Once we were done with the game and the show on broadway… I hopped on several planes and headed to Vancouver to meet up with my ace.. Leah. My sister and I headed to Laguardia and split up at the gates. I was Canada Bound baby! First, I was heading to Toronto and then from Toronto to Vancouver. It was a long flight. I am not sure that I am built for international travel since I couldn’t even take the 5 hours across the country. That was really because we were packed in there like Sardines… and there was no room to stretch out and walk around. Maybe I need to make sure my movies and shows are downloaded beforehand from now on.

After the flight, I gathered my things… And keep in mind that I always overpack, but I took the Skytrain so I had to drag my back behind me. I have to say… This is the second airport that I have been to where you can get on a train into the city from the Airport. Made it so much easier and was cheaper to get to my hotel. So shoutout to public transit… but that is a whole other soapbox of mine. The signs were easy to follow and that is a big plus for me. It was an easy ride… and I got off just before the hotel. The great thing is that it was a short walk from the hotel. There were stops all over and it just made my ride into town much easier.

I was exhausted and I cannot even tell you how I made it up the hill to the hotel but I made it. I loved being there… And the view from the hotel was magnificent. I couldn’t wait to break my camera out… and capture it.

They even had some pretty great decorations in the lobby. I just had to use my camera again… Needless to say, I went upstairs to my room and passed out. But I was stoked about the next day.

Leah and I headed to breakfast and took a look at the weather and tried to figure out what we were going to tackle today. Gotta love the wait staff giving us pointers on what to do and where to go. Because it was rainy, we headed to the aquarium… I almost never go to a new city without heading to an aquarium. (We weren’t shocked that there was no snow in the city. I figured that it was going to be up in the mountains. But obviously we had forgotten that it would be rainy. However, it is the Pacific Northwest…. So rain checks out. Rain don’t stop no show… So we got changed and headed out.

I know we have to head back for the summer because Stanley Park was great. I am would have loved to traipse around there. Even the Lyft driver recommended it to us. (However, I did not want to be around the water in the winter time. It is colder down there.) The Vancouver Aquarium hit the spot. I didn’t know that the aquarium is a center for marine research, ocean literacy education, climate activism, conservation and marine animal rehabilitation. The Vancouver Aquarium was designated as a Coastal America Learning Center by the US Environmental Protection Agency. As the first Learning Center in Canada, this designation is intended to strengthen the Canadian/U.S. partnership for protecting and restoring shared ocean resources.

The aquarium was easy enough to locate and get tickets from. When we walked in, I notices they had a cafe in there (which I always think is a bonus.) It was pretty large on the inside. We took the first turn and I noticed that they had what looked like many children there for field trips. I thought it was cute… Aquariums are always a big hit… So I turned my camera on what I could. Keep in mind though… I wasn’t allowed to use the flash… So let’s get to it.

I personally like the ones of us enjoying ourselves. It was really long overdue. It is the most relaxed we have been in a few weeks.

I loved everything about the place. That frog pen was super warm. I was sweating in my jacket. But I should have known. But it was so much fun. It was great to learn all of the different species that are native to the Vancouver area. If you are headed to Vancouver and are looking for something fun to do especially with kids… This is the place to be. We returned to the hotel to change, nap and get food.

Speaking of food, there was so much food to choose from. We came back down and walked to Robson St. where we were told all of the good restaurants reside. And he wasn’t wrong. There was great sushi places. I think I can speak for all of us when I say if you are ever the Downtown Vancouver area and are looking for great food. Definitely head to Hello Nori if you get a chance.

I believe after this we went shopping. There was a bookstore/clothing store near the restaurant… And I had money burning a whole in my pocket. So we did it. I overpack severely so there was no way I could buy any other books and take them with me… So that really hampered what I could get. But they had a great selection. Hit up Indigo if you can. Leah bought several books. Shoutout to me who only left with one.

The next day we headed out to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Thank Goodness they had a free shuttle bus to allow people to get there. Comes right to the hotel. It was still a misty day, but that means nothing to the people there. So we headed out anyway. Now, when I was researching the suspension bridge park… I saw pictures of it from every angle… but I will tell you that the pictures do not even do it justice.

