Planning is key, but even when you don't have a definite plan you do find some really interesting things to do. Our accommodations were a bit suspect. Giang on the floor, Emily and Grant in full beds, and me laying on a rollaway mattress on the floor. However, we made it work. Everyone wanted to do something different and somehow through it all, we all got to do it.
Grant wanted to go to the Capanilo Suspension Bridge; Luke wanted to go to the Grantville Public Market; Giang wanted to go to the Vancouver Pride Parade, and finally, Emily wanted to go to the Butchart Gardens.
The suspension bridge was "a little rocky" according to Grant and that we had fun "hanging out." Those are his cheesy thoughts on the subject, which pretty much sums up my thoughts as well. Next was the Grantville Public Market, which is a public market and shops under a bridge. Giang and I spent a good amount of time here walking around. Being on a diet limited what I could eat, but it was definitely in awe of some of the fruit/vegetables that were there.
The next day we started out late because we had our first HotPot experience at midnight. Giang wanted to go to the Pride Parade and so we made our way to that part of Vancouver. The pride parade was a block away from the Trump Hotel so we thought that might be a good place to park considering the type of event. It ended up being really empty and we even got to validate our parking ticket so the parking was free. We got quite a few different swag items and left for Victoria.
Butchart Garden was a car ride, ferry ride, and taxi ride away, but we made it. We didn't have much time, but the gardens were gorgeous. Everywhere you looked was a photo opportunity for a great selfie. This definitely would not have been on my list of British Columbia must-see list, but it was definitely cooler than I initially thought. The trip ended a quick stay at the Motel 6 and back to San Diego.