Canadian thanksgiving is more than a month earlier than that of the US. But decades ago US and Canada celebrated Thanksgiving in October - yet another brilliant marketing strategy to cash in on the holiday season. Our choice of Vancouver was natural. Firstly it was the fall season and Calgarian Fall is not as exquisite as the rest of Canada. Secondly Sharan had his US Visa but I didn’t and the earliest date available in the Calgary US Embassy was mid-Nov. We got an appointment with the Vancouver US Embassy on the day after Thanksgiving. Lastly, we had heard so much about my Grand Uncle and Aunt staying just off Vancouver, in a town called Langley, we wanted to visit their country-side home. So we fixed the trip for 10-13 Oct'09.
After our customary research, able advice from my brother and grand uncle, we froze on our itinerary but kept it open to juggle it around:
DAY 1:
We spent the entire day with my Grand Uncle and Grand Aunt at Langley. We got a good perspective of how to lead retired life – keeping oneself busy, meaningful and yet enjoy luxuries of life.
DAY 2:
We visited North Vancouver – to see the top tourist spots of Vancouver:
Capilano Bridge and Grouse Mountain. Capilano Bridge is a suspension bridge built 230 FT above the Capilano River. Longer than but like the India Laxman Jhulla, this bridge sways as people walk on it. One can approach Grouse Mountain using a Gondola (Sky Train/Cable Car) from its base – a bit over-rated. Of course the joys will be completely different if someone hiked to or from Grouse Mountain. Oh but we did “sight” 2 grizzly bears in a large enclosure which also had a pond. Once we returned to downtown, we walked around China Town (yes, it has to be there in every city) and Gastown of Old Vancouver – a lovely area with cobble stone paths, old buildings, great shops and popular restaurants.
DAY 3:
It was thanksgiving on this day. We visited the Vancouver Aquarium, Granville Island and generally walked around Vancouver. The highlights of the aquarium were the beluga whales, otters and spotting a raccoon which DIDN’T belong to the aquarium.
Granville Island is a MUST VISIT for all. It’s mostly known for the Public Market – a farmers’ market where you’ll find the freshest, choicest and most exclusive farm produce. Mind you its not just limited to fruits, vegetables and meat – you get spices, home made chocolates, jams, confectionaries, etc.
We then headed to English Bay Beach – you have a lovely view of the mountains, Pacific Ocean and some yachts. An Inukshuk also stands tall on the beach – a stone landmark made popular by native Indians of the Tundra region.
DAY 4:
After spending 4 hrs at the US Embassy, we quickly visited the Capilano Fishery before heading to Stanley Park. This is a HUGE park (5 mile circumference) bang in the heart of Vancouver. It’s a fantastic place to walk around, picnic and also see the park’s attractions like the Totem Poles, Lighthouse, lakes, etc. We spent the entire afternoon soaking in the striking fall colors. We then quickly visited Gastown and Granville Island once again (worth it) before heading to the airport.
The Vancouver Public Transport requires a special mention. We wanted to experience this as this city has traffic and commuting challenges like reducing commute time on the curvaceous mainland with a
lot of water inlets and accessibility to smaller islands which are bustling with business. We were always in awe of London Underground (“mind the gap”) but Vancouver has taken Public Transport to newer levels. Public and tourists have the following options to travel: Rental cars, Taxi, regular Bus, electric Bus, Sky train (metro), Sea Bus (literally) and last but not the least Sea Taxi (small boats converted to taxis carrying up to 10 people at a time). All options are really affordable – obviously, it’s used by common man. Else it would become moot.
Vancouver is a place for foodies or we would like to think so. Most of the places we tried had lip smacking food. Some of the eateries worth recommending are:
~ The Boathouse (West End, English Bay Beach) – one of the best places for sea food
~ Steam Works Brewery Pub/Restaurant (Gastown) – A good place to wind down after a long day of hectic tourist activities. Try one of the BC brewed beer – they are refreshing.
~ House of Dosas (Junction of Kingsway and Kings Street) – For all those Indians living outside starving for good dosas, Indian tourists missing home food and anyone else who love good south Indian food. This is the place to go. Chennai dosas are waiting for you.
~ Tomahawk (Philip AVE, N Vancouver): A family run barbeque restaurant.
~ Templeton (Granville ST) – Most popular diner in downtown Vancouver known for its Sunday Brunches.
~ Trees Café (Granville ST) – Acclaimed to have the best cheesecakes in Vancouver – and we can second that without trying other cheesecakes - a sinful bliss.
