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Vancouver, located in the province of British Columbia, is the third largest city in Canada.

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Couchsurfing Meetings

Last updated: March 4, 2010

The Vancouver Couchsurfing community is very active socially. There are always events being organized and attendance of these events is usually very high. Examples of some of the events Vancouver CS members have organized: housewarming parties, birthday parties, NYE parties, Halloween parties, pajama parties (parties, parties, parties), potlucks, pub crawls, movies, concerts, hockey games, the PNE, orchestral recitals, camping trips, hikes, kayak tours, snow shoeing, skiing, and so much more.

Vancouver Couchsurfers hold regular weekly social meetings on Tuesdays at varying locations around the city. Keep your eyes on the Vancouver Couch Surfers group to find out when the next one is! Gatherings generally start between 7:30 and 8:00pm.

Our inaugural meeting was:

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - The Kingston Pub, 755 Richards Street http://www.couchsurfing.com/meetings.html?mid=3946

The first post about our meet on the Vancouver CS board was:

"Alright. Having coordinated, synchronized, schemed, plotted, and planified, Erin and I have scoured, scrubbed, washed, pressed, and dried the downtown core in an effort to find the best place for weekly get togethers.

In our humble opinions the first choice is the Kingston, followed by the one at Library Square. Name forgotten. note to self: sample less from each pub.

So in order to give people time to spread the word we agreed that the best time for the first meeting will be in exactly one week on the 11th and will repeat infinitum ad nauseum every Tuesday thereafter.

Since this is the inaugural weekly meeting, we ask that if you have a snorkle, goggles, face mask, or other funny eyewear then please bring it so that we can identify you easily.

So we hope to see you there and don't forget to bring a smile and your latest couchsurfer(s). Spread the word!" - Dan Royer

City Layout

The layout of Vancouver is easy to grasp as it follows a grid pattern like many North American cities. The east/west running streets are generally called by numbers with 1st Avenue being in the north and the numbers getting bigger as you go south. The north/south streets have real names; some of the major ones (east to west) being: Boundary Road, Renfrew Street, Nanaimo Street, Commercial Drive, Main Street, Cambie Street, Oak Street, Granville Street, Burrard Street, Arbutus Street, Macdonald Street, Dunbar Street, and Blanca Street. Some of the major east/west avenues are: 4th, Broadway (9th), King Edward (25th), 41st, 49th, Marine Drive (the very south end of Vancouver along the Fraser River and the Ocean).

1st Avenue runs just south of the downtown area and north of 1st Avenue are streets with real names until you either hit False Creek or the Burrard Inlet.

The downtown core of Vancouver is located on a peninsula. False Creek is on the south side, Burrard Inlet is on the north side, and beautiful Stanley Park and the entrance to the Strait of Georgia (body of water separating Vancouver from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands) is on the west side. The east side of downtown is connected to land and the major street running into downtown from the east is Hastings Street.

Major communities or neighbourhoods you may often hear reference: Point Grey (UBC area, up until Alma St.), Kitsilano (Alma St. up to approximately Burrard St.), Downtown east side (Hastings St. from Cambie to Commercial Dr.), West end (Downtown).

Major suburbs of Vancouver include North Vancouver, West Vancouver (West Van), Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey, Delta, Richmond, Langley, White Rock.

You can work out an address location from the house number pretty easy as house number 1 is at the north end of the street always! The east/west numbers start at Ontario Street (two blocks west of Main Street) and spread out to the east or west from there. Make sure that if you're looking for an address on one of the numbered avenues that you know whether it's on the east or west side of the city. For example there could be both a 1325 East 5th Avenue and a 1325 West 5th Avenue.

There are always 100 numbers per block and so you can count the number of blocks you have to travel by counting the hundreds from where you are to where you're going.

Transportation

There is a comprehensive bus and train system covering Vancouver known as the Greater Vancouver Transit Authority, or Translink. Translink runs buses, the SkyTrain light rail, and the Seabus from downtown to North Vancouver.

The area serviced by Translink is split into three "zones". Zone one is the City of Vancouver. Zone two includes Richmond, Burnaby, North and West Vancouver. Zone three includes Surrey, White Rock, Delta, Coquitlam, and all other surrounding cities that are serviced by Translink.

The SkyTrain light rail system has two lines: the Expo Line which runs from downtown Vancouver at Waterfront Station to Surrey at King George Station, and the Millennium Line which also runs from Waterfront Station as far east as New Westminster and then loops back through North Burnaby to end at VCC/Clark Station in east Vancouver. The Canada line will run between the Vancouver International Airport through Richmond into downtown Vancouver along Cambie St.

