Interesting places to see in Vancouver

[Crumbles]

I'm heading to Vancouver next week and I'm wondering if any of you have any suggestions as to what to see and where to go ... I'm actually there for 3 whole weeks, so I will have quite a lot of time to spend.

Please try to keep off the likes of Art Museums coz I get dead bored :zzz: in such places!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Is that Vancouver BC, or Vancouver Washington?

 

[Crumbles]

Sorry, didn't realize Washington also had a Vancouver! I was referring to Vancouver in BC, Canada.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

In that case, I hear it is a wonderful place to visit but I can't offer many specifics - we haven't made it up there yet but it is a favorite for people in the NW. If you like to fish, I know that BC is considered a fisherman's paradise. I think there is a really, really cool, super-huge video arcade that is well worth a stop [I think its in Vancouver].

 

[Dagenais]

I think there is a really, really cool, super-huge video arcade that is well worth a stop [I think its in Vancouver].

It's called The Playdium, which is a huge arcade full of awesome games. It's not in Vancouver but in Burnaby, in the Metropolis Mall.

You'll definitely want to go to Metropolis Mall, it's huge and has a cool design. Great food like Dim Sum and Sushi. The Skytrain takes you there.

I'm heading to Vancouver next week and I'm wondering if any of you have any suggestions as to what to see and where to go ... I'm actually there for 3 whole weeks, so I will have quite a lot of time to spend.

Aside from the Metrotown Mall, head to Richmond for some awesome Chinese and Japanese food (Richmond is basically a cleaner, larger Hong Kong).

Go to downtown Vancouver, and head up Harbour Place, which is a viewing tower and be absolutely amazed at the view of Vancouver.

Then, the next day, head to Capalano Suspension Bridge. Walk across the bridge, and enjoy the wilderness and the gigantic, age-old trees. Then, get in the car and head to Grouse Mountain which is near-by! Take the Grouse Mountain skyride up to the mountain and have dinner at the nice restaurant they have up there. Enjoy the absolutely breath taking view atop Grouse Mountain - it's unbeatable. Or, instead of taking the skyride up, hike up the Grouse Grind. Make sure to catch the view though.

After all of that, head for some shopping at the popular Robson's Street after visiting Stanley Park and Stanley Park's aquarium/zoo.

If you're into fairs, plan a trip to the PNE.

Spend your last week at either Harrison Hot Springs, a beautiful beach with tons of activities like biking, sea doo, or paddle boats. Make sure to try the 2-person bikes, which are really fun. After, you'll probably be too exhausted to do much else.

Or

Visit Whistler/Blackcomb. Despite the fact that it's August, there is tons to do at Whistler, one of the most popular things includes Mountain Biking. You can also go horse back riding or golfing at 3 of their popular courses! At night, head to Whistler Village (it's more like a city). Enjoy the brisk, fresh air and the beautiful site of the city, dine at one of their many, many nice restaurants.

At both Harrison and Whistler, you may need to stay overnight as it's around 2 hours from Vancouver.

http://www.hellobc.com/index.asp?ct=y&

British Columbia Tourism

Whistler and Summer

 

[Kerrie]

i love Vancouver BC! I was there just in March (over St. Patrick's day actually) for a work trip and stayed right downtown near Gastown, which has a lot of fun cafe's and shops...you want to stay out of Chinatown I hear though past 7pm. I love Vancouver BC because there is a huge mixture of people, and it doesn't seem to have all of the major corporate businesses dominating the streets that America tends to have...and the Vancouver people (don't know about the rest of Canada) are extremely friendly and warm. I can hardly wait to do another business trip up there.

 

[Moonbear]

I was just in Vancouver a few weeks ago. It's a wonderful city! Plenty of excellent restaurants. I ate at both Cardero's and Blue Water while there, and would highly recommend both (pricey though, so depends on your budget). Also found a Chinese restaurant on Broadway that was fabulous (inexpensive, mostly Chinese clientele...always a good sign of a good Chinese restaurant). They served mostly noodle dishes...the noodles were homemade and you could watch them making them there! Fun!

