Downtown Vancouver Favourites: Next Places to Revisit

I lived in Vancouver for nine years before moving to the East Coast. My husband was born and raised in Montreal but lived in Vancouver with me for almost four years during the early part of our marriage. I consider Vancouver as my home city in Canada and for my husband, it is his second home. Now, we have a new home in Ottawa.

Our son was born in Ottawa and frequently visits Montreal with us. However, Vancouver, for him, is something unfamiliar and far away.

When we took him there when he was a still a toddler, we made sure that we brought him to some of our favourite places. On some trips, it was just the three of us, and on some, with my family in Vancouver.

I am sure that our son will not remember everything, but there will be plenty of opportunities to go back and rediscover the city I that I have come to love (and greatly miss).

We visited the mountain resort in Whistler and falls in Squamish, hiked and crossed hanging bridges in Capilano and Lynn Valley in Vancouver’s North Shore, went on rides and walked along the lake in Chilliwack, and wandered around a park in Abbotsford.

In downtown Vancouver, we brought him to kid-friendly attractions, along with his second cousins, and we, the adults, got the chance to once again enjoy these places we had overlooked for years. We realized you can never be too old for these things.

NEXT PLACES TO REVISIT

On our last visit to Vancouver with our son, we had ticked off several attractions that a young child would enjoy. We still have a long list of other downtown Vancouver (and nearby) favourites to show our him, but those would have to wait for the next visit, and when he is old enough to appreciate them fully.

Grouse Mountain and Grouse Grind

It is called the “Peak of Vancouver,” where for only a 15-minute drive from downtown, you could enjoy a pristine alpine environment and a bird’s eye view of the city and the North Shore mountains. You can ride the Grouse Mountain Skyride, the aerial tram that takes you to the peak, where you can embark on thrilling outdoor adventures, indulge in cultural activities, participate in educational experiences, or encounter wildlife.

This was the very first attraction I visited in Vancouver as a tourist before I moved there as a resident and I have not been back in a long time.

Grouse Mountain is also a favourite spot for hiking in the summer. It has trails catering to various levels and fitness, but the most popular is the Grouse Grind, often referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster.”  This is a challenging 2.9-kilometer trail that ascends 800 meters up the mountain via very steep stairs.

I have friends who do this every weekend (I am not kidding) for exercise. The good news is that you have the option to hike up and then return via the comfortable Skyride. The bad news is that with 2,830 steps, it is really an intense workout, and the terrain is rough and challenging. I heard that on busy days, hikers go up on single file, so there is very little opportunity to stop and rest, unless you want all the people behind you to get annoyed.

Clearly, I have not attempted it yet and won’t until I reach a certain fitness level. But I am sure that my husband and our son will do it in a heartbeat.

Aquabus and False Creek Ferries

The Aquabuses in Vancouver are those cute, rainbow-coloured foot passenger ferries that provide commuter and sightseeing services to locations all along False Creek in central Vancouver. I would often use these to take visitors to Granville Island, and a couple of times to just have a relaxing boat ride on a lazy weekend with friends.

It takes 25 minutes to do a full route and it’s like doing a short cruise within the city. It would come handy when my friend (who drove us around in her car) didn’t want to deal with downtown traffic or didn’t want to switch parking lots, or when we were all too tired to walk but wanted to go from one downtown section to another in a breeze.

I suppose we could also take the False Creek Ferries (same concept but a bigger fleet and they go farther west). Actually, they are in stiff competition with the Aquabus company and they have similar routes and hit the same stops. I guess it’s just a matter of personal preference. I would suggest trying both to see which one you would like better.

And should you want a fancier city cruise, you could book one with Harbour Cruises. They even have sunset cruises that come with dinner and cocktails. My husband and I did this once, as well as a paddle-wheeler boat cruise along the Fraser River from the New Westminster Quay (will write about these two cruises separately).

Granville Island and Granville Island Market

If you love culture and food, Granville Island is a “must-visit.” Situated in a peninsula in the Fairview neighbourhood, it is best accessed (in my opinion) by crossing False Creek from downtown Vancouver via the Aquabus or the False Creek ferry. You will find it under the south end of the Granville Bridge. A permanent market stands on the area previously inhabited by warehouses and mills.

