With the increase in numbers of Covid-19 during the past few months, a stronger restriction had been accepted. The freedom of the citizens has now again mitigated. Don’t get me wrong, it is understandable that the restriction is a must and needs to be followed, but boredom will be the devil that whispers in the left side of your ears. Luckily, the restriction is not entirely means lock down. There are wholes and cracks for us to find ways of having fun during this Covid time. Extroverts will be happy to hear this!
First, let us take a look at the restrictions created and passed by the Provincial Health Officer (PHO). It is said that indoor gatherings are not allowed. Things such as indoor birthday parties, clubs, indoor sports, or a simple house visit are not allowed for a moment no matter how small the size of the gathering is. However, there are indoor places opened that could satisfy your boredom even if you are alone or just with people in your household. Museums are a good example of that. Restaurants also disabled their inside dinning areas since it is now restricted to eat inside of restaurants. Although take out foods, delivery, and outside dinning areas are still available for us to use. We could definitely take advantage of that!
For outside gatherings, people are only allowed to gather up to 10 people at a time, and it should the same people always. You cannot be on a gathering of ten with people that were not from your last gathering. Group sports that involve more than one person, indoor or outdoor, are not allowed. However, practices and drills are allowed so long as they stay six feet apart. Despite with these strict regulations it is still possible gather and have fun with your bubble of friends.
As I mentioned earlier, Museums are the perfect places to go without having to worry about breaking the restrictions. On top that, there are many museums that are waiting to be visited. One of the museums are called The Vancouver Police Museum. It is located in the city’s coroner’s office at Cordova Street, Vancouver. It is quite a small museum but pack with attractions and importance as it exhibits the history of crime and law enforcement of Vancouver. It also holds the title of the oldest police museum in North America.
Quarantine will be more hectic if you have kids around, especially during weekends! As we all know, kids usually have a very short patience. They are active all the time which they are supposed to be. The Vancouver Science World will be the perfect place for them to go. located at the eastern side of False Creek, just at Quebec Street, The Science World is one of the unique places you could visit in Vancouver. With its shiny oval shaped building, you can never miss it when you drive through. It’s not only a fun place for the kids to go, but it also teaches them about science with its educational science shows that is active all through out the day. Topics such as gravity and human body could be learned and understood easily with its well put visuals and simple provided explanations. Although the place is meant for kids, people of all ages are also to welcome to check the place.
If you are an art person, why not visit the infamous Vancouver’s Art Gallery? You can enjoy looking at many collections of arts made by B.C. and Vancouver’s famous artists. It is also known to be holding one of the best photographic collections in North America. Works of a famous Canadian painter Emily Carr are also present in the place. With her indigenous inspired paintings such as the Big Raven, she will captivate you by wonderful stories through your eyes. They also exhibit not only paintings, but many more kinds of arts such as drawings, sculptures, and ceramic works. Famous International artist are also represented in the place.
Outside of the building is the Gallery Plaza. Usually, the place would be busy since it’s a place that is always chosen for many celebrations and activities like festivals and concerts. With Covid around, the place is pretty much empty right now. However, it could still be a fun place to go for sight seeing the city life, and in July, we can still enjoy the Summer Movie Nights that takes place every Wednesday.
Speaking of sight seeing, what about visiting some of Vancouver’s Beautiful sights! There are plenty of famous places, as well as hidden gems that are tucked in the cities of Vancouver.
If you want to see a gorgeous scenery of a beach, there are plenty of place to go to. One of the famous and biggest would probably be Stanley Park. There are lots of things and activities to see and do in Stanley Park. One of them to just stroll around and enjoy the beautiful beach scenery of the place. Another to ride a bike around it with family or anyone in your bubble. The Stanley Park is an excessively big place, with its area estimated to be 4 km^2. It would normally take 3 hours to walk around Stanley Park and 1 hour to bike it. There are also many places that you must stop by during the walk or the ride, things such as lookouts, points, and even eateries. Brockton Point would probably one of the well visited area in Stanley Park. It has an open area you can lay on and totem poles to look at, but its historical mini lighthouse is what the place is famous for.
For people who wants to do fitness or challenging activities, why not go for a hike. There are plenty of hiking spots here in Vancouver. I recommend going to the North Shore to do a Grouse grind. What is a Grouse grind you ask? Well, it basically means going for a hike in one of the toughest trails in Vancouver, The Grouse Mountain Trail. It is a very steep with an 800-meter elevation for only 3-kilometers of horizontal travel. They said the toughest area of the trail is its section with a steepness of about 40 degrees. You must be prepared physically and mentally before accepting the challenge. After, the grind why not visit Lonsdale Quay? There are plenty of restaurants located in the Quay Market, you will the difficulty to choose one. You can also enjoy the seaside scenery of the shipyard.
These are just some of the places you can visit in the cities of Vancouver during Covid-19 times, there are a lot more!