My friend Laura suggested we see Taylor Swift in Vancouver. We knew some other friends who were going, so we started making plans. We booked direct flights from Kona to Vancouver via Air Canada for a very reasonable price. Dave and Aaron drove us out to Kona. They were happy to make a Costco stop on the way home. Meanwhile, we made friends with people at Kona Airport. The Taylor vibe was evident from the moment we were at the airport. People saw our friendship bracelets and asked about our plans to see the concert. During the flight, I watched Taylor’s Eras show to prepare me for this Vancouver adventure. Our flight was on time and we arrived in Vancouver just before 1 a.m. Our bags made it to Vancouver and we made it through customs. Laura and I checked in at the Fairmont (right in the airport) and settled in.

The next day, we had an amazing breakfast before meeting the group at our next hotel, the Century Plaza Hotel. Mahalo to the Century Plaza for allowing us to check in at 9:30 a.m.! When Laura and I checked in, we realized we booked a suite. To tell you the truth, we booked this room while waiting at the Kona Airport. We booked it on our cell phone, so we didn’t see the details. Anyway, it all worked out! Our room became party central for the weekend.

After bringing our bags to the room, we explored Vancouver. The city really embraced Taylor Swift. There were lighted signs, decorations, and special menu items all over the city! We started our exploration of Vancouver by taking a pic with the LOVER sign near our hotel. Next, we headed to the merch shop at the cruise ship terminal. The wait was only 1 hour and 20 minutes, not the 3-4 hours we expected. After getting our merch, we walked toward the Westin to either get in that merch line or find lunch. Along the way, we found the SWIFTCOUVER sign and got a photo there. We found the merch line at the Westin Bayshore but that line was too long!!! The shop wasn’t open yet and there were people who were already waiting in the line for over 2 hours. We gave up on more merch and decided to have lunch at the Tasting Room at the Westin. It was great to take the time to sit and relax. After lunch, we made it to East Bay Beach Park where we found the happy smiling statues. The statues were decorated with Swiftie beads which made us smile too. We also got to take a pic with the CARDIGAN sign. Next, Jill and I had happy hour at Earls Kitchen where we enjoyed some cocktails and local wine. The rest of the group came for dinner a couple of hours later.

On Friday morning, we visited Granville Island. We found Lee’s Donuts, Canadian charcuterie, fruits, and omiyage. We also found Britt and her family and took a picture with the WILLOW sign. Next on the itinerary was our Chinatown tour. Bob, our tour guide went to UH Manoa and lived on Oahu! We visited Dr. Sung Yat Seng Gardens, a classical Ming dynasty garden. There was so much history and culture to see. Our first food stop was for roast pork and charsiu. I am such a pork lover and was so happy to dig in. The next big bite was a huge apple dumpling before a storytelling center stop. The Chinese herbal medicine store was cool and I bought some li hing mui there. Next was an egg tart stop before a full meal of dim sum at Floata that can fit 1000 people.

Up next was the event of the trip!!! We put on some glitter freckles and made our way to the arena. We got in quickly and found super long lines for merch. The lines went all the way down the ramps! It’s good that I got my concert tee the day before. Taylor Swift is an incredible performer. Her voice is amazing and she has so many styles of music. She connects with the audience and makes them feel special. How does someone do that with 60,000 people? Just amazing. And how does she have the energy? The concert started with the Gracey Abrams at 6:50 and ended with Taylor Swift’s finale at 11:15 p.m. I sat next to sisters who arrived from Toronto (5 hour flight) that morning. I asked them when they were flying back to Toronto. They were going back to the airport after the concert for their flight home! No hotel stay needed. We met up with the group for noodles and nightcaps in our suite.

Laura and I woke up early for our flight. We smoothly got through TSA and customs. We then had time to enter the Plaza Premium Lounge for breakfast before flying home to HNL on Air Canada. We would have stayed longer in Vancouver but the Taylor Effect made it very difficult to find hotel rooms. So – we spent 55 hours in Vancouver. Another whirlwind trip. Living Hilo Style in Vancouver.