An “eh?” joke…who can resist?<\/p>\n
I had the chance to go to Vancouver for the first time a few weeks ago.\u00a0 I had great expectations as it’s been high on my list for quite awhile; however, the expectations were only met when the sun decided to reluctantly peak its head out.\u00a0 I’ve been to the Pacific Northwest in both the summer and winter and winter is bleak. That said, in July I can’t really imagine any place I’d rather be. I suppose memories of the summertime are what get the locals through the dreariness. As for me, as much as I love mountains and the temperature, I’m still not convinced it’s a place I could call home year-round.<\/p>\n
But enough about the weather!\u00a0 Let’s talk about lodging and food!\u00a0 We stayed at the Hilton Metrotown which was quite decent but not really in the heart of the city.\u00a0 In fact, it’s actually in the suburb of Burnaby.\u00a0 The great thing was quick access to the Sky Train and a really big mall (Metrotown) that had a lot of shopping options.\u00a0 I would not generally spend a ton of time in a mall, but it was cold and rainy the morning I was going out to explore.\u00a0 Tim’s and Zara were calling my name so I headed over to kill some time.\u00a0 They also had a Superstore, Zellers, and T&T Market.\u00a0 It was a cultural experience…okay, not really, but it was still a nice way to kill some time before the sun came out and my friend arrived from Seattle.\u00a0 Since sight-seeing time is always limited, one of the main things we do on these trips after work is eat!\u00a0 Here is a run-down of the memorable places from the trip.<\/p>\n
Cactus Club<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n This is a local chain that’s fairly upscale.\u00a0 A lot of the wait staff are aspiring actors\/actresses, so maybe you’ll be waited on by someone who will make it big!\u00a0 They had a couple of vegetarian options and I was extremely satisfied with the portabella mushroom fajitas I ordered.\u00a0 It was a TON of food.\u00a0 As for drinks, I had the Brazilian, but it was a tad too sweet for my liking.\u00a0 A coworker ordered one with less sugar and I will do the same if I’m there again.<\/p>\n Hapa Umi I’m still trying to verify the name of the place; however, it was excellent!\u00a0 I had some very interesting edamame ravioli, but the actual edamame appetizer was also noteworthy.\u00a0 It was served cold and marinated in some kind of teriyaki-like sauce.\u00a0 The polenta fries are also worth ordering.<\/p>\n Yakko Sushi<\/strong><\/p>\n This was a spur of the moment decision based on Yelp, but it did NOT dissapoint.\u00a0 They had a lot of vegetarian options and the yam (sweet potato) tempura roll was fantastic.\u00a0 It’s a total hole-in-the wall, but quite delicious and apparently popular based on the number of people we saw getting to-go orders from the place.<\/p>\n Tim Horton’s<\/strong><\/p>\n What do I need to say about it?\u00a0 Get some TimBits and an Iced Cap and enjoy until you have a sugar crash.<\/p>\n Dairy Queen<\/strong><\/p>\n We saw a DQ in Surrey and couldn’t resist.\u00a0 I know it’s nobody’s definition of fine dining, but we couldn’t say no.\u00a0 At first people made fun of the suggestion, but they all came around to it!<\/p>\n
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