itsdelicious2: Summer in Vancouver

We have 11 beaches in the city and surrounding areas. This is our favourite: 3rd beach, situated in the middle of Stanley Park. We also have a natural sea water swimming pool at Kits beach and a man made pool at 2nd beach.

Wreck beach near the University. This is a clothes optional beach very popular in the Summer as you can imagine.

View of Downtown from Wreck beach.

Horseshoe bay. A 20 minute drive from Downtown, this is the ferry terminal for Vancouver Island, The Sunshine Coast, Bowen Island and beyond.

The cruise ship terminal. Trips to Alaska begin in April and continue until October.

Davie Street

The Pride Festival takes place every August. We can watch from our bedroom window as it passes past the street outside.

View of Downtown from the perspective of being on the water. This was a boat cruise for a friend's birthday.

Celebration of Light festival. An annual fireworks festival choreographed to music set off from a barge in the ocean just off English Bay. As famous for the drunken revelry and long journeys back home to the suburbs as it is for the beautiful 35 minute long shows. We watch from our local bar, well away from the madness and crowds below.

It takes 45 minutes for the crowds to clear after each of the 4 shows in July and August.

Once they have all gone home, the horses arrive before the clean up trucks. This all takes place for an hour after the show and is as much a part of the fun as the actual fireworks, unless you're unfortunate enough to be caught up in it.

The West End. A beautiful neighbourhood and also where we live. Lots of tall residential buildings and tree lined streets and landscaped areas. Home to the beach English Bay and the beginning of the rain forest Stanley Park.