This nice little New Orleans inspired bistro serves all things creole and cajun. Cool drinks and hot food, accompanied by authentic live Louisiana Jazz, makes this the perfect spot for a dinner out. For something with a bite to it I can recommend the mussels Lafayette.

It may see like I have an affinity for dingy looking doorways leading to amazing spots, but it just so happens that another of the best bars in Vancouver is hidden behind such an entrance. The Narrow plays great music ranging from heavy metal, to hard rock, classic rock, grunge, 70’s soul and everything in between. The atmosphere is awesome. It is small, dark, VERY loud (due to the music), and the red walls are adorned by rows of deer antlers a glowing neon cross. It has a massive liquor selection too.

The place to go for a refreshing morning walk. Here you can really see and feel the magic that occurs when the mountains, the city and the ocean meet. Close by is also the Museum of Vancouver which, among other things, holds some colorful displays of the local 1960s hippie movement.

A little sanctuary for me. I come in here once a week and look around and touch the records and ponder and rarely (sorry to say this) buy anything! I bet they have a nickname for me….

A hidden (almost secret) garden! located off to the side of the Pacific National Exhibition Centre. This little Japanese landscaped garden is not only a quiet sanctuary where one can admire its lake, rocks, and bonzai trees, it is also a commemorative place that serves as a healing reminder of the history of Japanese Canadian internment during the Second World War.