WOHOOO BRITISH COLUMBIA!

Here’s an un-fun fact: This is the first time I have left the United States since NOVEMBER 2019. The last international article that I posted was this Camera Roll post from Mexico City’s Mercado Jamaica. Canada is perhaps not the sexiest choice for my first post-COVID trip, but at this point in my life, it was exactly what I needed. Canada rocks.

My TRANSIT EXPERIENCE to Vancouver, however, was the exact opposite of what I needed. To be totally transparent, I have been dealing with some more-intense-than-usual anxiety issues, so—even though I’ve literally done it hundreds of times before—I was really dreading being on a plane. That alone was enough to make my transit experience rocky, but my connection through Toronto randomly ended up being on a tiny plane with propellers that made its landing at Pearson International Airport on the heels of a freak thunderstorm that killed 6 people and left nearly a million people across Ontario and Quebec without power. Here’s an NYT article about it. My little propeller plane was getting blown all over the place as it made its steep descent into Toronto. I thought I was going to vomit.

Once we got into the airport—thanks to all the disrupted travel—it was an absolute ZOO. When we de-planed, we (the whole plane) ended up inexplicably locked in a hallway for almost 30 minutes. Eventually, somebody let us out, and when we got down to customs there were AT LEAST 1,000 people all rushing to catch their flights at the same time. “Crowded” doesn’t quite describe it. I think it might have been the longest line I’ve ever been in; it doubled back on itself and snaked through every available square inch. And once I finally got through it and into the main airport…. ugh, it was just more crowded and stressful than I have ever seen it. There was not a seat to be found, people were sprinting back and forth to make connections, and the lines to the customer service desks of the various airlines were each at least 60 people strong. My flight was going to take off just in time to beat another storm front. All this with a not-so-breathable mask on. I definitely had a bit of an anxiety episode in that airport.

Thankfully, the flight from Toronto to Vancouver was on a huge plane through calm skies, which made it very smooth. But by the time my head hit the pillow in my Vancouver Airbnb, it had a few new gray hairs on it.

An Intro to Vancouver

Say what you will about Vancouver—there’s no debating that it makes an impression on you. Its iconic glittery, sparkling, glassy skyline set against a backdrop of imposing, snowcapped mountains and moody gray skies is nothing if not striking. But there’s a lot more to this place than whatever this image conjures up for you. Vancouver is an unlikely swirl of old and new, of chic and grit, and of sun and rain. And it will serve as the base camp for our next series of articles.

Vancouver is about 2.5 hours north of Seattle, and it is the last major slice of civilization before TRUE wilderness ensues. From here to the Alaskan border, it’s an impenetrable, unending fortress of rugged coastal mountains and vast temperate rainforests, patrolled by about a million hungry bears and wolves. We will spend the majority of this series enjoying the natural wonders of British Columbia, but for the next couple of articles, we’re city-bound. So, let me hit you with some quick facts to set the scene for you:

With a population of 2.6 million, Vancouver is Canada’s 3rd largest city, behind Toronto and Montreal.
Vancouver is actively working towards a goal of becoming the world’s greenest city, as set forth in its famous “Greenest City Action Plan.” They have made big progress, and it doesn’t take much time spent in Vancouver to realize that they take the environment seriously, as they should. British Columbia actually has laws against idling in your car, so if you come to a complete stop, you have to turn off your car. This was the first time I had ever heard of such a law—and I was encouraged!
Vancouver is also paradoxically ranked both as one of the most livable, AND most expensive cities in the world… which weirdly does make some sense after having visited.
Vancouver has been called “the most Asian city outside of Asia” — roughly half of all residents are of East Asian descent (i.e. Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc.), and there is a strong South Asian contingency as well. We’ll talk about this more in the next article.
About half of Vancouver residents speak NEITHER English nor French (Canada’s second lingua franca) as a first language.
Vancouver’s shipping port is the busiest in Canada and the most diversified in North America. So, when you look out at the water from Vancouver, expect to see a lot of cargo ships. Forestry and tourism are also big industries here.
There are a ton of movies that get filmed here, which has earned it the nickname “Hollywood North.” As a very random example. Disney’s 1997 live-action version of Mr. Magoo was filmed here.

Of course, the cold hard facts will only get you so far. You have to see it and feel it to really start to understand what this place is all about. This was a place that I knew absolutely nothing about, so this felt like a very random combination of elements to me at first glance. We’re going to spend a couple of articles peeling back the layers of this place, so today we’re going to start with the basics.

