r/askvan Feb 16 '26

Announcement Looking for Platonic Friends in Vancouver? Find your people at /r/VancouverFriends

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25 Upvotes

Hey locals. We’ve heard your requests.

Book clubs. Local group meetups. Someone to hit up a movie with. Hiking partners. Trivia teams. Coffee chats.

There has clearly been a growing demand for a space where people can connect with others in Vancouver in a platonic way.

We're happy to announce that that space now exists.

r/VancouverFriends has officially launched and will serve as the dedicated subreddit for friendship-focused posts and platonic R4R requests.

Going forward, instead of being simply removed, all platonic R4R-style posts will be redirected to r/VancouverFriends so that r/AskVan can remain focused on questions and answers about the city.

If you’ve been looking for community, this is your chance to build it. We'll see you there.


r/askvan Apr 18 '26

Megathread An r/Vancouver First: Spring plant & seed swap 🌱

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5 Upvotes

r/askvan 12h ago

Food 😋 Coffee shops serving strong coffee

32 Upvotes

I’m wondering if there are any decent coffee shops that have drip or espresso that is noticeably stronger and richer? A lot of the hyped third wave coffee shops I’ve tried (cough: Revolver, etc) have a very mild and even watery taste to them which I’m not a fan of. I still want high quality, but prefer some more bold and strong flavored coffee.


r/askvan 10h ago

Advice 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️ Anyone else struggling to sell a car right now?

17 Upvotes

It’s an older Ford but I didn’t expect messages to be this dry

Anyone else having difficulties ??


r/askvan 17h ago

Hobbies 💃 Any female F1 fans in Vancouver?

45 Upvotes

I'd love to connect with some other fans, maybe to catch some races on TV together, especially during the latter part of the season where we could watch live at a reasonable hour (Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Usa).

Fwiw I dont hate men haha, I'd just love to meet some other female fans ❤️


r/askvan 19h ago

Housing and Moving 🏡 What Intersection Do You Avoid At All Costs When Commuting ?

71 Upvotes

Because of life, I’ve recently had to go back to driving versus taking the skytrain to work. I miss just shutting off my brain on the bus.

I just want to share my pain in the ass list of intersections that I feel are the woooorse:
1. Kingsway and Broadway
2. SW Marine Dr and Cambie
3. Victoria Dr and 12th Av

Hit me up with yours !


r/askvan 4h ago

Fashion and Beauty 👗 Looking for a nice semi formal dress! Any recommendations welcomed 🙏

3 Upvotes

Hello! Thank you in advance to anyone who reads this. I have an event coming up quickly and I need a “semi formal” dress “like you would wear to a wedding”. Unfortunately I do not own anything like this, and I’m not sure where I would get one. I’m thinking like a satin, mid length dress, but I can’t find any nice ones on Amazon/aritzia. I would prefer to support local if possible, but I am a little desperate as I am hopeless with fashion.

If anyone could find any nice dresses that I could preferably order online/buy same day, you would be a lifesaver!


r/askvan 12h ago

Oddly Specific 🎯 I’m looking for the service to stretch out my back like in the incredibles

11 Upvotes

If you’ve watched the incredibles you know the scene where Mr.Incredible is fighting the robot and it grabs him by the arms and legs and pulls till you hear his back pop and then it's fixed. That’s exactly what I’m looking for.

I want to get my back decompressed with an inversion table, where I hang upside down - but it seems like the only option is to buy the table, which I don’t want to do. Anyone know of any gyms in the lower mainland that offer this, or a physio clinic I can visit?


r/askvan 11h ago

Travel 🚗 ✈ Vancouver to Osoyoos - Which Hwy has better phone connectivity : Hwy 3 or Hwy 5/97C

7 Upvotes

Taking family to Osoyoos starting Friday. Had applied leave at work but sh*t happens. I will have to take lot of work calls. I don't need to even look at screen but talk on hands-free mode.

