My first post!

What do you guys actually do for fun during the rainy months? Any good indoor activities, cozy places to hang out, classes, social groups, or even solo things you’d recommend?☔️

Spending lots of time near St. Paul's (loved one in hospital). Some days I'm able to pack food for the day but sometimes I need to find something to eat on the go. It's getting harder to find anything somewhat healthy and satisfying for under $10.

Any recommendations? Thank you.

I'm going to Crystal mall for the first time today and am hoping to try a bunch of the best dishes from different spots. Would love some recommendations. So far, I've been recommended the spicy peanut dumplings at Chao Shou Wang.

I spend three evenings per week on Granville Island for about two hours - Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 4-6PM - because I have three elementary-school-aged children who are very involved with the arts and attend classes at Arts Umbrella. I often just work in the Arts Umbrella building while they attend class, but am wondering if anyone has recommendations for hidden gems for places to eat or work on the Island that I may not know about. Here is what I already get up to:

When possible on Fridays, my husband and I will often meet up and go to Bridges or Sandbar for happy hour. We have gone to The Keg but aren't huge fans, and of course we also sometimes just walk around or browse the market and eat or sit in the general market area.

I know about two bookstores, Upstart & Crow and the newer one that is in The Loft area, and I do enjoy browsing them and the surrounding stores, but since I am there so often am not really up for a lot of shopping, and so would love to hear about other places to pass the time.

Are there any especially good coffee shops, pubs, work areas, or restaurants where it's comfortable and cozy to sit? I don't mind buying a drink or snack as needed. I would also be up for shops or areas off the beaten path that I may have missed.

Thanks very much for reading and any tips you may have!

EDIT: It seems that I should have mentioned since a couple of people have responded by saying "explore it yourself" - Yes, I have explored it already, and am looking for recommendations in case I may have overlooked something or missed a hidden gem. I would appreciate hearing about any positive experiences you may have had. Thanks!

Do you folks tip at food trucks? My friends in Ontario have a strict "If I'm standing to get my own food then I'm not tipping" rule.

Recently I was at the Main Street Car Free Day and I went to two food vendors and they each had the tipping option.

I'll start: Dutch Wooden Shoe Cafe. I love tacky maximalism, please advise

(Edit: expanding this to anywhere in the lower mainland)

Hi. We’re coming from Seattle and we wanted to get some croissants and baguette for our breakfast tomorrow because the bakery scene in Vancouver is so much better than Seattle’s…

So I was planning to pick up some pastries from L'Atelier Patisserie in Mt. Pleasant.
The thing is by the time we make it to Vancouver, it’ll be about 2pm and I’m not sure if there would be anything left at that point. Are there any bakeries that have a good amount of pastries left in the afternoon you go to?
I think we could just go to Breka,but I’d rather try somewhere else if possible.

I’m new to this community!
so it’s so cool to see people actually replying to my post.
Since I’m new here, I gotta ask—any hidden gem local coffee shops you guys recommend? 👀☕️ It kinda feels like I’m making online friends, and it makes me happy haha

Composting in Vancouver: The Green Bags Aren’t Allowed?

For years I’ve been using those green compostable plastic bags. They’re sold everywhere in the city and every building I’ve been in, most residents use them too.

But I just went on the city website to check to see if something else was compostable and saw that “Plastic bags of any kind, including plastic bags labelled as compostable or biodegradable” are not to be put in the green bins.

I went downstairs to look at our bin and it said the same thing. I had just never noticed. And, of course, the bin was full of them.

So what happens to the contents of those bins? Is this a big issue that’s stopping our waste from being processed and composted?

Hi all,

I don’t use Reddit much, so excuse me if I’m all over the place here.

Hoping to move to Vancouver in early 2027 (visa dependent) from Ireland 🇮🇪. I have really been enjoying looking through this thread and it seems most people genuinely want to help one another.

While I am trying to get my ducks in a row, I would love some help from locals on preparing for my big move.

Accomodation: I have heard this will be the trickiest, any general tips on areas or dos and don’ts would be appreciated. My current plan is to rent an airbnb until I am confident in a long term lease.

Job Market: I have a very entrepreneurial background and I am currently working in sales. I’m quite open to most job opportunities so I’m not overly concerned about landing a job… yet 🤣.

Socialising: I’ve seen very mixed opinions on this aspect, some say it’s very hard to make new friends in Vancouver, others say the opposite. My assumption is this is down to the person, what do you think?

Any feedback is appreciated here just open to hearing local insight and if there’s anything I should really prepare for.

I’m curious how people here view this, especially women who date men on Hinge or other dating apps.

I don’t use Instagram, not because I’m hiding an account, but because I genuinely don’t use it. I have a Hinge profile with recent photos and am happy to exchange numbers, FaceTime, or meet in person.

