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Showing posts with label Robson Street. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robson Street. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Thursday, August 6, 2009
2 day Vancouver itinerary
When I'm not updating my blog (which sadly, isn't as frequent as I should be), you can almost always find me contributing to random Vancouver-related posts on the TripAdvisor Canada forum.
Recently a poster thanked me saying they were using my "2 day Vancouver itinerary" that I wrote back in July of 2007. So a quick search through the forums and I discovered what I had writen.
The original poster initially asked if a side trip to Victoria was worth it. They were coming to Vancouver from England and only had 2 and a half days to see the city. Did they have time to see Victoria in addition to Vancouver in those 2 and a half days?
Here's what I wrote:
With your limited time, I'd just stick to Vancouver, especially knowing that you're coming all the way from the UK.
You need at least 2-3 days to give Vancouver justice. Victoria is much smaller than Vancouver, so while you could do a day trip there, it would make for a very long day, as it takes at least 3-4 hours of travelling in one direction to get between the two cities. So that eats up 6-8 hours of the one day. You'd want to leave very early and come back very late. Or you'd want an overnight there as to not feel rushed.
It's not that I don't recommend a visit to Victoria, because it offers a very different atmosphere than Vancouver, but a big draw for tourists is that Victoria's very reminiscent of England, with English style gardens, horse drawn carriage rides, Union jack flags, and afternoon tea, etc. Victoria is scenic, but more in a gentle, manicured, "quaint" kind of way... not unlike the UK.
With 2 and a half days in Vancouver, you could see quite a lot at either a busy or a leisurely pace. And there will be dramatic scenery everywhere.
On one day you could spend the morning exploring Stanley Park (1000 acres of gardens and temperate rainforest surrounded by beaches and water), then walk along the seawall along English Bay and take the water taxi to Granville Island (big public market, art studios, one of a kind boutiques, restaurants, street musicians). Take the water taxi back to Yaletown for boutique shopping and a dinner (lots of excellent restaurants). Walk to Robson Street (kind of like London's Oxford Street) and window shop, and then walk down Denman Street (lots of small ethnic restaurnants, cafes, and boutiques) to English Bay beach watching the sunset go down over the distant islands.
On the second day you could take the seabus across Burrard Inlet north from downtown to North Vancouver and hop on the bus up to Grouse Mountain. Take the skyride (a 200 passenger gondola) up to the top of the mountain and enjoy the view/scenery (assuming this is a clear day). They also have a grizzly bear sanctuary up there, and a hokey lumberjack show - all included in the price. In the afternoon you can either go to Capilano Suspension Bridge (located a few minutes down the road from Grouse), but since Capilano is really touristy and expensive, you can opt for the nearby Lynn Canyon Park (located east of Grouse) which has a *free* suspension bridge, in addition to many easy hiking trails through the temperate rainforest. I personally think Lynn Canyon is more scenic due to the trails taking you down to the river bed and up along the canyon walls by a series of staircases.
If you don't feel like doing outdoor activities, you may want to check out the latest exhibits at the Vancouver Art Gallery, or take the 30 minute bus ride out to the University of British Columbia to the excellent Museum of Anthropology (possibly the best museum experience in the city). If you're out at UBC, you may as well also see the Nitobe Japanese Gardens.
If you really like gardens, I highly recommend Van Dusen Botanical Garden (55 acres) and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Park (130 acres). Queen Elizabeth Park has a beautiful sunken garden in a former rock quarry.
Another idea for your second day is to take a water taxi to Kitsilano, a local neighbourhood across False Creek from downtown situated on a very scenic, popular beach. Lots of neat shops and restaurants in that area. Some day it's nice just to relax, have a picnic, and soak up the sun. Kits is a good place as any (or Third Beach in Stanley Park is better if you're wanting something downtown).
Gastown I don't really recommend as a destination but more as a "If you're in the area, you may as well visit" - but only visit in the morning or afternoon - it is not an evening destination. Mostly touristy souvenir shops located in 1890-1900-era brick buildings. Put this lower down on your list of priorities in Vancouver, and if you miss it entirely, it's no big deal.
Chinatown is not a dining destination in Vancouver, but a traditional Chinese market located in some of the oldest and most interesting buildings in the city. Again, only come in the morning or afternoon. The Dr Sun Yat Sen gardens, though very, very tiny, are beautiful.
Both Chinatown and Gastown border on a very unpleasant part of Vancouver, so while not dangerous, the side streets and alleys are dirty/smelly, and there are more mentally ill, drug addicted, homeless people in the vicinity than anywhere else.
