There aren't many cities in the world that offer Vancouver's combination of big-city lifestyle and outdoor fun in such cheek-by-jowl proximity. Ski in the morning, sail in the afternoon and still make it back to town in time for a cocktail or three.
Vancouver is still a city of new immigrants - wander the streets and you'll hear a dozen different languages. The city also attracts young professionals and artists from the eastern provinces who come here to enjoy its recreation and laid-back sophistication.
Points of Interest
Vancouver Lookout
555 W Hastings St | 8:30am-10:30pm May–mid-Oct, 9am-9pm mid-Oct–Apr
Expect your lurching stomach to make a bid for freedom as one of the two glass elevators here whisks you 169m to the apex of this needle-like viewing area. Once up top, there’s not much to do but wander around and check out the truly awesome 360-degree vistas of city, sea and mountain panoramas unfurling around you. If you want to know what you’re looking at, join one of the free tours or just peruse the recently added historic photo panels showing just how much the landscape around here has changed. Tickets are pricey but are valid all day – consider coming back for a soaring sunset view of the city to get your money’s worth.
Vancouver Museum
1100 Chestnut St | 10:00-17:00 Fri-Wed, 10:00-19:00 Thu Jul & Aug, closed Mon Sep-Jun
One of the three well-established educational attractions clustered together in Vanier Park, the Vancouver Museum recounts both distant and recent city history. It includes some colorful displays on 1950s pop culture and 1960s hippy counterculture - a reminder that Kits was once the grass-smoking center of Vancouver's flower-power movement. Permanent exhibits include a look at the everyday life of First Nations people; passenger quarters on a groaning life-sized immigrant ship; and a full-scale sawmill wheel. The temporary exhibits are usually intriguing - check the museum's website to see what's coming up.
Capilano Suspension Bridge
3735 Capilano Rd | 9am-5pm Nov-Mar, 9am-6:30pm Apr, 9am-7:30pm May, 8:30am-8pm Jun & Sep, 8:30am-9pm Jul & Aug, 9am-6pm Oct
As you walk gingerly out onto the world’s longest (140m) and highest (70m) suspension bridge, swaying gently over the roiling waters of tree-lined Capilano Canyon, remember that the thick steel cables you are gripping are safely embedded in huge concrete blocks on either side. That should steady your feet – unless the teenagers are stamping across to scare the oldsters. It’s the region’s most popular attraction – hence the summertime crowds and relentless tour buses. The grounds here also include rainforest walks, totem poles and a swinging network of smaller bridges strung between the trees, called Treetops Adventure. Drop by the souvenir shop, one of BC’s biggest, for First Nations artworks and ‘moose dropping’ choccies.
Vancouver Aquarium
| 09:30-17:00 Sep-Jun, 09:30-19:00 Jul & Aug
Stanley Park’s biggest draw, the aquarium is home to 9000 water-loving creatures – including sharks, dolphins, Amazonian caimans and a somewhat shy octopus. There’s also a small, walk-through rainforest area full of birds, butterflies and turtles. Check out the iridescent jellyfish tank and the two sea otters who eat the way everyone should: lying on their backs using their chests as plates. If you feel like treating your offspring, consider a behind-the-scenes tour (from $25), where you’ll learn how to be a trainer. The aquarium has repositioned itself as a conservation center in recent years and plans are afoot to expand its facilities before 2010.
Museum Of Anthropology
6393 NW Marine Dr | 10:00 -17:00 Wed-Mon, 10:00-21:00 Tue mid-May-mid-Oct, 11:00-17:00 Wed-Sun, 11:00-21:00 Tue mid-Oct-mid-May
With Canada's best display of northwest-coast First Nations artifacts in a spectacular waterfront setting, this is Vancouver's best museum. The totem poles alone - displayed against a wall of glass overlooking the coastline - are worth the admission. Technically speaking, the focus is global cultures - you'll be able to dip into Asian, African and Pacific artifacts - but the best exhibits showcase the intricacies of BC's coastal First Nations, including many works by legendary Haida artist Bill Reid. Take one of the free tours to get the most from your visit, and save time for the Haida village, an outdoor re-creation of a traditional settlement, complete with a longhouse and totem poles.
Raincity Grill
1193 Denman St | Mon-Fri 11:30-14:30 & 17:00-22:00, Sat-Sun 10:30-14:30 & 17:00-22:00
Venerable but never blasé, this smashing English Bay restaurant was sourcing and serving unique BC ingredients long before the fashion for Fanny Bay oysters took hold. It’s a great showcase for fine West Coast cuisine; the weekend brunch here is a local legend, and the $30 three-course tasting menu served between 5pm and 6pm is an absolute bargain. If you’re on the move, drop by the take-out window and pick up a gourmet $10 sandwich for your jaunt around nearby Stanley Park.
Go Fish
1505 W 1st Ave | 11:30am-6:30pm Wed-Fri, noon-6:30pm Sat & Sun
Nestled on the seawall between Granville Island and Vanier Park, this seafood shack serves the city’s best fish-and-chips, offering a choice of halibut, salmon or cod encased in crispy golden batter. The smashing (and lighter) fish tacos are also highly recommended, while the ever-changing daily specials – brought in by the nearby fishing boats – often include praise-worthy scallop burgers or ahi tuna sandwiches. There’s not much of a seating area, so pack your grub and head to nearby Vanier Park for a picnic.
Templeton
1087 Granville St | 9am-11pm Mon-Wed, 9am-1am Thu-Sun
A funky chrome-and-vinyl ’50s diner with a twist, Templeton chefs up plus-sized organic burgers, addictive fries, vegetarian quesadillas and perhaps the best hangover cure in town – try the ‘Big Ass Breakfast’ and you won’t need to eat for days. Sadly, the mini jukeboxes on the tables don’t work, but you can console yourself with a waistline-busting chocolate ice-cream float. Beer here is of the local microbrew variety – aka draft Russell Cream Ale.
Afterglow
1082 Hamilton St | Sun-Wed 17:00-24:00, Thu-Sat 17:00-01:00
Tucked at the back of Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar, the city’s tiniest lounge is an intimate, pink-hued room lined with naked women – at least, their silhouettes appear as artwork on the walls. Pull up a stool and experiment with cocktails such as You Glow Girl, or knock yourself out with a few bottles of ultra-strong Québecois beer – complete with images of Satan on the labels.
Irish Heather
217 Carrall St | 12:00-24:00
A serious Irish pub without all that leprechaun blarney, this wood-floored, exposed-brick hostelry is a breath of fresh air. Head to the rear glass conservatory to sup on Vancouver’s best-poured pint of Guinness or settle in at the Shebeen Whiskey House, a tiny, windowless bar out back that stocks dozens of malts: it’s the kind of place you end up staying all night without realizing. The Heather’s food is the best of any pub in town. During the research period for this book, plans were in the works to move the Heather (and Shebeen) directly across the street in the near future. Ideal for a shared plate of finger food, but it’s just as easy to cover all the necessary food groups with the extensive beer selection here (at least that’s what you should tell yourself). There’s a small, chatty patio out front but inside – especially the cozy upstairs area – is great for hiding in a corner and working your way through an exotic array of bottled brews, including London Porter and the rather marvelous Draft Dodger from Phillips Brewing.
Commodore
868 Granville St |
Up-and-coming local bands know they’ve finally made it when they play the city’s fave mid-sized music venue, a lovingly restored Art Deco ballroom that still has the bounciest dance floor in town – courtesy of stacks of tires placed under its floorboards. If you need a break from your mosh-pit shenanigans, collapse at one of the tables lining the perimeter, catch your breath, grab a beer and then plunge back in.
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