VANCOUVER

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13-TUESDAY, AUGUST 17
From a friend who has lived there before:

Vancouver huh? Well I am the expert. Driving in downtown is a nightmare since the streets are so small. The real Vancouver experience is walking and/or taking the Skytrain where you need to go. Everything is close by and in walking distance. I would suggest parking the car somewheres and leaving it for a few days.


Not sure what your main interests are but there are some cool clubs and music venues on Granville St. In fact this is pretty much the main street for entertainment and bar hopping. When I was there, Cafe Crepe had $10 pitchers of beer! There is also the Cambie on Cambie street. The section of town leaves something to be desired, but this bar is a hot spot for all international travelers alike.


If you want to relax, I'd say hit Jericho beach, or go across the bay to Sunset Beach. Those two have beautiful views and cool people that hang out. Both of those are near Grandville Island, which is a unique slice of port city living.


Something I always do in Vancity is Walk or bike around Stanley Park. This is also where the Vancouver Aquarium is and that has to be my favorite place besides seeing a hockey game at General Motors place.


If you are gay friendly, Davie St is the place to go for that flavor. Plenty of bars and shops run by LGBTs. Kodak developing center is also located near there so if you are as big a film nerd as I am, you should see if you can get a Kodak tour. :)


I will say Gastown is a tourist trap. But if you like that sort of silly family stuff, go there.


Also get down into China town, but only in the daytime as you need to go through bum city to get there.


If you like smoking the green, there are two pot cafes on Hastings street which I think are still open. Bring your own pot.


That's another thing, pot smoking and prostitution are legal, as long as you do not openly sell either. You are permitted to have and smoke. But don't try to smuggle it across the boarder.


If you need to do some shopping there is a lovely underground mall called Pacific Centre which I believe can be accessed via skytrain or on Granville street.


But all this is on the upper peninsula and in the downtown area. I never spent much time on the lower mainland since that is mostly suburbs and boring.


That's a lot of info. I hope your ADD let you get through all of that. If you have anymore questions, let me know. :)


-Jared