Autumn events at UBC

I love autumn in Vancouver. I love the earthy smell in the air, the low-lying fog in the morning, the colours changing on the trees, the chestnuts that litter the streets, the crisp air in the evening - even the quality of light.

While Vancouver isn't traditionally an autumn destination (our forests are predominantly evergreen, after all), there are so many great autumn events that most people aren't even aware of. Two events that I'm particularly interested in are happening out at UBC. Both will allow you experience all the fantastic sites and smells of autumn.

UBC Farm Harvest Festival

UBC Farm

Saturday, October 3rd

9am until 1pm

UBC Apple Festival

UBC Botanical Garden

October 17 & 18

11am until 4pm

The UBC Farm Harvest Fest would be a great excuse to get out and experience the only remaining true farm in the city of Vancouver (whose future is undetermined, as the farm's actually zoned for development, but is currently sitting in limbo - boo!). I've never visited the farm, but my Dad (who spent his childhood summers in Hay Lakes - ie: small farming town - Alberta) says that he actually feels like he's back in Alberta when he's there. It's apparently a lot larger than people anticipate. My sister, who works at UBC, says a visit to the UBC Farm is an absolute must.

The UBC Apple Fest is a lot of fun, in that old-fashioned country fair kind of way. I think they charge a small fee ($2?) for entry, but you essentially get access to the entire UBC Botanical Garden, plus you can do apple tastings, buy bags of apples - and we're not talking about Granny Smith's, but dozens of unique and rare varieties you typically don't find in stores. They sell apple pie, candied apples, apple cider, and there's usually entertainment. I visited two years ago and it was so enjoyable. Just be sure to get there early, especially if the weather's nice, as they actually sold out of many apples by the time we arrived.

I have nothing set in stone yet, but if I manage to make my way out to either event, I'll be sure to report back!

2 day Vancouver itinerary

When I'm not updating my blog (which sadly, isn't as frequent as I should be), you can almost always find me contributing to random Vancouver-related posts on the TripAdvisor Canada forum.

Recently a poster thanked me saying they were using my "2 day Vancouver itinerary" that I wrote back in July of 2007. So a quick search through the forums and I discovered what I had writen.

The original poster initially asked if a side trip to Victoria was worth it. They were coming to Vancouver from England and only had 2 and a half days to see the city. Did they have time to see Victoria in addition to Vancouver in those 2 and a half days?

Here's what I wrote:

With your limited time, I'd just stick to Vancouver, especially knowing that you're coming all the way from the UK.

You need at least 2-3 days to give Vancouver justice. Victoria is much smaller than Vancouver, so while you could do a day trip there, it would make for a very long day, as it takes at least 3-4 hours of travelling in one direction to get between the two cities. So that eats up 6-8 hours of the one day. You'd want to leave very early and come back very late. Or you'd want an overnight there as to not feel rushed.

It's not that I don't recommend a visit to Victoria, because it offers a very different atmosphere than Vancouver, but a big draw for tourists is that Victoria's very reminiscent of England, with English style gardens, horse drawn carriage rides, Union jack flags, and afternoon tea, etc. Victoria is scenic, but more in a gentle, manicured, "quaint" kind of way... not unlike the UK.

With 2 and a half days in Vancouver, you could see quite a lot at either a busy or a leisurely pace. And there will be dramatic scenery everywhere.

On one day you could spend the morning exploring Stanley Park (1000 acres of gardens and temperate rainforest surrounded by beaches and water), then walk along the seawall along English Bay and take the water taxi to Granville Island (big public market, art studios, one of a kind boutiques, restaurants, street musicians). Take the water taxi back to Yaletown for boutique shopping and a dinner (lots of excellent restaurants). Walk to Robson Street (kind of like London's Oxford Street) and window shop, and then walk down Denman Street (lots of small ethnic restaurnants, cafes, and boutiques) to English Bay beach watching the sunset go down over the distant islands.

On the second day you could take the seabus across Burrard Inlet north from downtown to North Vancouver and hop on the bus up to Grouse Mountain. Take the skyride (a 200 passenger gondola) up to the top of the mountain and enjoy the view/scenery (assuming this is a clear day). They also have a grizzly bear sanctuary up there, and a hokey lumberjack show - all included in the price. In the afternoon you can either go to Capilano Suspension Bridge (located a few minutes down the road from Grouse), but since Capilano is really touristy and expensive, you can opt for the nearby Lynn Canyon Park (located east of Grouse) which has a *free* suspension bridge, in addition to many easy hiking trails through the temperate rainforest. I personally think Lynn Canyon is more scenic due to the trails taking you down to the river bed and up along the canyon walls by a series of staircases.

If you don't feel like doing outdoor activities, you may want to check out the latest exhibits at the Vancouver Art Gallery, or take the 30 minute bus ride out to the University of British Columbia to the excellent Museum of Anthropology (possibly the best museum experience in the city). If you're out at UBC, you may as well also see the Nitobe Japanese Gardens.

If you really like gardens, I highly recommend Van Dusen Botanical Garden (55 acres) and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Park (130 acres). Queen Elizabeth Park has a beautiful sunken garden in a former rock quarry.

