Published: Sunday, November 8, 2009
2010 Olympics: Things to do in Vancouver (other than watch the Games)
From fine art to baby beluga whales, our neighbor to the north has a lot of adventures for travelers not into Games
Maybe you're in Vancouver, B.C., in February because you love sports and are just twiddling your thumbs between events in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Maybe you're in Vancouver because someone near and dear to you loves winter sports, but you are bored to tears and looking for something else to do.
Cheer up. There really are other ways to entertain yourself that have nothing to do with hockey sticks, skis, skates or luges. (How often do you get to use “luge” in a conversation?)
Bearing in mind that this will be in February, very possibly wet and chilly, keeping your activities mostly indoors may be preferable. We'll work from that premise, and also hope you're wise enough to walk or use public transit (see related article on S8). So let's go.
See sea life
A great place to spend a few hours, Vancouver Aquarium is in the city's marvelous Stanley Park. If the weather is conducive, you can add a walk in the park or along the sea wall to your outing.
Right now the aquarium stars are the baby beluga whales and their moms. Cute and inquisitive, the calves also are learning to interact with trainers during daily programs for the public.
There's plenty more to see here, including some quite acrobatic dolphins, sea otters, sea lions and seals, with underwater viewing of all the sea mammals.
In association with the belugas, Canada's Arctic gallery lays out concerns for endangered species and effects of climate change.
Check out the new 4D Experience, where you can view 3-D films enhanced by wind, mist, scents and other special effects. Don't forget Treasures of the B.C. Coast and see what lives in the local waters.
There's a Tropic Zone, including colorful fish and insects, and an Amazon Rain Forest, with monkeys, butterflies, birds and headhunters. Just kidding about that last one.
By prior arrangement, you and your family can have close encounters with some of the marine mammals. Availability changes seasonally; call 604-659-3552.
You can reach Stanley Park from downtown on the number 19 bus, which takes you within a couple of hundred yards (or metres, as they say in Canada) of the aquarium, which is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
Adult admission is $22, $17 for seniors (65+) and youths (13-18) and $14 for children (4-12). Children age 3 and under get in free.
For more information, call 604-659-3400 or visit www.vanaqua.org.
Admire the art
An excellent place to get out of the rain and improve your mind as you dry out, The Vancouver Art Gallery stands pretty much in the center of downtown, on Robson Street between Howe and Hornsby streets. The impressive building and grounds take up a square block.
Inside are about 9,000 works of art, with extensive representation of Canadian artists, including a wing with works of Emily Carr, and many works by First Nations artists. The gallery also houses a significant collection of photo-based art from Canadians and international artists.
Special exhibitions are scheduled throughout the year. One that will be in the Gallery in February is “Visions of British Columbia: A Landscape Manual,” which includes historic landscapes, cityscapes and portraits in a variety of media.
Also in February, the Gallery's Robson Street facade will be converted to an outdoor theater with an LED screen showing works of international video artists from 5 p.m to 2 a.m. daily.
Regular Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (9 p.m. Tuesday). Adult admission is $19.50, seniors $14, children 5-12 $7, children 4 and under free.
For more information, call 604-662-4719 or go to www.vanartgallery.bc.ca.
If you want more art, you can stumble into small galleries all over the city. Just keep your eyes open. If native art interests you, for instance, there are the Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery, 312 Water St., and the Inuit Gallery, 206 Cambie St. Both are in the Gastown area, where there are nine other art galleries.
It's a gas
And speaking of Gastown, take time to explore this 45-acre neighborhood just east of Waterfront Station. Water Street is the main drag, but Trounce Alley and West Cordova Street are part of the scene.
There are, according to the Gastown Business Improvement Society, 82 retail shops, 37 restaurants, 11 galleries and eight bars/nightclubs.
And don't forget the steam clock at Water and Cambie streets, notoriously inaccurate but always entertaining to hear mark time intervals Big Ben style, but with steam whistles instead of bells.
Vancouver grew up out of Gastown, a rough waterfront neighborhood populated largely by loggers and millworkers. It owes its name to John Deighton, around whose saloon the area grew. Famous for his longwinded tales, Deighton became known as Gassy Jack. You can see his statue in Maple Tree Square at Water and Carrall streets.
