Like the short trip to New York a few months ago, this time I went to Vancouver.
This was an exciting trip, because I haven’t ever properly visited Vancouver. In fact, I have almost no experience properly visiting the North American west coast. So this travel is somewhat of a “west coast gateway” for me; maybe I can follow up with future trips to the US in the south, or even the wilderness up north.
Because this was my first time visiting Vancouver properly, the plan was very generic:
- Visit Stanley Park
- See the Vancouver aquarium
- Visit Granville Island
- Go to the Capilano salmon hatchery, walk on trails
- Almost fell for the suspension bridge trap
- Explore Richmond
- Check out the UBC campus
- See some beaches
If I had more time or went back, I would probably expand the plan to include Vancouver Island, go hiking, and head east to Burnaby and beyond.
Day 1
Right as I left the airport, I felt the ocean’s presence. Despite warm weather and a very clear sky, the air and wind felt clammy and cool. I could smell the ocean everywhere. It was also super weird to see mountains everywhere, compared to Toronto’s complete lack of any geological features. Whenever I see a bird’s eye view of Toronto, it’s always super flat farm land. But the view from above Vancouver is just mountains and forests. It was also very interesting to see Chinese written on airport signs, alongside English and French.
My travel plan fell apart quite quickly. On day 1, I was going to explore Stanley Park, but:
- I spent too much time in the aquarium
- I severely underestimated the park’s size
The most I saw of Stanley Park was the walk from downtown Vancouver to the aquarium. I saw the Lost Lagoon, parts of the eastern seawall, and parts of the forest. The park was very different from New York’s Central Park. Stanley Park feels more like a genuine forest, while Central Park definitely feels artificial and smaller (ironic, because I felt that Central Park was huge). I felt a bit bad for not seeing more of the park, but there just wasn’t enough time. If I revisit, I’ll borrow a bike and spend up to a whole day just in the park.
The Vancouver Aquarium is kind of misleading, because the exhibitions show far more than what is normally associated with the word “aquarium”. There are aquatic flora and fauna from different ecosystems on display, but also a geological history exhibition of Earth’s life, some terrestrial ecosystems, a small theatre, and an open otters, seals, and sea lions display. My eyes started to hurt because of the number of water tanks with warped light passing through, but the overall experience was very nice. You probably can easily spend a whole day here as well.
In the evening, I walked along downtown Vancouver to English Bay Beach. Downtown Vancouver has a very nice atmosphere. It’s filled with small stores and not too many highrises, like midtown Toronto. Downtown Vancouver is nowhere near as dense and bustling as downtown Toronto, which I prefer. The whole place has a comfy and relaxed atmosphere.
The view from the beach was very calming. A perfect sunset and just the right amount of people, plus the novel sight of massive cruise and freight ships. I never got to see such a view living in Toronto.
Day 2
Close to Richmond-Brighouse Station is Kam Do Bakery, which has some amazing bread.
Day 2 started with Granville Island. I took an Aquabus to the island and looked around. I was surprised by just how small the island is. Sure, I expected it to be small from looking at the map. But seeing the island in person really reinforced the feeling. The island is worth a visit for tourists, I’d say. But I thought it was just alright.
In the afternoon, I took the SeaBus and headed up through North Vancouver. Despite technically being part of Vancouver, this area felt significantly different than the south. North Vancouver seems more suburban and richer in general. Geographically, North Vancouver is closer to the base of mountains, so the area slopes upwards the further north you go.
I took the bus to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and walked the trail leading to the Cleveland Dam. I heard the suspension bridge is a big tourist trap, so I intentionally avoided that. Someone next to me on the SeaBus said the exact same thing, so maybe it’s true. Along the way, I stopped by the Capilano River Hatchery, which is a hatchery for salmon. You can see hatchlings and a tank that shows how salmon travel upstream. I wasn’t able to get footage, but the salmon essentially launch themselves out of the water. It’s incredible how they manage to accomplish it, only to give birth and die right after.
Walking up to the Cleveland Dam is a mild uphill hike. The view from the top is excellent though; you can see the river you just walked alongside, and Capilano Lake to the north. Behind the lake are lots of mountains, and you can see the cable cars that connect to the top of Grouse Mountain. I debated whether or not to hike up during planning, but it was clearly too late for that.
Day 3
The last day was seeing UBC and a really long walk along the shoreline.
I always heard UBC had a super nice campus, and I got to see it with my own eyes. It really is a great campus; the land is huge, buildings are new (and way better than UofT’s), and the campus well integrated with the environment. Plus, the area is completely self-sufficient, so theoretically you can find all neccessities on campus. If younger me saw the campus, I probably would have went to UBC.
After seeing the UBC campus, I went on a long walk along the shore to the north of the university. I wish I came to play on the beach instead of walking by, because the weather and everything was perfect.
Epilogue
These short trips are always fun because of their short length. There’s enough time to see the gist of the destination, but never enough to explore in depth. There’s always something left to be desired, perhaps something for a future visit. This Vancouver trip was no different.
I’m glad I got to see such a different contrast from Toronto; basic geography, city size and layout, food and cultures, and things to do. Vancouver is a fun place. Seafood is way more accessible and better. The landscape and ocean provides more things to do. I’m also jealous of the city’s proximity to big cities on the US west coast. Visiting those places further south is much easier than starting from Toronto.
If there weren’t any risks of cataclysmic earthquakes and insane housing costs, I think I would prefer to live in Vancouver over Toronto.