Showing posts with label Stanley Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stanley Park. Show all posts
Friday, January 22, 2010
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Autumn in Stanley Park
What a glorious Thanksgiving Long Weekend we had. Beautiful autumn weather from Friday to Monday, but particularly sunny and warm on Saturday afternoon. Feeling restless and needing to unwind, I went for a 5 hour long walk along the seawall from Yaletown to Stanley Park and back.
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, July 2, 2009
Vancouver's Beaches
My sister and I playing around Kitsilano Beach, 1990.One of Vancouver's greatest assets is its public beaches. At one moment you can be in the heart of the hustle and bustle and only minutes later transport yourself to where mountains and saltwater meet, where ocean kayakers are paddling, harbour seals are swimming, and blue herons are nesting in trees.
So close and yet worlds apart.
In 2006 I attended a UBC Geography alumni event where the guest lecturer was urban commentator Lance Berelowitz. Berelowitz had just released his book titled Dream City: Vancouver and the Global Imagination, and shared with us his thoughts on his adopted city. He remarked quite matter-of-factly that Vancouver doesn't have any real public gathering places in the urban core. Those that were designed as one are hardly ever used as such. Unlike other cities where public gatherings occur in the middle of the city - in city squares, city parks, and busy plazas - Vancouver's public gathering spaces are peripheral. The largest public collective experience (the HSBC Celebration of Light) exists for 4 days in the summer at the edge of the city along its waterfront, when over 100,000 come together and gaze outwards with their backs to Vancouver. That is the collective Vancouver experience, and really explains so much. His interpretation was rather enlightening and it really explained what made Vancouver feel different - something I could never put my finger on.
With that in mind, it becomes apparent that to really understand Vancouver - what makes it this liveable, enjoyable place (or so the polls apparently say) - you really have to experience Vancouver from its shore. Sure, Vancouver's beaches don't complete with those of Mexico, Hawaii, Brazil, or Australia, but nobody should come here seeking tropical water and powdery sand. Heck, the majority of these beaches have the sand trucked in! Vancouver's beaches (as rocky, dusty, or barnacle-infested as they are) are more about the scenery and recreation - they're spaces where one can venture alone or with others and feel connected with the spirit of the west coast. If anything, they'll give you a taste of what it means to live here and a chance to test out the local lifestyle.
My overviews of Vancouver's beaches are incomplete - basic at best - but should hopefully help give a sense of the differences between the popular beaches in and around Vancouver should you want to visit one... and you should!
English Bay Beach (map)
English Bay (rarely but sometimes known as First Beach) is the most popular downtown beach and one of Vancouver's oldest recreational sites. It's located at the focal point of the West End where Davie, Denman, and Beach intersect. The sand is a little on the dusty side, but you don't go there for the sand, you go for the view and the people watching.
In the summer months there's a kayak rental shop and floating waterslide for those brave enough to swim. On the last Wed/Sat of July and the first Wed/Sat of August, English Bay becomes packed with tens of thousands of people to watch the annual Celebration of Light fireworks competition - the best viewing location is here.
English Bay especially comes alive when it's sunny - especially moreso on warm, sunny evenings - the sunsets here are spectacular. English Bay tends to be a bit of an after-dinner stroll destination with all the little restaurants, coffee shops, and dessert places across the street on Denman. If you only have one evening in Vancouver and want to know where to end up at the end of your day, this is where I'd go.
Official website: http://vancouver.ca/parks/rec/beaches/english.htm
Sunset Beach (map)
Official website: http://vancouver.ca/parks/rec/beaches/sunset.htm
Lost Lagoon (a major bird/raccoon habitat) is located behind the beach so you'll often get Canada geese feeding in the nearby fields. In the evening watch out for the resident skunk snooping around the garbage cans. And if you look up in sky at dusk, you'll spot bats flying around feeding on insects. In the summer months, there can often be spontaneously drum circles nearby.
Official website: http://vancouver.ca/parks/rec/beaches/second.htm
Third Beach (map)
Third Beach is my favourite beach in Stanley Park. While it's a relatively small beach, it has some of the cleanest, softest sand in town, and a very peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.
Third Beach is located on the opposite side of Stanley Park's entrance, so I think that half the attraction of the beach for me is that it requires a tad bit more effort to get to, which is why it's never as crowded as English Bay or as busy as Second Beach. It just feels like you're more secluded... like you're on vacation on some island, miles away from the city.
There are logs placed in rows along the beach, which offers a bit of privacy. There are designated swimming areas, and life guards on duty during the summer. As well, there is a concession stand up the stairs from Third Beach which is open when the weather's nice, selling hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and other fun snack food.
