I was able to finally visit my neighbors to the North this past February, when my husband and I decided to make a trip to Canada.

We had a short stay in Vancouver during a cold rainy winter month. We weren’t really expecting amazing weather and we didn’t get it, but we did the best with what we got. We arrived in Vancouver after a very long flight from Melbourne to LAX with a three hour layover. We were jet lagged, tired and hungry. Yet, filled with adrenaline of just landing in a different country.

I loved the decor of the airport and the Northwest Coast art that can be found. It also had this nature outdoor motif going on.

We caught the train to our hotel, which was in the center of Downtown and close to everything. We found getting around in public transport very easily accessible.We quickly changed and freshened up and headed out for dinner. We had spotted a local micro brewer/restaurant walking distance from our hotel and went in to check it out.

The Devils Elbow Ale House was pretty empty during happy hour, but it was the middle of the week. We each ordered one of their beers, I went for a wheat and orange based beer, while my husband got an IPA. We ordered a few meats off their menu and shared. Their brisket was amazingly tender and had the right amount of smokiness and flavor. The fried pickles were not so great, the breading had not enough flakiness to it. After finishing our meal, we decided to head to another bar in Chinatown, which was walking distance.

It was very brisk and cold walk, but walked into a very warm Keefer Bar with still enough time for happy hour.

The whole decor was alchemy, from the title of the cocktail list called “List of Remedies and Cures”, each had a inventive name, to the x-ray displayed in the restrooms.  Long tubular light bulbs hung from the ceiling, light up pictures were displayed on the walls. An animated screen displaying neon lights from a China skyline hung on the wall. We had a few more cocktails and then gave into sleep, thus ending our first night in Vancouver.

On our second day, we woke up a bit late to what we had wished to, jet lag was seriously kicking our butt’s. We found a really cool trendy cafe again walking distance from our hotel. Catch122 Cafe Bistro was very busy for mid-afternoon. We had read great reviews of the food. I was just happy they had bottomless coffee, not the best tasting, but I was just happy for the caffeine.

I ordered the chorizo, with kale, goats cheese and home style potatoes. This chorizo was everything, nice and flavorful, with just the right amount spices and hotness. Just as I would remember having when I was kid with my eggs.

We decided to hit as many sights we could possibly do with the weather that was given to us. So we hit their Sky deck and saw the view of the city, not far into the distance due to the clouds, but enough to see the city. I am sure it’s great on a sunny clear day. Then we headed down to Gastown saw the steam clock. Then we caught a bus to Stanley Park to check out the Totem Poles. These were really cool to look at.

To end our second and final day we we out to Yaletown, where we had probably the best oysters I have ever had in my life. the best part it was happy hour and each was $1.50. Rodney’s Oyster House did not disappoint with the rest of the food. We had steamed clam, garlic prawns and clam chowder. The service was top notch, the bartender was hospitable and was informative. We enjoyed the decor, it was open, two story building. The kitchen was visible under the stairs. They kept the nautical decor to a tasteful amount. I loved their home made sauces for their clams, which are put in front of you in a little colorful row.

We finished off the night by bar hopping and even ended up singing karaoke. The trip was short and the weather was not on our side, but we enjoy great food saw some cool sights, and really enjoyed Vancouver’s vibes. Next off, we headed to Golden, B.C.