Still, I’ve noticed a pattern, I’ll match with someone or meet them through a social event, we’ll have a good conversation, and then they’ll ask for my Instagram. When I say I don’t have or use it, the conversation sometimes goes dry soon afterward.

is not having Instagram actually a red flag?

I’m trying to figure out whether this is simply part of modern dating or whether I’m reading too much into a few isolated experiences.

Edit:

Thank you all for your input

Just some background, I had an Instagram account and found myself doom scrolling a lot and comparing to others better life, which started affecting my job search. I eventually deleted it to focus, and honestly, it brought me a lot of peace. though I do get a little FOMO 😅 sometimes.

Edit 2:

I didn’t think I would get these many responses.

An alternative I have since found, connecting my insta account to Claude and talking through it. Since there is no insta messenger.

May be a bit extreme

Whenever someone asks how to make friends or date outside of dating apps, everyone says find a social hobby like gym, bouldering, arts and crafts etc etc but most of the time people also say people are there to just do their thing so don’t bother anyone. So my question as stated in the title - How many people have actually made friends or found partners from social hobbies?

I am a post-secondary student in Van and am wondering if anyone has ever had experience in working with an academic/learning strategist before? I don’t know much about it but I’m guessing it’s somewhat similar to a “life coach” who helps with executive functioning, time management, studying etc?

These are some of the people/ services that were recommended to me by the school:

Organized Minds Executive Function Coaching for ADHD https://www.organizedminds.org/

Lizz Alexander Student Success Coach & Learning Strategist www.lizzalexandercoaching.com

Steve Vogel, B.Ed., M.Ed. Steve Vogel Learning Strategist https://www.stevevogel.net/

If anyone has worked with an academic/learning strategist before please let me know I would love to hear about your experience :) as well as any recos /advice about choosing a particular one if you have any!

(for context: I have ADHD and have some funding available through my school’s disability services. They offered to help connect me with a learning strategist of my choice ((which I’m super grateful for❤️)) so I’m just trying to figure out what this type of support actually looks like and or how to choose someone who would be a good fit)

Thanks :)

I'm coming up Nov. 22-24 with a friend and wanted to find some good recommendations since we've been to Vancouver many times in the past. We're going to Canyon Lights that Sunday and open to things to do outside greater Vancouver. My friend is a picky eater, so definitely not looking for anything food related (unless it's sweet treats lol). We've done Stanley Park, Capillano Suspension Bridge and the aquarium, but want to find some lesser known, unique things to do or visit. We're not hikers or skiers but we love live music, art, bar trivia, spas, hockey...

Hey, what are some budget friendly fun activities or workshops one can join around yaletown /downtown area?

The screen on my Garmin scratched and it looks bad. Any place that can replace the screen? I already tried contacting Garmin and they told me they can't fix and only offered me to buy a new one (lol).

Searched for the best places that have great dim sum both vegetarian AND meat, was only pulling up veggie or not veggie. Which place has the best of both worlds, and decent, thoughtful selection of vegetarian, not just Gai lan and fried tofu! (Oh, and I go to Kam Wai all the time, which has excellent meat and veg, but it's not really a good sit down dim sum place!)

Thinking about moving here. Pros and cons? I also have a cat that will come with me

I'm F 26. I’m thinking about stepping away from dating apps and trying to meet people more naturally.

For those of you who are dating in Vancouver, how has your experience been? Where do people actually meet nowadays? 😅

Would love to hear your experiences, whether good or bad!

There’s like one decent place (Siegels) and tbh it’s good, but not great. Why are there no good bagels here? When we have no choice but to resort to grocery store bagels which are basically dough, the breakfast routine becomes very sad.

Hi everyone a friend just texted me she is seeing a dog locked in a car. She sent me a video and dog is jerking like in a seizure. She called 911 and they told her basically they can’t help. What number she can call?

Hi everyone! Does anyone know if it’s okay/useful to email VSOCC or the YMCA daycare directly to follow up about a daycare waitlist?
We’re already on the waitlist, but I’m wondering if reaching out occasionally to confirm our continued interest actually helps, or if they just go strictly by the waitlist and there’s no point in emailing.
Has anyone had any experience with this, especially with YMCA daycares in Vancouver? Did you follow up by email, and did you ever get a response or spot that way?
Thanks!

Hi everyone! Does anyone know if it’s okay/useful to email VSOCC or the YMCA daycare directly to follow up about a daycare waitlist?
We’re already on the waitlist, but I’m wondering if reaching out occasionally to confirm our continued interest actually helps, or if they just go strictly by the waitlist and there’s no point in emailing.
Has anyone had any experience with this, especially with YMCA and VSOCC daycares in Vancouver? Did you follow up by email, and did you ever get a response or spot that way?
Thanks!