24 Hours in Vancouver
Vancouver, Canada - March, 2003
Vancouver lies in the South of British Columbia famous for its spectacular scenery and home to whales, bears and eagles. At first glance Vancouver is a typical bustling metropolis but it only takes 24 hours to realise its really quite unique.
Vancouver secret is that it doesn't feel, sound or smell like a city.
Vancouver secret is that it doesn’t feel, sound or smell like a city. Nature and man are intertwined. Concrete pavements are decorated with stencils of Maple leaves and its immaculate streets are lined with Magnolia and Plum trees. High-rise buildings compete in height with the majestic mountains on the North shore and balconies are filled with potted plants. The city has its own beach and forest and is surrounded with unpolluted water. Clean air from the mountains and the ocean perpetually circulates Downtown, making every day feel like the weekend.
Vancouver’s man made attractions are all Downtown and like most North American cities the grid system makes it easy to find your way around and being a peninsular it is hard to get lost as eventually you come to water. A quick way to get your bearings is to take the Vancouver Trolley Company sightseeing tour but even better is seeing the city from the top of Grouse Mountain a 15 minute drive away.
The city is very international and the shop signs on Robson are in English, French and Chinese. Incredibly 70 different ethnic groups live in Vancouver making it impossible even for the locals to pick out the tourists. With the second largest Chinese community in North America the city has a San Francisco-like feel and when you spot red dragons hugging streetlights you’ll know you’re in Vancouver’s China Town.
Today, all that remains of its past are a section of railway track and an old steam engine that look out of place in front of the waterfront condominiums.
Gastown is the old historic part of the city and named after a saloonkeeper nicknamed Gassy Jack who, according to local legend, opened the Globe Saloon within 24 hours of his arrival in 1867. A walk along the cobbled streets of Victorian Gastown is like going back in time with old shop signs and alleyways such as Gaoler’s Mews. Despite being a more recent addition to Gastown the steam clock, blowing on the hour, looks right at home.
Another popular place to visit is Granville Island which is in fact not an island. Located underneath the south side of Granville Street Bridge it can be reached on foot or by catching the rainbow coloured Aqua bus from the bottom of Hornby Street. The Aqua Bus costs C$2 and takes less than a minute to cross the river before docking behind the Backstage Lounge.
Despite being a more recent addition to Gastown the steam clock, blowing on the hour, looks right at home.
Previously an industrial area it has been redeveloped with tourists and locals in mind. Old warehouses have been transformed into arts and craft shops, artists’ studios, theatres, a microbrewery and an art college. The Public Market, where Vancouverites can buy all kinds of fresh produce, is worth a visit and if the sights and smells make you hungry you can grab a snack at the food hall. Another good place for lunch is at the popular Bridges restaurant with its outside terrace and their hot Seafood Caesar Salad is delicious.
The “in” place to live and a good place to be based is Yaletown where warehouses have been transformed into up-market shops, restaurants and coffee shops. The area took its name from the turn of the last century when rail-workers from Yale moved to Vancouver to work at the railway yards. Today, all that remains of its past are a section of railway track and an old steam engine that look out of place in front of the waterfront condominiums.
Yaletown is also a good place to visit one of the many microbreweries that give the established beer companies a run for their money. The Yaletown Brewery Company has a lively bar and restaurant and its fun to try the different brews and mingle with the after 5.00pm crowd. Alternatively, the bar in the Opus Hotel is a good place to try BC wine or have a cocktail especially before dinner in the hotel’s French brasserie, Elixir.
The city’s pride and joy is Stanley Park, the largest urban park in Canada and North America and an amazing 20 per cent bigger than Central Park in New York. The park is primarily a forest inlaid with lakes, picnic and playing areas. Other attractions include the city’s aquarium, a collection of totem poles, Vancouver’s nine o’clock gun, which is fired every evening and from Prospect Point you get the best views of Lions Gate Bridge. The park is popular with the movie industry and the next time you see a film set in a forest it may well have been filmed here.
Living in Vancouver really does offer the best of both worlds – it’s a cosmopolitan city a stone throw away from nature. It’s a shame that most visitors find themselves here for only 24 hours, before joining their Alaskan cruise or ski-ing in Whistler, but one thing is certain they’ll leave feelingly envious of the people who have made this city their home and will wish they had stayed longer.