Restaurant - Denny's (North Vancouver) Review

Supernatural

4*

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I'll admit, I mainly visited this Denny's as I wanted to recreate a scene from CW's Supernatural as Vancouver is a filming hot-spot for the show. On the other hand we had been craving a visit to a Denny's the entirety of our trip through the U.S.A and Canada so it was a win-win.

In terms of the food, we both ordered a burger and the bottomless soft drinks, the burger was nice and the chips (fries) were well done. It wasn't the most amazing meal I've ever had but it certainly wasn't bad and we both enjoyed the flavour. The service was good, it wasn't that busy when we visited on a Wednesday evening, and the bill was reasonable, I think it cost a total of somewhere around $35CA for us. There would be nothing stopping me from re-visiting the restaurant in the future.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g181717-d4880020-r752985292-Denny_s-North_Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

Transport - Translink Metro Vancouver Review

Definitely room for improvement

3*

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In our experience of our time in the U.S.A and Canada, TransLink probably ranked among one of the best public transportation methods, but there is still much room for improvement.

The positives were the relative simplicity of obtaining and using a 'Compass Card' plus the ability to register it and check your balance online, the frequency of their services and the many routes provided, and the price of their fares which wasn't extraordinarily cheap, but neither was it disproportionately expensive.

The major drawbacks:

The Compass Card is refundable ($6CA) but you can only receive this (as a tourist) by visiting 1 of 2 locations in downtown Vancouver that were only open during usual working hours (and then you have to get back to where you came from without the card...).

The automated ticket machines only take pre-determined top-up values so if you just need to stick on an extra $2 you can't, instead you again have to go to 1 of 2 offices where you CAN load whatever amount you want at any increment (why don't they just allow this feature on the machines?)

The fares are somewhat unclear, we read that fares are zoned, and staying in North Vancouver we assumed that the fare for the bus would be applied at a 'zone 2' rate, however the bus fare seems to be the same ($2.40) wherever you travel...

Finally, the buses were occasionally late, which is frustrating especially when it's raining or cold, however we appreciated that they have live tracking so we did know roughly when they'd arrive via Google Maps.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g154943-d8363892-r752985570-TransLink_Metro_Vancouver-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

Attraction - Stanley Park Vancouver Review

Nature

5*

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We strolled around Stanley Park for about an hour with our Tim Horton's, enjoying the scenery, the landscape views but also the towering evergreens in the forest, the Totem Poles, other sculptures like the "Girl in a wetsuit", and doing a bit of Supernatural [TV show] scene finding. The park is very well maintained and there was plenty of space wherever you went, no litter or other debris, and no crowds of people (although it was the winter). The Totem Pole area and the various sculptures and buildings keep you entertained and educated, and the scenery is amazing, especially by the waters edge. The fact it is an island makes it even more special as it feels isolated, somewhere where nature can thrive, certainly felt when we walked around Beaver Lake, yet when you walk to the waters edge and look out across the water you realise you are right in the middle of Vancouver, connected by route 99. This road also makes it easy to reach Stanley Park but in no way ruins the ambience of the island. Stanley Park is somewhere I would certainly recommend to anyone visiting Vancouver, either for a short stroll or a whole day trip.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g154943-d155652-r752959037-Stanley_Park-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html