Day-Trip to Vancouver – Learning a Lesson the Hard Way

While staying in Birch Bay, Washington for a couple of weeks, we planned a day trip up to Vancouver to explore. Our GPSMyCity app had several tours included in our membership to choose from and we were excited to explore a city we’ve heard so much about.

We did our research on what documents to have for us and for our pup to cross into Canada and back to the U.S. as well as parking areas around the town so we knew where to park and what to expect on cost.

Border crossing was quick, since we avoided morning rush, and easy since we had our documents and answered the questions. While some we didn’t see the relevance of, we didn’t see a need to challenge them–it’s their country and as guests we can play by their rules or not go. We did learn that, had we accidentally brought a firearm with us, it would have been passed to the U.S. side and we’d have been simply turned around and not able to enter–good info in case anyone accidentally forgets to leave theirs behind!

The drive into Vancouver was beautiful and traffic picked up as we got closer to the city. We found street parking close to Gastown, the first area of our tour, and a meter that paid by app. It was only two hour parking allowed, so we planned to return and move the vehicle for our next walk.

Gastown is the oldest part of Vancouver, established in 1867 when John “Gassy Jack” Deighton opened his first saloon for all the workers. The town built around it and was nicknamed “Gassy’s Town”, which turned into Gastown as we now know it. Vancouver was later established in 1886.

There are lots of historic sites to see in the area, including the steam clock, that was built over an old steam vent that powered it. The town has an “Old London” feel to it with the architecture and cobblestone streets, as well as modern cafes and shops. We were sad to see the statue of Gassy Jack had been removed and a restaurant patio in it’s place.

As we ventured on our tour and got out of the heart of Gastown, though, the area changed, as did our comfort level.

Like with many big cities, especially with optimal weather in season, there were lots of homeless people, which we expected, but not a lot of panhandling–only a couple asked for help. But when we got out closer to the Vancouver Lookout (their space needle) and more apartments and local life and less tourism, seeing visible drug use and paraphernalia in plain sight became frequent. Some of the historic museums and building were on the other side of many of the shelters and food pantries, so sidewalks were packed enough that we were required to walk off of them and into bicycle and traffic lanes to pass–which is the point we began to feel it was unsafe.

By the time we made it to the walkable stops and it was time to move our truck, we had reached our threshold and decided not to complete the Chinatown tour and leave the area. We drove passed the Chinatown Millennium Gate, then headed off to the Olympic Village.

The Olympic Village was where the 2010 Winter Olympics were housed in Vancouver, and has now been turned into a waterside neighborhood. It’s modern architecture, large squares and parks, as well as restaurants and cafe’s gave us lots of options for lunch. We found the Tap & Barrel – Olympic Village with several gluten-free options and a dog-friendly patio right on the waterfront.

The waterfront had beautiful skyline views for a stroll afterward–because of course we had to grab the nearby geocaches!

We found out afterward that the internet does advise tourists to avoid parts of the town, so if you are visiting, just do your research on safe areas for visitors ahead of time, or ask a local proprietor about your route. If you are planning to visit the area and do an app-guided walking tour like we did, research the area and perhaps plan a different route. The GPS will always take the most direct route, but it’s up to us to make sure it’s practical. We usually do great with research, and we did some, just not enough, it seems, or we didn’t ask the right questions.

Even as seasoned travelers, we still have lessons to learn. This became a teachable moment for us and a chance to have some conversations with our teenager about the world and life.

What have been some of your memorable learning experiences while traveling? We’d love to hear about them in the comments!

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