So as you can see - more than enough to do in Vancouver for 2 and a half days.
Finally, one thing you can do is to wait until you get to Vancouver and see how you're feeling. You could always wait until the end of the first day to see if you feel like visiting Victoria or staying in Vancouver. If you feel like visiting Victoria, I can recommend taking a tour via Gray Line, or Landsea Tours, or West Coast Sightseeing. The price is about $130 per person and they take you on the ferry, to Butchart Gardens, and give you about 3-4 hours of free time in downtown Victoria. Downtown Victoria is very small, and the main attractions are all located in a 5 block radius from one another. Those day trip tours are 12 hours in length.
Recently a poster thanked me saying they were using my "2 day Vancouver itinerary" that I wrote back in July of 2007. So a quick search through the forums and I discovered what I had writen.
The original poster initially asked if a side trip to Victoria was worth it. They were coming to Vancouver from England and only had 2 and a half days to see the city. Did they have time to see Victoria in addition to Vancouver in those 2 and a half days?
Here's what I wrote:
With your limited time, I'd just stick to Vancouver, especially knowing that you're coming all the way from the UK.
You need at least 2-3 days to give Vancouver justice. Victoria is much smaller than Vancouver, so while you could do a day trip there, it would make for a very long day, as it takes at least 3-4 hours of travelling in one direction to get between the two cities. So that eats up 6-8 hours of the one day. You'd want to leave very early and come back very late. Or you'd want an overnight there as to not feel rushed.
It's not that I don't recommend a visit to Victoria, because it offers a very different atmosphere than Vancouver, but a big draw for tourists is that Victoria's very reminiscent of England, with English style gardens, horse drawn carriage rides, Union jack flags, and afternoon tea, etc. Victoria is scenic, but more in a gentle, manicured, "quaint" kind of way... not unlike the UK.
With 2 and a half days in Vancouver, you could see quite a lot at either a busy or a leisurely pace. And there will be dramatic scenery everywhere.
On one day you could spend the morning exploring Stanley Park (1000 acres of gardens and temperate rainforest surrounded by beaches and water), then walk along the seawall along English Bay and take the water taxi to Granville Island (big public market, art studios, one of a kind boutiques, restaurants, street musicians). Take the water taxi back to Yaletown for boutique shopping and a dinner (lots of excellent restaurants). Walk to Robson Street (kind of like London's Oxford Street) and window shop, and then walk down Denman Street (lots of small ethnic restaurnants, cafes, and boutiques) to English Bay beach watching the sunset go down over the distant islands.
On the second day you could take the seabus across Burrard Inlet north from downtown to North Vancouver and hop on the bus up to Grouse Mountain. Take the skyride (a 200 passenger gondola) up to the top of the mountain and enjoy the view/scenery (assuming this is a clear day). They also have a grizzly bear sanctuary up there, and a hokey lumberjack show - all included in the price. In the afternoon you can either go to Capilano Suspension Bridge (located a few minutes down the road from Grouse), but since Capilano is really touristy and expensive, you can opt for the nearby Lynn Canyon Park (located east of Grouse) which has a *free* suspension bridge, in addition to many easy hiking trails through the temperate rainforest. I personally think Lynn Canyon is more scenic due to the trails taking you down to the river bed and up along the canyon walls by a series of staircases.
If you don't feel like doing outdoor activities, you may want to check out the latest exhibits at the Vancouver Art Gallery, or take the 30 minute bus ride out to the University of British Columbia to the excellent Museum of Anthropology (possibly the best museum experience in the city). If you're out at UBC, you may as well also see the Nitobe Japanese Gardens.
If you really like gardens, I highly recommend Van Dusen Botanical Garden (55 acres) and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Park (130 acres). Queen Elizabeth Park has a beautiful sunken garden in a former rock quarry.
Another idea for your second day is to take a water taxi to Kitsilano, a local neighbourhood across False Creek from downtown situated on a very scenic, popular beach. Lots of neat shops and restaurants in that area. Some day it's nice just to relax, have a picnic, and soak up the sun. Kits is a good place as any (or Third Beach in Stanley Park is better if you're wanting something downtown).
Gastown I don't really recommend as a destination but more as a "If you're in the area, you may as well visit" - but only visit in the morning or afternoon - it is not an evening destination. Mostly touristy souvenir shops located in 1890-1900-era brick buildings. Put this lower down on your list of priorities in Vancouver, and if you miss it entirely, it's no big deal.
