[mecheng77]

Originally Posted by tuco44

Why do we need politics in this thread?

Originally Posted by tuco44

Why do we need politics in this thread?

Because it was a good photo, very accurate lol 👻

I'm looking for a car where I can put a television and watch movie4k

[roastbeef]

this is something i'm curious about since i've seen it a few times and can't understand it, so excuse me being forward with this- why travel or go on vacation with a newborn baby? the plane ride, the feeding, diapers... nothing about it seems remotely enjoyable. why do it?

[XKxRome0ox]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

this is something i'm curious about since i've seen it a few times and can't understand it, so excuse me being forward with this- why travel or go on vacation with a newborn baby? the plane ride, the feeding, diapers... nothing about it seems remotely enjoyable. why do it?

staying home all the time with the baby isn't enjoyable either

[XKxRome0ox]

Originally Posted by MaximusB

That’s in North Burnaby, right at the City of Burnaby/Vancouver border. Hence the road name boundary road. I am quite familiar with Burnaby, as I live in South Burnaby. I sometime take Hastings to/from work.

I believe there is only one new condo at Boundary and Hastings. Which is right next to a transit (bus) hub. So there will be a lot of foot and vehicle traffic. During rush hour Hastings can get quite backed up because Boundary is a main road that go through Burnaby and Hastings is also a main road that takes you from downtown Vancouver into the tri-cities. That location is also just a few blocks away from highway 1 and the bridge that takes you to the north shore.

Location wise it is pretty central. Head west 15 minutes or so on Hastings will take you to downtown. East on Hastings to Port Moody, Coquitlam, etc. 15 minutes down boundary will take you to Metrotown (largest mall in Vancouver area) in central Burnaby. Just a few blocks east on Hastings have lots of good local restaurants. However that location is a few outside of the heart of Willingdon heights, where all the restaurants and shops are.

However at night that area tends to have some, not much, homeless people hanging around because of the transit hub and the 24hr McDonald down the street.

Have you looked into central Burnaby, Metrotown area or Brentwood area? There are tons of new condos there. But I would assume prices will be a bit higher. Personally I would prefer Metrotown or Brentwood because it is recently redeveloped, so it is newer.



How long is this trip? I would suggest spending a night over in the island, if you do go. It is a 2 hour ferry ride each way, and Boundary/Hastings is about 30-40 minutes away to the nearest ferry terminal.

I would take the car over. Just more convenient that way, especially with a baby.

One tip... DO NOT speed around the ferry terminal in the Island. The roads by the terminal feels like a highway, looks like a highway, can definitely drive at highway speed, but the speed limit is only 50km/hr, city speed. In B.C. they will impound you’re car for 7 days if you go 40km/hr over posted speed limit. The roads going to the ferry is notorious for speed traps. And the cops will impound your rental car, they are ruthless on that road.

i just grabbed the closest intersection with the biggest streets to just give an idea of the area
the Airbnb map shows the condo to be 1 or 2 blocks away from that intersection
the photos of the condo look really nice
but i am still looking at all options
just didn't know what area i should be focusing on
will probably go closer to downtown area

thanks for the tips about not speeding in the ferry terminal area
i got a speeding ticket during my honeymoon in Hawaii.. that sucked



might even go to whistler for a day
we are flying up on Monday afternoon and leaving Saturday afternoon
so 6 days, 5 nights

to minimize the need to change hotel/airbnb, we are thinking stay in Vancouver area Mon through Wed night and then spend Thurs and Fri night in Victoria
catch an early ferry back on Sat morning
but i'm wondering if that's not enough time in Vancouver (with drives to north vancouver, maybe whistler) .. and too much time spent in Victoria

thoughts?

[XKxRome0ox]

Originally Posted by MaximusB

Lol and buy extra rental car coverage if you drive in Richmond. Just YouTube “Richmond drivers” and you’ll know what we mean. I guarantee you’ll see some fucked up driving no matter which day and time you visit Richmond.

is there any must-see/must-do in Richmond area?
if not, i'll just steer clear

[ToddBlack88]

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

i just grabbed the closest intersection with the biggest streets to just give an idea of the area
the Airbnb map shows the condo to be 1 or 2 blocks away from that intersection
the photos of the condo look really nice
but i am still looking at all options
just didn't know what area i should be focusing on
will probably go closer to downtown area

thanks for the tips about not speeding in the ferry terminal area
i got a speeding ticket during my honeymoon in Hawaii.. that sucked



might even go to whistler for a day
we are flying up on Monday afternoon and leaving Saturday afternoon
so 6 days, 5 nights

to minimize the need to change hotel/airbnb, we are thinking stay in Vancouver area Mon through Wed night and then spend Thurs and Fri night in Victoria
catch an early ferry back on Sat morning
but i'm wondering if that's not enough time in Vancouver (with drives to north vancouver, maybe whistler) .. and too much time spent in Victoria

thoughts?