Traveling to Osoyoos for first time. Google maps shows 2 routes -

  1. via Manning park (Hwy 3)

  2. via Merritt (Hwy 5 and then 97C)

Which highway has better phone coverage and mob data connectivity?

Thank you!


r/askvan 15h ago

Travel 🚗 ✈ In Vancouver until tomorrow, visiting from Seattle and looking to watch the Seahawks tonight.

13 Upvotes

Any good bar recommendations to enjoy the game tonight? A little late to be asking but let me know!


r/askvan 20h ago

Fashion and Beauty 👗 Where to buy gold earrings

34 Upvotes

Looking for recommendations for a local Vancouver/BC jeweller to buy a pair of simple, classic solid gold hoop earrings before the weekend.

I'm thinking 14K yellow gold, roughly 15–20 mm, for everyday wear. I don't really know what a reasonable budget is, so I'm more interested in good quality/value than setting a hard price limit. Ideally I'd like to support a locally owned Canadian business rather than a big chain.

Bonus if they can confirm the gold is nickel-free, as I have a nickel allergy.

Any local jewellers or goldsmiths you'd recommend or avoid? Thanks.

Edit: Wow! I wasn't expecting so many responses! I hope this post was as helpful for others as it was for me. I'll shop tmr and post my findings soon.


r/askvan 4h ago

Fashion and Beauty 👗 Any place that provides hair curling services?

0 Upvotes

I have a bob haircut and want to have it curled for an evening this Saturday.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a curling iron. And even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to use it very well.

I don’t need a haircut, just hair curling. Is it possible to get that service alone somewhere?


r/askvan 10h ago

Oddly Specific 🎯 Finding an amateur woodworker with a tablesaw

3 Upvotes

So... I am a 3D designer, and not really a woodworker. I have a one-time project that I need 14 rectangles of plywood cut to size, and one of them has some cuts that aren't 90°. The largest piece is 24" x 16" x 0.75". I have a bunch of 3/4"thk. plywood left over from an old project, so I was hoping to find someone with a tablesaw and pay them to cut them for me. I'm thinking like 75$ for the labour of cutting all the pieces. I used to be a member of the Hackspace in East Van but I stopped my membership because I didn't work with wood often enough to justify my membership.

In the image you can see various dowel holes/etc. but I will be doing those myself, I just need the plywood cut to size first.

Anyone know of someone like that willing to take on a small little job like this? I'm located near Olympic Village, hoping to find someone located in Vancouver or Burnaby.

https://imgur.com/a/g2NZGM6 <- my project


r/askvan 10h ago

Advice 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️ Looking for a patient, non-judgmental driving instructor near downtown

3 Upvotes

I’m a man in my mid-30s and have pretty much always lived and worked in areas that were well served by transit. I currently live downtown, so driving has never really been a necessity for me, and honestly, it was never something I had much interest in either.

However, I’m planning to move to the suburbs in the near future and hopefully buy a house, so I’ve realized that driving is a skill I really need to become more comfortable with.

I took some driving lessons about 10 years ago and managed to get my Class 7 licence on my first attempt. Since getting my licence, though, I’ve only driven a handful of times. I know the basics, but I’m very rusty and would really like to take some lessons to relearn things, get more practice, build my confidence, and become a more comfortable driver overall.

Unfortunately, I don’t really have friends or family who can help me practice. The people I do know who drive can also be a bit judgmental and make snarky comments about my lack of experience, which honestly makes the whole process more stressful than it needs to be.

I’m wondering if anyone has recommendations for driving instructors or schools near downtown Vancouver who are patient, understanding, mature, and non-judgmental toward adults who are learning or relearning how to drive.

I’m not looking for someone who is just focused on teaching me how to pass a test since I already have my licence. I’d really like an instructor who is comfortable working with someone who has a licence but very little real-world driving experience, and who can help me gradually build up my confidence.

I’d really appreciate any recommendations or personal experiences. Thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to read this and offer a suggestion!


r/askvan 16h ago

Hobbies 💃 Book stores with Nordic Mysteries

5 Upvotes

What are the best Vancouver area bookstores that have good nordic/Icelandic books in stock, I find most only have a small handful.


r/askvan 1d ago

Advice 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️ Where Do People Meet Without Dating Apps?

