Discover Vancouver
Images of Vancouver will be beamed around the world early next year when the city hosts the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games. Words & photos Ian Sclater
Burrard Inlet
A SISTER CITY of Edinburgh since 1978, Vancouver is consistently rated one of the world’s most liveable cities, with its mild climate, spectacular natural beauty, wealth of recreational activities and cosmopolitan lifestyle.
Few cities can match Vancouver for its beautiful setting. Burrard Inlet, a vast natural harbour – Vancouver is Canada’s busiest port and has the largest ferry fleet in the world – is fringed by a modern cityscape on its south shore and the North Shore Mountains opposite. These dominate the scene and are topped by Grouse Mountain, the ‘Peak of Vancouver,’ the night lights of its ski centre clearly visible from the city. Connected to the Pacific by the Georgia Strait, Vancouver boasts ten oceanside beaches and even its own freshwater lake.
Yaletown yacht marina
At 1,000 acres, Stanley Park is one of the largest urban parks in North America (bigger than New York’s Central Park) and offers a glorious natural oasis of calm within the city. You can explore its trails (much of the park remains forested by centuries-old trees rising to 250 feet high) or bike, walk or skate around the 5.5-mile seawall path which encircles it. You’ll pass by totem poles, the Vancouver Aquarium, the Prospect Point Lighthouse and even Vancouver’s answer to Copenhagen’s mermaid – a statue of a woman skindiver sitting on her rock. For a more relaxed Stanley Park experience, take a horse drawn trolley tour.
A great place to take to the water is False Creek, an inlet in the heart of Vancouver surrounded by some of the city’s leading landmarks, including Science World, the Vancouver Museum and the domed, 60,000- capacity BC Place Stadium, home to the BC Lions football team (American-style), host to rock concerts and site of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Vancouver Art Gallery
The bobbing, rainbow-coloured Aquabuses which criss-cross False Creek are an iconic image of Vancouver. Hop aboard one and head over to Granville Island, where the Public Market is crammed with food stalls (where the city’s top chefs find their local ingredients), restaurants, galleries and craft studios.
Adjacent to False Creek is the popular Yaletown neighbourhood, a blend of modern highrises, yacht marinas and handsome brick warehouses dating back to Vancouver’s industrial days. Many of these are built on rail platforms and have been converted into boutiques, bars and restaurants at ground level topped by loftstyle apartments and offices.
Another great place to explore the waterfront is Canada Place, a gleaming white complex jutting out into Burrard Inlet. Its ‘sails,’ resembling a giant ship, have made it a prominent city landmark drawing comparisons with the Sydney Opera House. Home to the world’s first permanent IMAX 3D theatre, Canada Place is also a major cruise ship terminal, where Vancouver’s famous cruises to Alaska embark.
Vancouver’s most historic neighbourhood is Gastown. Named after gold prospector, riverboat captain and saloon owner, John “Gassy Jack” Deighton, this enclave of cobbled streets, courtyards and Victorian buildings is where the city of Vancouver had its beginnings. Established in 1867 - the same year Canada became a nation – Gastown prospered for decades before a period of decline reduced it to Vancouver’s Skid Row by the 1960s. Saved from demolition and declared a heritage area, it now buzzes with visitors and locals drawn to its bars, restaurants, shops and nightlife.
Vancouver’s answer to Copenhagen’s mermaid
Shopaholics will be drawn to Vancouverites’ favourite shopping mecca, Robson Street, where you’ll find dozens of name brand outlets, restaurants and sidewalk cafes for some great people-watching. Art lovers will want to take the pedestrian link off Robson Street to visit the Vancouver Art Gallery, which occupies an entire city block in the heart of downtown. This is Western Canada’s largest art museum and where you’ll see some of Canada’s most important contributions to world art, as well as international touring exhibitions.
Much of the labour needed to build Vancouver was provided by immigrant Chinese, which is why Chinatown is home to the second largest Chinese community in North America after San Francisco. To reach Chinatown, take the ten-minute walk along the ‘Silk Road’ (marked by colourful banners) to the ornate Millennium Gate, the imperial entrance.
You can explore shops and stalls selling everything from fresh seafood (mostly live) to inexpensive houseware to traditional Chinese medicine.
For a leisurely meal, pop into one of the many small restaurants for ‘dim sum’ (literally, ‘touch the heart’), a series of small meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit and dessert dishes washed down by Chinese tea. Afterwards you can relax in the peaceful Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Don’t forget to have your photo taken in front of the massive Han Dynasty Bell in Shanghai Alley and challenge friends back home to guess where you’ve just been on holiday!
INFO
How to get there Canadian Affair and Flyglobespan fly from Glasgow to Vancouver from May to October. Canadian Affair: 0141 223 7517/020 7616 9184, www.canadianaffair.com; Flyglobespan: 0871 987 1687, www.flyglobespan.com
Where to stay The Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside offers sweeping views over Burrard Inlet, with its endlessly fascinating comings and goings of ships, tour boats and seaplanes (or ‘float planes’). www.renaissancevancouver.com
Further info www.tourismvancouver.com