British Columbia
Shops, eats and places to take kids in British Columbia.
Where to eat yummy Japanese food in Vancouver BC
April 6, 2024My heart still lives in my Bachan and Jichan’s kitchen in Vancouver on Friday nights where I could be content forever devouring heaping bowls of rice, nimono, little plates of fish and pickles, and drinking tea with the grownups until way past other kids’ bedtimes. When I go home to visit now, I’m lucky that […]
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Greenheart TreeWalk at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver BC
March 25, 2024I recently tried to explain to someone about the Greenheart TreeWalk and realized I never wrote this one up for the blog. If you are visiting Vancouver and you’re in the University of British Columbia (UBC) area around April to October, this is such a great place to visit. And maybe if you miss out […]
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Westin Whistler vs the Fairmont Whistler for a skiing vacation with kids
January 22, 2024First of all, I need to clarify that I currently travel with teenagers. We are a family of four and our twin boys are 15. We also often travel with our Yorkie Poo (and our pup was welcome at both hotels but we did not bring him when we went to the Westin Whistler). We […]
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The time we stayed at the St Regis in Toronto in summer on an Eastern Canada trip
October 27, 2023I think I was feeling all the “my babies are in high school-they’re going to be gone forever” desperation feelings in summer when we booked our Toronto trip on what was supposed to be a weekend of visiting friends in Montreal. Somehow I let my 15 year old son take over the trip planning and […]
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If you go to Toronto just to see the Hockey Hall of Fame
September 5, 2023Maybe it’s because we come from Vancouver and we came *thisclose* to the Stanley Cup when the guys were nearly two years old. Or maybe because Seattle got the Kraken hockey team when our duo was in middle school and the whole city has been hyped up about hockey ever since. But when I told […]
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How “worth it” is using a Toronto CityPASS for a summer family trip?
August 23, 2023As usual, we were last-minute in looking up what to do in Toronto for our summer trip (all we had planned was the Hockey Hall of Fame) and discovered online that there is a Toronto CityPASS and instantly knew we didn’t really need to do any more research. We are big CityPASS fans and have […]
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Vancouver, Canada and the Places we Like to Go to when we visit
May 17, 2023I keep getting asked for where we like to go in Vancouver Canada, and I have old lists for Vancouver with kids and Vancouver with my dog, but I realized recently that I didn’t have a centralized list, so this is where I’m going to put the places we like to go and things we […]
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A bunny cafe in Vancouver BC worth the drive from Seattle
April 22, 2023Are you somebunny who loves little rabbits? We actually didn’t try the coffee in this cafe, but I took my niece and nephew to the Bunny Cafe in Vancouver BC and there were bunnies galore. The Bunny Cafe is on Commercial drive, a vibrant street full of shops and cafes and I found it when […]
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How to go to the Whistler Audain Art Museum for free if you are from Seattle
January 24, 2023I checked Whistler for the kids’ mid-winter break and it looks like all of Seattle must be headed there. The prices are sky high! I think President’s Day now coincides with BC’s family day holiday so this is one reason why it’s getting more difficult to visit the area during that time. But there are […]
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Kafka’s Coffee in Vancouver BC with a playground next door
January 9, 2023Kafka’s Coffee has been part of our Vancouver adventures for decades now- my best friend baked for them years ago and they have really delicious coffee and food. But the newest Kafka’s Coffee location is so perfect for Vancouver families (and Seattle families visiting Vancouver) so I needed to talk about it here. It’s next […]
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Because I keep getting asked where to stay in Vancouver BC if you’re traveling from Seattle with a dog
October 31, 2022How many of us added furry family members in the past couple years? Scout, our yorkie poo pup joined our family in May 2020 and our travel life has not been the same since. Thankfully, Vancouver BC where we we grew up is only a 3 hour road trip from Seattle and as of October […]
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Finding a fantastic way to multigenerational holiday in Tofino in a 3 bedroom suite at the Pacific Sands Beach Resort
March 14, 2022If you love all things Pacific Northwest than Tofino is the type of place you probably dream about visiting too. We went ages ago for a family wedding and have been meaning to revisit ever since. So when I kept seeing Pacific Sands Beach Resort featured in contests on Instagram, I got it in my […]
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Souffle Pancakes at the Gram Cafe and other delicious places to eat at the Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby BC
January 30, 2022The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby BC is quickly becoming on of my go-to places to eat and shop when we head north from Seattle to see family in Canada. I’ve been eagerly anticipating the opening of the Gram Cafe there-this is a well- known souffle pancake chain in Japan and there are a few other […]
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What is a Terrace Room at the Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver BC?
January 11, 2022A little while ago I booked a staycation for my family and my sister’s family so all the cousins could hang out at a heated outdoor pool in the wintertime. Because of covid, I specifically wanted to find an outdoor pool so that we wouldn’t have to breathe indoor air. And we love the outdoor […]
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Why the Four Seasons Whistler Pool makes it the most perfect place to stay in the area in the summer
September 22, 2021Whistler is a place we usually end up going to once or twice a year. It’s close to Seattle and my husband and I grew up in the suburbs of Vancouver BC so we know it really well. It’s usually an easy road trip from Seattle and over the years we’ve stayed at many of […]
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A visit to Nita Lake Lodge and the train wreck hike in Whistler BC with grandma, two kids and a dog
September 10, 2020Before this year, I would not have thought that going home to visit my family just outside of Vancouver BC from Seattle was really travel. We can get there in 2.5 hours and some months we often visit a couple times for family and friends’ birthdays and events. But this year it suddenly became a […]
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Beginning to travel again with a bit more thoughtfulness and responsibility from now on and a first trip to Peace Arch Park
May 27, 2020***AS OF 8pm June 18th 2020 Peace Arch Park on the Canadian side will be closed until further notice*** We have always lived a life with our suitcases packed. My husband and I are the only people in our immediate families who don’t live in Vancouver BC, and we chose to live in Seattle WA […]
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When you are parents in Seattle and need a luxurious weekend away: 70-ish hours in New Mexico at the Ojo Caliente Spa Resort, one of the oldest spa resorts in North America and a few other ideas to dream about today
September 22, 2019Where can you go from Seattle that will make a weekend feel like a blissful forever and not have to travel a zillion miles to get there? The hubby and I had this remarkable conundrum this summer when my parents came to watch our guys and we had three days and two nights for a […]
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If the Funko Headquarters in Everett is on your Seattle Bucketlist with kids
July 7, 2019I had no idea what a “Funko Pop” was when I heard that Funko Headquarters opened up to the public in Everett about a year and a half ago. I still don’t totally understand them but they seem to be vinyl collectibles of pop culture icons like Jurassic Park and Marvel characters, movies stars and […]
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The Porsche Off Road Driving Experience in Whistler-an experience gift for dad or maybe for yourself
June 14, 2019Believe it or not, getting the chance to try a Porsche Off Road Driving Experience was not what first drew me to a “wings and wheels” media trip to Richmond and Whistler BC. I was actually fairly terrified by the whole idea of it but was blinded by the fact that I would get to […]
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