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Gap Year Vancouver
Make the most of your time in B.C.
Thinking about moving to Canada's lower mainland for a gap year?
We've compiled the top experiences to make your year in the Pacific Northwest more memorable.
Fuel your adventure with coffee and burgers at Outbound Station
Outbound station is an aesthetically pleasing 'side of the road' burger and coffee shack perfectly placed on the Sea-to-Sky highway....
Mezze Plates & Bowls at Jamjar
Across the lower mainland you can’t beat Jamjar Canteen for flavourful contemporary Lebanese plates. This team serves highly satisfying...
Skate at Shipyard Commons North Vancouver
North Vancouver's fantastic renewal project The Shipyards District is host to the largest outdoor skating rink in the lower mainland. ...
Tunnel Bluffs Hike
On a clear day zoom up to Lions Bay (half way between Vancouver and Squamish) for a superb half-day hike up to one of the best views of...
Bone Marrow Tacos at Ophelia
Ophelia is a large, refined Mexican venue at Olympic Village serving a host of Latin dishes and pretty fancy cocktails. The staff are...
Late night beer bars on Main St
One common complaint about Vancouver is a lack of 'late night vibe'. Thankfully Main Street has blossomed into this arena in recent years...
Vintage Shopping in Historic Fort Langley
Completed in 1839 the Fort Langley National Historic Site is a worthy day trip or charming weekend away within the greater metropolitan...
Top 5 ice cream places
A highly controversial and bitterly contested topic! I'm an ice cream lover and suggest the following places to grab your fix when you...
Buy Local Art at Pacific Market
Vancouver is chock-a-block with memorable private creative spaces. If you've spent some time in the city, enjoyed my other...
Overnight at Needle Peak, Coquihalla
When the weather is fine, Needle Peak is one of the best accessible hikes within a few hours drive from the city. There are amazing views...
Oyster dome hike & beer week in Bellingham
Bellingham is an adorably friendly little student city just the other side of the USA border. You can easily travel down for a rainy day...
Ski after work
With three local mountains less than fourty minutes away, Vancouver is one of the only major metropolitan regions in the world where you...
Alla Famiglia at Autostrada
After recently celebrating their one-year anniversary, Autostrada Osteria is offering 'feed me family style' dining in their new...
Snowy weekend in secret Sasquatch
Less than two hours drive from Vancouver the family-oriented mountain resort of Sasquatch offers an 'old-school BC' snow weekend for a...
Consistently awesome Heritage Asian comfort food
Vancouver is an extremely saturated market for Asian food. One of my favourite offerings it the Heritage Asian Eatery which has a couple...
Phenomenal Panorama Ridge
This hike needs no introduction! The most jaw-dropping summer experience you can have on two legs. If you are going to do one longer...
Salt Spring Fall Cider & Cycling
Salt Spring is the most frequently visited and famous Gulf Island and a fantastic weekend getaway from the lower mainland. Perfect place...
Flavour the Richmond night markets
The largest night markets in North America transform a dusty carpark near the Bridgeport Skytrain Station into a global food extravaganza...
Does Vancouver have good coffee?
Short answer.. YES! The surging price of coffee beans during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how essential a warm cuppa has become for...
Lunch Lady: Saigon Street Food
Vancouver is not short of fantastic Vietnamese options to put a Bánh Mì smile on your dial. Lunch Lady is something different......
Vancouver Mural Festival
Since 2015 the Create Vancouver Society has been on a mission transforming Vancouver's inner city to a more meaningful place of...
Swimming at Mystery Lake
A quick drive from the city at Mt Seymour the Mystery Lake trail is an easy hike and swim option to cool down in the summer heat. The...
Giant Fir Trees at the Capilano River
Twenty minutes from downtown in the Capilano River Regional Park are a crop of majestic 800 year old Douglas Fir trees. Spend a few hours...
Glamping by the Skookumchuck Narrows
These spectacular horizontal waterfalls are one of the Sunshine Coast's hidden gems. The Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park is an inlet...
East Vancouver Tasty Cannoli
Before I was born this little bakery on East Hastings Street stared rolling and deep-frying the best cannoli in town. The Hastings...
Snowshoe Hollyburn Mountain
Stunning views and a serious workout, if you are going to do a local snowshoe adventure then Mount Hollyburn is the best accessible...
Grow Some Houseplants
Walking through Mount Pleasant you will notice most windowsills are adorned with drooping ivy, proud rubber plants and chic fiddle leaf...
Historic Steveston's Fish & Chips
A visit to Steveston is like stepping back in time! This beautifully preserved Pacific fishing village is a lovely half day trip from...
Top of the Stawamus Chief
Views for days! You've got to try the Stawamus Chief hike during your Vancouver Gap Year. Looking out over the Fjord adjacent to the town...
Vietnamese in Mt Pleasant
Mt Pleasant has its fair share of fresh and healthy Vietnamese food, if you are dying for a Pho this is the place to go! Vancouver's...
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