We visited on a Friday afternoon and the area seemed pretty dead and I could see why people say…read moreit's unsafe at night. Being Chinese, I make it a point to visit Chinatowns all over the world and take a selfie with the Chinatown gate. It was a nice surprise that we passed by and visited the Dr Sun Yat Sen park, which is free. A nice, serene park with nice photo ops with the city peaking out in the background and the juxtaposition of East meets West, old vs new. Sad to see it looked like the city gave up on the area though.

Pretty negative reviews didn't dissuade us from visiting, and we are glad we did…read more We came into Vancouver really early on a Friday. Knowing that our downtown hotel room wouldn't be ready until much later, we took the expo train two stops to the arena/chinatown station. From there, it was a short walk to Chinatown. Considering how Vancouver is known around the world for its Chinese population, it was a bit small and not very crowded. But it did have shops that were worth visiting and restaurants worth frequenting. And it had decent sidewalks and crosswalks to get around safely.

The City of Vancouver, as part of its every-other-year Biennale, commissions artists to bring their…read morecreativity to the city. Installed in March 2015 in eastern Vancouver, the Trans-Am Totem has quickly become the great BC city's must-sees. I won't get into all the possible interpretations and grad-schooleque "merging of consumerism and nature" or "metaphor of recurring consumerism" or "throwaway consumer culture" talk and just give a run-down. Located near the Georgia Viaduct, Vancouver artist Marcus Bowcott has given us a 33-foot (10 m)-high, 25,000-pound (11,340 kg) sculpture. Simply put, it's a stump of an old-growth cedar tree topped with five cars. At the top is the car that gives this sculpture its name: a 1981 Pontiac Trans Am. Then there's a BMW 7 Series, a Honda Civic, a Volkswagen Golf Mk1 Cabriolet, and a Mercedes-Benz ... all donated by a local scrapyard. While the Trans Am Totem is perfectly viewable while driving down the road, I highly recommend parking and viewing it up close and personal ... it really accentuates the experience. Its location on a grassy median where Pacific Boulevard turns into Quebec Street does not make up-close viewing ideal, but well worth the extra effort. One of great things about modern art is the capability of grand scope ... it took gigantic moving trucks to get everything here and cranes with a construction crew to get it all in place. It's a real site to see!

I pass this sculpture regularly and, like Seattle's "Freemont Troll" or "Gum Alley", this towering…read moretotem pole is definitely a whimsical oddity of sorts, one that people either love or detest. Personally, I love it. I think it funky and odd and comical. Until fairly recently, the headlights on the uppermost vehicle lit up at night. I'm not sure why they no longer do so, but I hope the City fixes this minor issue, as this feature truly enhances the novelty of the work when viewed at nighttime. I've read a few articles about this piece in the past year. I had no idea how controversial this totem pole was; many people take offense at the use of an indigenous people's symbol (the totem pole), used in a contemporary, artsy, funky way. I guess it's not PC to use indigenous symbols in art in this way. I guess this work is polarizing (emphasis on "pole" - get it? My weak attempt at humor here!). In my opinion, any artwork worth its weight in salt elicits dialogue and conversation and debate. In this way, I think this work is successful. Another note to pass on: I read that this totem pole is going to be moved this year to another location (as yet to be decided). So if you're interested in checking this eclectic piece out, I'd recommend doing so soon before it's moved to God-knows-where.

On top of this 30 story building is the Vancouver Harbor Control Tower for the float plane's…read morelanding and taking off on the Burrard Inlet. This control tower is the tallest in the world.. The building's many retailers provide unparalleled views of Vancouver Bay & Stanley Park.

In the summer, it's the go-to place for munching on your lunch and enjoy the North Shore views…read more In the fall, you avoid this b/c there's no shelter from the rain lol. Quite open and a lot of ppl don't realize the upper level that leads over to the Seabus terminal side. Historically, it's been here for decades with the Province/The Vancouver Sun as well-known tenants. Built right above the train tracks. Aqua Riva sadly went belly up too a few years back, now it's the high-end Miku taking over.

Vancouver's Chinatown wasn't on the Yelp map, so... let's create one!…read more I moved the pin onto the Google map, and now - everyone can find it! I was disappointed that metered street parking was not free on a Sunday. My niece reminded me that we weren't in the USA anymore... ohhh... maybe that's why. She paid $3 Canadian Dollars for 1.5 hours on her credit card. interesting. The worker in a store said that free parking is about 20 minutes away. Hmm... not worth it on a rainy, cloudy day... Oh, well... we were able to have breakfast, then walk around a bit. It was fun! We enjoyed the Asian architecture, shopping, food, and cute panda sightings!

