Commercial Drive

Forget about Harveys, McDonalds or Wendys when you’re in Vancouver. If you’re in the mood for a burger check out Stormin’ Norman’s for something out of the ordinary. I had a buffalo burger which was one of the tamest wild burgers I could find on the menu. The speciality of the day was a kangeroo burger.

Has to be in the top three places I love in Vancouver (along with Chinatown and Punjabi Market). The boutiques are awesome if you are interested in sustainable clothing and supporting small businesses. Plenty of places to get organic food and amazing restaurants everywhere. Go to the car-free festival if you can. For once feet have free reign of the area!

And the overall vibe reminded me of similar locations in SF or Seattle or Boston, a mix and a match of a lot of good things in the same place. Worth a random visit to see what strikes your fancy.

There might be a lot more to do in downtown, but the Commercial Drive area is a nice side-step from the downtown madness, and there are plenty of entertainment/dining/arts options here. Many great Italian, Greek, and Ethiopian places here. I always visit here whenever I drop by the city, to escape downtown—even if it’s just an hour or so.