is the quay under renovations now? they were promising a better quay once renovated.
Looking back at this just makes me want to laugh. Let me tell you, it's nearly three years into the future and we're not anywhere close to "better" yet.
Christmas light installations and displays are always a fun sight to see at this time of year. We begin our tour in the Fraser Heights neighborhood in Surrey just before the dusk.
From there we are off across the Fraser River to Maple Ridge to check out few beautiful houses in there.
It doesn't matter how small your yard is if you are a Christmas light fanatic - there is always a way.
Finally, we are onto Coquitlam to check out few houses near town center.
Final stop is Lafarge Lake where the annual Christmas light event is one of the best free events in whole Metro Vancouver each December.
It was a nice tour of some beautiful light installations which at this point is an annual tradition for us.
Probably the most famous Christmas light installation is in Metro Vancouver is Miracle on Rae Street in Port Coquitlam, which lights the entire neighborhood!
The entire installation has over 200,000 lights, which must be a record for any private person.
The house and the yard are not even that big, but there is so much to see and explore here. It's a true joy for kids.
The Brindley family has been putting up an installation for over a decade and it is well-known in Vancouver, attracting some 10,000 visitors each December.
Everything is done for charity and the Brindley's raise thousands of dollars for local food bank each year. Based on my experience touring many Metro Vancouver Christmas lights each year, Rae Street sits on its own level and much of what is on display also changes every year!
Last batch of photos from the final days of December.
North Vancouver Christmas Markets are only into their second year and already a massive hit among visitors.
It was so packed and busy on the last weekend before Christmas, that we couldn't spend any money with every vendor having a long line.
Overall, it's a nice experience that also caters to the Instagram crowd.
Downtown views are always amazing from the Lower Lonsdale.
Even if it was a wash of a visit, kids still enjoy the ride on Skytrain and Seabus.
Coquitlam's free Light at Lafarge Lake holiday event is by now an annual tradition in our household and always worth the trip, even if it doesn't change that much each year.
The holidays also allowed us to finally visit Forth Langley National Historic Site, which was a bit eerie when being shrouded in thick fog.
The fort was founded in 1839 as a commercial hub for the Hudson's Bay Company and was the first permanent European settlement in what is today known as Lower Mainland.
The site was free to visit on that day, but still not busy at all in the morning. I didn't know what to expect from it, but there are 10 buildings to explore with various displays from that era. I bet it is very lively in the summer.
All in all, we have so little history here in Vancouver, that visiting Fort Langley was and interesting insight into how everything got started and the fog made our visit special.
Yesterday's Canada Day Streetfest on Central in Burnaby was a fun free event for the whole family. The location cannot really be beaten for easy access with SkyTrain.
I believe the event is still quite new, as this was our first time there, having missed it in the past due to summer travels.
There was some great food to purchase from a dozen food trucks, although prices were pretty exorbitant. Still, portions were big, so not really complaining.
Main stage area was starting to fill up while we were there early in the evening. It's an impressive location with amazing backdrop.
It was busy and there was a lot to see and do. Definitely a very fun family-oriented event that I am happy takes place in our neighborhood.
I love how Civic Square was also being utilized by the event, making for a rather large area in total.
The event goes all the way into the night, ending with fireworks that can be worth seeing now that Vancouver's big Celebration of Light is unfortunately no more.
We recently went to try out the brand new Gravity Coaster on top of Grouse Mountain.
I have really enjoyed the massive Canadian flag on top of Grouse this summer. The flag cannot be seen while up top, but it made of fabric and not painted on the ground, like I at first suspected.
This was our first time onboard the new Blue Gondola that opened in late 2024. It's a smooth and fast ride without a need to wait for the Red Mountain Gondola, which still runs parallel to the new gondola. The old Blue Gondola has been removed as a result of the new one getting built.
Views up top are nice as always, but it was surprisingly cold even for July.
Grouse Grind remains as popular as ever with many people making the strenuous trek up the mountain.
There is a lot to do on Grouse, which is included in the expensive entry ticket.
Lumberjack Show is always good time and lots of fun to watch.
The brand new coaster is 1,434 meters long and descends 91 meters with speeds up to 45km/h. Rider is fully in control of the speed, but it should be possible to experience 1.5g's on it, which is easy to believe based on my two rides.
It's quite a construction for just summer months every year. One has to wonder where all of the track is being storaged over winter.
All in all, it is a thrilling new ride and worth experiencing, even with the additional price. I definitely enjoyed a lot more than Cypress' Eagle Coaster few years ago. Go try it out!
Surrey - the Medical Tech district
this part of Surrey gives me Bellevue Wa vibes
I think once the area between the Hub and the Hospital getting fully redeveloped they will really have something.
Not sure why we had never visited before, but Burnaby Central Railway in North Burnaby is affordable and very fun sight for the whole family!
The railway opened back in 1993 and there is now over 2 miles of 7.5-inch narrow-gauge track crisscrossing the forest.
The model society behind the park has built nearly a dozen beautiful train models in 1/8 scale, that pull train carts and people on the track.
All aboard!
Track network is very varied with several bridges and tunnels. There is a lot to see and experience and you want to do several rides to experience more.
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