Exploring Vancouver ~ August 20, 2026

 Today's post is about my time exploring Vancouver a little more.  I had a full day in Vancouver and then after a trip to Whistler, I had one more evening in Vancouver.  I will post about Whistler and that journey tomorrow because it was the best time!  

On the second day of the trip, I slept in and then explored Vancouver.  I had a few snacks in my hotel room (basically a protein bar) to eat for breakfast, so I didn't eat breakfast out, but was able to grab some fruit at the hotel breakfast too.  The first 2 nights of my stay in Vancouver were at the Hampton Inn Downtown.  It was a nice hotel in a great location.

My pictures didn't load in order of the day, but that is neither here nor there, so I will proceed to talk through my photos :).

Stanley Park is a huge urban park in Vancouver.  It is known for its seawall, which is a 6 mile loop with views of the city skyline, ocean and mountains.  There are a lot of bikers on the trail, but there is a separate path for bikers and walkers.  I took a Lyft to the the park because it was not within walking distance of my hotel, but once there, I started out walking and walked the 6 miles.  I was tired, but it was a beautiful walk.  It started raining, but I embraced it and was thankful to have my raincoat and put on a disposable poncho over me so that my backpack would stay relatively dry too.  Thankfully that morning, I had sprayed my shoes and backpack with waterproof spray. I saw totem poles, which are part of the views of Vancouver and Alaska, cruise ships, stone walls & all the sights struck me as so pretty.  I kept thinking, even the rocks are prettier here! The rain did not slow down the beauty of anything to me. I loved this time!

Below is a picture of the stadium where the World Cup games were played in Vancouver.  My hotel was that 2nd building to the right, so it was very close.

Earlier in the day, I took a Lyft over to an area called Granville Island.  They have a public market there and some local artist shops.  I walked around that area and had lunch there, fish and chips!  I felt like I needed to have that at least once on the trip.  This was my first time to sit down at a restaurant by myself on the trip. I also bought a delicious lemon bar a local recommended to me to try at the market.  It was delicious!  After I finished, I rode a small ferry boat back to the area of my hotel.  I took this picture below from the ferry.

While walking around Granville Island, they had this cool art on the industrial buildings and on their trucks.  There are 2 artists who started doing this and it brings quite the crowd to see it!  There is even a youtube video about it you could watch.

A few other random pictures from my time in Vancouver:

I bought several souvenirs from this Hudson House store. It is in a very historic building.

My last night in Vancouver, I stayed at the Hilton Downtown.  It was across the street from the Vancouver Library.  I heard there was an observation deck, so I went to the top and looked out at the view.  It felt like such a local thing to go to the library's top floor and see the city!

Also across the street from my hotel was a Memphis BBQ restaurant! I do like BBQ, but I was avoiding eating heavy dinners, so I opted for the shrimp appetizer.

Vancouver was a lovely city, but I do feel like the time I had there was just enough.  I walked a ton and found it easy to get around with walking and using Lyfts and the ferry.

Next post will be on my most favorite day!!!

Thanks for reading and enjoy your day!