Best of British Columbia – Vancouver

 
raccoons, stanley park, vancouver
Raccoons out for a stroll in Stanley Park.

Alright, it’s time to wrap up my look at British Columbia. I can’t thank Teresa from MtnBikingGirl.com enough for all her help. She had info that some schmoe like me who’s in town for a few days couldn’t find on his own. Be sure to visit her blog. If you’re late to the party, check out our posts about Whistler/Squamish and the Victoria area!

Justin’s Quick Hits

Yes, Vancouver is really as cool as everyone says it is: a big but friendly city that’s progressive but not snooty. There’s a blend of old-school and new architecture. You’ll find awesome parks like Stanley Park, and you might catch some trials riders hopping around the beach areas. My favorite thing to do was just to walk. We’d pick a direction and go. You’ll find plenty of things to do, like the Granville Island Public Market and Chinatown.

Vancouver is pretty at night - view from the Lonsdale Quay Hotel

We stayed at the Lonsdale Quay Hotel, which became my favorite hotel in Vancouver. The staff was friendly, it has great views and it’s perched atop a very awesome marke. It’s also close to a ferry stop, which offers a nice ride to the downtown area (a novelty for a desert guy and his ex-sailor wife). Vancouver has a very international population, so you’ll find any sort of cuisine. I’d be thrilled to have such a glut of awesome Asian food in my hometown. And watch for the fresh fruit. I got a hold of some life-changing blueberries.

I know Teresa will yell at me about this, but I’m not a big fan of Tim Horton’s – neither the donuts nor the coffee.

I'm hunting for wild blackberries - this is seconds before I fell into the bush and got ventilated by thorns.

If you’re a futbol fan, see if you can squeeze a Vancouver Whitecaps match into your schedule. It begins its first season in Major League Soccer this summer. Yes, I know it’s not exactly the Champions League —

Teresa Tells It All

What”! You don’t like Tim Horton’s”” Oh no!! Well, the good news is Vancouver has really good coffee with Artigiano’s and Delaney’s topping my list. Both are local coffee chains that take pride in their coffee. The owners of Artigiano’s actually spent time in Italy to learn how to do it right before opening their first location on the corner of Pender and Thurlow in downtown Vancouver.

A trials rider hops on the logs in Vancouver.

But enough about coffee … let’s talk about riding! Mt Fromme is found in North Vancouver and one of the more popular places to ride, along with Mt Seymour where you’ll find the trail Severed Dick. Severed Dick is one of the original North Shore trails and is a good intermediate trail with minimal stunts. A word of caution, even the easy trails here may be much steeper and technical than what you’re used to. Trail maps are found at all of the local bike shops, I really like Obsession Bikes. They have a really helpful staff and will point you in the right direction if you need trail recommendations.

The sky gets dark over Vancouver.

There is a great bed and breakfast at the base of Mt Fromme that caters to mountain bikers that I highly recommend. Lynn Valley Bed and Breakfast has a secure area to store your bikes and an area to wash them as well. A great place to stay that’s close to the trails.

Well, this concludes the “Best of British Columbia” series. Come back soon!

This post just might contain affiliate links. Fear not, they’re non-spammy and benign. Hey, I have to keep this thing running somehow!

By Wandering Justin

Writer. Traveler. Gastronomic daredevil. Fitness fan. Homebrewer. Metal dude \m/. Cat and dog lover.

3 comments

  1. Hi Justin, we’re rigth following your useful tips, we’ve contacted to some bike shops to get maps. Vancouver island is almost over, Squamish seems to be easy to plan, but we’re still working on the most difficult part: Sunshine Coast…

    You, both, have done a great work…as i said in the other post, it’s more than we could expect…

    And, of course, you are invited to come with us, if you have no plan for the summer (although, i don’t think so)

    One more time, thank you very much!!

    Have a nice day!

  2. David, Teresa and I should be thanking YOU. Thanks to your questions, we’ve been able to right an epic series of mountain biking posts. Thanks for contacting us! Since Teresa lives up there, you might want to contact her when you’re in BC this summer.

    And Simon, enjoy yourself. BC is great. You’ll love Canada and Canadians.

Sound Off!

%d bloggers like this: