I don’t know if I’ve really explained this, but since I spend so much time in this city, I want to pass on more Vancouver guides and recommendations. Whether you’re visiting or live just down the street, the beauty of a city is that there’s always something new to discover! I created the hashtag #604Guide (that I see a couple of random other people have used once or twice…maybe I’m onto something?) because I thought the hashtag would be a cool way to collect ideas on Insta and then I’d create more comprehensive guides and lists here on the blog!
What I wanted to share today was a list I’ve been working on that includes some of my favourite spots around town to kick back, relax, and get beautified! Self care is so important and no matter what your budget or availability, you can definitely squeeze in a pampering session every once in a while! From massages, facials, makeup, nails, and brows, you’ll have to read on to find out where you should treat yo self in Vancouver.
Whenever I’ve watched one of those movies where a series of silly and exaggerated events takes place over just one night, I always have to point out that, “yeah, that stuff just doesn’t happen in real life.” But, I’m here to admit that I was wrong. In fact, my year started out with one wild overnight Adventures in Babysitting-esque adventure. Let me start from the beginning.
Our New Year’s Eve was a quiet and slightly snowy one. We met up with some of our friends at their family cabin on Bowen Island. To give you an idea, Bowen is a small island, just a 20 minute ferry ride from West Vancouver. There’s really just one main road, one main street with shops and a very West Coast island feel. If you’d like, you can watch my Bowen VLOG to get a better sense (note in the video how outrageously tall all of the trees are). A real sign of the times (#thisis30), we were there with our friends Tessa and AJ, who have a 5 month old, Pia and Jim, who are expecting their first any day now, their friends who have a 9 month old, and then us with our pup. We rang in 2017 in our pjs with Cards Against Humanity while the babies slept, laughing at how much life has changed. Our running hypothetical scenario was about pregnant Pia going into labour on NYE while we were isolated on the island. A very probable scenario, we compared possible solutions, like doctors and midwives on the island, or a helicopter lift to the hospital. We all eased Pia and her husband Jim’s worries with these options, assuring them that her water likely wasn’t going to break anytime soon.
The next morning, I was woken up by Reg launching himself onto the bed and attacking my face with snuggles, as he and Adam returned from their morning walk. “It’s really windy out there today,” Adam pointed out, as I desperately tried to fend off our hyper dog. I hopped out of bed enthusiastically at the notion of a large pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen and followed my boys downstairs. The cooing of our youngest house mates echoed throughout the recently renovated open concept living area. The gorgeous oversized floor to ceiling wall of windows showed off that delicious winter morning light, covering the nearby Sunshine Coast in an almost reflective golden light. I grabbed my camera and decided to step outside, hoping to capture the stunning view for the gram. I’d barely turned the door handle, when it went flying open, nearly blowing me and the door away. I hesitated, thinking that maybe without shoes or a coat on, being outside in this wind wasn’t the best idea, but of course decided to just be quick. When I stepped back in, Adam turned to me and said, “Reggie won’t eat his breakfast. I wonder if he’s not feeling well.” I looked down at that scruffy little pup and pointlessly asked him what was wrong. You could hear his stomach gurgling and we chalked it up to be a sore tummy.
Everyone had a leisurely morning, and we started making breakfast around 10. Someone pointed out that since it was a holiday, the ferry times were noon and 3:10 pm and we all agreed that the later one was our best bet since we were mid cooking and still had to tidy the cabin. Reggie kept pacing around, stopping in the oddest spots to stand super straight, tail between his legs, then he’d lay down somewhere, only to become restless again. “Maybe something bad is going to happen,” AJ declared, “dogs know these things. People say that their dogs act strange before earthquakes and stuff.” We all looked at each other and agreed, but shrugged it off, saying that he probably just ate something weird.
As we were cleaning the place, I was overcome with anxiety, and noticed that Adam was as well. We just couldn’t figure out why we were so nervous about catching the 3:10 ferry home and decided together that we should leave extra early to ensure we got on the boat. We loaded our vehicle, helped tidy around, and then awkwardly left in a hurry before our friends had loaded their kids into the cars. Our drive to the ferry terminal from the cabin is always a winding one, but there were tons of extra obstacles on this particular afternoon. We had to go extra slow to swerve and avoid oversized branches and other debris that littered the road, as the huge trees exaggeratedly swayed from side to side above us.
Prepare yourself, because today’s post is all about the magic of Grouse Mountain! You might remember when Alex and I went up to Grouse last December to get into the holiday spirit. We knew we had to head up the mountain again this year to spend the morning at The Peak Of Christmas!
I was able to capture some of my favourite photos of the year, including the above shot. That pink sky and the chair lift! I’ve already ordered a print of it for our house, and I’m obsessed! We’d picked a random day for our mountain adventure and not only did it happen to be December 1st, but it was also sunny. Which, might not seem like such a feat, but it rained here for almost 2 straight months, so a morning with sunshine was a lovely surprise. Plus, it turned out (which you might be able to tell from some of the pictures), that Vancouver was covered in a blanket of fog so they didn’t even get to appreciate that sun. Alex and I were able to get private early morning access, where we captured a stunning winter sunrise and enjoyed an incredibly memorable morning.