Another idea for your second day is to take a water taxi to Kitsilano, a local neighbourhood across False Creek from downtown situated on a very scenic, popular beach. Lots of neat shops and restaurants in that area. Some day it's nice just to relax, have a picnic, and soak up the sun. Kits is a good place as any (or Third Beach in Stanley Park is better if you're wanting something downtown).

Gastown I don't really recommend as a destination but more as a "If you're in the area, you may as well visit" - but only visit in the morning or afternoon - it is not an evening destination. Mostly touristy souvenir shops located in 1890-1900-era brick buildings. Put this lower down on your list of priorities in Vancouver, and if you miss it entirely, it's no big deal.

Chinatown is not a dining destination in Vancouver, but a traditional Chinese market located in some of the oldest and most interesting buildings in the city. Again, only come in the morning or afternoon. The Dr Sun Yat Sen gardens, though very, very tiny, are beautiful.

Both Chinatown and Gastown border on a very unpleasant part of Vancouver, so while not dangerous, the side streets and alleys are dirty/smelly, and there are more mentally ill, drug addicted, homeless people in the vicinity than anywhere else.

So as you can see - more than enough to do in Vancouver for 2 and a half days.

Finally, one thing you can do is to wait until you get to Vancouver and see how you're feeling. You could always wait until the end of the first day to see if you feel like visiting Victoria or staying in Vancouver. If you feel like visiting Victoria, I can recommend taking a tour via Gray Line, or Landsea Tours, or West Coast Sightseeing. The price is about $130 per person and they take you on the ferry, to Butchart Gardens, and give you about 3-4 hours of free time in downtown Victoria. Downtown Victoria is very small, and the main attractions are all located in a 5 block radius from one another. Those day trip tours are 12 hours in length.

VanDusen Botanical Garden: a local's secret

Laburnum in VanDusen, alive with the sound of bees - May 2005

Vancouver's wet climate and mild temperatures produce some of the most lush, botanically diverse gardens in North America. Because of these conditions, Vancouver's gardens are vibrant and green year round. This is unlike elsewhere in Canada where you'd normally only seek gardens in the spring and summer months. Vancouver's mild temperatures mean that you can visit the local gardens even in the middle of winter and you'll still have plenty of things to see.

Yellow irises - May 2005

You can guarantee that almost every tourist coming to Vancouver knows about Stanley Park. And you'd be surprised at how many tourists come to Vancouver, only to spend their entire time travelling the six hour round trip to see Victoria's Butchart Gardens. But for those garden loving individuals, there is actually another garden here in Vancouver which is equally worthwhile but it often flies under the tourist radar. That garden, dear reader, is VanDusen Botanical Garden.

VanDusen Botanical Garden main entrance - May 2005

VanDusen Botanical Garden (called "VanDusen Gardens" or "VanDusen" by locals) is my favourite garden in Vancouver, and it has to be the one of the city's most impressive as far as botanical gardens go. Formerly a golf course up until 1960, it opened its doors as a botanical garden in 1975.

Floating bridge - May 2005

Though not as famous as Butchart Gardens, it's about the same size but is cheaper and has a fraction of the crowds. It's also convenient to get to as it's located a 12 minute (5 km) drive south of downtown Vancouver - nestled on a massive 55 acre city block in the gorgeous, the prestigious, and the disgustingly pricey residential neighbourhood of Shaughnessy.

The satellite view of VanDusen from Google Maps

If you enjoy horticulture, botany and meandering through tranquil gardens, you'll want to seriously consider a visit to VanDusen. Organized into 55 unique themes, it's more than just pretty flowers. In a way, the garden is set up to be a living museum - every plant, flower, tree, fern is meticulously labeled by its genus and species. It's not just beautiful - it's educational! You'll want at least 2 hours here to give it justice. And don't forget the hedge maze!

Entering the hedge maze - May 2005

In terms of dining, VanDusen has a reputable gourmet restaurant aptly called Shaughnessy for those looking at making a special event out of the visit. They also have a beautiful gift shop. But VanDusen almost acts as a surrogate community centre for the Vancouver community, hosting plant sales, plant shows, car shows, cultural displays, botany/horticulture classes, flower-arranging classes, lectures - you name it.

The lushness of spring flowers - May 2005

This is even more true in December when they host the annual Festival of Lights Christmas light display - the busiest time you'll ever experience at VanDusen! But outside of Christmas time, VanDusen offers a surprisingly quiet environment.

A quiet moment under the canopy of a Japanese maple - May 2005

Although the garden changes with the seasons and is beautiful year round, there's something really special about visiting VanDusen in the month of May. It's at this time of the year when VanDusen becomes magical with intensely coloured rhododendrons and bright yellow laburnum alive with the buzz of bees. The new green foliage appears so vibrant, as if somebody tweaked the saturation in Photoshop. VanDusen in May can feel like you're walking through an impressionist painting - and you feel as though you have the whole garden to yourself.

Korean pavilion in the Sino-Himalayan garden at VanDusen - May 2005