"Memorial Day Weekend - May 2001" a Vancouver Travel Page by richyoon

For all the time I've spent on the West Coast, I was never really motivated to visit Canada. Maybe its the Southern Californian in me that looks for beaches or party cities. However, based on a friend's recommendation (who actually came from Vancouver), I thought it would be a nice trip for 4 days over Memorial Day weekend. From my friend, I found out that Vancouver is almost 50% Asians (maybe that's an exaggeration, but there's a huge Asian population here) Accordingly, I heard that Vancouver had some of the freshest (& cheap) Sushi around, and maybe the best dim sum in the world (comparable to Hong Kong and San Francisco). And there's got to be party places in a big city, right?

So why not? Its only a two and half hour flight up from LA, and cost about $150 round trip. I was going on a tight budget, but the U.S. dollar was really strong then. And I was able to talk my friend in joining me on the trip.

I'm so glad that I went. Vancouver was an amazing city. Its very walkable. Although a big city, it feels very outdoorsy... I never did figure out the public transportation, but I think being in Vancouver made me want to be active. Definitely walked the entire city center several times. Eventually, I rented a car to get to the farther off locations, but you probably can get by in the city without one.

I think no trip to Vancouver is complete without biking, jogging or rollarblading around Stanley Park. Being the end of May, the sun didn't set till about 10 PM. Having so much daylight, you just feel like being physically active.

Eating was also a big part of my trip. The Asian food here is excellent, and cheap (well at least back in 2001 for an American). Definitely go out for Dim Sum... its the best I had (and I've been to SF, HK, and LA).

I also did alot of shopping, but I think its because the exchange rate was so good at the time. Otherwise, you have basically have the same stores you have in the U.S.

Go out bar hopping on Robson Street. I never did figure out a great nightlife spot in Vancouver, but there seems to be the most activity on this street.

Take a drive to Whistler (about 30 mins) or even to Seattle (about an 1.5 hour drive).