On a recent trip to Vancouver, Canada I was taken by surprise!
A little caveat here – I recently moved back to LA after living in New York City. And like many NY-LA transplants (even for people who were originally from LA, like myself) there is a long period of readjustment as you slowly must surrender to a new way of life.
But as I walked around the streets of Vancouver, I thought, “Here you can have it all!”
In New York, it is hectic and busy – and that energy becomes something you crave. The whole city is your backyard and the inhabitants are your community.
In LA, the more laid back way of life coupled with the great weather, the emerging foodie scenes, the beach, the hiking and the growing numbers of big companies lures us to be in denial about the car situation.
And while Vancouver is not LA, nor New York, it sure has a good mix of elements that make for a certain hybrid living. There is a laid back feel to the city enhanced by the beautiful views of the water and the enormous mountain range that frames the skyline.
There is a thriving downtown made up of all those tall, glass buildings – many of which are apartments. There are also charming, suburban areas where you can live. And Gastown is adorable with its cobble stone roads and decorative street lamps.
There is a comprehensive public transportation system. And whether you are commuting by car or subway nothing seems more than ten minutes away. Also, if you wanted to skip town for a mountain vacay, it takes only 2 hours by car to escape to Whistler. And the local food movement–full of passionate chefs pioneering a new culture in the city–is fun to explore.
So the surprise was that Vancouver can now be added to my list a places I would choose to live!
Alright that’s an overview – but you know me – I like to dig a bit deeper and get a specific angle on a place. That’s why when I knew I was coming to Vancouver I immediately reached out to my friend Trish Friesen. And I asked her to be my local for Travel with Kate, Vancouver.
Trish runs a popular blog, TripStyler.com, that is all about traveling in style. And when I asked her to show me her Vancouver, she immediately suggested we go boutique shopping! And so, that is what we did. Not only did she give me a view of the epic shopping to be had in Vancouver, she also took me to her favorite cafés and to a sweet urban brewery.
Above is the 30-second sneak peak of the experience. The full episode can be watched here.
PHOTO CREDIT:
In the Travel with Kate opening sequence, the image behind Kate eating sushi (not of Kate) is by photographer Trey Ratcliff of http://www.stuckincustoms.com/
