Vancouver is an urban beauty, its popularity ensured by its strategic Pacific Rim location on the West Coast of Canada. Surrounded by water, set against a stunning mountain backdrop and swaddled in a lush, temperate rainforest, its magic derives as much from its dramatic natural setting as from the distinctive cosmopolitan culture of the city. The area is Canada’s fastest growing metropolis, and the coming years—climaxing with the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler—are an opportune time to visit.
The weather in this Pacific Northwest city is the mildest in all of Canada with a mean temperature of 50° F, thanks to warm ocean currents and major weather patterns that bring moist air in waves from the Pacific year-round. Higher elevations experience the precipitation as snow, which translates into fantastic skiing at three major ski areas: the Grouse, Cypress and Hollyburn mountains that preside over the city. Less than 20 minutes from downtown, you can soar to the top of Grouse Mountain on the Skyride Gondola for breathtaking views of the Lower Mainland and Washington State’s San Juan Islands to the south. Or you can hike the Grouse Grind, a 1.8 mile hiking trail from the foot of Grouse to the top. In winter, this is a popular ski resort during the day; night skiing (until 11 p.m.) is even better with the city lights spread out and sparkling below.
People visit and immigrate to Vancouver from around the world, particularly from Asia, making the city’s multi-cultural menus among the best in the world. Seafood from the Pacific Ocean was long the staple food of the coastal native peoples who thrived here. Today, the ocean yields succulent Dungeness crab, five species of wild salmon and oysters that appear in their freshest incarnations on the tables of the coolest restaurants in the city. If you want to experience fresh new culinary styles and international and British Columbia wines combined with an outdoor paradise, a sophisticated city environment and a liberal attitude, this urban metropolis has few equals.
Vancouver is noted for its colorful and quaint neighborhoods such as Gastown, Chinatown, Yaletown and Granville Island. Its famous sites include the world-class Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park, the Capilano Suspension Bridge, the Granville Island Public Market, Lions Gate Bridge, and many more.
For visitors, this is one fine walking city. Locals all seem to bike, run, rollerblade, skateboard, snowboard (on the nearby mountains), swim, sail, kayak, dive, climb and hike in droves. Better still, experience another side of Vancouver and rent a mountain bike, or hop aboard an inexpensive water taxi or AquaBus to get from one area to another.
The range of hotels in Vancouver is wide, and many rank in the top tier. Visitors of all tastes and budgets should have no trouble finding quarters to their liking. Stellar accommodations can be found at the Opus Hotel, Pan Pacific, Pacific Palisades Hotel, The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Fairmont Waterfront and Sutton Place Hotel. Many fine smaller hotels, B&Bs, and motels are also available in all price categories.
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You’ll want to have a continental breakfast at your hotel so you can brunch early on dim sum in Chinatown (Hon’s Wun Tun House opens at 11 a.m.). Begin your exploration in Vancouver’s historic Gastown District with its cobbled streets and some of the city’s oldest buildings. Gastown was where the city began in 1870, as Granville, before being annexed into Vancouver in 1886. According to legend, Captain John “Gassy Jack” Deighton, assisted by enthusiastic sawmill workers, built Gastown’s Globe Saloon, the city’s first, less than 24 hours after his arrival. The Globe became an instant hit and thus Vancouver’s rich imbibing tradition was born, and continues unabated.
A huge fire destroyed the Gastown area in 1886, but strong building codes replaced the old ways, explaining why many buildings from the Victorian era are still around. In 1971, Gastown was declared a heritage zone, forever protecting its grand stone buildings from the threat of demolition.
Today, the old warehouses and office buildings have been restored and refurbished, and during summer and on weekends, the streets are bursting with visitors shopping for food, fashions and souvenirs of the smoked salmon and maple syrup variety. Some finds include the Inuit Gallery, a showcase for northern native sculpture, prints and ceremonial masks; ModernKid, a high design shop for children and parents; and Button Button, an amusing shop specializing in contemporary and vintage buttons.
