First Day in Vancouver, B.C.

Today we finally began our three-day conquering of the major metropolis of Vancouver. After a pretty horrible day of traveling through a freak April blizzard on Friday through the night and into this morning, we were all exhausted upon reaching our destination. And I must say, when our plane landed, I wasn’t too impressed. I saw a bit of dinge and a lot of industrial space as we efficiently moved on the Sky Train toward our hotel in the western portion of downtown.

After lugging our bags from the underground station of our stop, I realized just how wrong I was. As soon as we hit the open air of the city, Vancouver began pulling at my heart strings. Skyscrapers, street vendors, spectacular alleyway views of the Canadian Rockies and a diverse pedestrian population littered the streets around me, and it feels good to be back in a big city. Oh civilization, how I have missed thee.

After checking into our chic boutique hotel (more on that later), my travelling party and I were starving. We decided on a a chain-looking establishment across the street from our hotel called Don Guacamole’s. While it looks quite ordinary on the outside, I was surprised to find a full Spanish-speaking staff (always a good sign to prove authenticity of the cuisine) and a variety of dishes. I ordered what I expected to be a normal veggie burrito, but was served an overflowing masterpiece of grilled, gooey goodness smothered in a tangy red sauce. The restaurant offers traditional Spanish flavors wrapped up in gourmet packaging. Muy bueno. My compadres were as impressed with their lunches as I was, and we all took it as a sign from the gods that a random restaurant pick turning out so delicious boded well for Vancouver being a true foodie haven.

Later in the day, we took to the streets for exploration, shopping and to try the elusive Japadog. You may have seen this concoction on shows such as Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, but if not, the Japadog is a hot dog dressed up with Japanese-inspired ingredients. There are several stands around town, but we visited the closest one at 899 Burrard. The staff was extremely friendly and ready to pose for photos and explain various ingredients and hot dog types. I had the Veggie Terimayo with seaweed, Japanese mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce. I have to tell you, it was a little piece of heaven on a sesame seed bun. Despite the inevitable lineup at the stand, I could imagine gorging myself there every day.
With a delicious burrito and hot dog settled nicely into my belly, I realized it. I was in love. Vancouver, you have won my heart. Now what do you have in store for me on Day 2? We’ll find out bright and early tomorrow.

Today we finally began our three-day conquering of the major metropolis of Vancouver. After a pretty horrible day of travelling through a freak April blizzard on Friday through the night and into this morning, we were all exhausted upon reaching our destination. And I must say, when our plane landed, I wasn’t too impressed. I saw a bit of dinge and a lot of industrial space as we efficiently moved on the Sky Train toward our hotel in the western portion of downtown. After lugging our bags from the underground station of our stop, I realized just how wrong I was. As soon as we hit the open air of the city, Vancouver began pulling at my heart strings. Skyscrapers, street vendors, spectacular alleyway views of the Canadian Rockies and a diverse pedestrian population littered the streets around me, and it feels good to be back in a big city. Oh civilization, how I have missed thee.

After checking into our chic boutique hotel (more on that later), my travelling party and I were starving. We decided on a a chain-looking establishment across the street from our hotel called Don Guacamole’s.While it looks quite ordinary on the outside, I was surprised to find a full Spanish-speaking staff (always a good sign to prove authenticity of the cuisine) and a variety of dishes. I ordered what I expected to be a normal veggie burrito, but was served an overflowing masterpiece of grilled, gooey goodness smothered in a tangy red sauce. The restaurant offers traditional Mexican flavors wrapped up in gourmet packaging. Muy bueno. My compadres were as impressed with their lunches as I was, and we all took it as a sign from the gods that a random restaurant pick turning out so delicious boded well for Vancouver being a true foodie haven.

Later in the day, we took to the streets for exploration, shopping and to try the elusive Japadog. You may have seen this concoction on shows such as Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, but if not, the Japadog is a hot dog dressed up with Japanese-inspired ingredients. There are several stands around town, but we visited the closest one at 899 Burrard. The staff was extremely friendly and ready to pose for photos and explain various ingredients and hot dog types. I had the Veggie Terimayo with seaweed, Japanese mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce. I have to tell you, it was a little piece of heaven on a sesame seed bun. Despite the inevitable lineup at the stand, I could imagine gorging myself there every day. ?With a delicious burrito and hot dog settled nicely into my belly, I realized it. I was in love. Vancouver, you have won my heart. Now what do you have in store for me on Day 2? We’ll find out bright and early tomorrow.

– Lindsey

I am actually not sure what building that is but I just liked the compostion.

This man dropped one of the balls he was trying to learn to juggle with, this was right in front of the The Vancouver Art Gallery. There were people teaching and people learning to juggle.

This image was taken at the Vancouver Art Gallery. I liked the contemporary design of Robson Squre (foreground) and the classic design of the art gallery.