Stanley Park is a must-see thing. It's a public park that is absolutely huge! Great for biking or roller blading. There is a place on Georgia St near the park entrance that rents bikes if you want to do that. I don't recommend trying to walk it...that's what I did and just didn't get very far. The park was larger than I expected.

No museums, huh? Okay. Well, in case you change your mind, both the art museum downtown and the museum on the UBC campus (they had totem poles) were great. And there is a science museum, so maybe that one would be more to your liking.

With three weeks, you can do a lot. I didn't have that much time, so didn't leave the city itself. I was told though that the drive up to Whistler was beautiful. Others I know were headed off to spend a week trailriding on horseback somewhere in BC.

Avoid the gaslamp district. It's pretty to drive through, but it's just a tourist trap type area. Chinatown was cool. There's a really pretty park that you get to through the stores that are on a square around it. I didn't get to enjoy the park, just got to look at it because I got there as it was closing (I didn't know about it until I got there).

Well, it's a really large city, so there are all the usual things that cities have. Bring an umbrella, it rains often. But you'll be amazed at how pretty and green everything is...really lush. And if it's a rainy day and you just need a hot drink and to put your feet up, go to high tea on the weekends at the Wedgewood Hotel on Hornby St. That's where I stayed while there and it was kind of a hoot to "do tea." It's served in the cocktail lounge, so if tea isn't your thing, they have quite an extensive martini menu too (and all the other usual bar things). They had excellent food there too, though, again, pricey. I didn't eat in the regular restaurant there, as I enjoyed the cocktail lounge sufficiently.

Have a great time while there!

 

[Dagenais]

you want to stay out of Chinatown I hear though past 7pm.

There isn't any point to going into China town. With loads of Chinese supermarkets like T&T and tons of huge Chinese malls in Richmond, it defeats the purpose of heading to China town.

Actually, stay out of East Hastings all together. That's one of the neighborhoods you want to avoid...

 

[Crumbles]

Nice! Thanks for all the info guys. Sounds like there is a lot more to do than I expected but with 3 weeks at hand I guess I should be able to do most of it.

 

[Moonbear]

I was in Chinatown after 7. Everything closes around 6 or 7. I was told some things there open back up later at night...sort of mom and pop stores that close for dinner time then reopen for the after work shoppers I guess. I'm not sure if that was accurate or not. Anyway, it wasn't anything special, just a lot of dirty looking stores selling bulk produce. That area itself didn't seem unsafe or anything, but there were a few blocks between Chinatown and Gastown that were really sketchy looking. I would avoid that area entirely! (I didn't choose that direction to begin with, I was being driven around by a former co-worker who moved there about 6 months ago...she and her husband have strange ideas of what people want to see when visiting...they had never even visited a big city before moving there, so strange things seem to impress them).

Oh, and the fireworks in my avatar were from the international fireworks competition that was ongoing while I was visiting. Check out the websites someone else posted...they have calendars of events for every month with many things listed every day, so you can find plenty to do.

I was also impressed at how clean the city seemed (except those few blocks I already mentioned around Chinatown).

Oh, and I didn't head there myself, but lots of people told me they got to watch seals out on one of the beaches by the UBC campus (it's also a clothing optional beach, apparently, though when we were there, it was too cold for anyone to verify this).

 

[Kerrie]

Avoid the gaslamp district. It's pretty to drive through, but it's just a tourist trap type area. Chinatown was cool. There's a really pretty park that you get to through the stores that are on a square around it. I didn't get to enjoy the park, just got to look at it because I got there as it was closing (I didn't know about it until I got there).

gaslamp district = gastown...i was advised to avoid it, but then found out it has a lot of neat little places to see and explore, especially if you are on a budget. there are a lot of internet cafe's in the area so you can check in with PF while you are there chinatown i hear though is dangerous (heard this from those who reside in downtown vancouver) after 7pm, and silly me wandered into that district at dinnertime...many businesses were closed or boarded up, so i knew the locals weren't lyin'...

