Guide to living in (or visiting) Vancouver

We have had quite a few questions and requests about where to live and what to do in Vancouver, either for a week or for living. So, instead of thinking of all the things, many times, I thought I would just create this blog for all to browse.

1. Get a bike

2. Get a big lock to lock up your bike, otherwise, it will get stolen!

3. Get a rain coat - you will need it (especially in Winter) 

Enough of that. 

What to do if you're making the big move:

• Sign up for the Vancouver Ultimate League (VUL)...it will change your life and you'll (hopefully) make great friends.
• Jump on craigslist and find a job, a unit, a bike and anything and everything you could ever want
• Go to ScotiaBank and tell the bank teller you are new in town, and they will give you a bank account with no fees and free movies!
• Go and get your SIN number, so you can work.
• Follow boredinvancouver.com and it will tell you everything that's going on for the week.

Where to live: (check out this useful map)

• Preferably near a skytrain, buses pretty much suck, trains are awesome and come every 3-6 minutes (at least they do on the Canada line).
• Don't live around Main & East Hastings. 
• As suburbs go, Kitsilano is pretty good. Very close to beach and shops - lacks a train line
• Yaletown - lovely neighbourhood, probably a little more pricey but has easy access to shops within walking distance 
• Mt Pleasent suburb (from Cambie St & Broadway - Clark)  - the name says it all. It's a great area with hipsters and very trendy stores, coffee places, it's safe and you can't really go wrong.
• Commercial Drive Skytrain, VCC skytrain - again, a very trendy hipster area.

If you are looking for a cheaper option, there is nothing wrong with Burnaby. Sure, it may take you a little extra time to get into the city, but it's a great area, with great people. Unless you live near great public transport, you may need a car. 

Craft Beers:

Step 1: Buy a growler. Step 2: Check out this map of Vancouver Breweries. Personal favourites: 33 acres & Parallel 49. If you go to a pub, you should definitely try Fat Tug IPA it's brewed on Vancouver Island and is delicious.

Food & Food Trucks & Coffee

Here is a great list of all the food trucks that are available and open. Personal favourites: Aussie Pie Guy (this is where I worked, it's great and delicious pies that taste like the real deal!), Tacofino have the best fish tacos ever, Disco Cheetah have delicious Korean Fusion tacos, Kaboom Box have a delicious Salmon Sandwich. If you want breakfast/brunch, hit up Yolks (food truck or commissary). Also, Twisted Fork  have a delicious menu and will not disappoint.

• If you want a delicious sandwich, hit up Meat & Bread.
• If you want delicious Poutine, go to Fritz European Fry House.
• If you want a Bagel with Salmon Cream Cheese Spread, go to Sally's Bagels.
• Don't go to starbucks, go to Tim Hortons. 
• For a (much) better coffee, hit up 49th Parallel (be sure to get a donut), Elysian, Matchstick & Revolver.
• If you want a delicious tea, be sure to find a Davids Tea. They are a Canadian company with more than 120 different teas. I also worked for this company while in Vancouver and they do to go teas or loose leaf to you can buy and enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

Hiking in (and around) Vancouver:

There are so many hikes you can do, don't waste one summers day without going outside and hitting up a hike. Do the Grouse Grind for a challenge, go to Deep Cove for a beautiful view. Just go to Vancouver Trails and explore the endless possibilities, or for the top 10 check out this guy's blog. Personal favourites: Grouse grind, the Chief & St Marks Summit

Deep Cove Hike

View from the Chief

Winter

Yes, it's cold, at least it was for my Aussie skin, but it's beautiful. Buy the appropriate winter gear, and you won't have an issue. There is a store in Vancouver called Sports Junkie, and they sell second hand snow gear. It will snow maybe a couple times a year, for a day or two. Nothing compared to the rest of Canada.

• Buy a rain jacket, you'll need it.
• Ski at Grouse Mountain after work, slopes are open til 10pm.
• Snow show at Cypress or Seymour Mountain, it's really fun.
• Go to Whistler if you have a car, or just catch the bus.

