Hey everyone! Since my last post, it’s been another couple fun weeks in Vancouver and I’ve been doing a bunch of exploring lately, particularly north of Vancouver. Here are a few highlights!

North Vancouver

I’ve had the chance to explore North Van quite a bit recently, and it’s definitely growing on me. I’ve attended Shipyards Night Market a few times now, which is a great festival featuring entertainment, vendors, food trucks, a local market, and more. It’s located at the Lonsdale Quay, a super beautiful setting and also a great area of North Van to check out. If you head north from the Quay, you can explore the neighbourhood of Lower Lonsdale, which features tons of small shops and restaurants. I also recently attended the SHIPPED Waterfront Festival, a new event celebrating North Van’s waterfront location and all of the features that are related to the past, present and future of the Shipyards. It is a place worth celebrating for sure, especially with such incredible waterfront views. If you’re coming to North Van from downtown Vancouver, you can take the sea bus directly across the water to arrive at the Quay, which is super convenient (and fun). North Van is one of my new favourite places to explore and I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to do so!

Squamish

I recently took a road trip to Squamish with one of my friends and drove along the Sea to Sky highway for the first time! Let me tell you, they don’t call it Sea to Sky for nothing. It was such a beautiful road trip. Just before Squamish, we decided to hike the Stawamus Chief, which at the time felt like a great decision… Turns out, I am far less fit than I anticipated and the hike was much more intense than I expected. But, we made it to the top of the Second Peak, and the views were so worth it. Maybe next time, I’ll take the Sea to Sky gondola instead… 😉

Vancouver

I’ve also had the chance to check out some pretty cool events in Vancouver lately. I’ve been to a couple of Vancouver Canadians games at the Nat Bailey stadium, which I now feel is going to become a Vancouver tradition for me. I’m really starting to feel that sense of community, especially at events like this. Some other Vancouver traditions I’m starting to get in on include going out for killer ice cream (at places like Earnest – if you haven’t been, go check it out ASAP!) and taking in the incredible beach views. I also recently celebrated Pride in Vancouver, and I actually had the opportunity to be in the Pride Parade, which was a ton of fun. I am so glad to live in a city that celebrates diversity at such a large scale, and has so many great events going on all the time. It is great to finally feel a bit like a part of the Vancouver community. I am definitely addicted to the city lifestyle, and so far Vancouver has been pretty good to me!

It’s hard to believe that there are only a couple weeks of summer left before I head back to school! Before I do so, I’ll be packing in as much Vancouver and Lower Mainland fun as I can. Stay tuned for more, and make sure to check out #chiaratakesvancouver on Instagram for the latest updates 🙂