VANCOUVER... For a first Timer.

[Kamloops50]

How is the weather right now? Is there snow?

 

I will be there In January.

 

Another question where I can have good season sale shopping in Vancouver and also in Seattle?

 

 

I weather can be sunny and warm or snowy and cold or something in between.

The attached link will let you see the historical weather in Vancouver

 

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/CYVR/1972/1/1/PlannerHistory.html?dayend=30&monthend=1&yearend=1972&req_city=Vancouver+International&req_state=BC&req_statename=British+Columbia

 

This is the airport historical info.:):)

[Urban trekker]

Joseph - the weather right now is wet - raining hard with a few snow flakes mixed in - January is usually our coldest month - so bring some heavier clothes with you - bring an umbrella as well - we normally don't get prolonged periods of snow but when we do get it - it pretty well bring things to a standstill for a day or two.

 

As for shopping - it depends what you are looking for - Pacific Center mall downtown is the major indoor mall in the downtown core - for a lot more variety there is Metrotown Mall in Burnaby - an easy 25 minute ride on Sky train - Metrotown is the second largest mall complex in Canada and has just about every type of shop that you will need.

 

I will dig up some links for you and post them here.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Urban trekker]

Joseph here are some links for you

 

Link to Pacific Center Mall:

 

http://www.pacificcentre.com/home/index.ch2

 

Link to Metrotown:

 

http://metropolis.shopping.ca/cambridge/jsp3/index_flash.jsp?mallid=met

 

Link to Vancouver weather:

 

http://www.accuweather.com/canada-weather-forecast.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&postalcode=V5K%201A1

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[SeattleCruiselover]

Again, it depends on what you are looking for.

 

There is the Supermall in Auburn which is HUGE and has a large variety of stores. If you let me know what you might be looking for, I could give you some better ideas.

[josephml1]

Joseph here are some links for you

 

Link to Pacific Center Mall:

 

http://www.pacificcentre.com/home/index.ch2

 

Link to Metrotown:

 

http://metropolis.shopping.ca/cambridge/jsp3/index_flash.jsp?mallid=met

 

Link to Vancouver weather:

 

http://www.accuweather.com/canada-weather-forecast.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&postalcode=V5K%201A1

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Thank You Dennis that pages give me a good idea about the shops and the shopping centers...

 

Thanks.:)

[josephml1]

Again, it depends on what you are looking for.

 

There is the Supermall in Auburn which is HUGE and has a large variety of stores. If you let me know what you might be looking for, I could give you some better ideas.

 

I am looking for formal clothing shirt, ties, jackets, etc. I am looking for good after holidays sale.:)

[SeattleCruiselover]

There is a Men's Wearhouse downtown on 4th Avenue. They will likely be having an extra sale starting tomorrow for a while. Their menswear prices are good all of the time, but better at sale time.

 

I'm reasonably certain all of the major retailers will be having sales, as well. Downtown there are Macy's and Nordstrom, the Gap, Old Navy, Coldwater Creek, Abercombie, Banana Republic, Nike and Adidas. There are also two malls--Westlake Center and Pacific Place. There is also the Supermall that I mentioned earlier.

 

If you are still staying in Bellevue, there are a couple of largish malls over there, as well.

[josephml1]

There is a Men's Wearhouse downtown on 4th Avenue. They will likely be having an extra sale starting tomorrow for a while. Their menswear prices are good all of the time, but better at sale time.

 

I'm reasonably certain all of the major retailers will be having sales, as well. Downtown there are Macy's and Nordstrom, the Gap, Old Navy, Coldwater Creek, Abercombie, Banana Republic, Nike and Adidas. There are also two malls--Westlake Center and Pacific Place. There is also the Supermall that I mentioned earlier.

 

If you are still staying in Bellevue, there are a couple of largish malls over there, as well.

 

Thank you very much Karen.

 

I take notes.

 

I will be there very soon... 15 days and counting. :)

[SeattleCruiselover]

It snowed yesterday, who knows what it will be doing by then. Happy Holidays, Joseph!

[josephml1]

It snowed yesterday, who knows what it will be doing by then. Happy Holidays, Joseph!

 

I hope we have snow...Happy Holiday to you too karen:)

[Urban trekker]

HAPPY NEW YEAR, JOSEPH - hope you have a great trip here to the Vancouver and Seattle areas - if you need any more info don't hesitate to ask - I'm retired and have lots of time to surf the net etc for people needing information on cruises or this wonderful city that I was born and raised in.

 

Cheers and all the best in 2008

 

Dennis

[josephml1]

HAPPY NEW YEAR, JOSEPH - hope you have a great trip here to the Vancouver and Seattle areas - if you need any more info don't hesitate to ask - I'm retired and have lots of time to surf the net etc for people needing information on cruises or this wonderful city that I was born and raised in.