Snowshoeing at Cypress

Summer

• Hike
• Go to Vancouver Island and camp in Tofino, or check out the beautiful gardens near Victoria.
• Go explore the Rockies
• Explore the Okanagan
• Hit up Portland and Seattle. It's super close for a weekend trip. Either rent a car, or go on the Amtrak or Greyhound.

What to do in Vancouver (Touristy things)

• Get that bike you bought (or hired) and ride around the sea wall - the whole way, even if it's raining. You'll love it. 
• Stop in at Stanley Park on your ride, go to the Aquarium if that is what you wish (we never did, so I can't say if it's worth it)
• Stop in at Science World on the bike ride too, again, we didn't do it so we can't say if it's good or bad. 
• Beaches: Check out English Bay, Kitsilano Beach & Jericho Beach. If you want to take off your pants then hit up Wreck Beach.
• Granville Island or Lonsdale Quay Market
• If you want to pay $30 go to Capilano Suspension bridge, if you want a free suspension bridge that is just a nice and beautiful with a nice lake, go to Lynn Valley.
• Hit up Gastown, it's got pretty cobblestone roads, and a steam clock.
• At 8.59pm, stop everything, go outside and listen for the 9 o'clock cannon. 
• Go to a Giant's game, it's just as entertaining, and cheaper than the Canucks.

Lynn Valley

Giants game

That's it for now. I may even add some photos at a later time, but in the mean time, watch this.

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Forget everything you have read and appreciate this. Today was probably our biggest day so far and probably my favourite. We went to 2 National Parks and hiked about 15km all up.

Bryce Canyon National Park was our first stop. I don't know how to describe this place and photo's don't do it justice. At 8100ft, the canyon is formed by the natural force of water, ice and gravity that forms the 'hoodoos' of Bryce Canyon which makes it so unique. For 200 days each year, snow and ice will melt in the afternoon and freeze at night. When the water freezes, it expands and pushes  the rocks apart creating the different hoodoos and windows that can be found in the Bryce Canyon amphitheater. We hiked 4.6km throughout the amphitheater and then hiked further along the rim of the canyon. It was incredible, it topped the grand canyon by far! With every twist and turn came a new angel of the canyon. It was like a wonderland. It would be incredible to see it when there is snow scattered throughout the amphitheater.

Stomping Bryce...

We came from down the bottom...

View of Bryce Canyon

Bringing back the hurdling

Anyway, that is Bryce. If you ever plan a trip to the USA, include Bryce Canyon! Next stop, Zion National Park.

Grand Canyon, AZ

We packed up our belongings and headed for Arizona, "the Grand Canyon State."

For those of you who have not been to the Grand Canyon, I will start with some 'fun facts' that may help you try and visualize the canyon:

• The Grand Canyon is 447km's in length
• At the widest point, it stretches 29km across; at the narrowest, only 6.4km
•  The Grand Canyon is approximately 1.8km's deep
• The rock found at the bottom of the canyon is about 2 million years old, compared to the rock on the upper rim which is said to be 230 millions years old.
• Despite the Grand Canyon not being the longest, widest not deepest canyon, it attracts 5 million tourists each year. 

We headed to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon which is where most tourists flock to. Since the Grand Canyon is so...'Grand,' shuttle buses service the south rim of the canyon which allows tourists to hop on and off at certain viewing points. You can also walk along the rim of the canyon between the viewing points which we mostly did. We decided to head down one of the hikes that takes you into the canyon and the views were amazing. I can't actually describe them, so here are a few photos. We were in the Canyon for sunset too. It was a little cloudy and photos didn't quite capture how beautiful it was, but enjoy these photos of us and the canyon. We also encountered some Elks and squirrels on our journey. They were adorable!

Spot the Strelan...

It was a hard walk up.

Colorado River through the Canyon