HELLO VANCOUVER!
Vancouver is breathtaking! Everywhere you looks, there is absolute amazingness. From the cool, crisp air to the amazing views of the water, the city and the snow topped mountains.... Its just a paradise second to none. One of my favorite things about Vancouver is how "clean" it is, they are right by the ocean and they do so much to use sustainable foods and recyclable products. Every restaurant offers take out boxes that are easy to recycle. Clearly, people in Vancouver care about the earth and if the fresh air doesn't refresh you, surely their healthy approach to the environment will!

So getting to Vancouver from the Philadelphia area is a bit of challenge. We usually aim for direct flights everywhere, because, well, who wants to stop and get their bags and reload them to another plane? Not me. Nope, no thank you. Unfortunately, we didn't have much of a choice this time! We went from Philly to Toronoto to Vancouver. We didn't get to our hotel until really late, or maybe it was really early? It was past my bedtime.

SMILE THAI WELLNESS SPA, VANCOUVER A+
We woke up and decided we could really use some relaxation to start the trip, and we found this super cute, super amazing little spa called Smile. Its a Thai place that was really highly rated. We both booked and this was seriously the best massage ever. A bit painful, however I can actually feel how much more relaxed I am afterwards and it was totally worth it....

VANCOUVER AQUARIUM, love!
This is great for a rainy day in the very lovely Vancouver! The staff here is pretty fabulous. The trip was really educational, and also just downright fun! When you go here, make sure you get a picture of the big orange jellyfish, its like a giant jelly monster and makes for a pretty unforgettable photo!

One of the things that stood out to me was an emplty display aquarium for an extinct frog. It was there to make a statement, and seeing it made me really feel the loss of something that we just can't replace. It definitely was impactful.

One of thing that is really unfortunate is how much people tend to take our planet for granted. There are so many things we do that really hurt and even endanger animals, and its all just a bit heartbreaking.

There are definitely things you can do to help! A big important one, is buy soap and household cleaners that are natural and biodegradable. This means it won't end up in the soil and rainwater and hurt countless animals. Also, use products that don't test on animals. They have a right to live happy lives too. Amazon has some great planet and animal friendly products - one of my favorites is Giovanni. It smells and works amazingly :)

STANLEY PARK
Lord Stanley is where the whole "Stanley Cup" of hockey comes from. His statue resides in Vancouver, and its pretty well known that Canada is freezing and loves its hockey. Stanely Park is a simple park, and beautiful to visit for hockey fans and families. Its a lovely walk! There's so much within walking distance - the rose garden, aquarium and some pretty photo-fabulous views of the water and bridges. This is a must see, and definitely take the walk and experience the amazing forest.

VANCOUVER MARRIOTT PINNACLE DOWNTOWN HOTEL, wow!
This is a pretty fabulous place to visit and stay. The staff was super pleasant, and geniunly interested in helping guests. They also have pretty good food for room service, which is a tough find. I think I am "drinking the coolaid" and have fallen in love with Vancouver.....

WEST RESTAURANT & BAR
The food was INCREDIBLE. I got the lobster gnocchi app and it was out of this world amazing. We also ordered the risotto, and this was also really good. Just make sure you love blue cheese or this might not be for you. For dinner, we ordered the salmon and ravioli. The salmon was good and the ravioli was to-die-for delish. Dessert was the best part, we ordered the pear tart and it was the most amazing thing we've had in Canada. I am dreaming of pear tarts....

THE FARMER'S APPRENTICE
This place AHHHHHH-MAZING! I was absolutely in heaven when I realized they let you pick several items with small portions. Its like creating your own tasting menu. Usually I want to order like four things, and order mini sizes so I can actually eat it; so when this place turned my dreams into reality, I was in heaven!
Everything here was delicious. This is clearly run by a superb chef. They only have a few tables, so you have to make reservations months in advance. Thank goodness my husband is a highly organized planner, because I tend to be a bit free-spirited and would have never gotten into this place.
We were debating which was better, here or Farmer's Apprentice and its pretty close. The funny thing was, the most expensive place we went to, Hauksworth, was by far the least best place. Not that they were bad, they were just not elevated to the same level as Farmers and West.

DE DUTCH - VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE
YUM for breakfast! From any seat in the restaurant you can look out and see the mountains and the water. Its really neat to try "dutch" style food. I highly recommend trying the dutch pancakes! They are super thin! Something I continue to find extremely amusing is that the call Deutch bacon, "Dabakon", so of course I had to use a ghetto interpreation of this and call it DA-BACON, because its clearly DA-BOMB. (ok, fine, I'll stop now, but its good, seriously). Oh, something else very refreshing is the bright orange decor. Bright colors and lovely views, and DABAKON make me happy.

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY
Although I like to think of myself as artist, I don't really love art galleries. I wanted to check this one out, and it was pretty neat to see. We saw some really interesting and a bit dark art by Emily Carr. Again, pretty neat, just not at the top of my list.

ROGERTS ARENA - DAY TOURS
This is an absolutely must!!! After all, they named the Stanley Cup after Lord Stanley, and they even have Stanley Park! This is one of the nicest hockey arenas we've been to. The only slight bummer is that you can't walk all the way around! Its designed funky. It was definitely some of the coolest effects I've seen at games though, they even have one of those cameras that goes flying around like in football. Oh, and the food is good! Try the lobster roll! Its actualy pretty fantastic! Don't worry, they put the sweet pickles on the side, not in the roll.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I loved it here. I loved the views of the water, the snow covered mountains. I loved watching the sea planes take off and land! This is one of my favorite places on earth. It just feels like harmony happening here. They do their best to care for the environment, they are just nicer and happier people than anywhere else I've ever been, and its just beautiful. I'm not sure if its in the air, or the water, but Vancouver is the closest to a chilly paradise on earth.