Vancouver

We've always loved dropping in on our neighbors to the north, but had only ever traveled to Quebec. This summer, we decided to take a longer trip to British Columbia for about a week, spending most of our time in Vancouver with a few days in Whistler at the end.

Vancouverites seem to revel in being outside and this was especially true during the stretch of cool, sunny days we were lucky enough to experience. On our first day, we discovered Coopers' Park and the seawall paths that encircle False Creek. This area was always busy with runners, dog walkers, tourists, and bike commuters (on their own separate paths of course). Our many walks and runs in this area will probably be some of my happiest memories from this visit. I especially enjoyed this area after sunrise—the colorful sky, shimmering morning light on the water, and views of distant mountains glimpsed between tall buildings and bridges.

Getting around: We were impressed by the Vancouver airport with its lofty ceilings, interesting lighting, and giant totem poles. The walk to the entry hall took us through an ecology exhibit complete with animal sounds and water features. Even though it was 10 p.m., the Canada Line train whisked us into the heart of the city fairly efficiently.

Vancouver's public transit system consists mostly of buses (we only used the Canada Line train on two occasions). These run frequently and utilize a trolley-style overhead electric system in the city core. We found the buses easy to navigate with Google Maps and contactless payments meant we didn't need an app or ticket to ride (the fare was about $3 CAD). We used buses for almost all of our trips, only resorting to an Uber once to avoid a long, hot walk. The buses could get full, but we almost always had a seat. People were very polite and shouting "thanks!" to the driver upon exiting was pretty common. Even a group of teenagers we rode with did this!

Food: Our hotel had a solid buffet breakfast, so we took advantage of that each day while saving some room for a pastry and coffee later in the morning (the Breka coffee chain was excellent). For our other meals, Rashna did her homework as usual and we went into our trip with several reservations at vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Some of our favorites included MeeT (all-vegan comfort food with several locations), Nuba (Ethiopian food in the Gastown area), Hestia Veggie (Davie St.), The Naam (classic vegetarian in Kitsilano), and Mila (all-vegan Asian fusion in Chinatown). The bustling markets on Granville Island were flush with options for vegetarians. But watch out for the opportunistic seagulls—we saw one steal a whole pizza slice from someone!

We also visited several bars and breweries. The Keefer Bar (in Chinatown) has an atmospheric interior and an apothecary theme. We also tried a flight of beers at the Yaletown Brewing Company. The beachside outdoor bar on Kitsilano Beach overlooks English Bay and a 150-yard-long heated saltwater swimming pool—the longest in North America.

Sightseeing and shopping: We spent most of our days walking around Vancouver's various neighborhoods people-watching, snacking, and ducking into interesting shops. We checked out the well-known upscale shopping districts on Robson Street and W. 4th Avenue (in the Kitsilano neighborhood). We visited the Gastown area (quite touristy), Granville Island (site of the excellent waterside market area), and the South Main, or "SoMa," area. SoMa had some of the more interesting shops and street life we found, but we were unfortunately crunched for time when we visited.

Vancouver was quite easy to get around using buses. Bike lanes were usually separated from sidewalks and vehicles (cyclists would let you know if you strayed into their domain). There was a bike and scooter share system, but we didn't use it because it was so easy to get around by foot and bus. Construction season was in full swing, and detours, sidewalk closures, and traffic snarls were common. Judging by the number of cranes, Vancouver seems to be a growing city.

The streets felt clean and orderly in most of the places we visited. We saw some homelessness and drug use in certain areas, but overall this seemed minor compared to other cities we've visited. Free public bathrooms (or "washrooms" as they were often called) and water fountains were always easy to find. At one point we had to risk using an underground bathroom near a square where we observed many rougher-looking people hanging around with shopping carts full of belongings, etc. As it turned out, the bathroom was staffed by a person ensuring it was clean and stocked. It even had a small "merch" stand selling t-shirts emblazoned with art from the neighborhood we were in.

Parks: Besides the parks along False Creek, we visited the VanDusen Botanical Garden where we wandered around a huge variety of plant and tree species. We were especially impressed by the strange monkey puzzle trees and giant sequoias. Queen Elizabeth Park featured impressive flower gardens and a pleasant overlook from Little Mountain.

Coopers' Park along False Creek

Stanley Park is a 1,000-acre public park to the north of the city. We rented bikes and pedaled around its circumference. This took about two hours and turned out to be a great way to enjoy some different views of the city. We watched a sea plane take off and giant tankers and container ships were visible far from shore.

I hadn't thought of Vancouver as a beach town, but it has several beautiful beaches. We took in sunset at Sunset Beach where we observed both a bike club and a run club. Kitsilano Beach had at least 15 volleyball nets set up with both serious and casual games taking place. Even though the water temperature was far from warm, plenty of people were swimming and stand-up paddle boarding.

Whistler: After four nights in Vancouver, we took a bus to Whistler (about a two hour ride). Whistler Blackcomb is known as the largest ski resort in North America and is a destination for hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoor pursuits throughout the year.

Unfortunately, our plans were disrupted somewhat by an "atmospheric river" that hit the area a few hours after we arrived and persisted until we left. This was actually a great boon to the parched area and Canadians (and the smoke-filled northeast) stood to benefit greatly from some wet weather which promised to aid in fire-fighting efforts in central Canada.

We donned our rain jackets and made the most of things, exploring Whistler Village and venturing up the slope of Whistler Mountain to take in some of the renowned Crankworx, a world-tour level mountain biking competition. Whistler was crowded with spectators, competitors, and mountain bike enthusiasts. I don't believe I've ever seen so many bikes in my life. We were lucky to catch a "trick showdown" before the real rain started. Later, we watched a pump track competition for kids. Even with the rain, chairlifts continually hoisted muddy riders to the top of the mountain.

Even with the wet weather, we enjoyed a short hike (Rashna made it her mission to save every slug from being stepped on). I visited the Whistler Museum and learned about the history of the town and its role as the site of the 2010 Winter Olympic games. We also did a (very humbling) escape room and visited the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre. This was a good chance to learn about the First Nation peoples that have lived on that land for thousands of years. I especially enjoyed learning about how the Squamish and Lil'wat, two separate nations, thrived side-by-side without conflict for most of their history. They use cedar trees for canoes, clothing and baskets (bark fibers), and beautiful art (they are known for their elaborate totem poles). For its part, Whistler seemed to be making an effort to be sustainable too, with a comprehensive recycling program that even included attendants to make sure items were sorted correctly.

Before we left, people gave us some quizzical looks when we told them we were visiting Vancouver. But this trip validated our strategy of picking random interesting cities to visit. Vancouver made me further appreciate Canada as a country and Canadians for their thoughtfully designed urban environments, commitment to sustainable living, and their forbearance for their erratic neighbors to the south.