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Vancouver is an incredibly vibrant, multicultural city experiencing tremendous growth in anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games . Considered one among the world’s most livable and beautifully-situated cities, Vancouver offers a wealth of interesting experiences for the curious visitor. Here we present a couple of old favorites for travelers to enjoy, also together or two places off the beaten path for the curious adventurer.
1) Canada Place
The first stop for anyone coming to Vancouver should be to steer along the spectacular promenade of Canada Place at Waterfront Station. Constructed because the Canadian pavilion for the planet Expo 1986 and now housing the city’s Convention Center, a stroll around Canada Place allows the visitor to require within the beautiful harbor of Burrard Inlet, with its vista of snow-capped mountains, Stanley Park, and therefore the modern glass towers of Coal Harbour nearby.
Canada Place also showcases the dynamism of Vancouver’s economic might and place within the global market. The inlet seethes with container ships bound outward to China and parts beyond. within the summertime cruise ships from the world’s major lines dock along the pier on the way to Alaska. Floatplanes beginning for the wild natural coves of the within Passage and helicopters departing for Vancouver Island augment the energetic scene.
It was here that the Canadian Pacific Railway completed the transcontinental railway in 1889, bestowing on Vancouver the nickname of ‘Terminal City’. Since then Vancouver has changed from being the ‘end of the line’ and is now considered the ‘Gateway to Asia’ and therefore the Far North. it is a perfect introduction to the town of Vancouver and should not be missed by the curious traveller.
2) Spanish Banks
For another perspective on the town last out the beaches at Spanish Banks, on the north shore of Point Grey. In summer with the tide out, the golden sands of the stunning beaches seem to stretch bent infinity. The water remains shallow and warm with the tide in during the recent months, but at any time of year the view remains breathtaking, with the tall modern condominium towers of Vancouver sparkling within the distance like shards of sunshine within the green jade bowl of the mountains beyond.
Treat yourself to a visit at the Jericho Sailing Association and share a huge platter of nachos served abreast of the delightful terrace. From your commanding perch you’ll watch boating hobbyists and windsurfers at play on the water or see stately craft from the nearby Royal Vancouver boat club pull up their sails. Further inland, field game players sprawl out on the green fields and tennis courts attract a number of the city’s best players.
The area of the park was once a seaplane base and military camp during the Second war and now contains a hostel , with an area community centre and theatre. it is a perfect spot for a picnic or simply to flee the hustle and bustle of the town and well well worth the visit.
3) Sushi within the West End
Vancouver is world-famous for its venerable Chinatown and therefore the many restaurants contained therein. the town has been a home for Asian immigrants since the development of the railway within the 19th century. those that braved the voyage to the ‘Gold Mountain’ brought with them culinary traditions that have enlivened the palates of generations of Vancouverites. additionally to Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean neighborhoods Vancouver once had a thriving Japantown along East Hastings, now sadly in decline.
These days, thousands of English students from Japan and Korea have turned the world along west Robson Street and Denman into a miniature Tokyo or Seoul. one among the simplest ways to sample a number of the city’s delights is to go to a couple of of the various restaurants offering affordable and delicious all-you-can-eat buffets of sushi and sashimi.
Shabusen restaurant at the corner of Burrard and Robson may be a excellent spot to start out , with its big choice and wonderful Korean barbecue specials on the weekends, once you can cook spicy marinated chicken, beef and pork at your own personal brazier. Another great stop is Tanpopo restaurant near the corner of Denman and Davie streets, with its wealth of fresh wild salmon, tasty gyoza dumplings, salty spinach ohitashi salad and a wonderful outdoor patio where you’ll watch to world pass at nearby English Bay.
Be prepared to go away both restaurants perfectly satisfied as you continue your exploration of the multicultural feast that’s Vancouver.
4) Nightlife in Gastown
For an evening on the town Vancouver features a lot to supply the adventurous. The Granville Street strip is where revelers head to bop and drink the night away under the flashing neon signs of the heritage Orpheum and Vogue theaters at such bustling nightclubs as Republic, Tonic, and Ginger 68, to call but a couple of .
Gastown along Water Street is where the primary European settlement was created back within the old lumber camp days and therefore the locale saw one among Vancouver’s first saloons opened by legendary ‘Gassy’ Jack Deighton within the late 1800’s. On the cobbled streets one may find some excellent watering holes that continue the tradition set by Vancouver’s pioneers.
Close to the first site of ‘Gassy’ Jack’s own Deighton Hotel is that the charming Irish Heather Bistro, home of the simplest pints of Guinness within the city. within the rear, built into the snug walls of the old city jail, may be a cozy glassed-in patio that hosts live Irish and Scottish music most nights. The ‘Heather’ boasts a progressive menu which mixes old pub standards along side modern flair.
For a more raucous scene try the Blarney Stone pub across the road . a real Irish ballroom full of University Students on the weekends, the Blarney Stone is understood throughout town as a wild and rowdy place to form new friends and have an honest time. There’s free foosball tables on the upper level and be prepared to hoot and holler along side the fiddles and drums all night long.
These are just a couple of of Vancouver’s many active hotspots. Recommendations for music venues, concerts and films are often found within the entertainment section of the free weekly cultural paper ‘The Georgia Straight’, found everywhere downtown. Pick one up and you will not fail to seek out something for each taste.
5) Sports within the City
Vancouver boasts several professional sports franchises and a history of excellence. In 1915 the Vancouver Millionaires hoisted up the renowned Stanley Cup on the ice at the old Denman Arena, the primary indoor artificial-ice hockey rink in North America.
Since then the city’s teams include the locally-beloved Vancouver Canucks of the National league and defunct Vancouver Grizzlies of the NBA. The 1994 and 2000 Grey Cup Champion British Columbia Lions of the Canadian league play at BC Place Stadium, site of the opening and shutting ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games .
Throughout the year there’s always a game on somewhere for fans of each sport and each budget.
Some of the simplest fun are often had with Vancouver’s minors teams. The Oakland Athletics affiliate Vancouver Canadians of the only ‘A’ NorthWest league play during a jewel of a ballpark at Nat Bailey Stadium near Queen Elizabeth Park. it is a fun afternoon of baseball during a lovely pastoral setting for young and old alike which will often end with music and fireworks, or a visit by the mayor.
If Canucks tickets are too expensive or difficult to seek out an excellent alternative within the winter are the Vancouver Giants of the Western league . This young team plays at the historic Pacific Coliseum on the grounds of the P.N.E. fairgound and are available off a championship 2006 season.
Vancouver is additionally seeing a resurgence of interest in soccer, notably with the resurrected Vancouver Whitecaps. The team was champion of the North America Soccer League in 1979 during the peak of ‘soccernania’ in Canada and therefore the us , winning the Soccer Bowl in ny City that year. They currently play at Swangard Stadium on the brink of a Skytrain station in Burnaby and there’s talk about a replacement downtown stadium in anticipation of Vancouver hosting the 2007 U-20 World Cup .
Stanley Park is known as after the Governor-General of Canada who donated the Stanley Cup to hockey and therefore the refore the city waits for its next championship and the eyes of the planet in 2010 for the Olympics. With such a lot to try to to and see, a visit to Vancouver is more interesting than ever. it is a chance to share the thrill and luxuriate in the hospitality of this ‘City of Tomorrow’.
