Richmond

Drive past Richmond’s malls and farmland — and you’ll find yourself in the midst of BC’s quaint, walkable fishing village, Steveston. Perfect on a blustery day or a warm summer afternoon, Steveston provides ample opportunity to stretch your legs by walking through village streets – chockablock with unusual fare (a Romanian bakery and a Japanese restaurant, for example), boutiques and simple shops — plus the town’s National Historic Site. Steveston’s a fantastic way to spend a family morning or afternoon. (Photo at right: Statue outside Gulf of Georgia Cannery)

What to do with kids in Steveston:

Try to decide among the hundreds of toys packed inside Splash Toy Shop (3580 Moncton St.; 604-241-0234)

Pick up a packet of crisps (chips) or package of biscuits (cookies) or pasties at Mary’s British Home Store (3740 Chatham St.; 604-274-2261)

Join a whale-watching, bird-watching or sea-lion-watching tour, or rent a bike via Steveston Seabreeze Adventures. The surrounding area is nice and flat, an easy ride for families — read the Richmond cycling map before you go.

Drive a boat or train, climb on giant wood structures and play in the water park (summer only) at Steveston Community Centre.

Put on a coat and head into the 1894-built Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, built of wood frame and heavy timber. The cannery is as chilly as the day it was in use. The interior is an exercise in grotesque fascination – plenty of bloody fish gut photos, ew, and trivia facts on why, exactly the workers wore broad-brimmed hats (all those seagulls, don’tcha know). On the boat replica, be sure to check the bathroom. You’ll find it in eh…use. On special weekends, craft projects help entertain younger kids.

Fly kites at Garry Point Park.

Browse urchins, salmon and the fresh catch of the day among over 600 fishing boats at Steveston Public Fish Sales Float (Fisherman’s Wharf).

Don’t want to filet and cook your own? Neither did I. Split the First Mates Platter (Two scallops, two shrimps, two oyster and piece of salmon, cod or halibut) at Dave’s Fish and Chips. and split the massive fresh feast with your partner. Kids’ meals run $5.95 each, with a choice of cod, salmon, clam strips, shrimp or chicken fingers, plus chips, beverage and dessert. Another option: Pajo’s Fish and Chips, open seasonally.

Browse adorable kids’ clothing fashions at Buttons & Soles, then walk along Steveston’s wide wooden boardwalk.

Do you have a favorite kid-friendly restaurant or kid-friendly activity in Steveston, BC? Leave a note below:

Over the past 100 years, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Filipino and Laotian immigrants settled in Washington, Oregon and BC. Often, families move back and forth over the U.S.-Canadian borders, so there’s a nice multi-generational, multi-cultural intermingling at this point. Cascadia kids grow up eating sushi, pad Thai and dim sum; they attend cultural festivals with roots in Japan, China or Vietnam.

This cultural coalescence is obvious in Richmond, BC, where 60% of the city’s population is of Asian descent. You’ll find the Chinese-influnced Aberdeen Centre, the Taiwanese-style President Plaza, the pan-Asian Yaohan Centre (featuring a large Japanese supermarket) and the Hong Kong-style Parker Place.

Aberdeen Centre offers many kid-friendly shops and activities, along with Chinese herbal apothecaries, restaurants offering Malaysian meals and a store selling “Lotus Seats” — an electronic, remote-controlled toilet seat.

The Musical Water Fountain Shows shoot off in synchronized combinations of color, light and music.

On the third floor, we shopped Gacha Gacha Hobbies & Toys, a twirl of a store filled with dozens of toy vending machines and bins of character toys (Pokemon and the like)

Then we checked out the gym-like climbing zone with monkey bars, coin-operated cars, a canyon room and bunch of slides at Fun 4 Kidz.

The Centre also features Science World’s Richmond Classroom (second floor), which has a drop-in preschool playtime on Saturdays.

Daiso, the double-decker Japanese-originated mega-store, offers inexpensive toys, household goods and Japanese candies. Most are under $1.

Of course, there are also stuffed animal shops, candy stores and children’s clothing boutiques.

And no mall would be a mall without a foodcourt. Aberdeen’s serves up Beard Papa cream puffs, Chinese specialties and the Japanese chain, Strawberry Cones Pizza & Pasta.CLOSED.

Noted as a “kids favorite” on the menu is the Hokkaido Potato Tuna. Unfortunately, not a favorite for my kids. But I love Strawberry’s creative mix of Western and Eastern cultures — in the form of Japanese-style pizza.

And the whole adventure is just a short drive from my home.

This post is part of DeliciousBaby’s Photo Friday.