Oh, how I’m gonna miss you my beloved Stanley Park! I can’t believe my time in Vancouver is almost over, 7 weeks really came and went in the blink of an eye. I am most definitely going to miss all of it, but if you follow me on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, you know how much I’ve come to love Stanley Park. It might very well be my favorite spot in the city, and biking around its seawall my favorite activity this summer.

Stanley Park is Vancouver’s version of Central Park, but bigger and better… whoa, did I just say that?! Oh yes, I did. You guys know how much I love Central Park in NYC, but Stanley Park really captured my whole heart. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s almost in its entirety surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, making its seawall and beaches something you don’t usually find at most urban parks. Then there is the forest with its ancient and tall trees, the lost lagoon with the shooting fountain, the aquarium, the water park, the views, the totem poles, the fact that you can stroll right into the beach at English Bay from the park. I just love it all.

On top of all that, they make sure to have plenty of activities during the summer to bring people together. One of them is playing outdoor movies once a week at Ceperely Meadows, by Second Beach. Last week I went with some friends, and we had a picnic while we waited for Dirty Dancing to start playing in the giant screen. Not too shabby I would say.

The photos I bring you today are from my first visit to the park. It was actually the first place I visited right after I arrived in Vancouver. I went with my friend Norma and her mom, who was visiting at the time. We biked around the seawall, and even though I hadn’t been on a bike since I was 10 years old, I had way too much fun. I had actually been wanting to buy a bike of my own back in Phoenix for a few years now, but now I want it more than ever! I’ll definitely be getting one this fall. All these photos were shot by Norma, and as usual, they turned out amazing; I even included a few shots she took on the stroll we took through English Bay after our ride. We got the most beautiful sunset, and she was able to capture some gorgeous images of it. I hope you like them as much as I do, and remember that if you want to see more of her photography work you can head over to her blog at lapir0.com.