Ahhh the sweet, sweet arrival of warm weather! I am writing this mid-June, amazed at how fast time has flown by. I can’t believe it’s been about 6 months that I’ve been here! If you ask me, arriving in winter was the best thing. It’s cold, but gorgeous, and gradually you feel the temperature rising, the sun shining more hours, and people finally coming out of their hibernation state. It’s not even officially summer yet and there are so many amazing things in the calendar for the coming months… But let’s look back for a second – here’s what I already had a chance to do in spring and early summer.
Before anything else, I should tell you: everyone is telling me how unusual this year’s (pre-)summer is. We were hit with 30 degrees out of nowhere in May, and the weather has been amazing since – with the odd grey day here and there. It’s been unusually dry – May and June are supposed to be very wet months, but there’s hardly been any rain… It’s nice for activities, but there’s a price – “Canada on track for its worst-ever wildfire season“… Wildfires are unfortunately not that unusual here, so a smoky Vancouver is definitely something I’m not looking forward to.richmond night market
If you’re a foodie, then it’s definitely a must to visit the Richmond Night Market at least once. It’s an annual night market that opens from May until October. A great place to go in the summer and fall! It almost feels like a festival terrain with all its colours! When you arrive, you’ll likely see some pretty long lines. I recommend getting the Zoom pass – staff walks around the queue selling these passes that get you immediate skip-the-line access. It’s a ticket for 5 people – we went there with 4, but you can still use the last slot for the next time you go. It’s only a few dollars more than the normal admission, and it’s worth skipping the line which can take 45 minutes to get through.
There’s an abundance of food from all over the world – though I have to say I missed a Filipino stand! Food isn’t the only entertainment though, there’s a whole section with carnival-ish games. I failed miserably at catching sticks. Those of you following me on Instagram know what I mean!
3rd beach tuesday drum circle
On a random Tuesday evening walk around Stanley Park, friends of ours noticed a big group and some pretty impressive drum music on Third Beach. Turns out, it’s a drum jam that happens every Tuesday evening in that exact spot if the weather is nice.
A week or two later, the four of us filled up a cooler, brought a sweater, and met up at Third Beach to enjoy the drums. They do this from March to September after 6 PM until sunset.
Do expect interesting crowds… using lots of weed. If you don’t want to be in the middle of that, just pick a spot a bit farther away from the drummers. It’s loud enough to enjoy the music from a bit more distance 😉
join a charity run
With the weather improving, I felt encouraged to put my running shoes on more often! After a very wet Vancouver Sun Run, I signed up for the Run For Women which took place on the University of British Columbia campus grounds. It was lovely seeing a different neighbourhood of campus, and it was an amazing route right through the Pacific Spirit Regional Park. The weather was fantastic, the vibe was so nice, and the goodie bag was out-of-this-world. I’ve done so many running events but this goodbie bag was by far the best. The event was by Shoppers Drug Mart, so it was full of shampoos, creams, vitamins, lotions, tooth brushes, and more!
white rock
After the run, we spent the rest of the sunny day with my friend from work. She and her husband took us to White Rock, which is about a 50 minute drive from downtown Vancouver. It’s a beautiful seaside city known for its historic pier (also the longest pier in Canada!) and lovely beaches.
It has almost a Californian vibe to it, a summer vacation feeling, especially with the amazing weather we had that day! It’s referred to as a resort town, so I guess that makes sense… We had a lovely time strolling over the pier, enjoying the street music, wondering how much the properties here must cost 😉
If you check out the video here, you’ll see some serious train tracks. The railway running along the waterfront operates 24/7, linking our Canadian province to Washington State. Once a train is passing, it can take quite some time before you can get off the pier. Not sure if I’ve ever seen that many cargo train carts in one go!
go to a sofar sounds show
I love live music, so when I heard about Sofar Sounds I was eager to try it! The concept is you buy tickets to see a show, but all you know is in which neighbourhood the show will take place.
A day or two prior, you receive the exact address, along with the names of three artists or bands that will be playing. The location can be anything from a bar to an office space, and from someone’s garden to a clothing store. The first time I went, it was in a beautiful co-working office on W Georgia St. We all sat on pillows, and there was a small bar area to get drinks. The second was a clothing store in Kitsilano, with cute rugs on the floor to sit on and you could bring your own snacks and drinks. Now that the weather is nice, it’ll be nice to see a show from a rooftop or other outside venue!
It’s small and intimate, with maybe 50 people in the audience. Just a string of lights, some nice plants, and cute decorations, and you have a lovely stage.
It’s a fun way to discover local artists and see places you’ve never been before. They’re active in soooo many cities all around the world, so have a look and see if there’s a show in your city!
use the may long weekend
We bought sup boards and took them out on the water in Washington State! I wrote about our trip for the May long weekend in another post. Gotta love the statutory holidays! We went out of Canada for this one, but British Columbia has so much to offer. Now that it’s summer, we’ll be exploring more hikes in BC, so I’ll have so much more to share with you over the next few months!
take walks by the water
Nothing beats the waters in BC. Stanley Park is my go-to for strolls by the water, but Vancouver is surrounded by the sea and lakes, so there are so many options! I mean… The five second video right here says enough.
Enjoying the views over the water, you’ll be sure to spot a seal or an otter, birds. And… so… many… dogs (in and out of the water!)
rent a boat from granville island boat rentals
This was sooooo much fun! For a Saturday in early June, we booked a 19″ boat (good for up to 8 people) for the afternoon until closing time at 9 PM.
Toss together a pasta salad. Collect ingredients for guacamole. Fill up the cooler. Put on your bathing suit. And ready to go! We took the ferry from English Bay to Granville Island (takes literally 2 minutes) and stepped right into the boat rental office. After signing some paperwork (gosh that did take a long time) and grabbing some life jackets, we were on our way. After debating a bit between Bowen Island and taking the inlet to Indian Arm, we decided on the latter.
We stopped at Deep Cove to use the washroom, then made our way further north up the inlet. It was so, so beautiful! Had an amazing time – not too hard with these surroundings and wonderful company. I want to go again!
visit queen elizabeth park and go up the hill
South of downtown (about 30-40 minutes by public transit but just 18 minutes by car) lies Queen Elizabeth Park. Oh my goodness, this park is absolutely gorgeous. If not for the perfectly kept gardens, then the view from up there is why you should make the trip.
With just a few minutes of hiking up the hill, you’ll find Seasons in the Park, a fancy French restaurant with an incredible view over the city. (And great cocktails!) The view of downtown Vancouver with the mountain backdrop seen from this side of town is so mind blowing! If you want to see it from within the restaurant, remember to make a reservation… In any case, our waiter confirmed: even if you’d be out there every day, this view just doesn’t get old.
Phew! That was a lot, wasn’t it? But there’s more to come this summer that I can’t wait to share with you guys! Expect more photography, drone footage, and nature!