Why I Didn’t Like My Trip to Vancouver, B.C.

Everybody is supposed to like Vancouver, right? Well, this Vancouver travel guide will give you a different perspective.

Vancouver is the site of so many beloved film and television shows. MacGyver. X-Files. The Rise of the Planet Apes. I, Robot. And that blasted Fifty Shades flick, to name a very few. You could say that it is Canada’s “Hollywood.” But that is definitely where the similarity ends. Vancouver is nothing like Los Angeles. Sure, it’s a cosmopolitan city, but to me, it is more sophisticated and compact, where L.A. is a sprawling mishmash of everything under the sun. This 

Vancouver is also beautiful.

I had high hopes for my first visit to Vancouver, B.C. Maybe too high. We only spent two days there, and it rained nearly the entire time. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t surprised by the lack of sunshine. This is the Pacific Northwest, after all. It’s just that…well, something was missing.

Suffice it to say, my first impression of Vancouver was not a great one. While driving into the heart of the city, what did strike me was how different the high-rise buildings looked. Unlike anything I had seen before, the windows on all of the buildings seemed to be made up of differently shaded squares of frosted glass. As if they were made of light-colored building blocks. This gave the city a futuristic feel. Throw in some threatening clouds and at first glance, the city seemed downright dystopian.

Once we arrived and checked into our hotel, it started raining and didn’t really stop until we were ready to leave two days later. There were (very) occasional sun breaks, but they lasted mere minutes before the skies closed back up and the light drizzle continued its onslaught.

Overall, it seemed to be a dreary grey city with many things to see and do, but at the time I was not motivated to see much of anything. Why? In short, the city did not inspire me. And as a born traveler, not being inspired by a new place is very unsettling. I’ll give you a short rundown of our trip:

The Good

Gas Town – this was my favorite part of the city. The ‘highlight’ of our trip, if you will. I was charmed by its cobblestone streets, funky boutiques and galleries, and great places to eat and drink. We ate at Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar, which I highly recommend! Nightlife in Vancouver is centered around Gas Town.

Crab Park at Vancouver Harbour – very pretty! The weather even blessed us with a couple of sun breaks during our walk. It’s a great place to view the city skyline and take in some magnificent water views. Located just north of Gas Town, it’s a nice place to watch the ships roll by.

The Bad

Robson Street –  Good for outdoor shopping, but nothing really that you couldn’t find at any regular shopping mall. Most of the high-end shops are located here, but who has money for that? I’d rather spend my hard-earned dough on experiences, not things.

Missed Opportunities

Stanley Park and Capilano. Even though it was pouring rain, I’m kind of kicking myself that we skipped this. I really wanted to stroll around the Seawall and then go further north to walk across the Capilano Suspension bridge. But alas, that is for another day. Next time I am going to take my own advice and visit these places.

Granville Island. I’m not sure I even knew about this island and its awesome public market at the time. Hindsight is 20/20, right? With all of its shopping, entertainment, and culinary delights, I could have easily spent a full day here.

The Ugly

Chinatown. Very authentic but kind of shady. I didn’t feel safe there. My husband is a tall guy, and I didn’t feel totally vulnerable since he was with me, but he took a few pictures and we quickly moved on. I’m sure there were great restaurants to experience, but we just weren’t feeling it!

I make no apologies for my lack of enthusiasm of my first trip to Vancouver. As I stated above, I simply was not inspired or motivated to give the city its due justice and explore it fully. Hence the title of this post. It’s not like I didn’t like the city, I just didn’t like the trip in general, if that makes sense.

Perhaps it was just not the right time for me. Perhaps if the weather had cooperated a bit more, or we had an extra day or two, things might have been different.

Oh trust me, I will be back.