Chinatown is not a dining destination in Vancouver, but a traditional Chinese market located in some of the oldest and most interesting buildings in the city. Again, only come in the morning or afternoon. The Dr Sun Yat Sen gardens, though very, very tiny, are beautiful.
Both Chinatown and Gastown border on a very unpleasant part of Vancouver, so while not dangerous, the side streets and alleys are dirty/smelly, and there are more mentally ill, drug addicted, homeless people in the vicinity than anywhere else.
So as you can see - more than enough to do in Vancouver for 2 and a half days.
Finally, one thing you can do is to wait until you get to Vancouver and see how you're feeling. You could always wait until the end of the first day to see if you feel like visiting Victoria or staying in Vancouver. If you feel like visiting Victoria, I can recommend taking a tour via Gray Line, or Landsea Tours, or West Coast Sightseeing. The price is about $130 per person and they take you on the ferry, to Butchart Gardens, and give you about 3-4 hours of free time in downtown Victoria. Downtown Victoria is very small, and the main attractions are all located in a 5 block radius from one another. Those day trip tours are 12 hours in length.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Robson Street
Robson Street is often promoted in tourism literature as Vancouver's Rodeo Drive, a tired cliché if there ever was one. This ain't Beverly Hills, but it's consumerism at its finest. Robson Street is Vancouver's outdoor shopping mall... with traffic.
Robson Street by night
Robson Street is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver and is arguably its most famous shopping district. With this kind of reputation, Robson has a lot to live up to. However, context is key.
While Robson is glamorous compared to suburban shopping malls, it can be generic and underwhelming to those that already live in large cities. While Robson's peppered with Canadian retail chains like RW&CO. and Aritzia, and even fewer independent shops like El Kartel and Plen+y, the majority of Robson consists of global retail chains like Bebe, Club Monaco, The Gap, Armani Exchange, Zara, HMV, Lush, Tommy Hilfigger, H20, Levis, FCUK, BCBG, Banana Republic, Esprit, Aldo, La Senza, The Body Shop, American Eagle Outfitters, Guess, Nike, etc. Only along the side streets around Burrard and Alberni does shopping go haute couture and you begin to find boutiques for Lacoste, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Betsey Johnson, Gucci, L'Occitaine, Tiffany & Co., and Hermès.
Robson Street is certainly not the be all end all to shopping districts in Vancouver. If you're looking for a unique only in Vancouver experience, Robson won't give you that. As far as local character is concerned, it is probably the shopping district with the least. Of course, it wasn't always this way. Robson Street once used to be a residential street flecked with German delis and shops. Prior to the 1990's, the area was called Robsonstrasse - a name you can sometimes still find on outdated maps. However, the German characteristics have disappeared entirely and have been replaced by what I described above.
There is a bit of a "see and be seen" element to Robson Street, especially on evenings and weekends. And it is not unusual to spot suburban kids driving their souped-up Hondas along Robson on Friday nights. The demographic is definitely a mixture of tourists and locals window shopping and seeking a night on the town. After all, many of Vancouver's popular restaurants such as Cin Cin and Joe Fortes are located on Robson. Even the trendy Canadian restaurant chains like Earls, Cactus Club, Moxie's, and Milestones have prime Robson locations.
Savvy locals wanting to get from point A to point B typically avoid walking down Robson. It's nearly impossible to walk down its sidewalks without tripping over the ankles of lollygagging window shoppers. Driving down Robson is no better.
For others, Robson Street represents soulless gentrification and mainstream commercialism devoid of community spirit. There are even blogs devoted to showing people that there is life to Vancouver beyond Robson.
But Robson's not necessarily all about shopping.
You can almost break Robson Street down into 4 distinct areas. I've created a map which should help illustrate my points. You can see that I've highlighted Robson Street its entirety in red.
Click to zoom in
So far I've only really talked about Robson's shopping district which exists between Seymour and Bute. I've highlighted this part in a darker red on my map. As you head west of Bute Street, you notice that the big name retail chains disappear and are replaced by hotels, small restaurants, and cafes. In fact, it almost feels like a local neighbourhood! There are grocery stores, tiny Asian specialty shops, and ethnic eateries. Even some of Vancouver's famed izakaya restaurants like Hapa Izakaya, Gyoza King, and Guu with Garlic are located down this way.
Robson's restaurants and cafes are in abundance all the way until Denman Street. While Denman Street continues this trend, if you head west down Robson for the remaining blocks, you realize that it's essentially 100% residential with older apartment towers and beautiful mature trees - a far cry from the shopping frenzy many blocks up. At the very western end of Robson is Stanley Park.