There is a lot of history behind the bridge. The bridge was originally built in 1889 by George Grant Mackay, a Scottish civil engineer and park commissioner for Vancouver. It was originally made of hemp ropes with a deck of cedar planks and was replaced with a wire cable bridge in 1903. The current bridge is 460 ft (140 m) long and 230 ft (70 m) above the river. It has a great set up that shows the whole history of the park from its inception.

Leah and Moses crossed out ahead of me. There were many people who entered the park with us… so trying to cross the bridge was an interesting event. It wasn’t an especially windy but with that many people on the bridge… It swayed a lot. Many people had the same idea as me and they were stopping to take pictures. It was a great outdoor space so to miss taking a picture would have been criminal. So he is another photo dump

The park is larger than I thought. It gave me a great opportunity to stretch my legs which I don’t get a lot of opportunity to do. Capilano has lights that are on for nightfall but for some reason I could not see myself crossing the bridge in the dark. I am way too clumsy for that. Since the sun wasn’t out many of those lights were on… and I loved it.

It was sad that the Treetop Adventure was closed. I doubt we would have been able to talk Leah into doing it. I can’t remember if it was too wet or that if they were fixing something but it could have been both. Next time, I am definitely going. Check out the link on the website here: ( https://www.capbridge.com/experiences/treetops-adventure/)

Moses was glad that there was a show in Raptors Ridge. And let me tell yall something about me… I am not a fan of birds… especially birds of prey. Not for any real reason but something about a bird that can catch rodents or fly away with small dogs creeps me out. We did get a lot of information on both the owl and the falcon. But I have to tell you, the birds were huge… And while Leah and Moses got a front row seat to the birds… But I got these next few shots from far away.

As you can see from the pictures, I was wrestling with my gopro the whole time. Shoutout to Moses and Leah for being patient with me. SN:. I wonder if there is a better way than the headband to catch footage. So here is what I got so far. Be Gentle.

We circled the park and I felt that I was still getting my walking in and would not be out of shape when I came back for Taekwondo. I will say that I probably needed to utilize my hood but I was scared to cover the camera but nothing says home camera like shaking footage… (The Gopro makes me seem more steady than I actually am. Good times.)

Next up, we headed up to the skywalk. Leah was not as hype as me and Moses… but she took stellar pictures. So let’s get into it. (https://www.capbridge.com/experiences/cliffwalk/)I will say it did not disappointment. Shout out to Leah for taking pictures though.

https://youtu.be/0vq3MTm9OJI

It was such a great place to visit and trek and learn about. I am so glad we didn’t let the rain get the better of us. We would have missed out on a great day. Photography and videos are the only thing I will have left when I am old and I am proud of what I got.

The next day we headed to Grouse Mountain for a snowboarding lesson. It was the closest to where we were staying. (Next time we will head to Whistler… and try the bike park during the summer time.) I’ll get back out there at some point. Maybe I can talk my brother’s into doing it. Grouse Mountain has many winter activities to offer with ice skating, tubing, skiing and snowboarding, and snowshoeing. Grouse overlooks Metro Vancouver and has four chairlifts servicing 33 runs. The mountain operates two aerial tramways, known officially as the Skyride. The Blue Skyride is used mainly for freight transportation, while public access to the mountain top is provided by the Swiss-built Garaventa Red Skyride, which has a maximum capacity of 101 passengers (98 + 1 operator in summer). Similar to Capilano Suspension bridge, Grouse Mountain can be accessed via a free, regular shuttle bus that runs from ‘Canada Place’ in downtown Vancouver.

The Gondola ride took about 8 minutes to get to the top of the mountain. What we didn’t know was how much time it was it took to get our equipment. We had to get fitted for boots, and the snowboard. (It makes sense but I still didn’t think that my snowboard size would be based on how tall I am.) That first day… we had missed our scheduled time for lessons but decided to try the bunny slopes on our own. I will tell you that I was warned beforehand about how difficult snowboarding is. One of my friends told me to bring volleyball knee pads… and I actually had some armpads. And I soon saw why I needed it.

