Vancouver is beautiful in the Summer

Everyone I know has a favorite destination for a family vacation. I love the United States, but I found that a Canadian city has won my heart. Vancouver, British Columbia is beautiful in the summer. I’m told that it is pretty darn nice all year long since it rarely snows there and flowers start blooming in late February or early March. That doesn’t happen in the Eastern United States. It is also gorgeously situated between the wonders of the Pacific Ocean and the magnificent Rocky Mountains. There is beauty in every direction you look.

As wonderful as the city of Vancouver is there were some problems we encountered.

Getting to Vancouver means you need to pass through the border crossing. I found that the USA side of the border is a not as well organized as the Canadian side. There is a small shopping area just before the crossing. While that may seem convenient it caused some aggravation. We Americans can be quite pushy at times, and this was no exception. Many drivers saw an opportunity to get to the border crossing faster by cutting in line. They simply zoomed through the mini-mall without shopping so that they could save perhaps 30 minutes of waiting. For those of us who followed the rules it was frustrating to see these people rudely butt in line ahead of us.

Once we were in Vancouver though, awe replaced any bad feelings we had. Driving into and in Vancouver is amazing. Everything is so clean, and so beautiful! This is one of the nicest cities I have ever visited. Vancouver is shaped like a U around a bay. So, you can be standing on the shore of English Bay and see one part of the city and the amazing Lion’s Gate Bridge behind you, one part on your left and the other part on your right. There are always people enjoying one of the several beaches that are part of their city. It fun to relax on the sand and watch float planes fly over head and land in front of you. Just across the way is Granville Island, which you can get to on foot. It’s a giant park like setting with all kinds of food vendors and entertainment.

Unfortunately, I made a mistake. We stayed at the Ramada downtown, and I chose to park our car in the lot across the street. That night someone broke into our car and stole a bicycle. Next time I’m in a foreign country with US tags I will pay the $37 for valet service. The police didn't even bother to come, I guess since we are American visitors. I guess bike theft isn’t a big priority in any city, in any country anymore. Our bike trip turned into a short driving trip because we wanted to get home as soon as possible to get our broken window fixed.

Hopefully we will get the chance to visit Vancouver again with a more positive result. But it was fun while it lasted. We took some fantastic pictures of Vancouver. I’ve posted some below.