Tag Archives: Vancouver

a heart made of coffee beans

Best of Bean Around The World

Posted on by . 18 Replies

Some things we do just go hand-in-hand. Maybe you like to travel and sample different beers around the world. Maybe you travel and ride famous roller coasters or visit Disneyland around the world. For me, travelling and drinking coffee go hand-in-hand. I’m not telling you anything about me you don’t already know, given I write a series called Bean Around The World! I’m a coffee snob who never misses an opportunity to support local roasters, sample local coffee houses, and get to know local baristas and other coffee fanatics wherever I travel.  Since the high summer travel season is upon us, I wanted to bring together all the blog posts I’ve written about coffee so you’ll have easy access to use them when you’re planning a visit to these places. I’ve covered quite a bit of caffeinated ground :)

Newly added in October 2018:

When you head to Scandinavia, you’re in for a real treat. Here are my recommendations for Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Newly added in July 2018:

1. If you like a combo of great coffee and wonderful pastry, try this place in Boston.

2. Madrid is a coffee drinkers paradise. See for yourself.

In Europe, the two places I’ve written about so far both hold a special spot in my caffeinated heart. Both Lisbon and Slovenia are places I fell in love with after my first sip. When you visit these places, do not forget to enjoy the very unique coffee scenes. Read about the Lisbon coffee scene here. Slovenia’s local coffee scene required two articles!

a cup of coffee with a design in the foam

Cokl Flat White

Continue reading →

a blue sign with white text

Visiting Vancouver, British Columbia? Here’s What You Need To Know!

Posted on by . 5 Replies

There are some places that are wonderful to visit any time of year, and they become an even more spectacular destination during the summer months. With the high travel season upon us, one of my favorite cities has been on my mind. I’ve been to British Columbia during all different times of the year. In Vancouver, I’ve slogged through slush and snow during December, and ventured out at midnight in freezing weather to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks. I’ve walked through Stanley Park in the most gorgeous October weather when the trees were in full fall foliage colors. And I’ve had the Grouse Grind hike on Grouse Mountain totally kick my butt as I finished it with mud all over my clothes, yet with a smile on my face. Vancouver is an amazing destination any time of year! With summer upon us and many travelers heading up to British Columbia, I wanted to bring together all the blog posts I’ve written about Vancouver so you’ll have an easy time using them when you’re planning a visit.

a seaplane on a dock in front of a city

Seaplane in Vancouver Harbor

Continue reading →

a heart made of coffee beans

Shelli’s World Coffee Tour – Coffee Houses in Vancouver, Canada

Posted on by . 6 Replies

I guess it’s time for a true confession. I’m a coffee snob. And when I travel, I have a passion for supporting local roasters and coffee houses. Let’s just say I’ve BEAN Around the World and I’m feeling like now is the time to start sharing the love… and caffeine, one city at a time. Recently, I had a fantastic week in Vancouver, Canada. And while I did touch on a few coffee places when I wrote See, Eat & Drink: The Perfect Long Weekend in Vancouver, Canada, I knew I needed to dig much deeper into the Vancouver coffee scene to really give you the full SCOOP! So during my recent trip to Vancouver, I drank plenty of coffee, talked with baristas, and I’ve got lots to share with you. Let’s open the TWG cafe society doors and talk coffee, Vancouver style.

When I travel, I only review and like to support coffee houses that roast their own beans or use locally roasted beans. This leads me to an interesting story about Vancouver. When I asked locals in Vancouver about the coffee scene and told them that I would be writing about it, the very first suggestion I received was, “You should try 49th Parallel.” I replied that I don’t care for 49th Parallel coffee. Surprisingly, they then tell me they don’t really like 49th Parallel coffee either! It’s odd and seems like people feel the need to tell me to try it because it’s local but it’s not really their first choice either. However, 49th Parallel coffee is carried by MANY cafes in Vancouver, so that eliminated many places that I didn’t need to review. I’m telling you this because you may want to try it for yourself and see what you think, and also so you’ll know none of the places I’m reviewing use 49th Parallel beans.

Another important point is that although many of the small roasters I’m reviewing do have more than one location, these days the hub for coffee is the Gastown area, with a few outliers in Chinatown and some just over the east side border of Vancouver.

I started by talking with Mark Neuman from Timbertrain Coffee. We talked and drank coffee for a long time. In general, I have somewhat of an idea of the places I want to check out, but often I’ll let the conversations I have with one manager or barista set the tone and flow to the next cafe, and that’s what happened in Vancouver.

a sign on a sidewalk

Timbertrain Coffee Roasters sign in Vancouver, Canada

Continue reading →

a blue sign with white text

Vancouver Wonderful Walks #2: Gastown, Yaletown & False Creek Loop

Posted on by . 1 Reply

Please check out my first post: Vancouver Wonderful Walks #1: Seawall Loop through Stanley Park

You might say I travel a lot, and though many of those miles are spent in the air, if I kept track, I’d bet I walk as many miles as I fly! When I wrote about how to spend the perfect long weekend in Vancouver, I touched on my favorite walks, but didn’t go into much detail. Vancouver is one of my favorite cities for walking! During my recent trip to Vancouver, I took my favorite walks, only this time I made extensive notes so I could share them with you. Here’s one of my favorites, which I call the Gastown / Yaletown / False Creek loop.

I stay at the Hyatt Regency when I visit Vancouver, and it never disappoints me. As you’ll see in the photos, luck was on my side for this week because the weather in late October was amazing. Beautiful fall foliage everywhere. So let’s start this walk from the Hyatt. You’ll exit onto Burrard Street and head north towards the water. As you walk towards the water, you’ll pass a historic and architecturally stunning building, the Marine Building. The art deco details are worth seeing so make sure to go into the lobby of the building and look around. Take the elevator up a few floors and when you get out you’ll have an overhead view of the lobby. Beautiful! On the ground floor of this building, you will find one of my favorite JJ Bean coffee locations. It has seating on the second floor if you want to relax, read, talk, and stay a while.

Make a right on Cordova Street. You’ll be heading to Gastown. This area of Vancouver can be touristy, but many locals live/work/play here too. There are lots of restaurants and coffee shops worth visiting. The steam clock on the corner of Cambie and Water Streets is probably the number one site people come to see here and it’s a fun photo opportunity. You’ve actually walked two miles already!

a clock tower in a city

Gastown Steam Clock. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_clock

Continue reading →

a blue sign with white text

Vancouver Wonderful Walks #1: Seawall Loop through Stanley Park

Posted on by . 10 Replies

You might say I travel a lot, and though many of those miles are spent in the air, if I kept track, I’d bet I walk as many miles as I fly! When I wrote about how to spend the perfect long weekend in Vancouver, I touched on my favorite walks, but didn’t go into much detail. Vancouver is one of my favorite cities for walking! During my recent trip to Vancouver, I took my favorite walks, only this time, I made extensive notes so I could share them with you. Here’s one of my favorites, which I call the Seawall Loop. I stay at the Hyatt Regency when I visit Vancouver, and it never disappoints me. As you’ll see in the photos, luck was on my side for this week because the weather in late October was amazing. Beautiful fall foliage everywhere.

a park with trees and benches

Fall has arrived in Vancouver

Continue reading →