When I was contacted to see if I was interested to review this book, 100 Things to Do in Vancouver Before You Die, by Kathryn Anderson, I could not say no, as I’ve been a Vancouverite for 38 years as an adult, and counting. What new gems may I find within these pages that I did not already know about?
Kathryn is an author, travel journalist, and speaker whose work has appeared in top publications worldwide. As the creator of the award-winning site Coffee and Mascara, she guides readers toward travel that blends adventure, culture, and well-being.
The book is easy to read with each thing to do, covering a single page, followed by the address, website, and/or phone number so you do not have to search for it online. It is divided into five sections:
- Food and Drink
- Music and Entertainment
- Sports and Recreation
- Culture and History
- Shopping and Fashion
Many of the places featured are local, keeping away from chain stores that you could find in any city. There are 23 options in the Food and Drink category. Several that I have been to and note that they are great options, like eating at Seasons in the Park, but there are a few that I do not know about, or have not yet visited, but is on my to-do list.
Music and Entertainment has 16 options to try. It covers live theatre, music, gambling, museums and much more. Kathryn does offer a TIPS page following some of the places to visit in all categories, in case the place to visit is only open at certain times of the year.
The Sports and Recreation category has 23 things to do. Some are more adult-oriented, but most can be enjoyed by families; same with the other categories. In this section I learned about a tree walk that I did not know about, but will visit this summer.
The next category, Culture and History, has 19 things to see and do. Many of the features in this section are located in downtown Vancouver, so could be used as a guide if you have a short weekend stay downtown.
The last category is Shopping and Fashion with 19 shopping options. Many of the options are malls located across the lower mainland. I would prefer dropping them and offering a few more local shopping features. We have many in the lower mainland.
Overall, I would say that there are many options for visitors to Vancouver, or for people that are moving here from other places in Canada, or around the world. One thing that I think would really help this book, as each location is numbered, is to put a map at the end of each section with the corresponding numbers for the section. This would make it easier to group together things you may want to do in a morning, afternoon, or evening. Some descriptions of a location to visit are also a little high level. I would prefer a bit more detail, such as a recommended wine, dish to order, painting to view, etc., which while still fitting on the single page.
Kathryn stopped her list at 100 places to visit, but there are many more places that I could add to the list; so could Kathryn. Maybe she will come up with a second book of more places to visit in Vancouver? The book is a quick read. If you do need some guidance on what to do, at the very end of the book Kathryn has two sections: Activities by Season, and Suggested Itineraries, which should help you out. Enjoy!
Where Can I Buy This Book?
This softcover book is available to purchase from the publisher, Reedy Press (USD $19.95). It is also available to buy via Amazon.ca in Kindle or softcover format. Canada’s Indigo also sells this book.
Thank you so much for your thorough review of my book! I appreciate your comments and agree that the map would be a helpful feature, which I will pass along to my publishing house. This book is part of the ‘100 Things’ series of books published by Reedy Press, which is why I stopped at 100 things. I’m glad you discovered some new activities to enjoy — the tree walk you mention was one of my faves!