 

[Moonbear]

Oh, speaking of internet cafes, I noticed that there was wireless internet access all over the place in Vancouver! You could even sign-in by the hour in the airport (that was a little expensive, but sure beat just staring at the walls since I had been warned to get there early to clear customs, and then didn't have that long of a line afterall). Oh, yeah, when you're leaving, US Immigration and Customs is done in Vancouver, not the airport you arrive to in the US, so plan plenty of time to get through those lines (they aren't too bad for US Citizens, but if you are returning to the US on a visa of any sort, plan a LOT of time to get through that line).

Anyway, now that I've seen a little of Vancouver, I want to go back and vacation there sometime. It's a fun city, and a lot cleaner than other big cities I've been to.

 

[Crumbles]

gaslamp district = gastown...i was advised to avoid it, but then found out it has a lot of neat little places to see and explore, especially if you are on a budget...

Actually somebody mentioned some fancy steaming clock to me in Gas Town! So I might end up going there during decent hours.

 

[Crumbles]

Oh, speaking of internet cafes, I noticed that there was wireless internet access all over the place in Vancouver! You could even sign-in by the hour in the airport (that was a little expensive, but sure beat just staring at the walls since I had been warned to get there early to clear customs, and then didn't have that long of a line afterall). Oh, yeah, when you're leaving, US Immigration and Customs is done in Vancouver, not the airport you arrive to in the US, so plan plenty of time to get through those lines (they aren't too bad for US Citizens, but if you are returning to the US on a visa of any sort, plan a LOT of time to get through that line).

Anyway, now that I've seen a little of Vancouver, I want to go back and vacation there sometime. It's a fun city, and a lot cleaner than other big cities I've been to.

Thanks for the warning about Immigration and Customs. However, I'll actually be flying back to the UK so won't have to put up with US Immigration and Customs

But I do like the sound of a clean city and omnipresent wi-fi! Actually, do they use same power sockets as in the US in Vancouver? I will need to get myself some sort of adaptor because here we use the bulky 3 pin sockets.

 

[a Mind at a Time]

But I do like the sound of a clean city and omnipresent wi-fi! Actually, do they use same power sockets as in the US in Vancouver? I will need to get myself some sort of adaptor because here we use the bulky 3 pin sockets.

Yup, we use the same power sockets as in the US...

I'm a Vancouverite - born and raised... Here are a couple of things I definitely recommend:

(1) Thing to do #1: Go the Whistler route (stop by) and then drive to Lilloet... Make sure you take lots of film

(2) Thing to do #2: Take the ferry to Vancouver Island... Start in Victoria and end up in Tofino... Tofino is a small fishing town, but they have awesome surfing... and adventure tours... You can go bear watching, whale watching, hot springs relaxing, hiking tours, bird watching, etc... If interested, do a search on Google for 'Clayoquot Sound adventures' to find some adventure tour companies (the area around Tofino is called Clayoquot Sound)... They've got luxurious lodges and cabins around there as well... My wife and I went to Clayoquot Sound last year for a little holiday - and we had a wonderful time!...

(3) Thing to do #3: Have a beer at the Roxy in downtown Vancouver...

Here are a couple websites to help you with your trip:

http://www.tourismvancouver.com/
http://www.tourismvictoria.com/

Too bad you're not going during hockey season... I'd recommend to catch a Vancouver Canucks hockey game as well...

Hope you have a great time!

 

[Moonbear]

Thanks for the warning about Immigration and Customs. However, I'll actually be flying back to the UK so won't have to put up with US Immigration and Customs

:blush: Oops, for some reason I thought you were living in the US. No idea why.

I saw the steam clock. It looked like a large grandfather clock with steam coming out of it. I think you need to see it on the hour to see the steam, but I'm not sure (we were there on the hour just by coincidence). It was one of those things that you say, okay, yep, I've seen it, let's move on. Again, my former co-worker was thinking I'd want to go take a picture of it or something. *shrug* I was more interested in getting to someplace that served dinner rather than the random tour I was getting of the seedier parts of Vancouver.