Came here for the Chinese New Year Parade. I have to say the parade got bigger and bigger and to…read morethe point it takes like 3 hours to run down the whole thing. Well if you are at the end of the parade and its schedule to start at 11, you won't start until 12:30. Yes its that big. You also have the cadet and the Canadian army in it as well. If its on a rainy day the parade will still go on. Its interesting to see so many people supporting it. I don't recommend driving because there are road blockage and as well its hard to find a parking spot. Getting down by skytrain or bus is the best option. Interestingly City of Vancouver cleans the street about 1.5 hours after the parade finish. Very efficient!

Amazing, impressive, fascinating event, it's been decades since I've gone…read more Cleverly, I parked near the 'finish line'' by Rogers arena, then walked towards the many different focus groups, this way, they walked towards me so great for pics. Wished there was more music and food. even the Sikh motorcycle group was represented. Many lion dance clubs, for which i'll review later, as I prefer to legitimately include full address and phone numbers (unlike someone). Seriously, I caught the tail end of it, arrived 45 min so by 1:30pm, wrapping up. Saw martial arts, last name associations societies which will even pump out more reviews if I feel like it, classical dance, kids groups.... Over 100,000 turnout. All the way from Main St and Quebec blocked off. Some action and magic show at Keefer Place too.

This is a great place for a conversation over coffee or dinner…read more The reasonably sized portions are a plus, and the Lasagna Bolognese was amazing. The Tiramisu was one of the best I've ever had. The server was friendly and efficient, avoiding the typical small talk like "so, what are your plans for later?". I really REALLY appreciate that.

Came here for a late night dinner, unfortunately I didn't feel it was worth the price. I'm visiting…read moreVancouver, so I kind of regret spending one of my tourist meals here. Ambiance: Cute, cozy, no complaints Service: Just fine. Waitress took our order, offered a special. She left to help other tables and took a good while to come back. I ordered the special. She then comes back and says the special is out, that the last order was just sold. I wish I had gotten faster service! Food: Not great :( My partner's food came out like 5 minutes before mine, and when I finally got my carbonara, it was barely warm. Was so hungry by this time, I just took the L and ate it. Might be a decent eat for locals but I certainly would not recommend it to any tourist who is looking to try great cuisine in Vancouver.

This might be one of the best Italian restaurants I have been to, and my first experience here was…read moreunforgettable. This was my first stop after having just landed in Vancouver. I had secured a weekday lunch reservation a few weeks prior in anticipation, which I highly recommend. The staff was incredibly friendly when we arrived, and we were seated moments later. The inside was quite full (a good sign), cozy, with all the tables in close proximity, but it provided a very inviting atmosphere. To start I ordered the Fried Cauliflower and Sourdough bread based on other recommendations I had seen, which both lived up to the hype. My wife and I had to stop ourselves before the main course, the rigatoni alla bolognese, arrived at our table. It was perfectly portioned, still steaming as we devoured the last few bites. Our waitress was even kind enough to provide us some other recommendations in the neighborhood to try during our trip, as it was our first time in the city. Prices were more than fair for quality of what we received. Though parking might not be the easiest, and reservations are in high demand, it's worth the wait. Whenever I find myself back in Vancouver, I'll always Ask For Luigi.

Insane. Still thinking about the ravioli. My boyfriend has celiac and they had plenty of amazing…read moreoptions including homemade gluten free pasta. I'm from Boston and this place blows nearly every Italian spot out of the water. Cocktails are premade in bottles. I do wish they had a full service bar.

Cozy Italian caffe in Gastown. This review is for the coffee shop. There is an Italian restaurant…read more(Di Beppe, without the "Caffe") which makes up the other half of the space. Parking is very limited here. Try the side streets closer to Chinatown. The place is pretty dimly lit. Good for people watching in the evenings. Staff are friendly. Looks like the coffee here is made fresh, as it takes a while for them to crank out the orders. The coffee is pretty solid, though the cup sizes are a bit small. Not unexpected though. Good place to have a coffee and chat. Recommended.

Good ambiance and coffee in a cute part of town /Gastown. The smell of pizza and pasta from the…read morerestaurant part of the cafe is amazing.