The blog
These guides answer the questions people actually ask about getting things done locally: where to eat, what is open on a long weekend, which trades to call, and what to do on a wet Sunday. They are written for people who are going this weekend, not for people planning a trip next year.
Written and checked by
Maren Holt
32 guides published
I rank places and say what the ranking is based on, and where a guide leans on the public map data or on what a business says about itself, it says so. Some of it is logistics: parking, opening hours, how to feed eight people on a Saturday without a booking. Some of it is me being opinionated about lunch.
The one rule I hold to is that the guides cover the whole city, including the half that is harder to write about.
Newest
North Vancouver's Christmas is built around the waterfront at The Shipyards, with a free-entry Christmas market to Christmas Eve plus Canyon Lights and the Peak of Christmas from late November.
Notes from the valley floor
A guide that likes everything is useless. So I rank things, I say why, and I tell you when I haven't been back since the owners changed.
More from the blog
The newest guide sits at the top. I go back and rewrite the older ones when something changes on the ground.
North Vancouver's Remembrance Day 2026: the parade leaves the Armoury on Forbes Avenue at 9:15am, the public gathers at the Victoria Park Cenotaph by 10am, and the service begins at 10:45am.
Halloween at The Shipyards and the Lower Lonsdale trick-or-treat, Canyon Frights at Capilano Suspension Bridge, the Lynn Valley Spooktacular, and the City and District fireworks rules.
The Friday night market starts it, Capilano runs late through Monday with a twilight discount, Grouse goes to nine, and the SeaBus is still the best way in.
A practical guide to medical clinics, urgent primary care, youth health, travel medicine and pharmacies in North Vancouver.
How to choose veterinary clinics, animal hospitals and pet supply shops around North Vancouver.
A local guide to finding mechanics, collision shops, glass services and detailing in North Vancouver.
A neighborhood guide to choosing hair salons, barbers and beauty lounges across North Vancouver.
How to choose a North Vancouver dentist, hygienist or specialist, from family care to kids dentistry and orthodontics.
A practical North Vancouver guide to choosing trades, repair shops, locksmiths and home service providers with less guesswork.
North Vancouver's restaurants reflect Persian, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Greek, Chinese, Italian, and other food traditions.
A North Vancouver guide to liquor stores, beer and wine shops, brewery stores, and tasting rooms for everyday bottles and local beer.
Tips and corrections
Somewhere I missed, or something I got wrong?
I read everything that comes in. If a place has closed, changed hands, or is simply better than I gave it credit for, tell me and I'll go back and eat there again.