The Granville Island Market is packed with shops and stalls featuring sought-after specialty goods like fresh-caught seafood, farmers’ best produce, world-famous donuts, and artisanal charcuterie that visitors line up for. There are restaurants offering unique dining options as well.

The market is also a rich treasure trove for unique gifts – Indigenous art, B.C. wines, curated bookstores and many other one-of-a-kind shops. Several artists have also made this place their home. You can find painters, jewellers, glassblowers, potters, and others selling their creations in quirky studios. In the summer, there are performers in every corner, each telling their stories. Granville Island is also a popular venue for many cultural festivals. If you decide to make it your base for your viist, there is a boutique hotel with scenic sea and skyline views.

My Vancouver family and I used to go there to get fresh produce (specially fruits in season), fresh bread, and goodies from Lee’s Donuts (a local legend), and we enjoyed sampling charcuterie items and seasonal products like jams, pies, and cheeses.

Chinatown

Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of city's few distinct neighbouhoods known for its historic and cultural sites, food scene, nightlife, and shopping. You won’t miss is because its entrance on West Pender Street is marked by the four-pillar, three-story Millenium Gate guarded by two lions. Its sidewalks are specially paved and red dragon streetlamps demarcate its borders.

I have special memories of Chinatown. This was an area I frequented for many years, specially on Saturdays. I used to volunteer as part of a three-staff production for the Filipino edition of the Omni News broadcast (I’ll do a separate piece on this). Omni is a local multi-cultural TV channel, and their station was located on a building at the corner of East Pender and Columbia. With a couple of friends, we produced the live thirty-minute newscast in our mother tongue (Tagalog) every Saturday morning at eleven.

(Update: The old Omni became a subsidiary of Rogers TV and was rebranded as OMNI Television – in capital letters. As it evolved, financing for their local newscast shows was finally provided. I heard that they now have a stable roster of paid newscasters, reporters, and producers. The old Omni station is now occupied by Vancouver Film School and the new OMNI station has relocated to the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.)

After the telecast, my friends and I would go to New Town Bakery, a Chinatown staple, for a lunch of noodles, steamed buns, and tea.

I had a couple of favourite shops there – the Ochi Chinese Fashion store where I bought a beautiful aquamarine qipao that I wore on my wedding reception, as well as several formal occasions later, and a pair of silk pants and stylized cheongsam top that I had also used as formal wear (and many people had asked me where I got them from). The store sells both traditional Chinese dresses and original pieces designed by the owner.

The other one is Peking Lounge, a hip and trendy furniture and décor shop where you could find unique items individually curated by its owners who travel to China frequently, a far cry from other Chinese goods shops with mass-produced items on sale.

From here, I got the paper lanterns I used as table centrepieces for our small wedding reception at a Chinese restaurant in Montreal. I kept a couple of them as souvenirs.

(Update: Peking Lounge is now permanently closed. It seems that Chinatown has changed a lot since the pandemic. Old favourites have gone out of business, but new ones have also sprouted.)

A few blocks away is the International Village Mall right across from T&T Supermarket (a large Asian supermarket chain). When I was still living in Vancouver, it was called, “Tinseltown.” It housed mostly Asian shops and an Asian food court at that time. I bought my furniture pieces for my condo unit from one of the Asian shops there.

Science World

The name speaks for itself. It is a haven for science buffs, and it offers interesting indoor and outdoor exhibits, as well as immersive and interactive programs.

It is hard to miss this place because the building is an iconic part of the Vancouver skyline. It’s that giant metallic orb you see at the eastern end of False Creek. To me, it looks like a silver golf ball covered with wire mesh.

My husband and I were there ironically for a children’s Christmas party, when we did not have our child yet. Our company rented this place as a treat to our employees’ kids for the holidays, and I volunteered to help out. It got me a free ticket for my husband as well. We had the chance to explore all its sections after the party was over.

Our son, who is scientifically inclined like his dad, would have so much fun here.

Vancouver Lookout

The Vancouver Lookout is the city’s only observation deck and has been an iconic feature of its skyline. If you want to see Vancouver from a unique perspective, you can take a ride on a glass elevator 168 meters up. At the top, you can enjoy sweeping views of Vancouver, including Stanley Park, historic Gastown, the North Shore Mountains, and the bustling downtown core.