North Vancouver is a short drive. For example, I live in Deep Cove in North Vancouver. My office is Downtown. It takes me 20 minutes to get to work in the am. Grouse Mtn is a great destination and view point of the city. It’s a gondola ride only, up and down. It may still be cold up there. Good restaurant up there also. Also the Capilano suspension bridge tourist destination is on the way, and also has a cliff walk and treetops walk through the canopy on walkways from tree to tree.

Whistler is about 1.5-2 hrs traffic dependent. The sea to sky highway is a great drive, early in the morning but can get busy on the weekends. Ideally head up to whistler on a mid week morning, spend the day and even a night if you like it, just remember it will be colder. The glacier on Blackcomb is still open to ski in May.
If you go to the island, I would take the ferry from Tsawwassen not Horseshoe Bay/West Vancouver, as it gets you a shorter drive to Victoria and I have always had better luck seeing whales on this route. Ferries are not cheap though. Iirc the car is something like $100 each way, and each passenger is $8 or $10 each way.

To get to tswwassen ferry terminal, you get on the highway that cuts through Richmond.........and the Vancouver International Airport is actually in Richmond.....just.

[MaximusB]

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

i just grabbed the closest intersection with the biggest streets to just give an idea of the area
the Airbnb map shows the condo to be 1 or 2 blocks away from that intersection
the photos of the condo look really nice
but i am still looking at all options
just didn't know what area i should be focusing on
will probably go closer to downtown area

thanks for the tips about not speeding in the ferry terminal area
i got a speeding ticket during my honeymoon in Hawaii.. that sucked

might even go to whistler for a day
we are flying up on Monday afternoon and leaving Saturday afternoon
so 6 days, 5 nights

to minimize the need to change hotel/airbnb, we are thinking stay in Vancouver area Mon through Wed night and then spend Thurs and Fri night in Victoria
catch an early ferry back on Sat morning
but i'm wondering if that's not enough time in Vancouver (with drives to north vancouver, maybe whistler) .. and too much time spent in Victoria

thoughts?

I would look in central Burnaby area, like metrotown and brentwood. It is still central, as you are roughly 30 minutes from downtown (outside of rush hour) and other cities like Richmond. Closer you get to downtown the more prices goes up. Avoid Hastings/Main street area, even though I don't think there are airbnb near there. That area is full of homeless, some have mental problem and most have addiction problem. But surprisingly there are a few good bars and restaurants just a few blocks away.

Getting a speeding ticket is one thing, which it sucks, but getting the rental car impounded for 7 days is another level and will cost you an arm and a leg. I think just towing and impound fees for 7 days costs almost $1000.

The island is nice and Victoria is worth a trip. You can definitely spend 2 days there. If you're spending two days there, then definitely make the drive to the west side of the island to Tofino and Ucluelet. They are two small towns along the ocean. Lots of good restaurants up there and beautiful scenery. Along the way to Tofino, make a stop at goats on roof. It is small cafe and store with literally goats on the roof. Nothing special, just a neat pit stop along the way. Also the drive to Tofino is amazing! The vancouver porsche club do an annual cruise to Tofino for that reason. I would avoid doing a day trip to the island with a baby because that will be too tough. The ferry alone will be 2.5 hours each way (assuming no sailing wait) including waiting, loading/unloading time. Plus the drive to the terminal. Give yourself a day to come back, ie if you're flying home on Saturday then come back Friday because they sometime cancel sailing if the weather is bad or the water is too choppy. Although that shouldn't be a problem in April, but you never know. Also I would suggest you make ferry reservations, just in case there are sailing waits.

4 days in Vancouver might not be enough, depends on how much you want to see and do. North Van can be a 1 day trip - Capilano suspension bridge, Grouse mountain, lynn caynon, Lonsdale quay and shipyard are worth checking out. Whistler can be done in a day as well, leave early because there are a few stops along the way that is worth checking out, such as the sea-to-sky gondola and you can easily spend a few hours there. Also as many have said, the sea to sky highway is an awesome drive. April is too early for cruises, but many car clubs often do cruises there. Be careful about your speed as the sea to sky highway is a hot spot for speed traps. The hot spots for speed traps on sea to sky are: lions bay, porteau cove, britannia mine museum, sea-to-sky gondola, and the hill after squamish. They do setup at other areas along the highway, but those are one I see them at the most. Not trying to scare you or deter you, just don't want you get a ticket or anything. On another thought, you can probably do the sea-to-sky gondola the same day you visit north van. That way you get to drive parts of the sea to sky highway twice.

