Introduction to Vancouver
Things to do in Vancouver
Vancouver is Canada’s window to the Pacific. Many people in the travel industry constantly rank Vancouver among the top 5 of cities internationally. I would concur with them and find the city to be amazing.
Finally, we reached Vancouver which is the third leg of the journey. We flew from Calgary on Flair Airlines. which is a low-cost Canadian carrier. For a short trip, it was quite comfortable. Vancouver has a nice metro system with one of its lines connecting the airport to the center of town. Next,, we took a local bus ( Route #250 ) to within one street of our hotel. Getting around Vancouver is so easy with the daily 24-hour pass (CAD 8.00) that can be obtained from vending machines or retailers such as Safeway markets.
We checked into our hotel for 4 nights at the Westin Bayshore Hotel an urban hotel that has quite ample grounds including a very nice outdoor pool area. Outdoor pools are unusual for Canadian hotels and we appreciated that feature. I am a participant in their ( Marriott) loyalty program. I guess that’s why they gave us a great room on the top floor overlooking a great marina. An unusual feature of the harbor was a seaplane facility. British Columbia has many small settlements that are isolated with no roads leading to other towns that can only be reached by seaplane. The only other place with a seaplane facility that I saw was at Anchorage airport.
The harbor from my hotel room.
Vancouver Free Walking Tour
Since we were so impressed with our guide in Calgary, we engaged Toonie Tours again, see https://www.toonietours.ca/. We elected to do the 3-hour/3-mile free walking tour of downtown Vancouver. Our guide was Kelly who was so knowledgeable and quite enthusiastic. which would make for a very rewarding afternoon.
We met our group at the Gastown Steam Clock the historical heart of Vancouver. Next, we headed over to Canada Place, This is a large pier that functions as a convention center and a cruise ship terminal. We saw three large cruise ships docked at the location. I think all were headed up to Alaska.
Vancouver has so many modern buildings which makes it quite a delight to see an art deco building. We came upon the Marine Building (1930) which is very impressive. The Marine Building for 9 years was the tallest building in the city (321 feet/ 22 floors). It has many decorative features both internal and external. It even has a depiction of a zeppelin on the exterior. How 1930ish is that?
I am always on the lookout for unusual buildings. Right across from the main library is the Westside Church. I could not find out too much information about it. I think it is an evangelical church with a highly unusual design.
Granville Island
We went on our own to Granville Island Granville Island has a very popular food market and many neat shops as well. You will be entertained by the many buskers (street performers) that will make for a great afternoon. As dinner time was approaching, we hit Yaletown which has many restaurants. We had a reservation at the Yaletown Brewing Company. We unexpectedly came upon a local event at Bill Curtis Square. On many summer nights, there is a live band playing mostly swing music. Many people of all ages would take to the dance floor. The group was quite lively and we always liked to participate in local events.
Vancouver Gallery of Art
When I travel, it is always nice to check out the local art museum. Vancouver has reciprocity with our Philadelphia Museum of Art. Theirs is called the Vancouver Gallery of Art. It had a nice exhibit of Canadian women artists. Also, there was an exhibit on AI (Artificial Intelligence) which was quite fascinating.
Summary
Did not have a bad moment. My only regret was not asking the hotel concierge for a good Asian restaurant. Vancouver has a huge Asian population. I am sure they have many to recommend. I will have to check that out next time in Vancouver. We did eat twice in Cordero’s restaurant. They are a 5-minute walk from our hotel. The restaurant juts out into the harbor with great outdoor decks providing a nice view of the harbor. Their specialty is seafood with many tasty choices. We took a bus from Canada Place to the Seattle (SeaTac) Airport. We had a nonstop Seattle to Philadelphia flight the next morning. For a holiday weekend, the flight was quite smooth with no unwelcome surprises.