 

[Dagenais]

(2) Thing to do #2: Take the ferry to Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is boring. Unless you want to see the Provincial Government, it's not worth it.

Too bad you're not going during hockey season... I'd recommend to catch a Vancouver Canucks hockey game as well...

So he can see a hockey team full of assclowns with no potential and no Stanley Cups?

Woo! Exciting!

 

[check]

Wow, Dagenais comes off as kind of a jerk, eh?

 

[Moonbear]

Wow, Dagenais comes off as kind of a jerk, eh?

He's from Quebec...I don't think they like the rest of Canada. They want to be their own country.

Plenty of others have recommended Vancouver Island to me as well...I wanted to go while there but didn't have enough time (my one totally free day, it rained, so that didn't seem like a good day for that). There's lots of information online about specific sites to see in Vancouver, so I guess Crumbles can decide for himself if it's something to his liking to see.

 

[a Mind at a Time]

Vancouver Island is boring. Unless you want to see the Provincial Government, it's not worth it.

So he can see a hockey team full of assclowns with no potential and no Stanley Cups?

Woo! Exciting!

Cutting down smoking eh... stick with it, my friend... It gets easier...

 

[Dagenais]

Wow, Dagenais comes off as kind of a jerk, eh?

No, Canucks fans are known to be jerks. From standing up for Bertuzzi, protecting jerks like Cloutier/Ruutu and beating up fans oustide their stadiums, they've made quite a name for themselves.

Plenty of others have recommended Vancouver Island to me as well.

I guess if you're over 60. Most of the young guys can't stand Victoria.

 

[Crumbles]

Well well, I'm not so much into hockey but I must say the idea of bear watching sounds fun! Must probably sound boring to you guys in the states but we don't have any bears in the UK (well except for teddies ) and I have never seen one!

 

[Moonbear]

Check out this site:
http://www.islands.bc.ca/outdoor/index.html

Hardly sounds like something that can only be enjoyed by those over 60! In fact, sounds like something folks over 60 might find to be far too much! They list things like rock-climbing, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping.

 

[Crumbles]

Check out this site:
http://www.islands.bc.ca/outdoor/index.html

( no offence Dagenais) but that does sound like an exciting place to visit!

 

[Dagenais]

bungee jumping

Yep, sounds like something a British Columbian would do.

As for mountain climbing and rafting, there are places to do that in B.C. out of Victoria.

The lower mainland is the place to be.

 

[Kerrie]

I guess if you're over 60. Most of the young guys can't stand Victoria.

i know plenty of men under 30 who enjoy the outdoors of Vancouver Island and have the romance to appreciate Victoria...

 

[a Mind at a Time]

Well well, I'm not so much into hockey but I must say the idea of bear watching sounds fun! Must probably sound boring to you guys in the states but we don't have any bears in the UK (well except for teddies ) and I have never seen one!

Maybe you'll run into a Grizzly somewhere! If you go past Whistler towards Lillooet, you just might... http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/grizzly.htm

You can run into black bears in pretty much most wilderness settings in BC...

Just remember to bring your running shoes... When being chased by a bear, you don't have to outrun the bear... just your friend

 

[Dagenais]

i know plenty of men under 30 who enjoy the outdoors of Vancouver Island and have the romance to appreciate Victoria...

If they had any real romance, they would head to Quebec.

Not Vancouver Island!

 

[Crumbles]

Thank you all for the info. Vancouver was brill and I had a great time. Been to Capilano, Hell's Gate, PNE, Grouse Mountain and Gastown.

Unfortunately did not manage to make it to Whistler coz the weather was crap each time I had a whole day off to go, but maybe another time!

And as for the controversial Vancouver Island, I did make a trip round to Nanaimo and over to Denman and Hornby islands, which was great. They had some fab hiking trails out there with stunning views!

The Storyeum in GasTown was a bit of a dissappointment though! But Grouse mountain was great. Even saw two grizzlies there! And the ride on the chair lift was really cool too and had some nice whale tails up there!

 

[Moonbear]

Glad you enjoyed it! Welcome back from your journeys.