O/T: Things to do in Vancouver?

While you're in town, I suggest visiting the downtown eastside. Better known as Canada's poorest zipcode. Your 5 star hotel by the way is only 7 blocks from this area. Primarily Main street and Hastings. If you need to show your teenagers what they could look like if they were to get hooked on drugs, this is a place worth visiting. It will truly shock you and your family how freely drugs are sold right in front of the patrolling police.
Main and Hastings is conveniently located inbetween two popular tourist areas. They are Gastown and Chinatown.

But if scenery is what you're after, try visiting Grouse Mountain , Capilano Suspension Bridge, the Capilano fish hatchery (free), Lynn Canyon Park and their version of a suspension bridge (free),

We also have great shopping as well. Take the Skytrain to Metrotown (23 minutes on the train). Your hotel is just around the corner from Waterfront Station. This is the beginnning of the rapid train line.

The Ferrari Maserati dealership is on Burrard street and 3rd. 8 minutes from your hotel by car. Or 12 minutes by bus on the #44 UBC. Many of our city's exotic car dealerships are located near Ferrari. Such as Lamborghini, Porsche, etc...

Visit Granville Island for some truly unique dining experiences for lunch or dinner. Bridges Restaurant is a fantastic place. Offering great skyline views.

And if your teens are intertested in go-karting. There is one place I would recommend.
TBC indoor karting. Located in Richmond. A bit of a stretch drive, but worth it.

And if you're lokking for a 'night out', visit Brandiz. Trust me!

I hope I've offered some insight. If you need anymore help, don't hesitate in contacting me. For 3.5 years I worked as a tour guide\driver with Gray Line Tours here in Vancouver.

Enjoy your stay, but seriously...visit Main and Hastings. Truly an eye opener.

 

Hey there,

Hopefully I can highlight a few options for you. Obviously everyone has different tastes, so I will be diverse in my suggestions.

Firstly, Vancouver has the mildest temperatures of all of Canada. However, in November be prepared for rain as it is often wet in our winter months. However, don't let the rain bog you down as Vancouver is consistently rated one of the most livable cities in the world.

If you are an outdoor enthusiast or just enjoy seeing nature, Vancouver is excellent. Stanley park deserves at least a walk or bike ride around to see the ocean views, Lionsgate bridge, and West Vancouver across the Burrard Inlet. The Grouse Grind is a 1hr hike up a mountain, that can be difficult but is a great challenge. If the teenagers can't handle it (or if your own legs are a bit heavy that day than a nice stroll from your hotel at the Pan Pacific to the Olympic Cauldron is beautiful too. Especially at night if you are just with your wife.

Whistler. Skiing when you arrive in November will not be great. The hill opens up November 22nd usually and the base will not be significant. However, Whistler has one of the most spectacular villages I have been to, certainly top 2 in Canada which is saying alot. There is shopping, top rated restaurants, hiking, and lots of amenities in the village so don't feel like it will have nothing.

Food. Lots of Asian influences in Vancouver. Sushi is spectacular here. Try Tojo's for the most authentic sushi in Vancouver. The man is the originator of sushi they say, he came from Japan two generations ago to bring sushi to what is now the Vancouver-ite food staple. It is expensive, if you want a more moderate option, Toshi's is also very good, but long lines await you. Japanese food other than sushi, some great restaurants include Guu (4 locations). A great Canadian restaurant I like is L'Abbatoir. Best new restaurant a couple years ago and is the very "Canadian" cuisine, if such a thing exists. Meat and Bread is a good place for lunch, very popular. Kid friendly: Earl's, Joey's, Cactus Club.

Shopping. Pacific Center mall is the standard. Has everything you'll be used to, Hugo Boss, Holt Renfrew, Zegna, Apple store etc. Robson street is also popular for shopping but also typical stores. Try West 4th Avenue for unique shopping, more unique and boutique shops, less popular with tourists but a hidden gem.

Get your wife to do yoga, very popular here in Vancouver. Check out the Ferrari dealership here in Vancouver, it is quite spectacular with two levels and is a new building. The movable elevator hosts the best showroom cars, I have seen the likes of: Enzo, F50, F40 and a 288GTO on there before.

Good luck and have a spectacular trip!

 

Could walk up to Robson to watch the ladies (you said sons?), the exotic car row up Burrard Street is likely weak to what you've got in TX - the Ferrari dealership often has an Enzo/F50/F40/288 on display.

The Museum of Anthropology is world class for the native culture

There's three local ski hills within sight of your hotel - Cypress and Seymour can both be driven up, with Cypress having a cross-country ski area, and also hosted the 2010 Olympics along with Whistler. Grouse has the most facilities, the best views on a clear day, and needs a $ gondola ride to get to the top.

Not sure if the whale tours are running out of Steveston, that can be a good day; Steveston is an old fishing community out in Richmond with some funky stores.

There's fishing charter's out of Horseshoe Bay in West Van or downtown where you're staying. Also some fantastic scuba diving for variety of sea life, if lacking in the tropical colours you might be used to. Again - Whytecliff Park out of West Van.

Lots of hiking, even if it'll likely be cool and damp.

