Last updated on April 21st, 2024
Featured image: Dawn Chubai shares her tips for visiting Vancouver, like a stroll through Stanley Park | Photo by edb3_16 on Envato
Hometown Travel Tips: Where to stay, eat and play from a local
by Kathy Buckworth
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Our Hometown Gems series featuring notable Canadian women age 50+ continues with Dawn Chubai. Dawn spent 25 years “on camera”, co-hosting Breakfast Television Vancouver (where I first met her, as a guest on the show), and as a Host on The Shopping Channel. Today she is busy as a Public Speaking, Performance and Media Coach and she launched Live Selling School last year working with Brands and Talent on product presentation for Live and Social Commerce. She loves helping others feel confident on camera.
Dawn lives in Vancouver and considers it her hometown. Vancouver is the largest city in B.C., with a population of 660,000, but the Greater Vancouver Area is at 2.6 million, making it Canada’s third largest population centre (after Toronto and Montreal).
I was happy to catch Dawn in between her coaching sessions and travel to find out why she keeps returning to Vancouver, after moving there in 2002 from Edmonton, staying for 13 years before moving to Toronto for The Shopping Channel. After spending seven years in Toronto, she says “it was time to come back to Vancouver”, where she lives in the Coal Harbour area, right on the water.
Dawn Chubai shares hidden gems in Vancouver, BC
Kathy: What unique experience should women seek out in Vancouver?
Dawn Chubai / Photo provided by Dawn Chubai
Dawn: It’s worth taking the free bus from Canada Place to Grouse Mountain (editor’s note: This runs in the summer only). If you are going in the winter, be sure to go up for fondue after your snowshoe tour or skiing. And don’t forget the Grouse Grind in the spring, summer and fall for the most epic views from the top. You’ll deserve that cold beer after the 2,830 stairs and an elevation gain of 2,800 feet.
Kathy:  Where’s a safe place for women to stay?
Dawn: There are many wonderful neighbourhoods, each with its special charm of course but I recommend staying downtown where there are a number of hotels at varying price points. Granville Island also has a hotel (the Granville Island Hotel) and is a great option if you want to enjoy all that Granville Island has to offer. If you can make it to Vancouver during Spot Prawn season (May to late June), it’s pretty epic!
Kathy: Where are your favourite places to eat?
Dawn: I love all kinds of food, but I really enjoy sushi and Vancouver has some of the BEST sushi. There is a great Aburi Sushi market in West Vancouver so I take the bus across the Lionsgate Bridge, grab my sushi and enjoy my lunch sitting on Ambleside Beach.
Kathy: What about a sunset cocktail or live music?
Dawn: There are many great spots to enjoy a cocktail. I highly recommend making your way to Gastown (many people know the area from pictures of the famous Steam Clock). Guilt and Co is a little speakeasy that has fantastic cocktails and great live music. You feel like you are in a different world. It’s a dark and intimate room and has a great vibe.
Kathy: Where do you go for “Play”?
Dawn: Living in Coal Harbour, play for me is walking the seawall either toward the cruise ships or you can also walk through Stanley Park. People from around the world travel to walk the area and I live right there…very fortunate.
Dawn on a stroll arounf Vancouver/ Photo provided by Dawn Chubai
Dawn working from her home / Photo provided by Dawn Chubai
Kathy: Where do you work from and any special co-working spot suggestions?
Dawn: I work from home but I am also a member of the Terminal City Club and there I am able to book meeting rooms to conduct media training and workshops. It’s nice to have an option of somewhere to go. Working from home is convenient, but it’s not overly social. I think it’s important to see people, to remain connected.
Kathy: What future travel plans do you have coming up?
Dawn: France! We will be spending three days in Paris before hopping on a train to Dijon where our friends will pick us up and take us to their place in Pommard. We are staying in their “gite” and will enjoy many meals, bottles of wine and lots and lots of cheese. We are also including Champagne on this trip, visiting Moet & Chandon.
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Kathy Buckworth
Kathy Buckworth is an award-winning writer, spokesperson, content creator and media personality. She is the author of six non-fiction books. Kathy is the creator, host, writer and researcher for the Zoomer Radio show and podcast, Go-To Grandma, which launched in 2021. She has interviewed hundreds of guests, and the show is in the top three sponsored shows on Zoomer. She is also the co-host of the Elder Wisdom Podcast, which has just reached 100,000 downloads.
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