MoFuzz said:
Re: Stepho's suggestion in the OP, you can literally go 3 doors down to Taki's Taverna for the same food at the same price, without the lineup or wait.
It's not like Stepho's has bad food, but they are way overrated considering how many Greek restaurants there are in Vancouver, even in that neighbourhood of downtown.
My Greek-Canadian friend says "Greeks don't let friends eat at Stepho's."
I'd add Sun Sui Wah and Kirin for high-end Cantonese dining.
And the Asian malls food court (Aberdeen, Yaohan, Parker Place, the Crystal, I'm sure there's a lot more) for an Asian food court experience without having to go to Asia. And the Richmond and Chinatown night markets (summer only). The former is way bigger and has way more food choices, but the latter is easier to get to (by transit) and it's not in the middle of nowhere.
Also, Vancouver has finally arrived - very late, yes - to the world of street food carts beyond just hot dogs. If you like that, definitely check out The Kaboom Box, Roaming Dragon, Coma Food Truck, and Eat Elis.
For shopping, would add Kits and Commercial Drive, Granville Island for sure. Main St too. Each has a different vibe - if I had to sum up those four in one word each, respectively they'd be yuppie, hippie, touristy, and hipster.
Events: You gotta include the Celebration of Light and the Jazz Festival.
everyone knows that vancouver is just a seattle north,
Vancouver is really quite different from Seattle. Both are geographically constrained by water, but Seattle is laid out like most NA cities with sprawl 'n' suburbs and highways. Vancouver has a remarkable dearth of highways compared to most NA cities and this changes the entire experience. (People may be willing to drive about the same amount of time, but 30-60 minutes covers less distance than it would in Seattle or the Bay Area.)