I have only ever taken one visitor up there (a university friend who was in town for a conference) but have never done it with my family. Ever since they opened the Flyover Canada attraction in 2013, it has been the preferred experience, maybe because it is more fun for younger people. (Please see the next article for this attraction).

Parks

Vancouver has a lot of green space within the city, and there are beautiful parks other than Stanley Park that you can take your visitors to.

Personally, I find that parks are more appealing to older visitors (the uncles and the aunties), so we did not take our son to a lot of parks during our visit. But I highly recommend visiting Queen Elizabeth Park, the VanDusen Botanical Garden, and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classic Chinese Gardens.

Queen Elizabeth Park is the highest point in Vancouver, so you can expect spectacular views. The 52-hectare park is home to the stunning Bloedel Conservatory. There is also a gorgeously landscaped quarry garden, the arboretum with its collection of exotic and native trees, and sculptures.

It has been our standard practice to take photos of our visitors with the Photo Session sculpture. This bronze art piece depicts a photographer taking a picture of three people. It is fun directing our guests to pretend “posing” with the three figures and/or someone standing behind the photographer figure as his assistant.

The VanDusen Botanical Garden is a 55-acre oasis in the heart of Vancouver with over 7,500 plant species and varieties from around the world. The most interesting feature here is the Elizabethan hedge maze, which is always fun to navigate. The garden has an architecturally interesting visitor centre, amazing restaurant, and a garden-themed gift shop. During the Christmas holiday season, they celebrate the Festival of Lights, where one million lights transform this into a magical winter wonderland.

The Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classic Chinese Gardens in Chinatown is an authentic representation of Ming Dynasty-era tradition and the first of its kind outside China. Its winding paths, rocks, plants, and beautiful vistas remind me of the pictures from Chinese calendars we used to get from our Chinese business friends in the Philippines.

If you want a relaxing break from roaming the city, just visit this park and find peace and tranquility in the unique rock forms, water lily-covered pond, pagoda, and lush plants.

Beaches

Vancouver offers a variety of stunning beaches, ranging from bustling city spots to quiet, scenic retreats. The most easily accessible ones from downtown are Kitsilano Beach, English Bay, Jericho Beach, and the expansive Spanish Banks. If you are into water sports or beach volleyball, or simply lazing under the sun, you have plenty of choices.

My family and I are not beach bums, so on this visit, we did not go to any beaches.

My memories of Vancouver beaches include playing beach volleyball with friends (more like keeping score than playing; I was much better at that job and my team was usually more amenable to that, especially if they were feeling competitive and wanted to win the game..hahaha) and watching the July firework displays at night.

Richmond

Richmond is an interesting area of Metro Vancouver, both from a tourist perspective and from a personal perspective.

Richmond is famous for the Steveston Historic Fishing Village and Gulf of Georgia Cannery, which dominate the waterfront and offer a glimpse at the rich history of the west coast fishing industry. In the summer months, we go there to buy seafood fresh from fishermen’s boats, and to stroll around eating ice cream and checking out shops and kiosks.

Richmond is also the most Asian among the districts in Vancouver. This was where the influx of immigrants from Hong Kong during the handover from Britain to China in 1997 settled. For them, the word “Richmond” signifies prosperity and good luck, so they built their community in this city.

When you hear the term, “Hongcouver,” it is primarily referring to Richmond. So, if you are on the lookout for authentic Cantonese fare, this is where you go. When my brother visited with his family, this was where they hunted for snow crabs and Alaskan King crabs and where we went for nice dim sum meals.

I used to frequent Richmond for the Richmond Night Market with my cousins (mostly for the street food) and the huge Asian mall to find items not sold at regular Western shops (my favourite places there are the Japanese Oomomo retail store and the Japanese household goods store, Daiso that are the equivalent of our Dollar Store but ten times better).

My last job in B.C. before we moved to Ottawa was at an aviation company near the domestic airport in Richmond, so this was like my second neighbourhood as well. If I had not moved to Ottawa with my husband, I would have sold my condo in Surrey and bought a bigger unit in Richmond.

But of course, life sometimes takes us on a different course and plans change. But we will always go back to Vancouver.