For my 19th birthday, we wanted to do something a bit different and something that of course involved alcohol. So me and a few friends of mine, decided to head up to Vancouver for the weekend (my birthday is always on memorial day weekend). The drive wasn’t too bad (only 3/2 hours) and we stayed the night in the Howard Johnson hotel on Robson Street.. It was pretty massive with a living room with two fold out beds, a private room with two more beds and a small mini bar area. Located right on the main strip of Vancouver, we were able to walk a few blocks to Granville Street and catch all the highlights including the night life. Our first night up, CJ, Pat and I were stranded outside waiting for Nate and Andrew (who had the only keys) to let us in. We then went to Denny’s since it was the only place open late attempting to score a beer. Unfortunately for us, they stopped serving alcohol, so we had to patiently wait til the morning before consuming beverages as legal adults in Canada.
The next day was spent buying alcohol and hitting up the Red Robin for food as well as Tsunami Sushi train nearby and Café Crepe. These three places would be our ideal eating spots the following next two trips up to Canada. We also ventured out to buy Canada shirts as we thought it’d be hilarious (and it was!) to walk around dressed the same. That night, we headed to a corner bar called the Lennox Pub and then to The Cellar which was a two story nightclub. Sadly for us, we pulled a ‘hangover’ moment and awoke the next day with quite some stories and vague memories. All I remember from the night was trying to hit on two locals whom I managed to get pictures with. I will say, Irish Car Bombs are probably the best drink with Jim Beam I have ever had. And I hate Jim Beam.
Quick side note. If you get the chance, be sure to check out the Lennox Pub on the corner of Robson and Granville. It’s a small but amazing pub that usually fills pretty quickly but the staff are amazing. We even had the opportunity to meet Dave the manager, in which he bought us all a round of drinks and told us whenever we come back up to give him a buzz.
We spent the last day going to the casino to check it out and by a luck of faith, I won $300 on the slots. So I treated everyone to a round of drinks at the casino followed by more drinks at the Red Robin. One of my favourites up there is the ‘Bailey’s Shake’. Don’t know if they still make them, but those things are AMAZING and loaded with plenty of alcohol.
Sadly, we had to pack up and leave, but we left with a ton of pictures, stories and a vow to return and cause more havoc. Best part about the trip was blasting “America: Fuck yeah” on the stereo while crossing the border. It must have worked because we weren’t stopped even with CJ not having a passport.