You might not want to stray much farther east than Columbia Street in this area. It gets, shall we say, a little less genteel, perhaps more in the spirit of the original Gastown.
Find plenty of information on Gastown at www.gastown.org.
Below the bridge
Tucked under the south end of the Granville Bridge you'll find Granville Island (which is really a peninsula), another small area crammed with shopping and eating opportunities. The big public market is colorful and has everything, yes, from soup to nuts. You can wander through and assemble a terrific picnic from the offerings, assuming you don't want to dine in one of the 16 restaurants around the island.
Buildings outside the market house many craft businesses. You could clothe yourself, from hat to shoes, with handmade items, including jewelry. Furniture, toys — you can find just about any handcrafted product you might want.
If you're a shopaholic and want to get your kids into the habit, take them to the Kids Market, with shops such as Clownin' Around Magic, Beanstalk Bistro and The Hairloft/Princess Spa.
To get to Granville Island, you can catch the number 50 False Creek bus at Waterfront Station or at stops along Howe Street. It takes you closest to the island.
Other buses crossing Granville Bridge have stops within a 10-minute walk. You also can take an Aquabus or False Creek Ferry from several points along the north shore of False Creek to the Island.
Find more about Granville Island at www.granvilleisland.com, including information on tours of the public market.
Shop til you drop
Downtown Vancouver is stuffed with designer stores, big department stores, little boutiques and specialty shops. If the weather is too miserable to wander the streets, try Pacific Centre. Its main entrance is at Georgia and Howe streets, near the Vancouver Art Gallery. Too many places inside to mention, from upscale to Tim Horton's Donuts, but you can find them all at www.pacificcentre.ca.
The big store anchoring downtown at 674 Granville St. is The Bay, aka Hudson's Bay Co., which has come a long way from trading furs and blankets. Aside from the usual large department store features, The Bay has a huge section of the main floor devoted to Winter Olympics merchandise. Get your hockey jersey here, or plush toys of the mascots, Quatchi, Miga, Sumi and Mukmuk.
Again, if the weather is decent, wander over to Robson Street and walk west from Howe. It's kind of a Pacific Centre, just stretched out along both sides of the street. Small ethnic restaurants and cafes abound along the street, often several side by side, such as the Indian, Japanese and Vietnamese trio we saw. As you get near the west end of the street, there's a nice grocery and deli called Capers Community Market. It's not a bad place to rest and have lunch.
Still want to shop? Take a bus south across the Granville Bridge and west toward the University of British Columbia. On the way, get off in the Kitsilano neighborhood, a hippy haven in the 1960s, now pretty much yuppified. Locals might argue, but it has a similarity to Robson Street. See what's there at www.kitsilano.ca.
Another option is Commercial Drive to the east of downtown, with a SkyTrain stop nearby. Once known as “Little Italy,” it's also home to many students, artists and writers. Find out more at www.commercial-drive.com.
More suggestions
Visit the Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St.,if only to see the Colosseum-style structure. Step inside and you'll find a little mall with shops and dining spots facing the library entrance across a roomy walkway. If you want to use an Internet terminal in the library, go to the information desk and get a temporary number and password. It's free. More about the library at www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca.
Take a bus across the Burrard Bridge to Vanier Park, where you can visit the Vancouver Museum (www.museumofvancouver.ca) and Maritime Museum (www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com). If you take the 44 bus, you can continue to the University of British Columbia and the Museum of Anthropology (www.moa.ubc.ca), featuring exhibits on peoples of the Northwest.
Take the SeaBus from downtown to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver, where you can visit another large public market, the North Vancouver Farmers Market (www.northshorefarmersmarkets.com).
Take an elevator ride to the observation deck of the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Center, across the street from Waterfront Station. Get a 360-degree view of the city, water and mountains.
And finally, a word about nightlife. It's not hard to find. As noted, Gastown has its share, but almost any large hotel in town has an associated lounge, and there are plenty of independent clubs as well. Vancouver's tourism bureau (www.tourismvancouver.com) has a pretty extensive list.
To help you in your revelry, Granville Mall, Robson, Beatty and Hamilton streets will be designated noon to midnight pedestrian-only corridors during the Olympics.