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

is there any must-see/must-do in Richmond area?
if not, i'll just steer clear

Not really lol. There is a huge asian population in Richmond. So chinese food are plentiful there. If you come after May there is the richmond night market that is kinda cool to check out. They have lots of street food vendors there. I only go there for the food during the summer lol. Other than that, there isn't any must-see/do. Unless casino and outlet mall next to the airport interests you.

[MaximusB]

Oh! just remember that you need snow tires or all season rated for mud and snow (m/s or mountain snow flake symbol) to drive on the sea to sky highway until April 30th. Just make sure you check with the car rental company. If the cops catches you without either, you'll probably get a ticket, but likely a warning and for sure they'll turn you around. I think you might need it for some parts of the Island too, but not exactly sure where. There is a website that shows you exactly all the regions that have the snow tire requirement. Worth looking up.

[XKxRome0ox]

thank you guys for all the great advice and info
i've been stuck at Lake Tahoe for a few days due to a massive snow storm ... so i don't want to repeat that experience
and very good call on trying to ferry back a day before the flight so as to not get stuck


if there are rental car places on the island, then maybe i should just rent on the island and not pay the extra fee to ferry the car back and forth
will have to look into it

edit - the ferry fare for vehicle is $57.50 CAD ($43.50 USD) ...

[TSXforme]

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

thank you guys for all the great advice and info
i've been stuck at Lake Tahoe for a few days due to a massive snow storm ... so i don't want to repeat that experience
and very good call on trying to ferry back a day before the flight so as to not get stuck


if there are rental car places on the island, then maybe i should just rent on the island and not pay the extra fee to ferry the car back and forth
will have to look into it

edit - the ferry fare for vehicle is $57.50 CAD ($43.50 USD) ...

The fare price sounds like the price for one way...and there are definitely car rental places in Victoria. A lot of the members recommended a lot of things to do in Vancouver (cycling, suspension bridge, etc), but keep in mind you probably are going to be limited to what you can do with an 8 month old. It really depends on how your child's temperament. Just make sure you bring appropriate clothes to wear as the saying "April showers brings May flowers" does apply here.

[XKxRome0ox]

Originally Posted by TSXforme

The fare price sounds like the price for one way...and there are definitely car rental places in Victoria. A lot of the members recommended a lot of things to do in Vancouver (cycling, suspension bridge, etc), but keep in mind you probably are going to be limited to what you can do with an 8 month old. It really depends on how your child's temperament. Just make sure you bring appropriate clothes to wear as the saying "April showers brings May flowers" does apply here.

yes 1-way fare for vehicle on the ferry


to keep life simple, i'm going to rent a car at Vancouver airport, even though it costs more
so i don't have to deal with extra hassle of picking up or returning far away from the airport
i just found out that my AAA Autoclub membership gives me a discounted rate with Hertz rental + free baby carseat rental

So basic itinerary

land Monday afternoon 3:30pm. grab rental car.
stay 1 night in Vancouver area (undecided where)

Tuesday - take an early morning ferry to Victoria
spend the afternoon at Butchart Garden and wherever else
spend 1 night in Victoria

Wednesday - take a midday ferry back to Vancouver side
stay close to downtown Vancouver (one of the locations suggested in the thread)

Thursday and Friday - explore downtown, Stanley Park, North Vancouver, etc.

Saturday - fly back to LA

[ToddBlack88]

Check out flying into Victoria and out of Vancouver. May be cheaper then traveling back and forth. Check car rental will let you drop at another airport though

[MaximusB]

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

yes 1-way fare for vehicle on the ferry


to keep life simple, i'm going to rent a car at Vancouver airport, even though it costs more
so i don't have to deal with extra hassle of picking up or returning far away from the airport
i just found out that my AAA Autoclub membership gives me a discounted rate with Hertz rental + free baby carseat rental

So basic itinerary

land Monday afternoon 3:30pm. grab rental car.
stay 1 night in Vancouver area (undecided where)

Tuesday - take an early morning ferry to Victoria
spend the afternoon at Butchart Garden and wherever else
spend 1 night in Victoria

Wednesday - take a midday ferry back to Vancouver side
stay close to downtown Vancouver (one of the locations suggested in the thread)

Thursday and Friday - explore downtown, Stanley Park, North Vancouver, etc.

