|| Vancouver, British Columbia (2023-2025)

 Vancouver

• Currency 1.3 Can $ to US $; 
• Used a debit card an ATM for cash (RBC ATM in Waterfront station or Aberdeen station), a fee charge $3.95
• Food mall charges 3%. on the ATM, and another $8 service fee on 100 Canadian dollars. After all, charged 86 USD for 100 Canadian dollars.
• Going by land does not require a passport, even though the website says it does. Only the passport card and the permanent resident card.
• Use ArriveCan App to upload a vaccination card and get approval (only for air landing)
• https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada
• Border customs
• US passport (used US passport card)
• Chinese passport and green card（Chinese passport is not needed)
• https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp
• Immigration https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/wizard-start
• https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/border-crossings (border crossing wait times) (used the middle lane)
• https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-3619?language=en_US
• https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/traveler/intl-travel/travelers-canada/traveler-canada-meats-poultry-dairy/canada-meats-poultry-dairy
• USA Border
• I5, long wait; 5min = 20min; 30min = 1.5 hours (6/28/2025)
• CA-11 Sumas (5min on 8/30/2025)
• CA-13
• CA-15 is 2A on 99, 40min on 8/31/2025
• Public transit approach https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g154943-i81-k11951067-Vancouver_7_nights_trip_report-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html
• Taking the train from Seattle to Vancouver https://cruisemaven.com/amtrak-border-crossing-traveling-between-vancouver-bc-and-seattle/
• Car rental in Canada https://misstourist.com/8-things-to-know-before-renting-a-car-in-canada/
• Rental car insurance https://www.geico.com/living/driving/auto/car-safety-insurance/does-car-insurance-cover-rental-cars/
• Metro Skytrain - Use the Canada Line train from Richmond Righouse (or Aberdeen station) to Waterfront; YVR airport is a separate train and does not go to Richmond.You can use Brighthouse or Aberdeen station.  Paper pass is limited to the same zone and 90min use.
• Foodcourt plaza
• Harmony Bakery 8AM chang fen (didn't go)
• 4231 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond
• Ba Bai Ban Yaoshan foodcourt - (didn't go)
• One Mango place for a mango drink
• Aberdeen Center Food Court
• The parking lot is shared between Aberdeen Center and Aberdeen Square
• Parked at slot 749, accessibility reserved parking at P3; walk to the center or to the square
• Used elevators to go to level 4 of the food court
• Multiple stories high, lots of varieties; had Yang Zhi Gan Lu from the desert place (delicious); the Cantonese station didn't impress with the fried fish balls
• Aberdeen Square Food Court
• Used elevators to go to level 4 of the food court
• Multiple Taiwan-style food options; Ate at Ng Kee (delicious); beef noodle looks good from the other places
• Parker Place 
• The parking lot is shared with the Empire Center
• Two front ends - 1) close to the BBQ stand; 2) close to clothing stores/auto shop; 3) the exit close to the Empire Center parking lot has a Thailand god stand on it
• BBQ for sweet sausage, soy sauce chicken, and lots of Cantonese-flavored food stands. Try the changfen and porridge place, the noodle cart place next time.
• Richmond public market
• Fu Zhou Ren, Westminster Highway, 1450; the parking lot entrance is after the pizza company
• Hei Hei rice rolls, the beef isn't too good
• Try the fried crab basket for $17; try the Hu Ma lunch box
• President Plaza (yes, after the Radisson hotel front, right outside of the Yaoshan building)
• 9.9 is a popular hot dry noodle breakfast place
• Empire Plaza
• Lai Leung Ji, beef varieties,
• Cloud 9 Delicacy (Sunday has dry fried noodle with beef); small parking lot
• Crystal Mall Food Court (the most street style)
• White Magnolia noodle house (Shanghai style xiao long bao)
• Chi Cha San Qian
• Lido pineapple bun
• Ming Jia HK Master BBQ
• Bo Ren Supermarket
• BBQ
• Parker Place Aberdeen Fresh Meet and BBQ (soy sauce chicken, and sweet sausage, not duck, not roasted pork
• Da Tang BBQ for chao zhou style marinated food
• Ming BBQ, close to Parker Place, in the underground parking lot.
• Osaka supermarket foodcourt, 11AM start
• Temple https://buddhisttemple.ca/
• Our general hours are 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, seven days a week. The vegetarian cafeteria, Taste of Zen, is open from 11:30 PM to 3:00 PM, seven days a week, and the Thousand Buddha Hall is open from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. All other areas are open until 5:30 PM. Please note that we close our gates promptly at 5:30 PM.
• Stanley Park Parking
• There is street parking on many parts of Stanley Park Drive, North Lagoon Drive, and Pipeline Road. You need to purchase a ticket from one of the many ticket machines located throughout the park.

