UBC Botanical Garden

We first came here when Matalena was newborn, in the Fall of 2007. I LOVED it. I have been wanting to return since then, nearly 4 years. If we lived closer I would buy an annual pass for sure. To my delight, my kids liked it too! I overheard remarks like, "Wow, look at that beautiful flower!" and "Look how big the leaves are!" and "That plant is as tall as you, Mama!" If you enjoy plants/botany/gardening at all, I highly recommend this place. Children 5 and under are free and I can give REALLY good directions since we got quite lost looking for it.






After our peaceful sojourn in the gardens, we got lost a few more times (trying to navigate our way through the middle of UBC towards W 4th...after a few attempts we ended up just staying on the road that circles the entire place, much simpler!), then met my parents at Granville Island. It was beyond crowded. And anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE crowds (0; Not so much. We drove around and around looking for a spot to park, and in the end I parked in a spot where my Dad had to perform a parking rescue operation so I wouldn't be towed. Thanks Dad. We had lunch overlooking the seagulls, pigeons and boats. Lovely. A random tourist took a picture of 3 of the kids lined up on a bench, without permission or explanation. Seriously! I wish there were days you could visit G.I. when no tourists are allowed there. But I guess they might not let us in then either! The rest of the day entailed strolling the alleys of G.I., living with the consequences of the horrible idea of letting the kids each choose something small from the toy store, trying not to run over pedestrians in traffic, and enjoying a lovely dinner and dessert with my parents and Rhonda at the condo they were staying at for the night. It was a GREAT start to summer!


We also have had the pleasure of a visit from our favorite Saskatchewanians, Aunt Tish and Kimberly...so nice to see them!