Vancouver Travel Guide - BLKTOURGUIDE

Last year I decided that for my birthday I would check something off my bucket list. I have been wanting to see Orcas (killer whales) since I was 8 years old. Now, I saw the blackfish documentary and decided Id like to see them in the wild. Did a quick google search and found out they have tons of whale watching tours in British Columbia. The rest is history.

My Stay

I pretty much always travel solo. So, in order to cut costs, I decided to try an Airbnb. This was the first experience and it was a great one. First of all the room was only $26 a night!!! Since it was my first time I unknowingly booked a room verses and entire place. The place was extremely nice, and I never had to interact with the rest of the guests. I was given my own space in the bathroom, fridge, and living area. The host left tons of suggestions for attractions, food, and even got me a small birthday gift. The Airbnb was walking distance from the Sky Train which was great! The only con was that I wish I had chosen a place downtown. That’s where all the attractions are. I stayed in the Surrey part of town.

The Experience

Wild Whale Vancouver:

Wild Whale Vancouver: I choose Wild Whale Vancouver because they offered a boat with the smallest about of riders. The guide was good and gave tons of facts. Initially, I was a little disappointed because of regulations we could be as close to the whales as I would have liked. It also rained the entire time. I was freezing and exhausted. The whales were doing their thing swimming and we pretty much just followed them along. Finally, when we were about to turn back, things got exciting. The whales began to hunt. Apparently. after they hunt they celebrate! Leaping from the water. This was the experience I came for! It was awesome.

Canada Day:

Canada Day: It just so happens I was in Canada on Canada day. I went downtown to check out the festivities. There were: games to play, music blasting, and cool exhibits to check out. This was my last day in Vancouver, so I only stayed an hour or two. I really wanted to get some rest. My original plans were to go to a pool party, but I missed it. That being said it was nothing to write home about.

The Grub

I ’m from the South, Louisiana to be specific, but I live in New York City. Whenever I get an opportunity to have food I generally opt for Soul Food. I figured in Vancouver this would be a challenge. Here’s how they measured up:

Chewies:

I have to admit my initial experience was not the best. I entered and told the waitress I needed a table for one. I travel solo a lot and I have discovered that not all restaurants are fond of 1 person taking up a table, but thats a much larger discussion. The host then told me that there were no tables available at that time that I could have a seat a the bar or wait until 30 mintues for a table. I felt as if she wasn’t being truthful as there was 10 single tables available but I can’t say for sure. I informed her I would wait. I sat at the bar grabbed a menu and ordered a drink (it was happy hour). I search the menu and couldn’t find chicken and waffles anywhere. I ask the bartender and he informed me they only have it before 10 am. My heart sank! He told me he would check and see if they could make it. Unfortunately, they couldn’t the chicken and waffles. I would not be eating there. I want what I want lol. The host came over 5 min later and told me that she now had a table ready. I declined said I would only be having the drink. The bartender was super nice and asked my why I were I was from and why I had come to Vancouver. He then asks me if I had ever had an oyster. I told him only cooked never raw. He asked if Id like to try one. I said sure. He instructed me on how to eat it. And it was delicious! After that I headed on to my next attempt at chicken and waffle… Mamie Taylors.

Mamie Taylor’s:

Mamie Taylors is located in Vancouver’s China Town. I thought the china town was an interesting location for such a restaurant, but I pushed forward. I arrived and the waitress informed me that It was happy hour and that the full menu wasn’t available yet. I chose my seat near the window for people watching ease. She said there was only 15 minutes left in happy hour so I ordered a cocktail and began to survey the menu. Of course I opted for the chicken and waffles. I mean it is why I went there. My expectations were not high at all. Once the food arrived I was still quite weary as I like my waffle fluffy and it appeared to be crunchy. After the first bite all my fears were calmed. The waffle was delicious! It was savory, with its onion flavor. The slaw was delicious it was tangy and made the dish balanced. The batter on the chicken had great flavor but wasn’t crunchy enough. The waffle was the star of the plate unfortunately, there wasn’t enough of it! They only give you half a waffle, but its so delicious you need a whole one. I ordered the beignets but honestly, they were more like beignet bites. The texture was spot on! Which is where most attempts at beignets go wrong. The beignets come with a caramel sauce, but they could do without this and add more powdered sugar instead.

Must have: 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Jam

I waited in line an hour! But, it was worth ever freaking second. I ordered the brioche French toast and its definitely enough for two. The food at Jam was amazing! The chicken breast was fried to perfection, the slaw added some acidity, the French toast was fluffy. The surprise of the dish was the BBQ sauce it was used as a replacement for maple syrup. The only negative comment I have is that the flavor on the French toast was only on the outside. ENORMOUS PORTION.

Must have: 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Nightlife:

Republic:

Can you get turnt up in Vancouver? The answer is yes! Every city I visit I try to check out the nightlife at least once. I was visiting Vancouver for my birthday, so I had clubbing on my list. What makes a club great? For me its all about the music, the layout, and the lighting. I had originally planned to go out on my first night there, but Jet Lag got the absolute best of me. After doing some research there were two clubs I determined would be cool to visit for hip hop / R&B music. Fusion sound club and Republic are both located in downtown Vancouver and came highly be recommended for their music selection. Since I slept in on the first night I made plans to hit republic the next night. The key to going out in other cities, is to try and get on the guestlist. The nightlife team will usually be eager to add you as they want new faces in the place. I was on the guestlist that night at Republic, but I arrived late so that was pretty much null and void. After waiting in line for about 10 minutes. I was bag searched and headed to a cashier to pay my entry fee. The cashier told me she was going to wave my entry fee as it was birthday weekend. NICE! Let me give you the lay of the land. The first floor is a huge dance with 5 booth sections for VIP. The second floor is split in to two rooms each having its own bar and dance floor. One of the rooms has it’s own DJ and plays only hip hop. The other room shares the pop music DJ from the first floor. The hip hop room is interesting as it seems like this is where couples go to bump, grind, and cuddle. It has a glass front which looks out to the downtown stripe.