Stanley Park

Okay. If you only have time to do one thing in Vancouver, go to Stanley Park.

Stanley Park will give you the best sense of what this place is all about because it provides the best fusion between British Columbia’s natural beauty and Urban Vancouver, and that’s largely because the park itself is an ISLAND. As you can see on the map above, the island that is Stanley Park actually sits in the strait of water that separates North Vancouver from the rest of the city. At 1,001 acres, it’s about 20% larger than NY’s Central Park and just a few acres shy of SF’s Golden Gate Park, which means that it is BIG. The entirety of this island is green space, crisscrossed and encircled by hiking trails, and dotted with interesting landmarks. You could spend more than one day solely exploring this park. But if you’re in a time crunch, I’d recommend just strolling the path that follows the shoreline.

From the path that runs along the shore of Stanley Park—especially between the Vancouver Sea Wall and the Brockton Point Lighthouse—you’ll see a panoramic view of Vancouver’s skyline, as well as sweeping views of Vancouver Harbor. Between the towering ancient trees of Stanley Park and the endless stream of bush planes coming in over the imposing Cascadian snowcaps for water landings… there’s a lot to take in. Check out these pictures:

One interesting element of British Columbia, in general, is the prevalence of First Nations culture. “First Nations” is the Canadian term for native people groups; the equivalent to Native Americans in the U.S. If you’re wondering, Canada has done equally terrible things to the original inhabitants of its lands as America. However, to its credit, it seems to be doing a lot—at least at the surface—to create a space for First Nations in its modern-day society. And this even extends to the allocation of land. Whereas in the U.S. Native Americans are now confined to large swaths of land in what feels like the middle of nowhere, throughout BC there are pockets of First Nations land interspersed through some desirable real estate. I’m no expert, but I think this bodes well.

But before you get out into any of that, you’ll see First Nations art all over Vancouver—including right here in Stanley Park! I suppose it’s the least they could do, considering that the island now known as Stanley Park was once a place of some significance to the Squamish people (the original First Nations inhabitants of this area). There is a little off-shoot of Stanley Park called “Deadman’s Island” that was—when white settlers first arrived—apparently a tree-burial site. In this Squamish burial tradition, bodies were enclosed in red cedar boxes and fastened to high-up tree branches. It was also the site of a historic battle between rival tribes that saw some 200 men perish. After white settlers had taken control of the island, it would serve as a quarantine zone and burial site during a smallpox epidemic that rocked Vancouver in the late 1800s.

Today Deadman’s island belongs to the Military, but nearby on shore there is a striking collection of First Nations totem poles. You can read more about them here and see what they look like in the gallery below. And don’t worry—this is not the last time we will interact with First Nations history in this series.

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

MOVING ON! This is my number 2 pick for things to do in Vancouver if you only have 1 day. It’s not a great reflection of the city itself, but it IS a great taste of British Columbia that is easily accessible without an excursion out deep into nature. Believe it or not, the pictures below were taken like 5 minutes up the road from Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver. We overshot the parking lot for Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and found the lookout point below by total accident. It’s in a place called Cleveland Park. It still blows my mind how close these views are to the city center! Vancouver is the closest proximity between the “big city” and this level of ruggedness that I have ever experienced. It’s like Seattle on steroids. North Vancouver is literally built into the slopes of the Cascades.

A 1-minute drive down the road from Cleveland Park, you will find Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. The cost of entry is $65.95 CAD (~51.29 USD)—which, I know, is steep—but this place is worth it.

The name “Capilano” is an anglicization of Kia’palano, which was the name of a great Squamish leader in the early 1800s. I won’t bury the lead. The pictures of this famous suspension bridge are right at the top of the gallery below. It straddles a DEEP gorge, at the bottom of which flows the Capilano river. At 460 feet across, swaying precariously over a 230-foot drop, it really is a sight to behold. Apparently, this bridge was originally constructed by Scottish civil engineer and land developer George Grant Mackay, who lived here in the late 1800s and literally built this bridge from scratch using only hemp rope and cedar planks in 1889. Even back then it became something of a tourist attraction. It’s been re-built and re-fortified multiple times over the years since, but that might not be of much solace to you once you get out to the middle of it.

