We have been to Vancouver before but this time we have 3 full days. Previously, we would drive to V overnight and stay near the English Bay, hit Robson, Stanley Park, eat at a couple of restaurants, stop at Granville Island, and head home. This time, we are hoping to experience something new and different. Perhaps, Commercial Street. Or maybe Richmond. Any suggestions?

What are you interested in?

Commercial Drive offers a taste of Vancouver's bohemian life and cafe culture - start at Commercial and Broadway and make your way north to Venables and back.

Main Street (between E 7th and 28th Avenue) is known as Mount Pleasant and is home to a lot of independent boutiques (from vintage clothing to carefully-curated one-of-a-kind pieces) and a smattering of unique gift shops, coffee shops, and restaurants. It's fairly spread out but can easily eat up an afternoon if all you want to do is wander and windowshop.

Richmond is a great place to spend the day. It offers two very distinctly different experiences:

1. Steveston - in the south-west corner is a scenic, quaint real historic fishing village with a string of heritage sites/museums (Britannia Heritage Shipyard, London Heritage Farm, Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site), a boardwalk along the river, the largest fishing fleet in Canada, many cute gift shops, restaurants on the wharf/waterfront, authentic fish & chips, etc. and a general sense of old fashioned community.

2. Golden Village - This is the part of Richmond around No 3. Road and Cambie - the main Chinese shopping/restaurant part of Richmond. Aesthetically it's ugly as heck, but culturally it's an overwhelming conglomeration of Asian shopping malls, Asian strip malls, and Asian restaurants...spanning block after block. Aberdeen Centre and Parker Place are musts, in my opinion. They're right next door to one another and are easily accessible off the Canada Line (if you don't plan to drive).

I agree with BC_Robyn, Commercial Drive is great if you want to spend the day causally strolling in and out of shops and cafes. When I last visited the parking was pretty limited, so be on the lookout for spots when you find one, or be prepared to walk - it's a nice walk though.

Definitely enjoyed my visit in Chinatown. There's a really tasty soup restaurant in one of the malls that was recommended to me by some locals - I can't recall the name, but it's worth asking around about. The shops seemed never ending during my visit, so don't plan to spend all your money in one place!

I would also recommend visiting the Botanical Gardens at the University of British Columbia, they have a canopy tour that is really unmissable. Also, you have the option of taking it with or without a tour guide. And since you're in the area, the Anthropology Museum has a fantastic collection of artifacts from Vancouver Island and around the world.

Thanks, BC_Robyn and KD0bbs, these are the kind of suggestions I was looking for. We don't have an agenda other than visiting the Science Center on Monday and may be the Aquarium. We are going with a 5 year old active boy just to soak up the atmosphere of Vancouver.

The Aquarium is great and would be of interest to a 5 year old. The Anthropolgy Museum is my #1 recommendation for most people, but for a very lively 5-year-old I think the Science Museum is a better bet. A gondola ride up Grouse Mountain would be worth doing and they have some entertaining demonstrations--birds of prey was one I saw. They also have some bears; grizzlies, I think.

Well, happy to report that we are having a glorious time. Nothing specific, just hanging out at Stanley Park and by the English bay. It is sunny and warm and Vancouver looks spectacular. Just sunshine, the beach, and good eating so far.