The Seabus is a small foot passenger ferry which travels between Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver, across the Burrard Inlet, to the Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.

Current fares are: $2.50 for travel in one zone, $3.75 for travel between two zones, and $5.00 for travel through all three zones. A fare ticket is valid for 1.5 hours from the time of purchase and the expiry time is printed on the ticket. Day Passes can be purchased for $9.00 and are valid through all zones. You can purchase Adult 1 Zone Monthly Pass for $73, which gives you unlimited public transportation access in one particular zone you choose in a single calendar month. (You cannot purchase pass in the middle of the month and expect to use it for the next 30-day period.) Generally, the monthly pass is only worth it if you take buses twice a day, Mon-Fri. If you do not expect to ride that often, the FareSaver Tickets is a good alternative. $19 for 10 strips tickets you can use as a single ticket ($1.90 per ride for 1.5 hours vs. regular $2.50). And you can get them in a lot of places (i.e. Mac's, 7-Eleven, Safeway or London Drugs). More information regarding fares can be found here The fine for not having a valid ticket is $173.

You can plan your trip and find out what bus routes or skytrains you can take by putting in your starting location and ending destination at the Translink website

Since the start of Canada Line, Skytrain is the only way connecting YVR airport and Vancouver. There is one main express bus route: the east/west route (99 B-Line) runs along Broadway (equivalent to 9th Avenue) from Broadway/Commercial Drive (or sometimes Boundary Road)out to the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Taxis are reasonably priced and also generally easy to get if you need one. However, if you're planning to take a taxi late at night on a weekend for example, you may want to allow for extra time (30 minutes) to get one due to call volume and demand from the downtown club district. Taxis can be hailed street side as well. A taxi from YVR (the airport) to downtown costs approximately $40.

Biking around the city is common. There are designated bicycle routes throughout the city. For a map of these routes and other information see here. One thing to bear in mind is: Vancouver is a fairly hilly city, so do expect lots of up-and-down battles while cruising on a bike in the city. Bike rentals can be found at Bayshore Bike Rentals, Spokes Bicycle Rentals, and Reckless Bike Stores to name a few.

As with any major city, car rentals are easy to come by. Some major rental companies are (but are not limited to): Budget, Enterprise, and National.

Guides

Translink offers a very user friendly trip planning guide on their website for planning your transit rides. Google Maps also offers car, transit and walking options for the Greater Vancouver Area.

Vancouver is a bike friendly city. You can locate bike maps through the Translink site. The UBC's Cycling in Cities Website offers a great cycling route planner.

Tourism Vancouver offers free visitor guides which can be obtained in the Vancouver Tourist InfoCentre at 200 Burrard Street. The phone number is: 604-683-2000.

Many local couchsurfers are unable to host for a variety of reasons, but often you'll find they're more than happy to meet up with you for "coffee or a drink" and they'd love to guide you around the city for the day. Use the "Couchsearch" feature on the CS website to look for your potential personal tour guide!

Annual Events and Festivals

Last updated: December 27, 2009

Olympics: Vancouver 2010

The Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver and surrounding areas in 2010. For travels during the Olympics time, please check out TravelSmart2010. Free concerts in calendar during the Olympics on The Straight. Calendar of the Cultural Olympiad on The Straight. Vancouver 2010 free events guide on City Caucus Where 2 Be For Free!.

Sports

Attractions

Beaches

It is perfectly legal for women to be topless on any beach in Vancouver. Sadly though, it is not commonly practiced outside of Wreck Beach. Here are some details of where you can comfortably hangout in your birthday suit.

Wreck Beach - Vancouver's one and only clothing optional beach, located on the UBC grounds. Don't go if all you're going to do is stare.

Third Beach - located in Stanley Park, Third Beach is slowly becoming the weekday topless location to go, when you don't have time to go all the way to Wreck. Please note, this is topless only. Don't not going running about in your altogether.

Nude Friendly Information and Referral

Spanish Banks - Great view, good place to go for a run, or to spend an afternoon reading your favorite book.

Kitsilano Beach - Good place to picnic and to watch the Celebration of Lights fireworks if you want to avoid the chaos of English Bay. It's more green and has a pool, and tennis courts, as well as a nice restaurant Watermark

English Bay - One of the most popular beaches in Vancouver where people go tanning, picnicking, swimming, etc. The most popular place to watch the Celebration of Lights fireworks too.

