Vancouver is an incredibly vibrant, multicultural city, experiencing tremendous growth in anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Considered one of the most livable and beautiful cities in the world, Vancouver offers many interesting experiences for the curious visitor. Here we present several old favorites for travelers to enjoy, as well as one or two places off the beaten track for a curious adventurer.
1) Place of Canada
The first stop for anyone arriving in Vancouver should be a walk through the impressive Canada Place Waterfront at Waterfront Station. Built as a Canadian pavilion for the 1986 World's Fair and currently having a city’s convention center, a walk through Canada allows visitors to look into the beautiful harbor of Burrard Inlet with its perspective of snow-capped mountains, Stanley Park, and the modern glass towers of Coal Harbor.
Canada Place also demonstrates the dynamic of Vancouver’s economic strength and its place in the global market. The inlet is poured by container ships transported to China and beyond. In the summer, cruise ships from major world lines moor along the pier on their way to Alaska. Floating planes taking off for the wild natural bays of the inner passage and helicopters departing for the island of Vancouver complement the energetic scene.
It was here that the Canadian Pacific Railway completed the transcontinental railroad in 1889, giving Vancouver the nickname Terminal City. Since then, Vancouver has changed from the fact that this is the end of the line. and is now considered the “gateway to Asia”. and the Far North. This is the perfect acquaintance with the city of Vancouver and should not be missed by the curious traveler.
2) Spanish banks
For a different perspective on the city go to the beaches in the Spanish banks, on the north coast of Point Gray. In the summer, the golden sands of beautiful beaches seem to be stretching to infinity. The water remains shallow and warm with the tide in the hot months, but at any time of the year the view remains breathtaking, and the tall modern condominium towers of Vancouver sparkle at a distance like shards of light in the green jade bowl of the mountains outside,
Treat yourself to a visit to the Sailboat Association of Jericho and share the intimate Nacho dish served on the delightful terrace. From your team perch, you can watch boaters and windsurfers in the game on the water, or see the direct boat from the nearby Royal Vancouver yacht club pulling sails. Further inland, Ultimate Frisbee players enter green fields, and tennis courts attract the best players in the city.
The park square was once a seaplane base and military camp during World War II and now contains a youth hostel with a local community center and theater. This is an ideal place for a picnic or just to avoid the hustle and bustle of the city and is worth a visit.
3) Sushi at the West End
Vancouver is world famous for its venerable Chinatown and the hundreds of restaurants it contains. The city was home to Asian immigrants since the construction of the railway in the 19th century. Those who dared to sail to the “Golden Mount” brought with them culinary traditions that revived the palates of Vancouver generations. In addition to the Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean quarters, Vancouver once thrived Japantown along East Hastings, now unfortunately in decline.
These days, thousands of English-speaking students from Japan and Korea have turned the area along the western Robson and Denman streets into miniature Tokyo or Seoul. One of the best ways to try some of the city’s sights is to visit several of the many restaurants that offer cheap and tasty sushi and sashimi buffets.
Shabusen Restaurant at the corner of Burrard and Robson is a great place to start, with its wide selection and wonderful Korean barbecue dishes on weekends when you can cook spicy pickled chicken, beef and pork on your own elevator. Another great stop is the Tanpopo restaurant, located at the corner of Denman and Davy streets, with its richness of fresh wild salmon, delicious gyoza dumplings, a salad of salted spinach salads and a beautiful outdoor patio where you can see the world in the nearby English Bay.
Be prepared to leave both restaurants fully satisfied by continuing to explore the multicultural peak located in Vancouver.
4) Nightlife in Gastown
For the night in the city of Vancouver has much to offer adventurers. Granville Street is the place where revelers go to dance and drink at night under the bright neon signs of the Orfei and Vogue theaters in such noisy nightclubs like Republic, Tonic and Ginger 68, and these are just a few of them.
Gastown along Water Street, where the first European settlement was created in the old days of the camp, and the locality was seen by one of the first Vancouver salons, opened by the legendary Gassy. Jack Dayton in the late 1800s On the cobbled streets you can find excellent watering places that continue the traditions established by the pioneers of Vancouver.
Next to the original site Gassy & His own Deighton Hotel is Heather’s charming Irish bistro with the finest Guinness pints in the city. In the back, built into the cozy walls of the old city prison, there is a cozy glazed courtyard, in which Irish and Scottish music spend most nights. Heather boasts a progressive menu that combines the old standards of pubs and modern talent.
For a more fragile scene, try the Blarney Stone pub across the street. A genuine Irish dance hall filled with university students on weekends, Blarney Stone is known across the city as a wild and noisy place to make new friends and have a good time. There are free tables for table tennis at the top level and be ready to scream and shout along with violins and drums all night long.
These are just a few of the many active hot spots in Vancouver. Recommendations for music venues, concerts and films can be found in the entertainment section of the free weekly newspaper Georgia Straight, located everywhere in the city center. Choose one and you will not be able to find something for every taste.
5) Sports in the city
Vancouver has several professional sports franchises and a history of excellence. In 1915, the Vancouver Millionaire hated the renewed Stanley Cup on the ice at the old Denman Arena, the first indoor artificial ice in North America.
Since then, city teams include the National Hockey League's favorite Vancouver-Canaca and the non-existent Vancouver NBA Grizzlies. Champion of British Columbia in 1994 and 2000 Champion of British Columbia Lyon from the Canadian Football League plays at BC Place Stadium, at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Throughout the year there is always a game somewhere for fans of any sport and every budget.
Some of the best entertainment can be held with small Vancouver teams. The Oakland Athletic Assembly of the Vancouver Canadians from the Single & Northwestern Baseball League plays in the jewel of Nat Bailey Stadium next to Queen Elizabeth Park. This is a fun baseball day in a beautiful pastoral setting for young and old people, which often ends with music and fireworks or a visit to the mayor.
If tickets to the Canucks are too expensive or difficult to find a great alternative in the winter - these are the Vancouver giants of the Western Hockey League. This young team plays in the historic Pacific Coliseum on the territory of the PNE lawn and breaks away from the 2006 championship season.
Vancouver also sees a resurgence of interest in football, especially with the resurrected Vancouver Whitecaps. The team was the champion of the North League of America in 1979 at the height of Hoccernania. in Canada and the United States, winning a football club in New York this year. They are currently playing at Swangard Stadium, not far from Burnaby Skytrain Station, and there is talk of a new downtown stadium awaiting Vancouver, where the 2007 U-20 World Championship is held.
Stanley Park is named after the Governor-General of Canada, who donated the Stanley Cup to ice hockey, and the city is waiting for its next championship and the eyes of the world in 2010 at the Olympics. With so many things to do and a visit, visiting Vancouver is more interesting than ever. This is a chance to share the excitement and enjoy the hospitality of this city of tomorrow.
