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Vancouver is a bustling west coast seaport in British Columbia and among Canada’s densest, most ethnically diverse cities. Vancouver is also the most expensive city (to live) in Canada. But that didn’t deter me from planning and executing a somewhat budget-friendly family vacation by keeping our itinerary light and laidback.
*Jordan is noticeably missing in our photos. He caught strep just before the trip and was feeling so miserable, we opted to keep him home. Don't worry, we left him in grandma's capable hands.
Day 1
We decided to use Richmond as our base, due to its proximity to good food, the Richmond Night Market and the airport.
After a late check in to the Sandman Signature Vancouver Airport, I made true to my promise to Evelyn on a quick swim before we headed out in search for dinner.
I highly recommend Memory Corner, a Taiwanese restaurant tucked in a corner of a street mall. The decor was very interesting, set up like a Taiwanese street vendor with a focus on old, traditional furnishing. The food was delicious, worth the 20-minute wait getting seated. The popcorn chicken is a must!
Day 2
Our second day in Vancouver started with my personal favourite, a visit to Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. in Burnaby.
The Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is an immersive multimedia experience where you can step right into the super powered world of the Avengers. Guests are greeted as “new recruits” and get to explore the technology and profiles of the Avengers.
Each "Level" features themed rooms dedicated to the MCU characters, including Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and even Thanos. As a huge Marvel fan, I am not embarrassed to admit I totally geeked out.
Our next stop was Burnaby Village Museum, an outdoor history museum spread across 10-acres in Deer Lake Park. It was super neat to walk through the various exhibits, learning and seeing how a small BC pioneer village may have looked around the turn of the 20th century.
In the evening, we met up with Radwin’s aunt and uncle for dinner at Sushi Den in Chinatown Vancouver. The sashimi was super fresh and so cheap compared to prices at home. I may have overindulged and overate.
We capped off the day with a stroll down to the waterfront.
Day 3
On our third day, we started with Granville Island, a peninsula and shopping district in the Fairview neighbourhood of Vancouver. We spent about two hours browsing the island. There’s an artisan district, tons of colourful food and produce stores, unique craft and gift shops, and Granville Island Brewing, a microbrewery taproom offering craft beer flights and pints.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
The public market has some incredible food stalls, some offering free samples to entice visitors like Olde World Fudge. Evelyn and i went back for seconds.
In the afternoon, we decided to embrace nature. We went to North Vancouver and did the Baden Powell Trail hike at Lynn Canyon Park. The reason for our hike was for the main attraction, Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, which sways 50 meters above the canyon and a beautiful waterfall.
After we spent a few minutes on the suspension bridge, we left and walked around the area a little. The trail was very well marked and easy to follow. I am extremely glad we spent time checking out this park. It was so peaceful and absolutely beautiful.
The evening was spent at the Richmond Night Market, and to be honest, we were a bit disappointed.
The market was crowded beyond words. The lines and wait times were ridiculous. I have never before stood in line for nearly 15 minutes to order two bubble teas and waited another 26 minutes to have them made!
Though most of the food tasted great, it was expensive, and the portions were small. We spent more money than we would have at a decent restaurant with full-sized meals. There were also a lot of repeats – I counted at least seven stalls selling the exact same BBQ skewers, which really cuts down on diversity.
Day 4
One of the best things about vacation is sleeping in, and that was what we did on our last day (if you consider 9 AM as sleeping in).
Since we had an evening return flight, we made the most use of the day by first participating in Vancouver’s very first Ice Cream Festival, a self-guided festival featuring special limited edition ice cream and frozen dessert. My kind of festival!
Since I am lactose intolerant, I had to limit myself to two:
Watermelon ice cream sandwich at Milkcow Café, 10/10
Strawberry matcha ice cream sandwich at Beta5 Chocolates, 8/10
We have a thing for chasing world’s largest objects so we could not resist visiting The Birds sculpture in Central Vancouver for a quick photo op.
We then spent the rest of the day looping through Stanley Park, one of the largest city parks in North America and home to Canada's largest aquarium, Vancouver Aquarium. We skipped out on the latter since it didn’t feel right without Jordan. It also gives us a reason to return.
Thanks for a lovely time, Vancouver. We will be back!
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