~ Granville Island Brewery (Granville Island) – a good place to try variety of local beer
We loved Vancouver as we found it to be a cosmopolitan city – vibrant and cheerful despite perennial rains. We got to interact with locals – really friendly when compared to Calgary. We could see the excitement building up for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Feb’10 as well. Never know – we might return to the city for that once in a life time experience of watching a Olympic event
As always here is a link to our album:
After our customary research, able advice from my brother and grand uncle, we froze on our itinerary but kept it open to juggle it around:
DAY 1:
We spent the entire day with my Grand Uncle and Grand Aunt at Langley. We got a good perspective of how to lead retired life – keeping oneself busy, meaningful and yet enjoy luxuries of life.
DAY 2:
We visited North Vancouver – to see the top tourist spots of Vancouver:
Capilano Bridge and Grouse Mountain. Capilano Bridge is a suspension bridge built 230 FT above the Capilano River. Longer than but like the India Laxman Jhulla, this bridge sways as people walk on it. One can approach Grouse Mountain using a Gondola (Sky Train/Cable Car) from its base – a bit over-rated. Of course the joys will be completely different if someone hiked to or from Grouse Mountain. Oh but we did “sight” 2 grizzly bears in a large enclosure which also had a pond. Once we returned to downtown, we walked around China Town (yes, it has to be there in every city) and Gastown of Old Vancouver – a lovely area with cobble stone paths, old buildings, great shops and popular restaurants.DAY 3:
It was thanksgiving on this day. We visited the Vancouver Aquarium, Granville Island and generally walked around Vancouver. The highlights of the aquarium were the beluga whales, otters and spotting a raccoon which DIDN’T belong to the aquarium.
Granville Island is a MUST VISIT for all. It’s mostly known for the Public Market – a farmers’ market where you’ll find the freshest, choicest and most exclusive farm produce. Mind you its not just limited to fruits, vegetables and meat – you get spices, home made chocolates, jams, confectionaries, etc.
We then headed to English Bay Beach – you have a lovely view of the mountains, Pacific Ocean and some yachts. An Inukshuk also stands tall on the beach – a stone landmark made popular by native Indians of the Tundra region.
DAY 4:
After spending 4 hrs at the US Embassy, we quickly visited the Capilano Fishery before heading to Stanley Park. This is a HUGE park (5 mile circumference) bang in the heart of Vancouver. It’s a fantastic place to walk around, picnic and also see the park’s attractions like the Totem Poles, Lighthouse, lakes, etc. We spent the entire afternoon soaking in the striking fall colors. We then quickly visited Gastown and Granville Island once again (worth it) before heading to the airport.The Vancouver Public Transport requires a special mention. We wanted to experience this as this city has traffic and commuting challenges like reducing commute time on the curvaceous mainland with a
lot of water inlets and accessibility to smaller islands which are bustling with business. We were always in awe of London Underground (“mind the gap”) but Vancouver has taken Public Transport to newer levels. Public and tourists have the following options to travel: Rental cars, Taxi, regular Bus, electric Bus, Sky train (metro), Sea Bus (literally) and last but not the least Sea Taxi (small boats converted to taxis carrying up to 10 people at a time). All options are really affordable – obviously, it’s used by common man. Else it would become moot.Vancouver is a place for foodies or we would like to think so. Most of the places we tried had lip smacking food. Some of the eateries worth recommending are:
~ The Boathouse (West End, English Bay Beach) – one of the best places for sea food
~ Steam Works Brewery Pub/Restaurant (Gastown) – A good place to wind down after a long day of hectic tourist activities. Try one of the BC brewed beer – they are refreshing.
~ House of Dosas (Junction of Kingsway and Kings Street) – For all those Indians living outside starving for good dosas, Indian tourists missing home food and anyone else who love good south Indian food. This is the place to go. Chennai dosas are waiting for you.
~ Tomahawk (Philip AVE, N Vancouver): A family run barbeque restaurant.
~ Templeton (Granville ST) – Most popular diner in downtown Vancouver known for its Sunday Brunches.
~ Trees Café (Granville ST) – Acclaimed to have the best cheesecakes in Vancouver – and we can second that without trying other cheesecakes - a sinful bliss.
~ Granville Island Brewery (Granville Island) – a good place to try variety of local beer
We loved Vancouver as we found it to be a cosmopolitan city – vibrant and cheerful despite perennial rains. We got to interact with locals – really friendly when compared to Calgary. We could see the excitement building up for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Feb’10 as well. Never know – we might return to the city for that once in a life time experience of watching a Olympic event
As always here is a link to our album:
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