Saturday - fly back to LA

Look into doing a high tea at the empress. Your wife will probably enjoy it. Also grab a snack at red fish blue fish at the inner harbour, really good fish and chips. Expect a line up.

When you hit up north van, consider making the drive to sea to sky gondola. It is about an hour from north van. Really nice view up to.

The goalie on my hockey team is a food critic and scouts for the food network, (surprisingly he’s not a fat ass considering he gets paid to eat haha). So if you need any restaurant recommendations, let me know.

[XKxRome0ox]

Originally Posted by ToddBlack88

Check out flying into Victoria and out of Vancouver. May be cheaper then traveling back and forth. Check car rental will let you drop at another airport though

flight has been booked already so no longer an option
but perhaps in the future, if we visit again

Originally Posted by MaximusB

Look into doing a high tea at the empress. Your wife will probably enjoy it. Also grab a snack at red fish blue fish at the inner harbour, really good fish and chips. Expect a line up.

When you hit up north van, consider making the drive to sea to sky gondola. It is about an hour from north van. Really nice view up to.

The goalie on my hockey team is a food critic and scouts for the food network, (surprisingly he’s not a fat ass considering he gets paid to eat haha). So if you need any restaurant recommendations, let me know.

High Tea at Empress sounds like a fun experience
hopefully the timing works out

Red Fish Blue Fish - googled and was momentarily sad to see it "temporarily closed" ... but i guess they are seasonal
1006 Wharf St, Victoria, BC (google map)
Closed for the season. Re-opening March 2020!

i think i received enough recs for Vancouver area

with the baby, we don't plan on going to too many fancy places
but i'll take a rec for anything unique or special in Victoria for our 1 dinner

[XKxRome0ox]

reserved a mid-sized SUV for rental
because baby stuff

hopefully i don't screw up big time because i'm not used to seeing speed limit in Km/H

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

reserved a mid-sized SUV for rental
because baby stuff

hopefully i don't screw up big time because i'm not used to seeing speed limit in Km/H

BC cops are super uptight. 60mph/100kmh is as high as speed limits go. I get away with 70-75mph but it can be dicey.

I would definitely stay in downtown as that and North Van are the spots to check out. The only suburb I spend some time in is Surrey because of the good Indian food, but I always stay downtown.

[Kolyan2k]

Haven't travel with son yet, he is 20 months. Planning to drive up to Quebec when he is 2, not sure how he will take 6-7 hour drive. Before I just couldn't imagine traveling anywhere because it didnt seem right to torture him with all this travel

I know many people travel since 3 months etc., but I just dont see it....kids before 2 obviously dont care much and would much rather stay home

Also might be planning a flight to EU when he is 2.5.....scary stuff for us

[Salty Dog]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

BC cops are super uptight. 60mph/100kmh is as high as speed limits go. I get away with 70-75mph but it can be dicey.

I would definitely stay in downtown as that and North Van are the spots to check out. The only suburb I spend some time in is Surrey because of the good Indian food, but I always stay downtown.

So the speedo will also be in KMH, so it's not like you have to do the math in your head.....

[XKxRome0ox]

Originally Posted by Salty Dog

So the speedo will also be in KMH, so it's not like you have to do the math in your head.....

oops
true
i was just thinking about my own speedometer and having to pay extra attention to the tiny KMH markings

[lowside67]

I would not recommend staying at Boundary and Hastings. It might be technically in the center of a number of places, but there is literally nothing of interest there and it is not walkable to anything.

Spend the money and stay either in Downtown (Yaletown/Gastown), near downtown (Olympic Village/Kitsilano), or Lower Lonsdale in North Vancouver IMO.

-Mark

[XKxRome0ox]

crap... is this coronavirus going to be a problem for my trip with the baby?
i booked parts of the trip... but now i'm holding off because i don't know how bad things will get

i'm not too worried for myself. i'm in relatively good health and i can probably just deal with it
but don't want to expose the baby to anything unnecessarily


the whole reason for planning this Vancouver trip was because originally my wife and I were going to visit our remaining grandparents in Korea
wife has both grandmothers left, my maternal grandmother is the last surviving one for me
my grandma's in the convalescent home and we don't foresee her living too much longer
but we decided to postpone our trip due to the coronavirus spreading through Korea
...
now it seems that nowhere is safe