Now if you were to walk east of Robson's shopping district, you'd notice that the feeling changes. While there are still stores, the vibe is less in-your-face shopping but instead more businessy. Robson east of Seymour is home to a mixture of office towers, residential condos, and hotels. Some may argue that it's the north end of Yaletown. You can find grocery stores like IGA Marketplace and the Korean H-Mart along this part of Robson. The east end of Robson's also home to a few of Vancouver's landmarks such as the Moshe Safdie designed Vancouver Public Library Central Branch, and at the very end of Robson Street at Beatty, BC Place.
Robson Street is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver and is arguably its most famous shopping district. With this kind of reputation, Robson has a lot to live up to. However, context is key.
While Robson is glamorous compared to suburban shopping malls, it can be generic and underwhelming to those that already live in large cities. While Robson's peppered with Canadian retail chains like RW&CO. and Aritzia, and even fewer independent shops like El Kartel and Plen+y, the majority of Robson consists of global retail chains like Bebe, Club Monaco, The Gap, Armani Exchange, Zara, HMV, Lush, Tommy Hilfigger, H20, Levis, FCUK, BCBG, Banana Republic, Esprit, Aldo, La Senza, The Body Shop, American Eagle Outfitters, Guess, Nike, etc. Only along the side streets around Burrard and Alberni does shopping go haute couture and you begin to find boutiques for Lacoste, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Betsey Johnson, Gucci, L'Occitaine, Tiffany & Co., and Hermès.
Robson Street is certainly not the be all end all to shopping districts in Vancouver. If you're looking for a unique only in Vancouver experience, Robson won't give you that. As far as local character is concerned, it is probably the shopping district with the least. Of course, it wasn't always this way. Robson Street once used to be a residential street flecked with German delis and shops. Prior to the 1990's, the area was called Robsonstrasse - a name you can sometimes still find on outdated maps. However, the German characteristics have disappeared entirely and have been replaced by what I described above.
There is a bit of a "see and be seen" element to Robson Street, especially on evenings and weekends. And it is not unusual to spot suburban kids driving their souped-up Hondas along Robson on Friday nights. The demographic is definitely a mixture of tourists and locals window shopping and seeking a night on the town. After all, many of Vancouver's popular restaurants such as Cin Cin and Joe Fortes are located on Robson. Even the trendy Canadian restaurant chains like Earls, Cactus Club, Moxie's, and Milestones have prime Robson locations.
Savvy locals wanting to get from point A to point B typically avoid walking down Robson. It's nearly impossible to walk down its sidewalks without tripping over the ankles of lollygagging window shoppers. Driving down Robson is no better.
For others, Robson Street represents soulless gentrification and mainstream commercialism devoid of community spirit. There are even blogs devoted to showing people that there is life to Vancouver beyond Robson.
But Robson's not necessarily all about shopping.
You can almost break Robson Street down into 4 distinct areas. I've created a map which should help illustrate my points. You can see that I've highlighted Robson Street its entirety in red.
So far I've only really talked about Robson's shopping district which exists between Seymour and Bute. I've highlighted this part in a darker red on my map. As you head west of Bute Street, you notice that the big name retail chains disappear and are replaced by hotels, small restaurants, and cafes. In fact, it almost feels like a local neighbourhood! There are grocery stores, tiny Asian specialty shops, and ethnic eateries. Even some of Vancouver's famed izakaya restaurants like Hapa Izakaya, Gyoza King, and Guu with Garlic are located down this way.
Robson's restaurants and cafes are in abundance all the way until Denman Street. While Denman Street continues this trend, if you head west down Robson for the remaining blocks, you realize that it's essentially 100% residential with older apartment towers and beautiful mature trees - a far cry from the shopping frenzy many blocks up. At the very western end of Robson is Stanley Park.
Now if you were to walk east of Robson's shopping district, you'd notice that the feeling changes. While there are still stores, the vibe is less in-your-face shopping but instead more businessy. Robson east of Seymour is home to a mixture of office towers, residential condos, and hotels. Some may argue that it's the north end of Yaletown. You can find grocery stores like IGA Marketplace and the Korean H-Mart along this part of Robson. The east end of Robson's also home to a few of Vancouver's landmarks such as the Moshe Safdie designed Vancouver Public Library Central Branch, and at the very end of Robson Street at Beatty, BC Place.
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