Ron Ramey, staff writer: 425-339-3443; ramey@heraldnet.com.
Maybe you're in Vancouver because someone near and dear to you loves winter sports, but you are bored to tears and looking for something else to do.
Cheer up. There really are other ways to entertain yourself that have nothing to do with hockey sticks, skis, skates or luges. (How often do you get to use “luge” in a conversation?)
Bearing in mind that this will be in February, very possibly wet and chilly, keeping your activities mostly indoors may be preferable. We'll work from that premise, and also hope you're wise enough to walk or use public transit (see related article on S8). So let's go.
See sea life
A great place to spend a few hours, Vancouver Aquarium is in the city's marvelous Stanley Park. If the weather is conducive, you can add a walk in the park or along the sea wall to your outing.
Right now the aquarium stars are the baby beluga whales and their moms. Cute and inquisitive, the calves also are learning to interact with trainers during daily programs for the public.
There's plenty more to see here, including some quite acrobatic dolphins, sea otters, sea lions and seals, with underwater viewing of all the sea mammals.
In association with the belugas, Canada's Arctic gallery lays out concerns for endangered species and effects of climate change.
Check out the new 4D Experience, where you can view 3-D films enhanced by wind, mist, scents and other special effects. Don't forget Treasures of the B.C. Coast and see what lives in the local waters.
There's a Tropic Zone, including colorful fish and insects, and an Amazon Rain Forest, with monkeys, butterflies, birds and headhunters. Just kidding about that last one.
By prior arrangement, you and your family can have close encounters with some of the marine mammals. Availability changes seasonally; call 604-659-3552.
You can reach Stanley Park from downtown on the number 19 bus, which takes you within a couple of hundred yards (or metres, as they say in Canada) of the aquarium, which is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
Adult admission is $22, $17 for seniors (65+) and youths (13-18) and $14 for children (4-12). Children age 3 and under get in free.
For more information, call 604-659-3400 or visit www.vanaqua.org.
Admire the art
An excellent place to get out of the rain and improve your mind as you dry out, The Vancouver Art Gallery stands pretty much in the center of downtown, on Robson Street between Howe and Hornsby streets. The impressive building and grounds take up a square block.
Inside are about 9,000 works of art, with extensive representation of Canadian artists, including a wing with works of Emily Carr, and many works by First Nations artists. The gallery also houses a significant collection of photo-based art from Canadians and international artists.
Special exhibitions are scheduled throughout the year. One that will be in the Gallery in February is “Visions of British Columbia: A Landscape Manual,” which includes historic landscapes, cityscapes and portraits in a variety of media.
Also in February, the Gallery's Robson Street facade will be converted to an outdoor theater with an LED screen showing works of international video artists from 5 p.m to 2 a.m. daily.
Regular Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (9 p.m. Tuesday). Adult admission is $19.50, seniors $14, children 5-12 $7, children 4 and under free.
For more information, call 604-662-4719 or go to www.vanartgallery.bc.ca.
If you want more art, you can stumble into small galleries all over the city. Just keep your eyes open. If native art interests you, for instance, there are the Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery, 312 Water St., and the Inuit Gallery, 206 Cambie St. Both are in the Gastown area, where there are nine other art galleries.
It's a gas
And speaking of Gastown, take time to explore this 45-acre neighborhood just east of Waterfront Station. Water Street is the main drag, but Trounce Alley and West Cordova Street are part of the scene.
There are, according to the Gastown Business Improvement Society, 82 retail shops, 37 restaurants, 11 galleries and eight bars/nightclubs.
And don't forget the steam clock at Water and Cambie streets, notoriously inaccurate but always entertaining to hear mark time intervals Big Ben style, but with steam whistles instead of bells.
Vancouver grew up out of Gastown, a rough waterfront neighborhood populated largely by loggers and millworkers. It owes its name to John Deighton, around whose saloon the area grew. Famous for his longwinded tales, Deighton became known as Gassy Jack. You can see his statue in Maple Tree Square at Water and Carrall streets.
You might not want to stray much farther east than Columbia Street in this area. It gets, shall we say, a little less genteel, perhaps more in the spirit of the original Gastown.
