Things to do in Vancouver
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Stanley Theatre
Musicals, international classics and works by contemporary Canadian playwrights are part of the mix at this leading theater company. If you’re curious about West Coast theatrics, look out for plays by Morris Panych, BC’s favorite playwright son. The refurbished Stanley Theatre is one of its two performance spaces.
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Ten Lee Hong Enterprises
This authentic Chinese tea and herb shop is a great place to buy supplies of good green, red, white and black teas. The friendly staff – women in cool pink pantsuits – are used to dealing with curious Westerners: they'll instruct you in the art of how to brew and will also serve you samples so you can find your favorite tipple.
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Ywca Health & Wellness Centre
Despite its name, this excellent downtown gym is open to men and women. It has three studios with wood-sprung floors, and combined and women-only weight rooms, a cardio room, steam room, meditation room and a 25m pool. There are also kickboxing, cycling, Pilates and other classes. A day membership ($18) gets you access to all.
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Ubc Aquatic Centre
The city's best indoor pool is on the UBC campus, so it's a bit of a hike from downtown. Also, the students take precedence in the water so you'll have to plan your visit around them – check the website for the latest schedules. If you negotiate those obstacles, you'll find a 50m pool, saunas and exercise areas for public use.
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Hunt & Gather
A crisp white interior showcases the in-house-designed handmade clothing, bags and accessories here as if they are artworks. Some of them are, including a clutch of elegant classics that will likely become mainstays of your wardrobe for years. It’s making waves across North America, despite its humble size and location.
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Parks & Mountains of Western Canada
14 days (Vancouver)
Explore western Canada's best national parks on foot.
Not LP reviewed
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Little Sister's Book & Art Emporium
One of the only gay bookshops in western Canada, Little Sister's is a large bazaar of queer-positive tomes, plus magazines, DVDs and gifts. Proceeds of designated books support the store's long-running legal battle against Canada Customs for its seizures of imported items. A good place to network with the local 'gayborhood.'
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Pumpjack Pub
Glancing through the open window as you walk past here on a summer night tells you all you need to know about this popular gay pub: it's a great place to meet leather-clad, often hairy locals ever-ready to meet a new friend in town for a quick visit. Expect queues here on weekends as the local bears vie for a pick up or two.
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Bacci's
Combining designer women's clothing on one side and a room full of hard-to- resist trinkets piled high on antique wooden tables on the other, Bacci's is a dangerous place to browse. Before you know it, you'll have an arm full of chunky luxury soaps, embroidered cushions and picture-perfect coffee pots to fit in your suitcase.
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Miraj Hammam Spa
Canada's only hammam is based on the real Middle Eastern deal. Step into the arched and tiled interior for a steam followed by gommage (a full-body scrub with authentic black Moroccan soap, starting at $99). Men are only admitted from 4pm to 8pm Thursday and 2pm to 6pm Sunday; it's women only the rest of the time.
reviewed
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Crafthouse
At this bright and friendly nonprofit gallery run by the Craft Council of BC (CCBC), the shelves hold everything from glass goblets and woven scarves to hand-forged jewelry and lathe-turned wooden bowls – all produced by around 120 regional artisans. The gallery also keeps schedules of provincial craft shows.
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Burnaby Village Museum
The popular Burnaby Village Museum re-creates the atmosphere of a British Columbia pioneer town with replica homes and businesses of the time and a wonderfully restored 1912 carousel. Entry to the museum is half-price on Tuesdays and it’s also open off-season for special Christmas and Halloween displays.
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Gleneagles Golf Course
This picturesque but challenging nine-hole public course has a long history and must have been named by a fan of the Great Game. Nestled between the mountains and sea near Horseshoe Bay, its lovely views entice many to keep coming back. Beware of the third hole, known as Cardiac Hill. A new clubhouse was recently added.
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Heavens Playground
Nestled in a new ministrip of urban fashion boutiques including Puma, Adidas and American Apparel, this is the first North American outlet for this ultra-cool Dutch chain that kits out people who want to look hip without looking like they’re trying. The hot item here is the Gsus and the Seven Deadly Sins T-shirt.
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Granville Island Stage
Musicals, international classics and works by contemporary Canadian playwrights are part of the mix at this leading theater company. If you’re curious about West Coast theatrics, look out for plays by Morris Panych, BC’s favorite playwright son. Granville Island Stage is one of its two performance spaces.
reviewed
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International Travel
For maps, atlases, globes and guides covering nearly every region of the world, drop by this travel-lovers' favorite. It publishes 200 titles of its own and distributes 23,000 titles by other manufacturers. Ask the staff any geographic question from Andorra to Zambia, and they'll be able to find the map to answer it.
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John Fluevog
While some of the footwear here looks like Doc Martens on acid or as though it could poke your eye out from 20 paces, many of Fluevog’s funky shoes also have a reduced ‘green footprint.’ Check out the synthetic vegetarian shoes and the completely biodegradable ‘Earth Angels’ range.
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Aubar
Top 40, hip-hop and house blast from the speakers at this popular, mainstream near-Gastown haunt, complete with three bars and a smallish dance floor. Drop in on Friday for Sensual, a mash-up of R&B and old-school pop, or save yourself for Rockstar Saturday, when the locals writhe around each other with abandon.
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Britannia Community Centre
Handily open for skaters all year round, this popular community-center rink offers skate lessons and a weekly roster of regulars, including Monday's women-only drop-in hockey, Thursday's late-night co-ed drop-in hockey and Wednesday evening's adults-only skate (the perfect place to meet your new ice-dance partner).
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City by Cycle Tours
Offering good-value four-hour guided rides around the city's highlights, including Stanley Park, English Bay, Chinatown and Granville Island, City Cycle Tours is a new addition to Vancouver's tour offerings. Rates include bikes and helmets. Check out the UBC and Pacific Spirit Park tour for a pedal among the trees.
reviewed
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Denman Bike Shop
If you've brought your own wheels with you and need a tune-up or repair, this is perhaps the best spot in the city to get some help. The owners are real bike aficionados – hence the tempting array of '50s-style cruisers for sale – and they can tell you all you need to know about tapping into the local bike scene.
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Mink Chocolates
If chocolate is the main food group in your book, follow your candy-primed nose to this designer choccy shop in the downtown core. Select a handful of souvenir bon-bons – little edible artworks embossed with prints of trees and coffee cups – then hit the drinks bar for the best velvety hot choc you've ever tasted.
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Urban Empire
This wacky, all-out, kitsch trinket shop is just the kind of place you can pick up that Crazy Cat Lady action figure you've always wanted. Other must-haves include bacon-strip sticking plasters and dog-butt flavored chewing gum, which means you'll have plenty of ideas for souvenirs for your friends back home.
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Vancouver Shore Excursion: Pre-Cruise City Tour with Port Drop Off
4 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Have a few hours to kill in Vancouver before your cruise? Then opt for a Vancouver City Highlights Tour and uncover the best of the…Not LP reviewed
from USD$68.14 -
Private Tour: Fraser Valley Wine Country Day Trip from Vancouver
8 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Enjoy a leisurely day of wine tasting in beautiful Fraser Valley! British Columbia has a fast growing reputation as an exceptional wine growing region and on…Not LP reviewed