This area is also a draw due to the famous Gastown steam clock at the corner of Water Street and Cambie Street. Yes, this clock emits real steam and toots on the hour—making it one of the most photographed, albeit curious, sites in town.
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Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden |
Vancouver’s Chinatown is a short cab ride east or a 15-minute walk from Gastown (be advised that the most direct route borders on the city’s skid row district). You’ll want to start your visit to Chinatown with a dim sum brunch at the original and inexpensive Hon’s Wun Tun House on Keefer Street. After brunch, browse in packed-to-the-rafters shops along the frenzied streets, which rival Hong Kong in their aromas and crowds. Stores to check out include the original Ming Wo cookware shop, Cathay Importers and the Peking Lounge. Visit the T & T Supermarket for a vast variety of Asian foods, and the Ten Ren Tea & Ginseng Company for exotic teas and tiny clay tea pots. Be sure to try a steamed bun or bao at one of the many bakeries. Various Chinese apothecaries have herbalists who can be consulted without an appointment. For a break from the masses, take the guided tour through the serene Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, the first Ming Dynasty-style classical garden created outside of China.
If you still haven't had enough, return to this area after sunset for the Chinatown Night Market. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from the third weekend in May until September, there’s a bustling open-air market from 6:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. around Main and Keefer Street. Hunt for bargains, sample an exotic snack, or have your fortune read.
Yaletown is one of Vancouver’s most affluent and hip areas. Generally flat and easy to stroll, it’s a trendy amalgam of upscale shops, high-rises and see-and-be-seen restaurants, cafés and bars. It’s also where many Vancouver Canucks hockey players live—a mark of distinction hard to beat in Vancouver.
But Yaletown was not always as prosperous as it appears today. Its history, like other successful urban renewal projects, began in earnest in the late '80s and early '90s. By then Vancouver’s city fathers had recognized the potential of its fading brick buildings and warehouses, converting them into fashionable offices, shops and condos. Art galleries proliferated and snazzy restaurants soon began popping up on every block. One of the most interesting is Urban Fare, the slickest supermarket in the city, and the only one where you can sip wine with your crab cakes. Whether you want Kobe beef, need to select from 180 varieties of cheeses, or just “have to” buy a $100 square-shaped watermelon (honestly!), Urban Fare is your place. It’s a hip, attractive resource for breakfast, lunch and dinner—to-go or eat-in. While the store bakes its own breads, it also brings in $100 loaves of sourdough rye from Poilane, one of Paris’ best bakeries.
It would take a visitor weeks to hit all of Yaletown’s popular dining spots. Go early to secure a perch at Rodney’s Oyster House and order a dozen each of Pacific Northwest and East coasters. Or sip a martini in the Opus Bar, the chic lounge in the lobby of the Opus Hotel, and reserve a corner table in Elixir for dinner.
Yaletown offers plenty of stimulating window-shopping too, from up-market clothing boutiques, to galleries and unique shops. For an indulgent facial in Yaletown, check out the Skoah Spa with its clean line of Skoah skin products. Not in Yaletown, but an easy 10-minute walk away is the newly renovated Century Plaza Hotel where you’ll find the Absolute Spa. The rigorous attention to detail lures visiting celebrities to this intimate spa. Selections include Austrian Moor Mud Therapy, aromatherapy facials, massages, manicures, pedicures and many other services. The Absolute Spa also provides complimentary light snacks, eucalyptus steams and make-up applications, all a big hit with guests.
Known as Vancouver’s Rodeo Drive, and infamous for having the steepest commercial rents in all of Canada, this downtown neighborhood requires a separate mention. It was named after John Robson, premier of British Columbia from 1889-1892. After World War II, the street became “Robsonstrasse” to denote the posh European delicatessens, patisseries and chic boutiques lining the avenue. Today on this busy stretch, Gap, Armani, Lululemon, LUSH, Nike and other global brands line the blocks, as well as restaurants, tourist shops and stores for luggage, CDs and more—you name it. It’s heaven for window shoppers, international tourists and just plain people-watchers.
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