and again with my sister to have a photo shoot for my hat, haha! It's a little bit of calm in the middle of the city, and a spot we've always really enjoyed. There's a boat rental, a vintage carousel and museum, and outdoor concerts in the summer so it's worth a visit for sure.
Deep Cove & the North Shore
I lived on the North Shore for four years, directly after I moved out of my parent's house so it has a special place in my heart. This is where Waldi and I met and fell in love, and there are so many places that we love to visit. The photo above is from Deep Cove, where I hiked Quarry Rock with my sister. It's got tons of cute shops and restaurants, and there's even a kayak rental.
Another spot on the North Shore that we love is Park and Tilford. It's really just a shopping centre, but it has our favorite cafe JJ Bean, and a garden that is simply gorgeous. It was so nice to visit this spot again this summer.
Lastly, we managed this year to do the Grouse Grind- a hike up Grouse mountain that takes about 90 minutes (if you're slow like we are!) We hiked up and then took the Gondola down which is really worth it- you get a stunning view of the city and mountains, which you can't really experience from the trail.
We visited White Rock several times to walk the pier and enjoy fish and chips. It's a bit of a drag to find parking, but once you're there it's truly beautiful.
So I'll wrap up there for now. Next week I'm hoping to share a bit about some of the trips we were able to take while staying with my family. It's hard to narrow it down when there are so many favorite places, but I hope I've given you a little taste of how beautiful our time was and some ideas to explore if you ever go for a visit.
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