Oh, The Places We'll Go!

On Sunday, B's parents arrived. The first of a parade of visitors arriving until the end of September. We're really looking forward to showing our family and friends a lot of the places that we love out here, along with some places that we've never seen before. 

We had a bunch of tourist magazines, from when we first moved here, laying around the house. I thought these would be great to add to the guest room, for our guests to browse  and see what strikes their interest. This would serve as a better way for us to plan our daily adventures. Here are a few of the locations we plan on suggesting, or bringing our guests to...

Golden Ears Provincial Park

We have already made a few trip's out here on our own. Once with our first visitor from NYC, and the second time about a month ago, to swim at the lake and cool off. Of course, the park is HUGE (62,450 hectares to be exact), so we have barely scratched the surface. Actually... we have only been to Lake Alouette. This means, that of course we would love to bring some of our more adventurous guests to this gorgeous park for some walking, hiking and general nature loving. I mean, isn't that why people come to B.C. in the first place?

Fort Langley

I actually brought B's parent's here on Monday afternoon for a stroll with Halle. B has never been with me, but I visited once before when meeting Colleen and Kevi for an afternoon coffee. I'm so glad Colleen had me visit that first time, as it was a great place to visit with B's parents. We walked through all of the lovely shops, and discovered a few gems that I plan to go back to. It's such a nice little place to get out to, and though we didn't actually visit the historic fort, we enjoyed an afternoon walking the shops. We'll have to save visiting the Fort for another day.

Stanley Park

I don't think it's possible to bring someone to Vancouver and NOT bring them to Stanley park. After all, it is considered one of the greatest urban parks in the world. So far all of our visits have been limited to driving around the seawall, stopping only briefly to take photos, but I am determined that at one point this month we will park the car and venture into more of this beautiful green space to explore with Halle. I know that she, along with our guests, will enjoy running around and taking in all of the lovely sights this space as to offer. I have never seen anything quite like it - the trees, the ocean, the mountains - absolutely stunning!

Cypress Mountain

B has been up Cypress a couple of times. His first time was skiing, when he was out here for the first time in March, and we made the trip up to the look-out point when my friend came to visit back in June. It's the perfect place to head to on a clear day, to get a fabulous view of Vancouver and much of the surrounding area. I do hope that we can head up there with at least one of our visitors during the month of September.

The Vancouver Aquarium

We visited the Aquarium during our first trip also. Halle may have only been 8 months old at the time, but even she loved watching all of the fish and other animals that reside at this incredible aquarium. It was the perfect day to spend a cool, rainy spring day, and I can't wait to bring her again. It would be nice to visit with some of our guests, but we'll see who is interested. This is definitely the type of destination one should have an interest in visiting, and be willing to commit at least a couple of hours to. 

Whistler

We made the trip to Whistler not long after moving here, and I have been looking forward to going again. Our first trip was pretty short, since we arrived around lunch time, ate and walked around the village for maybe an hour before making the drive back to our home. We hope to bring B's parents this weekend to check it out. It's a great place to explore, but even the drive there is worth it. I hear the Sea to Sky highway was not much of an enjoyable ride before the Olympics, so I'm thankful we moved when we did. The drive that first time was breathtaking, and I look forward to experiencing it all over again!

Hope

Hope, I learned, is somewhere you would bring a guest who is interested in exploring more of the great outdoors. When we visited we went on the Hell's Gate tram and also paid a visit to the Othello Tunnels. It was pretty cool and rainy, so neither excursion lasted as long as we would've liked, so I'm looking forward to heading back on a nicer day. I have a feeling my brother would really enjoy checking out Hope, so even if no one else is interested, I plan to take him there for a visit when he's out west. 

White Rock

White Rock is another one of my favourite close-to-home places to visit... especially if you're in the mood for ice cream... or cupcakes! We stopped by here on Tuesday, and enjoyed a walk on the pier as well as a stop for an afternoon snack at Tracycakes Bakery. A warm drink and a sampling of cupcakes - what could be a more perfect day than that? I'll definitely be bringing each of our guests back to White Rock... if nothing else, at least for an afternoon cupcake run!



GasTown

I have a feeling that a lot of people from Vancouver would tell you that GasTown is pretty touristy... but hey, I like it. We've only been when bringing friends. Our first visit was short, only for an enjoyable brunch with a friend of mine on the patio, back in June and most recently we spent some time strolling the streets, slipping into some lovely shops and enjoying some dinner, with B's parents. We even spotted James Hetfield of Metallica enjoying lunch at one of the restaurants. I think it's a fun way to spend some time in downtown Vancouver, and I'll probably bring at least a few more of our guests to check it out.

Victoria

I have been anxious to visit Victoria for so long, and B had even looked into us going to visit when we were on the island last month. Well, we finally booked our ferry for this Sunday, and we'll be heading over for a visit with his parents. It's just for the day, but I'm incredibly excited to see this beautiful location! Watch for a post on our adventure next week.

Historic Steveston

B and I first visited Steveston when we came out to Vancouver in March. We loved it immediately, especially because of the food choices here. Steveston is a historic fishing village, right off the coast and we're happy to go there any time for BBQ or seafood... or cupcakes or whatever seems to strike our interest at the time. I actually swung by here with B's parents yesterday, and we enjoyed lunch and picked up some fish (right off the boat) for dinner tonight. I love visiting here, and have high hopes of going Whale Watching out of Steveston one day. 

Seattle, Washington

Considering how close Seattle is to us, I am surprised I have not yet convinced B to head there yet - even just for a day trip. This is another location I am determined to visit during our month of visitors. Visiting the original Starbucks, strolling Pike Place Market, seeing the Space Needle - I want do to it all! What do you suggest we do when we visit Seattle? 

Granville Island

Another rather touristy, but enjoyable destination. We actually started B's parents visit here, and we all enjoyed our time here. A delicious lunch, a nice stroll and purchasing some yummy beer. Since we always love food when we travel, we figure it's a good place to bring people. Whether we're ready for a bite to eat right at that moment, or just interested in picking up a snack or something to cook up for later, it's a great place to visit. I always love stopping by here. 

What do you think of our list of places to bring our visitors? Is there some place else that you would add, or ask to visit if you were heading out west to see the sights? We're always happy to add more to our list, and I'd love to hear some of your suggestions and tips for travelling around the West Coast.