Granville Island

I have a friend who adores Granville Island. She lives in the valley, and it’s pretty far for her to go to Granville Island. But she goes there often and she loves it. I used to wonder why she loved it so much, but then I fell in love with Granville Island, too.
And what’s not to love?
My favourite part is the French bakery, La Baguette et L’Echalote. I stop there every time to buy a pain au chocolat for the following day’s breakfast. No, it’s not the square meal that I should be eating in the morning, but I always feel like a movie star having a flaky chocolatey pastry and a cup of coffee in the morning.
But, if you are more interested in looking like a movie star, the Granville Island public market also sells fresh fruits and vegetables. Personally, I usually skip over these, because I can buy fruits and veggies nearer to my home. They are kind of heavy, and if I buy them near my home I can weigh down my arms with chocolate pastries and home-made pasta at the market.
Another shop not to be missed is Paper-Ya. If you’re a sucker for cute stationary, like I am, then you’ll be hooked on this amazing little shop. Look out on weekends, though – it is always packed. Sometimes I worry about knocking something over and having to buy it. Actually, I always hope I’ll knock something really nice but too expensive over, and then I’ll be forced to buy it even though it’s out of my budget. That’s just the kind of store that it is!
Another of the reasons that I love to go to Granville Island is because it’s an excuse to take a little boat. Whether you prefer Aquabus or the False Creek Ferries (they both costs the same), you can catch either one of them besides Science World, conveniently located near the Main Street/Science World Skytrain station.
Seriously, what’s not to love?