Tight Tim Hortons

On a tour of Downtown Vancouver and the 2010 Vancouver Olypmic Cauldron at Canada place with our stroller in tow, we tried to visit the Tim Hortons across from Canada Place.  But we couldn't figure out how to get the stroller down the stairs to that restaurant or even the McDonald's next door.   We even circled the building to the Cordova Street side only to find an escalator down and directions for Wheelchair access and presumably an elevator.  But the directions of course were incomprehensible as it only listed a side of the building we had no clue on how to get to.  With no map on the directional sign, we gave up and soldiered on.

A few minutes later, on our trek up Seymour Street, was another Tim Hortons location within the Harbour Centre (555 West Hastings Street, Vancouver). This location has ground level entrance without any steps to traverse which is awesome for those of us pushing strollers exploring Vancouver's downtown.   The only issue with this location is seating space.  Sure the restaurant has a long street front presence but it is not very deep meaning there is only really counters in the window style seating.

Not wanting to sit but wanting to continue on , I finagled the stroller inside the door.  The cash was free so I was able to order right away while also not obstructing the restaurant too much.

The Order: 1 Small Black Sumatran Coffee.

In the Vancouver area Tim Hortons had released a "limited batch" Sumatran Coffee blend that was slightly more expensive than their "Original" or "Dark" roasts.   To promote the new limited time blend offering Tim Hortons sent out coupons for a free small Sumatran blend at any participating Tim Hortons.  While staying in a condominium in downtown Vancouver, these coupons quickly accumulated in the recycling bin near the condominium building's mailboxes.  By the time less than a week had gone by, I had about forty of these coupons stockpiled!

The employee quickly took my order, scanned the coupon and I was off with the stroller racing up the hill on Seymour Street.

The Sumatran Coffee was hot and pretty tasty. A little richer than the regular Tim Hortons' Original blend.  But really not worth the extra money for the average coffee drinker.  Sure it's fine for a limited time to provide a special brew, but this one doesn't have the sticking power due to the price difference.  The Sumatran blend is just not that special enough to be offered on an ongoing basis.

Overall, this Tim Hortons location provides an easy to access spot for those in the Convention Centre and Olympic Cauldron area to grab a coffee.  However, don't expect to stay for long as the seating is limited.  This really is a tight Tim Hortons that is mainly great for a "grab and go" type visit.