Vancouver is my hometown. It’s where I grew up and where I live. I love to share the city’s stories.
My Vancouver travel writing has appeared in Fodor’s guidebooks, the Vancouver Courier, PAX News West, Hitched Magazine, North Shore Living Magazine, YP Dine, and more.
Surrounded on three sides by water, home to a temperate rainforest, and nestled at the foot of the North Shore Mountains, Vancouver is a city truly immersed in nature. This is a place where the glittering glass towers of downtown reflect the moody greys and blues of the Burrard Inlet, and you’re likely to spot at least a couple of bold locals cold plunging in the ocean every day of the year. (And we’re not just talking about the seals.)
While it rarely dips below freezing in the city itself, the snow-covered mountains just 15 to 30 minutes from downtown become a true winter wonderland from December through early spring. It’s the ideal city to play in the snow all day and get back to town in time for dinner at a cozy hole-in-the-wall or MICHELIN-starred hotspot…
It was a treat to write about my hometown for Open Road Auto Group’s driver magazine. To read the full story, pick up a copy at one of their dealerships, or subscribe.
It’s always a pleasure to work with my long-time client Fresh Air Productions. This was our second year creating all content for the Harley Owners Group™ Membership Guide. Just like last year, I copy-edited the full guide as well as writing travel content for 10 epic Canadian rides – one for each province – as recommended by local riding experts in the regions.
The sun sets early on west coast winter nights, leaving plenty of time to explore. At Whistler, Vallea Lumina is a 1km wooded path on which an immersive light installation combines storytelling with technical wizardry to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for visitors of all ages…
There’s a saying in Vancouver: the west coast is the best coast. Join the locals strolling along the city’s iconic seawall and you’ll soon agree. There’s a special kind of magic where the towering forests of Stanley Park meet the sparkling waters of English Bay and the North Shore Mountains beckon just beyond Alaska-bound cruise ships sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge.
Vancouver is a city of neighbourhoods, each with its own unique culture and feel, leaving you spoiled for choice as you craft your perfect summer holiday experience. With British Airways new summer flight to Vancouver, flying from London Gatwick up to six times per week, it’s easier than ever to escape to this Pacific Coast jewel nestled between the mountains and the sea.
Here’s the perfect plan for getting to know Vancouver’s diverse neighbourhoods, from cobblestones to coffee shops and everything in between…
Air Canada welcomed Vancouver travel trade professionals to an event at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel that was packed with updates on Wednesday (April 12), including a restructuring at Air Canada Vacations (ACV) and the retirement of Lucie Guillemette, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer, after 36 years with the airline…
Don’t confuse Vancouver’s West End with the West Side (across False Creek) or West Vancouver (a different city altogether); you’ll find this trendy neighbourhood on the city’s downtown peninsula, just south of Coal Harbour. Once a quiet enclave for the elite, the West End is now boisterous. Davie Village serves as home base for the city’s LGBTQ+ community (be sure to pop into the historic Little Sister’s Book & Art Emporium for some queer lit) and you’ll find bars serving all types of folks along Davie Street. For restaurants and retail, you can’t beat Denman and Robson Streets. Robson skews high-end, while Denman is the place for hole-in-the-wall eats. But the real colour here is provided by mother nature in the form of 405-hectare Stanley Park and the aptly named Sunset Beach.
The perfect day Wake up at The Burrard, a ’50s motel converted into a hip boutique pad with a palm-filled courtyard. Grab a cruiser bike and head for the seawall, pausing at Tartine Bread and Pies for pastries. Ride all the way around Stanley Park, then make your way to Kingyo on Denman Street for fabulous Japanese small plates before dancing the night away at Celebrities: Vancouver’s biggest gay nightclub.
Plan your trip Don’t miss Vancouver’s annual Pride Festival, one of North America’s largest. Weeks of parties and events culminate in a Pride Parade that draws upwards of 100,000 people to the West End. As if that wasn’t enough, Pride overlaps with the Celebration of Light, the world’s longest-running offshore fireworks competition, held at the end of July at English Bay.
While the creek that fuelled Vancouver’s nineteenth-century brewery boom is long gone from Mount Pleasant, this historic neighbourhood remains the city’s go-to spot for craft beer – it’s easy to hit half a dozen tasting rooms in an afternoon on foot. The otherwise nondescript industrial and office buildings of this ever-evolving area are festooned with multi-storey murals, while its classic brick warehouses and storefronts are home to great vintage stores, galleries and artists’ studios. The neighbourhood vibe is perhaps best captured by Dude Chilling Park, so named after a guerrilla art installation mimicking an official city sign kept appearing with this name. Locals rallied to make the sign official, and it now has public art status.
The perfect day: Line your stomach with a peanut butter and jelly doughnut, plus locally roasted coffee, at 49th Parallel before strolling down Main Street to the cluster of breweries between 8th and 2nd avenues. Finish your night with craft cocktails at The Narrow Lounge or catch a show at the Fox Cabaret.
Plan your trip: For the Vancouver Mural Festival, in August, which culminates in an epic street party with multiple stages across Mount Pleasant. –Christina Newberry
This post originally appeared in the Time Out list of the word’s coolest neighbourhoods 2021.
Move over fancy cupcakes and designer doughnuts – pies are making a comeback. A new generation of young bakers are shaking things up with fun shops and innovative flavours that will satisfy the most modern palate, and classic pie shops continue to deliver the quality that has kept them in business for decades. No matter what kind of pie you're craving, here's where to find the perfect slice.