 

Cheers and all the best in 2008

 

Dennis

 

Happy New Year 2008 to you too Dennis...

 

One more question how far is Portland, Oregon from Vancouver, BC? I have family in Portland and I am planning to visit them. Also how is the freeway?

 

Thank You Dennis.

 

Hope you have a good year too come with many Cruise Vacations and a Happy year.:D

[SeattleCruiselover]

Portland is approximately a three hour drive south of Seattle, so that would make it 6-7 hours south of Vancouver.

 

Happy New Year, Joseph

[hooked-on-travel]

HAPPY NEW YEAR, JOSEPH - hope you have a great trip here to the Vancouver and Seattle areas - if you need any more info don't hesitate to ask - I'm retired and have lots of time to surf the net etc for people needing information on cruises or this wonderful city that I was born and raised in.

 

Cheers and all the best in 2008

 

Dennis

 

Urban trekker- I've been taking good notes about things to do for our trip in May, but some of the advice is specific to a winter visit. Do you have any additional suggestions for May 23-25? Our cruise from Hawaii gets in on Friday of Memorial Day (US) weekend and there's no use flying home until Monday, right? We know we want to go to Victoria for a day trip, but that's all so far. We haven't booked lodging yet, but we're thinking of a house rental b/c there's 6 adults + 1 toddler (3 generations of 1 family). I know the weekend is a US holiday, but since you guys are close to the US, are things particularly crowded that weekend? Some people aren't out of school yet, so I'm not sure if that's high season or shoulder season.

[Urban trekker]

Hooked on travel - thanks for the inquiry.

 

Vancouver doesn't really have an off-season when it comes to tourism - as we are the Canadian hub to the Asia Pacific as well as the drop off point for Whistler which is rapidly becoming a year round destination we are busy the year round - once the first cruise ships arrive at the end of April the hotel rates will increase even more.

 

As for the weekend in question - Memorial day always brings lots of Americans into the city - mostly from Seattle so the city will be busy - add in five or six cruise ships - a normal weekend amount and we will be busy.

 

Most of the attractions that were mentioned earlier are year round in nature but if you have any specific interests not mentioned list them and I will try and find out the answers for you.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[hooked-on-travel]

Thanks, I'll keep you in mind as we continue our research.

[josephml1]

Portland is approximately a three hour drive south of Seattle, so that would make it 6-7 hours south of Vancouver.

 

Happy New Year, Joseph

 

Thank You for that info.

 

To be honest I am a little bit worried about the Rainy cold weather and the driving from Vancouver to Seattle and Portland.

 

Happy New Year too you to Karen:)

[SeattleCruiselover]

I wish I could tell you that there is a relatively untraveled time on our freeways, and there is, but it is like from about 10:00 pm to 4:00 am. Just drive defensively, and you will be fine.

[josephml1]

I wish I could tell you that there is a relatively untraveled time on our freeways, and there is, but it is like from about 10:00 pm to 4:00 am. Just drive defensively, and you will be fine.

 

Thank You Karen, as always you are very kind.

 

Thank You very much for your help.:)

[Urban trekker]

Joseph - you should be leaving shortly for your trip - have a safe journey and be sure to bring an umbrella - it's been raining just about every day this month.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Ducky2]

We will be visiting Vancouver in late May, pre-cruise, and have read about all of the ferrys in that area. Is there any you could recommend as far as scenery, wildlife, etc.

 

Thanks for your input

[SeattleCruiselover]

Ducky: How long will you be in Vancouver?

[Ducky2]

We will fly in early Thursday afternoon and the ship leaves Saturday afternoon. We are also interested in the Capilano Suspension Bridge and possibly the "Giggle Dam Theater" as well as the ferry. Any advice?

 

We will not have a car pre-cruise but plan to rent a car post-cruise and drive back to Seattle before a very late pm flight.

[SeattleCruiselover]

The BC ferries from YVR generally go to the Island, which is to say to Victoria and Nanaimo. They do have routes that go to the Sunshine Coast, but that is a bit farther, and longer a trip, than you are probably going to be able to do.

 

The best area for wildlife is really the San Juan Islands, but that is Washington State, not BC. I think, scenery wise, that you might appreciate the trip to Victoria and back. You can make a day of it (Grayline Canada has a tour that takes you over, to Butchart Gardens, and to downtown Victoria, then back to YVR), and it is not horrendously priced. And the Gardens are not to be missed if you get a chance to see them, particularly during the time frame that you are going.

 

more info to be found on the ferries at:

 

http://www.bcferries.com

[eetonaee]

We will fly in early Thursday afternoon and the ship leaves Saturday afternoon. We are also interested in the Capilano Suspension Bridge and possibly the "Giggle Dam Theater" as well as the ferry. Any advice?

.

 

I live in Vancouver and would like to know what the "Giggle Dam Theater" is?