I’m not a fan of cruises, but I’ve been looking forward to this one for months. I cannot wait to witness the phenomenal beauty and amazing wildlife of Alaska, but the launch from the Port of Vancouver was spectacular in itself. We’ve had banner weather in Vancouver for ten days and, true to form, the sun shone on our departure.
For our last full day of sightseeing in Vancouver, I scoured the guide book looking for something off the beaten path where we could take our time and explore without the mobs of tourists. I found the perfect spot: Queen Elizabeth Park, public gardens built inside an old stone quarry.
We traveled south down Main Street to explore the East Side, or East Van as it is more commonly known. Lots of unusual boutiques, artisan studios, and eateries. It’s a young part of the city, demographically, and home to many non-English speaking immigrants. We enjoyed the diversity: the people, the cuisine, and especially the murals.
We were itching to see more of Vancouver’s waterfront via the Seawall, and the best way to do it is by bike. We rented bikes from a shop across the street from our apartment and covered 22 kilometers round trip–a good part of the time in a light sprinkle. Our favorite part was circumnavigating Stanley Park, the 1000-acre public park on Vancouver’s northwest peninsula. Fantastic scenery!
We walked along Vancouver’s marvelous Seawall from Granville Island to the attractive suburb of Kitsilano. The Seawall is a much-used, 30-kilometer, paved pedestrian and bike path along Vancouver’s shoreline from Downtown’s Coal Harbour around Stanley Park and False Creek to the University of British Columbia in Kitsilano. We can’t wait to accomplish more of it by bike while we’re here. Happy to see so many people outdoors enjoying this beautiful weather!
view from the Granville Island side
This 3-D mural painted on concrete silos at Ocean Concrete on Granville Island is part of a non-profit public art project dedicated to exhibiting art “where people live, work, play, and transit.” They were painted by twin brothers from Brazil and decidedly liven up an otherwise mundane canvas. There are so many tourists snapping photos of the “Giants” that a security guard has to keep the entrance clear for their trucks to be able to enter and exit the grounds. I’d say the art project was a success–quite the attention-grabber!
view across False Creek from downtown Vancouver
Had a blast walking around Granville Island, one of Vancouver’s true urban gems. Although not quite an island (a thin strip of land connects it to the south shore of False Creek), the 35 acres is almost completely surrounded by water and offers great views of Downtown to the north and east. It is jam-packed full of artisan studios, theaters, buskers (street performers), a marina, and one of the best public markets we’ve ever seen. This is peak season for local fruit, and the market was bursting with color and fragrance.
at the Steel Toad Brewery
You’ve got to love a pub that has a soft, cozy blanket folded over each chair on their outdoor patio! These Floridians have found that no matter how brilliant the sunshine in the Pacific Northwest, the moment we step into the shade we’re a wee bit chilly. We love being outdoors and appreciate the thoughtfulness of The Steel Toad Brewery in acknowledging that no matter where you’re from, a toasty blanket is a comfort when sipping on a nice cold beer on a patio in Canada. Excellent lunch here, by the way!
We’re in Vancouver! Love this city. We can’t get over how friendly and helpful people are here. The weather is gorgeous–even got a bit of a sunburn on our walk from Granville Island to Kitsilano yesterday.
sunset somewhere near Bellingham, Washington
Beautiful sunset as we took the train from Portland, OR, to Vancouver, BC. Note: You’ve got to remember to say BC when you’re talking about going to the Canadian Vancouver from Portland, or everyone thinks you’re taking a little trip across the Columbia River to WA!
It’s no coincidence that the two cities have the same name. The Hudsons Bay Company abandoned their fur trading post at Fort Vancouver in what would become the American state of Washington to build a new post in what would become British Columbia at the same time Britain and the US were negotiating the Canada/US 49th-parallel border in 1846. I guess the HBC could see the writing on the wall. However, it’s interesting to consider that the US and Britain “shared” the Oregon Territory for almost 20 years, with citizens of both countries lucratively, and relatively peacefully, trapping beaver despite tenuous political relations back home.
The eight-hour train ride–which took more like nine–was very pleasant, and we saw some terrific waterfront scenery.
girl on a train