One-day strategy - TRIP 1 (5/13/2023)

• Drive 405 to 5 to 276 Border to 99 at exit 39, then turn left; it should be 2 hours 20min plus the border processing time; get gas at exit 236 (cheapest)
• Drive to President Plaza (8181 Cambie Rd); walk to Garden City Hot Pot (very long, 15min in the hot sun)
• Walk to Aberdeen Skytrain station (good strategy); take station to Waterfront (use Canada line and same zone 2); buy card and concession card
• Skytrain https://www.translink.ca/schedules-and-maps/skytrain?term=414
• Aberdeen Center has Shanghai Morning (Xiao Nan Guo)
• President Plaza is very close to Yaoshan that may have a Cantonese desert place
• Drive to HK Master BBQ then to T&T Landsdown then go home
• Canada Place - Cruise ships boarding and port of entry
• Seaplanes - https://harbourair.com/tours/?depart=vancouver

One-day strategy - TRIP 2 (9/9/2023)

One-day strategy - TRIP 3 (6/28/2025, 7AM-630PM)

• Get gas at exit 236 Skagit casino, cheaper gas; otherwise the first exit in the bellinghan city
• Hei Hei Rice Roll 囍記腸粉
• Richmond public market (huge free parking parade)
• 2430-8260 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BC V6X 1A7, Canada
• Opens 9-5 except for Tuesday
• Don't order anything with shrimp
• Beef is not satisfying
• Richmond public market - after Pizza Hut on Westminster, drive on just a building then turn left into the parking lot; drive to the second floor, 2 spots for accessibility slots, go into the market, for restroom and for food
• Interested in the bubble tea, noodle, fried crabs, and the lunch boxes
• International Buddhist Temple; HongKong
• https://buddhisttemple.ca/
• Everyday 9-5
• Can only right turn into the driveway, plenty of parking slots
• Buy ashes fromt the front store; don't need coins
• [didn't go] Garden City Hot Pot (10-5pm; Tuesday closed), https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/garden-city-hot-pot-richmond?select=C4kXJA74RIM8rMJCRhfGQQ
• Xin Yong Ji
• Parking lot is on the ground / underground; limited and tight parking
• Fisherman's Wharf, 10 miles and 20 min
• Park on the 1st at the city 3-hr free parking slot
• Park outside of the George Musium of xx Cannistry

Two-day strategy - TRIP 4 (8/30-8/31/2025)

• From Mt. Baker, GPS directed to Sumas, CA-11 border patrol, 5min into Canada
• Chevron is probably the last of the gas stop, and there is no warning that you are approaching the border; it's a small town, then the road was updated to be CA-11
• CA-11 then use CA-17 to connect to CA-99
• Aberdeen center / square parking lot; Ng Kee for dumplings and noodles
• Accent Inn at Vancouver Airport
• Updated motel style, but all upgraded
• Room 365, close to the elevator on the 3rd floor
• Started driving at 745AM into the Sea to Sky Gondola; $8 for four hours
• Exited 11:45AM and arrived at Parker Place at 1:30PM through several heavy traffic areas, at Stanley Park, at Richmond, etc.
• Exited Parker Place at 245PM with multiple purchases; decided on using exit 2A border exiting at 405PM and arriving home at 605PM
• Connie Curry Kitchen, the cart noodle is not good; the chicken is ok.

New Places to explore

• Queen Elizabeth Park, Crystal Mall (20min apart) in Burnaby
• Holiday Inn Vancouver Airport- Richmond, an IHG Hotel, 10720 Cambie Rd., Richmond, BC V6X 1K8, Canada
• Hampton Inn close to the foody good and the Aberdeen mall; Feng Tai Grocery Store
• Radison
• Feng Tai Grocery Store
• Oliver's landing
• cypress lookout

New Restaurant to explore

• 【江南小灶】Jiangnan Wok 落地第一顿 偏南方口味 烧牛尾软烂入味 菜饭对于北京人来说很新奇
• 【福苑海鲜酒家】Chucilia Restaurant 老广早茶+1 我比较满意牛筋牛肚和鱼肉薄饼
• Garden City Hot Pot 新镛记
• 金穗香饼屋Jin sui xiang; 📍5823 Victoria Dr, Vancouver

The main, wheelchair-accessible parking lot is located directly at English Bay Beach and is managed by EasyPark

UBC半日游 1️⃣Nitobe Memorial Garden 2️⃣UBC Rose Garden 3️⃣Beaty Biodiversity Museum

Southwest Corner of Cambie Rd(Enter the parkade at Cambie Rd or Browngate Rd)

Southwest Corner of Cambie Rd(Enter the parkade at Cambie Rd or Browngate Rd)