I absolutely love Vancouver. I grew up here (well, in the suburbs, minor detail), and have now lived on the East side of Vancouver for a decade. Exploring around this city is one of my favourite things to do. There’s so much amazing food, art, coffee, shopping, and scenery. We have incredible hiking trails, skiing/snowboarding, and are a generally active bunch. Yet, we also have the hustle and bustle of urban life in our downtown core and beyond. There’s adorable neighbourhoods like Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Olympic Village, Fairview, etc. The weather here is mild, but seasonally accurate (for the most part) which makes it ideal to visit at any time of year! And yes, there are moments when it rains and rains, but don’t let that stop you. Bring some rain boots and an umbrella, I promise you it’s worth it!
I have been meaning to compile my Vancouver recommendations for years. Thanks to some encouragement from the lovely team at Vancouver Tourism, it’s finally time to reveal my secret gems around this place. Though I’m sure this is the start of many posts about this wonderful city, I have compiled a comprehensive 48 hour itinerary. It was really tough to narrow down what to see in only 2 short days, but whether you’re here for a quick visit or on a staycation here, below are a few of my favourite Vancouver things (oh yes, I just went there in song). Hope you enjoy!
Under the river and through the fields, to Tsawwassen Mills we go! I must say, that I love venturing outside of the city and discovering areas of the Lower Mainland that I don’t know very well. Especially when it means I get to do some shopping!
We actually got a sneak peek of Tsawwassen Mills last week before it was even finished and honestly, it is so impressive how quickly these retail stores can set up their elaborately decorated stores in a matter of days. The amount of detail and thoughtfulness put into the space is so lovely and enhances the retail experience. Felt more like walking through a gallery with all their beautiful art installations. For such a grand space, I just knew their grand opening celebrations would be spectacular. We were there yesterday amongst thousands of eager shoppers, many of whom were lucky enough to get a gift card with their spot in line! It was a really cool experience to be there for ribbon cutting and to see the excited crowds. Even though it was so populated, nothing felt claustrophobic and they were really prepared and organized. Had a great few hours of shopping, already can’t wait to go back!
Can you even imagine living amongst these views? My new life goal is to own property in the Naramata Bench. It’s absolutely ridiculous that Adam and I had never been, we are now Okanagan Wine Country obsessed. In fact, I’m heading to Vernon the next TWO weekends in a row. What can I say, there’s just more wine to drink and vineyards to tour!
The Naramata Bench is such a special spot within BC. Just a 4 hour drive from Vancouver, but feels like a completely different world. We’d spend our mornings sipping coffee with our lake/orchard views, the afternoon vineyard hopping, early evening reading at the beach, and the nights enjoying delicious meals. If you’ve never been, you absolutely MUST go, it is THE perfect weekend getaway! Below, I’ve outlined what you’ll need to know to book accommodation, where to eat the best food, snap the best views, and of course, where to DRINK!
I swear I do this to myself, but life has been absolute insanity lately. The end of summer rush was only magnified by oh, you know, getting a dog, and then, oh, you know, fighting with strata. I was so tightly wound when we left for our two day yoga retreat on Bowen Island, that I actually breathed a sigh of relief as the ferry crossed the Howe Sound.
Alexandra and I had never been on a yoga retreat of any kind, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Thinking about it now, I love yoga, and I love local adventures, so this was bound to only be amazing. I cannot even tell you how wonderful our experience was at Nectar Yoga B&B. Andrea is the best yoga instructor I’ve ever had. The food was incredible. Bowen is always a great escape from the city. You know what? Why don’t you watch it all in the VLOG that I put together from our retreat! Photos, more details, AND a giveaway are below as well!
Now, I don’t cycle. In fact, I’ve always strongly disliked biking, mostly thanks to a traumatizing all-day 6th grade class bike trip on a gravel trail. How they could assume inexperienced cyclists could go from casual cul-de-sac biking to a full 10 hour outdoor bike excursion is beyond me. Still bitter with my mom for making me go, but let’s save that one for therapy one day. I’m not necessarily scared of the bike or would even say that I can’t, I just mostly choose not to. Slight stubbornness, mixed with a lack of motivation, I really have only been on a bike once (you can read that hilarious post here) in the past, oh, at least 15 years.
Then, came this notion of “the summer of us”, a reprise of the summer of 2006 with my best friends Jessica and Vanessa. We were young, carefree, a few of us single, and perhaps a bit lost. It was, somehow, one of those near perfect summers where we experienced as much as we could. And so, a decade later, we attempted to recreate this as best we could. In a far more basic adult way, we made a list of activity ideas and had to all get out our calendars in May and block out certain days for each proposed event. The grand finale of it all, was something called ‘Bikes and Brews’, a cycling tour through East Vancouver to a bunch of different breweries.
Well, it was another lovely Diner en Blanc experience last night! I happened to see them setting up some sound equipment at Concord Pacific the other day and wondered to myself if that would be the DeB location and hey…I was right! Which was SO convenient for us because our meeting spot was Telus World of Science and we really only had to walk a few minutes to the newly revealed location. The night was a great success! Some highlights being the copious amounts of cheese we consumed (and some greens to counter that, of course), the gorgeous Vancouver sunset over the water, and the surprise concert on the main stage at the end of the night.
Huge thanks to Jen and Remo for always bringing us on their Diner en Blanc adventure. Also to Gentle Fawn for the gorgeous white dress and to Rosie for the fresh ‘do.
I hope you guys all followed along on my Insta Story, but if not, I did manage to do a VLOG! Finally, I know. Anyway, I intended to speak and vlog the entire night, but it was unexpectedly noisy, so things didn’t quite go as planned. All good, it’s still a nice snapshot of the evening. Hope you enjoy!