Anything of interest yet?

 

http://www.savagebeagle.ca/

 

Take the kids to science world/omnimax theater. It was a blast when we went.

For the trip up to Whistler I would have recommend taking the Rocky Mountaineer Train but it stops service at end of Oct. That was great as well.
You could take Helijet from beside the Panpacific to Whistler but it is a bit expensive.

Take the seabus from the Panpacific to the Lonsdale Quay for lunch and a browse.
Granville Island
Vancouver aquarium.
Grouse mountain is good on a nice day.
Shopping and People watching on Robson st

Depending on the Temps skiing should be fine at the top half of the Mountain.

I'll be in Van next week for a few days myself.

Chris

 

Its gritty, but I've always felt safe walking around in that area. On one occasion years ago, I parked my 308 in an alley way south of Broadway, and upon my return, I came across a couple of guys shooting-up drugs just a couple of parking stalls away from it. No vandalism, or other harm. Another time, I drove the 308 in that exact area (Main & Hastings) and got a couple of thumbs-up from some of the homeless people...

Basically, daytime is fine, nightime, well... not so much...

On a lighter note, when you're here one thing I do recommend is you HAVE to visit Wilkinson's Automobilia. They are THE car-guys place:

http://www.eautomobilia.com/

They still have many rare Ferrari items from the late Gerry Benzon estate.

 

If you like Whiskey...especially Canadian Whiskey, try: Shebeen's Whiskey House in Gastown. You will have a heck of a time finding it since it is deliberately hidden, however it has the undisputed best collection and selection of whiskeys in BC. A hidden gem.

 

I just came back from a week-long trip in Vancouver, it's a beautiful city. You should definitely check out Vancouver Island, North Vancouver, Stanley Park, drive down to Seattle, etc. I can elaborate more but I'm sure the locals can chime in.

 

I would strongly suggest you consider getting up extra early one day and hopping a ferry over to Victoria. The place is a bit of a time warp and definitely different from any other North American city that I'm familiar with.

Moreover, the ferry ride makes for an experience full of incredible scenery and the kids will not be disappointed!

Incidentally, if you're into fusion Japanese that isn't too far-fetched or goofy in its execution, I'd suggest you walk from your hotel to Miku --- literally, a 5 minute walk from you.

If you're into Indian food, you might want to squeeze in a visit to Vij's.

Lastly, you can make the trip to Victoria by way of a puddle-jumper which arrives in a matter of minutes (vs. hours); frankly, it's not worth doing so because you the scenery and ferry ride make up the overall experience.

 

With only one day in Vancouver, definitely try Vij's for dinner (if you like Indian flavours), and you'll easily eat up the whole day with the downtown-stanley park-granville island group of must-sees.

Enjoy!

 

Vancouver's got plenty of family-friendly activities and sights, if you know where to look...
For natural sights, I recommend:
- Capilano Suspension Bridge
- Grouse Mountain (only if you and your family are fit enough for a few hours of uphill hiking)
- Burns Bog (a very unique ecosystem, located in Delta, less than an hour's drive from downtown)
If you want a more urban or cultural focus, try:
- Robson Street (commercial/shopping center in the downtown core)
- Live Theatre (there are several playhouses to choose from, such as the "Queen E")
- Vancouver Art Gallery (very large, and located right downtown)
- Sun Yat Sen Garden (classical Chinese garden located in Chinatown... just beware you'll pass part of the notorious downtown eastside to get here)
- Vancouver Maritime Museum

Have fun!

 

Loreen and I are planning to spend a week in Vancouver at the end of June. She wants to stay in/around Chinatown. Can someone recommend a handful of 3 to 5 star hotels within proximity to Chinatown? Thanks in advance.

 

Hi Tom:

Not really... Chinatown is not the highest-end neighbourhood in town, so most nicer hotels are going to be in downtown proper (about a 10-15 min walk from Chinatown, or 5 min bus/metro).

Your standard 5-star hotels are Four Seasons, Shangri-la, Rosewood Hotel Georgia, and Fairmont Vancouver. All those are fantastic. If you want to get closer to Chinatown, the Ramada Limited Downtown is pretty close (~8 small blocks) but it's 3-3.5 star.

Good luck!

 

You might also consider Opus OPUS Boutique Hotel: Brand New Rooms - Vancouver - Canada It's in the Yaletown area. You can walk to Chinatown easily maybe 15 minutes. It's about 2 minutes walk to the Seawall from which you can walk to Stanley Park or take the Acquabus to Granville Island and walk to FMoV & Lambo of Vancouver - 10 minute walk from Granville Island. You can also walk to the downtown shopping and business areas of Vancouver - 15 minutes. Lots of restaurants in Yaletown. I'm not associated with the Opus Hotel, I just live in the Yaletown area. Jon

 

You might also want to look at the holiday inn across from bc place stadium on beatty st. as its it will fit your requirements for a 3-5 star, and its located closer to Chinatown.

The opus is a nice hotel in a much nicer trendy upscale area - Yaletown , but further from china town which is in a more "rugged" part of town.

The holiday inn will be cheaper than opus too.