Find plenty of information on Gastown at www.gastown.org.
Below the bridge
Tucked under the south end of the Granville Bridge you'll find Granville Island (which is really a peninsula), another small area crammed with shopping and eating opportunities. The big public market is colorful and has everything, yes, from soup to nuts. You can wander through and assemble a terrific picnic from the offerings, assuming you don't want to dine in one of the 16 restaurants around the island.
Buildings outside the market house many craft businesses. You could clothe yourself, from hat to shoes, with handmade items, including jewelry. Furniture, toys — you can find just about any handcrafted product you might want.
If you're a shopaholic and want to get your kids into the habit, take them to the Kids Market, with shops such as Clownin' Around Magic, Beanstalk Bistro and The Hairloft/Princess Spa.
To get to Granville Island, you can catch the number 50 False Creek bus at Waterfront Station or at stops along Howe Street. It takes you closest to the island.
Other buses crossing Granville Bridge have stops within a 10-minute walk. You also can take an Aquabus or False Creek Ferry from several points along the north shore of False Creek to the Island.
Find more about Granville Island at www.granvilleisland.com, including information on tours of the public market.
Shop til you drop
Downtown Vancouver is stuffed with designer stores, big department stores, little boutiques and specialty shops. If the weather is too miserable to wander the streets, try Pacific Centre. Its main entrance is at Georgia and Howe streets, near the Vancouver Art Gallery. Too many places inside to mention, from upscale to Tim Horton's Donuts, but you can find them all at www.pacificcentre.ca.
The big store anchoring downtown at 674 Granville St. is The Bay, aka Hudson's Bay Co., which has come a long way from trading furs and blankets. Aside from the usual large department store features, The Bay has a huge section of the main floor devoted to Winter Olympics merchandise. Get your hockey jersey here, or plush toys of the mascots, Quatchi, Miga, Sumi and Mukmuk.
Again, if the weather is decent, wander over to Robson Street and walk west from Howe. It's kind of a Pacific Centre, just stretched out along both sides of the street. Small ethnic restaurants and cafes abound along the street, often several side by side, such as the Indian, Japanese and Vietnamese trio we saw. As you get near the west end of the street, there's a nice grocery and deli called Capers Community Market. It's not a bad place to rest and have lunch.
Still want to shop? Take a bus south across the Granville Bridge and west toward the University of British Columbia. On the way, get off in the Kitsilano neighborhood, a hippy haven in the 1960s, now pretty much yuppified. Locals might argue, but it has a similarity to Robson Street. See what's there at www.kitsilano.ca.
Another option is Commercial Drive to the east of downtown, with a SkyTrain stop nearby. Once known as “Little Italy,” it's also home to many students, artists and writers. Find out more at www.commercial-drive.com.
More suggestions
Visit the Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St.,if only to see the Colosseum-style structure. Step inside and you'll find a little mall with shops and dining spots facing the library entrance across a roomy walkway. If you want to use an Internet terminal in the library, go to the information desk and get a temporary number and password. It's free. More about the library at www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca.
Take a bus across the Burrard Bridge to Vanier Park, where you can visit the Vancouver Museum (www.museumofvancouver.ca) and Maritime Museum (www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com). If you take the 44 bus, you can continue to the University of British Columbia and the Museum of Anthropology (www.moa.ubc.ca), featuring exhibits on peoples of the Northwest.
Take the SeaBus from downtown to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver, where you can visit another large public market, the North Vancouver Farmers Market (www.northshorefarmersmarkets.com).
Take an elevator ride to the observation deck of the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Center, across the street from Waterfront Station. Get a 360-degree view of the city, water and mountains.
And finally, a word about nightlife. It's not hard to find. As noted, Gastown has its share, but almost any large hotel in town has an associated lounge, and there are plenty of independent clubs as well. Vancouver's tourism bureau (www.tourismvancouver.com) has a pretty extensive list.
To help you in your revelry, Granville Mall, Robson, Beatty and Hamilton streets will be designated noon to midnight pedestrian-only corridors during the Olympics.
Ron Ramey, staff writer: 425-339-3443; ramey@heraldnet.com.
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