Parks & Hiking

Vancouver and the surrounding area has an abundance of Provincial Parks and City Parks. Check the Provincial Parks for hiking, and the city parks for lounging around on a beautiful day.

Food

Food culture is huge in Vancouver. If you're a foodie, this is a good place for you. It's impossible to write every restaurant in Vancouver here. For that, you should visit Yelp or DineHere or UrbanSpoon for restaurant reviews and see what's hot in the Vancouver restaurant scene.

Asian foods are quite popular in Vancouver, especially Chinese food and sushi. Some may even argue sushi is more popular than burgers and fries. But you can find all types of cuisines here. Traditional "Vancouver food" would be "West Coast Cuisine" which usually involves some fusion of Eastern cuisine with Western cuisine. It also involves the use of seafood in many dishes. Seafood, particularly salmon, halibut, shellfish, and shrimp, are usual entrée stars. West Coast Cuisine often involves a lot of fresh vegetables and is sometimes described as locally grown, a tad unpredictable, and full of unique and fresh flavours.

The free weekly newspaper The Georgia Straight, which comes out every Thursday and you can grab it from everywhere on the streets, usually have pages of lists of current events happening in town, including restaurants and venues recommendations.

Vancouverites love gathering over great food. So if you ever want company for brunch, lunch, or dinner, post a message on the Vancouver CouchSurfing Discussion Board and see if anyone wants to join you. The discussion board is also a great place to ask for recommendations based on the type of food you're looking for.

Night Life

Pub culture in Vancouver isn't the same as in places such as the UK or Australia - meaning most people don't hit up a local pub on a regular basis as a means to socialize with their friends. That being said, there are many pubs and bars in the city, many of which are very popular and often busy on any given night. Most nightclubs have their busiest nights from Thursday to Sunday and are conveniently located within blocks of each other downtown on Granville Street. This area is called The Granville Mall or Granville Entertainment District. For nightclub information and events see Clubzone Vancouver

Jungle Swing Productions - Vancouver's Classic Swing Dance Connection

Just Dance - Just Dance is a "positive party" community event. It offers a unique opportunity to dance to an eclectic selection of music from around the world. Held twice a month (three times if you include Just Dance Journeys), Just Dance can be described as a "refreshing alternative" to the bar and club scene. It is an evening where people are free to be themselves... where being, dressing, connecting, and dancing is done however you want it to be!

Tips

Seasons

Vancouver enjoys a very temperate climate all year being that it is located right on the west coast of Canada and has the Pacific Ocean lapping at its shores.

Vancouver sees all four seasons distinctly, though spring and autumn tend to feel shorter than winter and summer to some people. This is probably due to the amount of rain the city sees. Yes, it rains a lot in Vancouver from October to April. If you're prepared for it (water-resistant clothing, footwear and an umbrella) even a rainy day can be enjoyed outdoors.

Spring starts to become apparent in March when blooming daffoldils, tulips, hyacinths, and Japanese cherry trees add colour to the city's neighbourhoods. The weather begins to warm enough to shed the winter coats in favour of sweaters and light jackets by mid to late April, and many people are out wearing shorts by the end of May. June sees the local beaches beginning to fill with swimsuit clad sunbathers and the warm temperatures will last until mid-September. The summer months are periodically dotted with bouts of rain, but it usually won't last more than a day or two at a time. From September until mid-December the Autumn leaves begin to turn colour and fall from their branches as days get shorter and the number of rainy days increases. Winter in the city isn't much different from the fall except temeperatures are colder. The city typically won't receive its first snowfall until January or February, and even then it is usually only a couple of inches and it won't stick around on the ground for more than a couple of days. That being said, it snowed a fair amount in early November 2007 so the weather can be unpredictable.

The key to enjoying Vancouver through all seasons is preparation. Layering clothing is a great idea as it can be rainy and dismal in the morning and then sunny and warm in the afternoon.

Internet

If you're traveling with your laptop you can find free wireless Internet at many cafes. A directory of these cafes can be found here. If you're not traveling with a laptop there are many Internet cafes in Vancouver that provide a computer for you to use for a fee. Cost varies. Some cafes in the downtown core can be found here.

The main branch of the Vancouver Public Library has three visitor computer stations with access to the Internet. Time is limited to two and a half hours per guest per day.

Housing

Pad Mapper is a useful tool that combines Craigslist and Google Maps to give you an idea of where the house/apartment is situated in relation to everything else. Some additional sites to use when looking for housing include:

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