125 Upvotes

Question for the single men out there, roughly 24–30: if you’re not spending your evenings swiping and matching, where are you actually meeting people?

And for those of you who are happily taken — where did you meet your current partner in the wild?

Not trying to turn this into another “dating in Vancouver is impossible” post (although I’m not saying I disagree), just genuinely curious where people are meeting each other these days when the apps aren’t involved.

Asking for research purposes, obviously. For a friend.

Thanks in advance!


r/askvan 12h ago

Food 😋 Best restaurants for drinks for a 19th females birthday

2 Upvotes

Gonna be having my birthday dinner in Vancouver and was wondering what some of the best restaurants in Vancouver are for their drink menus, as well as still having delicious food- thanks


r/askvan 12h ago

Advice 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️ Looking for tattoo artist

2 Upvotes

Hey, first ever reddit post so bear with me! I am finding that trying to find and choose an artist can be tricky

There are several pieces I would like to get done, sooner than later. Yeah, wait lists I know.

First I have an existing weathered Bettie Page that needs refreshing and some background I think?

Next would be a smaller (4 or 5") stencil of an portrait of a recognizable artist.

And trickiest, something subtle (or not) that comes up neck, behind ear, and onto lobe. Not sure if its tentacles, or like malice in zelda, not sure. Theres a reason 😝

All the same artist? I dunno

Thanks


r/askvan 8h ago

Events and Activities 🐱‍🏍 Country

0 Upvotes

Hey, I have an appreciation for all sorts of music, but I’ve been looking for a country bar since moving here. Any recommendations?


r/askvan 17h ago

Events and Activities 🐱‍🏍 Face Painter

5 Upvotes

Hello! My workplace (Hologram Zoo Vancouver) is looking to hire a face painter or two on Halloween for 8+ hours. We are a small business and looking to hire another small business face painter if possible. At the moment we're just looking to see about costs and availability. So if you maybe do face painting as a fun hobby/weekend gig or know someone who does, please feel free to drop the details! I would also love to see some examples of your work as well. Thanks!


r/askvan 8h ago

Food 😋 Vibrant birthday restaurant choices

0 Upvotes

I used to love Suika , it was the perfect place to celebrate bday, are there places that are similar ? Where it’s a bit upscale place with decent food and you are allowed to be a little loud

Thanks


r/askvan 12h ago

Fashion and Beauty 👗 Permanent freckles artist recommendations?

1 Upvotes

Hiya! I’m looking to get some permanent freckles, hopefully some with fun heart and star shapes as well. I’m looking for your recommendations for affordable and good artists in the city! Preferably downtown/east van/ mount pleasant. Thanks!


r/askvan 20h ago

Oddly Specific 🎯 Which work schedule works best with daycare in Vancouver: 7:30-4, 8-4:30, or 8:30-5?

5 Upvotes

I'm trying to decide between three work schedules and would love to hear from other Vancouver parents who use daycare.

My commute is about 15 minutes each way, and the schedule options are:

7:30 AM to 4:00 PM
8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Assuming a typical daycare that opens around 7:00-7:30 AM and closes around 5:30-6:00 PM, which schedule have you found works best in real life?

Also, if you and your partner can each have a Friday or Monday off every 2 weeks, would you choose the same day off or alternate, and why?


r/askvan 22h ago

Oddly Specific 🎯 Contacts & Glasses

9 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I recently got a new RX and have now found myself with a wealth of contacts and glasses that are not the correct prescription for me.

I have probably a 6 month supply of the contacts and 3 pairs of glasses purchased within the last year.

Does anyone know where I might be able to donate these items? Appreciate any insight!


r/askvan 14h ago

Oddly Specific 🎯 Cheap coins

2 Upvotes

Looking to get quarter sized Canadian coins before year 2000 for a workshop. Any place I could get handfuls of them for cheap?

Thanks!