There were many people on the bunny slopes learning new things. There was a moment where I swore people were all watching me fall down over and over. But in all actuality… people were concentrating on their own new hobby. I did a lot of falling. Moses and Leah for their part were more advance than me right off the bat. They could stay up on their board and longer than me and could stand up once they were down. I really struggled with standing up that first day. And my muscles ached. I am sure that muscles ached that I didn’t know I had. That first day I was a bit discouraged since I couldn’t get the hang of it right away. I figured I would be better the next day under supervision. Luckily for me, I was right.

The second day went much better when we arrived and got with the instructor. Shoutout to Grouse Mountain for having such patient and knowledgeable instructors. Once we were given the basics… Our instructor, who I’ll call J, set us lose on the small hill… I will say turning and coming to a stop eluded me. Moses and Leah were picking up faster than me but I will say I was hella worn out. I needed food water and to lay down afterwards… But I had a good time. And would love to do it again.

So the next day we hit up flyover canada and the sea to sky gondola… When I said we were going to hit up all the touristy spots, I meant it. It was an eventful day as we were all departing afterwards. If you ever get the chance, definitely do not miss it. The ride takes guests on a virtual flight across Canada, utilizing ride equipment for up to 61 people at a time into a 62 foot diameter spherical screen and employs wind, mist, and scents to enhance the experience. It has since opened at the Mall of America in the US, and in Las Vegas with plans to open a ride in Toronto.. Leah initially thought I meant getting into a small plane and actually flying over Canada. I will tell yall now… There is absolutely no way I would ever get on a small plane for any reason. To get a feel for the experience, take a look at this video here.

As of right now, in Vancouver there are several shows to choose from. Those shows include:

• WINDBORNE: CALL OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES
• HAWAII FROM ABOVE
• WONDERS OF THE AMERICAN WEST

You can view the trailers on the Flyover Canada website. We showed up to Canada place which was only a few block from the hotel, meaning walking distance. Flyover Canada is located in Canada Place. Canada Place is a building situated on the Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is home to the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel, the Vancouver World Trade Centre. The building’s exterior is covered by fabric roofs resembling sails. It is also the main cruise ship passenger terminal for the region, where cruises to Alaska originate.

You will spend just over 8 minutes on ride soaring over Canada. Prior to the ride you’ll get to experience the pre-show Uplift. The whole thing lasts about 25 minutes. If you have motion sickness, pretty badly maybe this is not for you. I give it 5 out of 5 stars though… If you can get on one.

We then head back to the hotel to rent a car, so that we can head up the Sea to Sky highway toward the Sea to Sky Gondola. There was not an article about traveling to Vancouver that didn’t include the Sea to Sky Gondola so I didn’t miss it. Leah was our driver and we headed up to the gondola. Stopping along the way to get some eats. But we pulled up to the mountain and of course it was a kind of rainy and wet day. We paid for the tickets and headed to the Gondola. This was different from Grouse mountain because these these gondola were automatically run. You jump on… it doesn’t stop for you to get on so you better not miss.

It was super foggy and I was not able to get clear footage of the ride up but it was a fun time nonetheless. I did take a lot pictures here… I couldn’t wait to get to the Gondola and to break out my camera. It was my whole reason for bringing the camera. I was look forward to being out and about.

Because it was not snowy enough, our original plan to go tubing at the gondola fell through. So we crossed the suspension bridge and got great views of the mountain and lake below. I guess I should have read that website I bit more because I had forgotten about the hiking trails and such.

The walking trails allowed us to see the mountains, the lake from different angles which is great because the fog was rolling in wave and thick as soup. But on the walk I realized that I could see the mountain tops because the fog was moving onward. You can see from the pictures below.

Do not miss out on the Sea to Gondola. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.

In the end, Vancouver is a great place to visit for the winter… I am sad that I am home. I am also sad that I missed the chance to head to Whistler. I will be doing so again in the near future. I am mapping out the next place I can drag my friends and family to and turn my camera on more family activities. Until next time peeps.