The bridge—apparently—can hold a couple of hundred people at one time. And if you go on a busy day, that is probably the number of people that will be out on the bridge with you all at the same time. Let me warn you: this thing is far from stationary. It really sways back and forth once you get out to the middle of it. I was getting a thigh workout trying to hold my camera still enough to take pictures out here. It would have been terrifying if I hadn’t been so focused on taking pictures. It’s a coping mechanism I guess.

Anyway, there’s a lot more on the other side of the bridge. Once you make it across, there’s a log cabin wonderland waiting for you, with suspended timber walkways leading you through the massive trees of this ancient forest. It is VERY cool. And, if you’re not planning to leave the city during your trip, it actually does give you a nice taste of the British Columbia wilderness.

Gastown & Historic Vancouver

Those first two places were amazing, right? Well, the positive vibes end here. In writing about new places, sometimes I feel pressure to say how great they are. Afterall, who am I to waltz in and pass judgment? I don’t bother unless I have a strong opinion. So here’s my strong opinion of the article: I hated Gastown. And most of the rest of what would be considered “historic” Vancouver. I should caveat that this is actually a relatively small slice of the city though. The rest of this place was dope.

If you do any Googling on “things to do in Vancouver,” Gastown is sure to be near the top of every list. There’s a steam-powered clock at the center of this area that is a popular photo spot, and then there are a bunch of kitschy tourist shops and seedy bars. I thought it would be a good idea to start here and then walk through historic Chinatown, Japantown, and into a historic neighborhood called Strathcona. Here’s a hot tip for ya: do not do this walk.

Gastown was just dirty-feeling and gave me bad vibes overall. I can see how other people might like it. To its credit, I did find some cool pockets of street art in the surrounding areas, but overall it’s a big fat 👎🏻 from me. That’s just my opinion. However, heading east out of Gastown towards Chinatown and Strathcona, things get REAL. This walk is essentially Vancouver’s equivalent to L.A.’s Skid Row or SF’s Tenderloin. The streets are packed with homeless people, many of them junkies, with varying levels of consciousness. It’s as heartbreaking to behold as it is uncomfortable to walk through. And I walked through damn near all of it. You won’t see any pictures of that stuff below—it felt beyond icky to point a camera at it—but I did snag some shots of the area in the brief moments when I wasn’t trapped in the night of the living dead.

Like I said above, leading up to this trip I had been dealing with some serious anxiety issues. And I still am. Mental health is a journey. I want to start writing about it more transparently. I don’t know if I ever felt particularly threatened as I moved through this space (this is Canada, so nobody has guns) but my health anxiety and OCD were not happy with the situation. This place felt so dirty. No amount of hand sanitizer felt like enough once I was through it. But ya know what? I’m fine. The coming articles are going to be a long series of exposures to things that triggered my anxiety and OCD. And every single one of them turned out fine.

So…. there’s good and bad here. The ill-advised photo walk above (which I did on day 1 of my trip, less than 24 hours after my misadventures in transit) definitely cast a shadow over Vancouver initially. But luckily, my trip was only just beginning. I’m going to make an effort to write more about my anxiety over the forthcoming articles in case anybody else out there is dealing with the same thing. And I’ll give you a spoiler alert: I did end up really liking Vancouver. If you didn’t notice from the pictures of Stanley Park and the Capilano Suspension Bridge above, Vancouver is one of the most striking and beautiful cities in North America. And there’s a lot more of it that we’re going to see in the next article.

Additionally, the more distance I get from this experience, the more I am able to view it in its proper context. Initially, given the heightened state of my anxiety, Vancouver conjured a more mixed picture than it probably should have. Since leaving British Columbia, I have gotten a bit more information about this part of Vancouver, and there are good forces at work. If you have some time, I’d recommend listening to this podcast episode on how Vancouver is attempting to address its Fentanyl crisis. This episode starts with a live description of the exact area that I walked through during my visit. The struggle with drug use is clearly defining for this place, but I think Vancouver should be defined not by the presence of a struggle (because all of North America has the same struggle right now), but by the open-mindedness and compassion of their response. Listen to this. 👇

So let me end with one of my favorite pump-up tracks from one of my favorite Vancouver-based artists. Travel is back! And my anxiety is being put on notice. By the time this trip ended, my Fitbit was reading my resting heart rate at 5 bpm lower than when it started. It’s back where it started now 🙃 BUT that just goes to show you the power of travel.

As I made my way through the coming series of articles, I was singing along to this song. “Learn to let it go, baby.”