Oh, and the sunsets? They're absolutely spectacular from here!
Official website: http://vancouver.ca/PARKS/rec/beaches/3rd_beach.htm
Kitsilano Beach (map)
Vanier Park dog beach (map)
Technically called Hadden Park, it's not really a beach you'll want to lounge around and sunbathe on unless you're seeking the company of playful off-leash dogs! This tiny sandy beach at the base of the cliffs on the west side of Vanier Park is a designated dog beach where it's legal to keep your dogs off leash. I've honestly seen 30+ dogs on this tiny beach at one time. It's amusing nonetheless.
Official website: http://vancouver.ca/parkfinder_wa/index.cfm?fuseaction=FAC.ParkDetails&park_id=110
Jericho Beach (map) 
Jericho Beach is located in front of Jericho Park in Kitsilano by Alma and 4th Ave along the southern shore of English Bay. Jericho forms the eastern segment of the vast Vancouver beach that stretches from the northern foot of Alma Street at the way west to the cliffs at UBC. Famous for being a large mellow beach with plenty of green space - a popular place for large group gatherings, picnics, beach volleyball. Sailing club nearby means lots of boating activity, including a rather large windsurfing community. This beach is also ground zero for the Vancouver Folk Festival in July - an incredible must-do-at-least-once Vancouver experience, just for the ambiance of it all.
Official website: http://vancouver.ca/parks/rec/beaches/jericho.htm
Locarno Beach (map)
Just west of Jericho, Locarno is the next beach over and one of my favourite evening picnic sites. You can drive right up and presto - instant beautiful scenery, gorgeous evening light, kayakers, harbour seals, blue herons, people playing volleyball, people having large family picnics. There are numerous picnic tables located in a variety of locations - in cedar groves, in grassy fields, or right at the sand's edge. The beach is pretty spacious, all things considered. In the day it can be quite busy with recreation but by evening it's this absolutely spectacular.
Official website: http://vancouver.ca/parks/rec/beaches/locarno.htm
Spanish Banks (map)
West of Locarno and Jericho - and to be honest, it's just a continuation of them both. Spanish Banks is at the base of Pacific Spirit Regional Park closest to UBC - lots of green spaces and wide stretches of sandy beach make this a popular "let's get out of the city" beach despite the fact that you're on the fringe's of Vancouver's most expensive residential neighbourhood, West Point Grey. The massive green spaces and endless parking makes this a popular picnic and group gathering site. Named after the Spanish explorers of the 1770's - the first Europeans to scout these shores - the beach's official name is "Spanish Bank", but almost everyone makes the name plural. I'm not sure why.
Official website: http://vancouver.ca/parks/rec/beaches/spanishbank.htm#speast
Wreck Beach (map) 
The famous "clothing optional" beach and one of the last remaining beaches in Vancouver where the hippy legacy continues. Drum circles, naked people, bonfires, skimboarders, university students - those looking to chill. For the longest time it used to be known as the only beach where there was no view of civilization from the shore, up until a few years ago when UBC developed condos nearby - a cause of greatly heated debate. Despite the occasional RCMP patrol, the area is known for its cheerful black market where vendors (nude or otherwise) go around selling alcohol, recreational drugs, food and trinkets. Some call Wreck Beach a nude beach, but it's a bit of a misnomer as every time I've been here (summer or otherwise) the majority of people were clothed. As long as you're respectful, all are welcome. Located at the base of steep rainforest-covered cliffs behind the Museum of Anthropology out at UBC, it's only accessible by a staircase carved into the cliffs. Be prepared for a strenuous climb up afterward.
Official website: http://www.wreckbeach.org/
Tower Beach (map)
Around the corner from Wreck Beach is Tower Beach, named after the long abandoned WWII pillboxes installed to warn of Japanese attacks that never came. Like Wreck, you can't get to Tower Beach without descending stairs down a cliff, although one set of stairs follows down a ravine. As far as beaches go, it's mostly cobble and eroding cliffs - a beach best used as a field trip destination where local physical geography professors drag their students to ponder the Vashon till and rates of erosion. (Don't ask how I know). It's not known as a clothing optional beach, although you will find the occasional lost nudist wandering over while confused university students stand around pretending not to notice. When I studied at UBC I sometimes used Tower Beach as a quiet place to stroll around to waste time between classes. And on dreamy June nights, a week before summer soltice, spontanious parties happen where admidst the poi dancing, drummers, and DJ's, hundreds of locals unite to embrace the morning sun.
Unofficial website:http://www.english.ubc.ca/PROJECTS/TRAIL3/BEACHES/
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