I don't think you can walk on the beach from Kits to Jericho, but have to leave the beach and go back on the road
Jericho Beach --- sailing, wind-surfing, family crowds
Locarno Beach --- family/residential beach. Steep hill.
Spanish Banks East/West --- mix of family crowd and younger set The tide goes out REALLY far here, can walk halfway across, or so it seems, at lowest tide. Or maybe Locarno.
Tower Beach --- secluded beach between Spanish and Wreck, rocky, has some fishers hauling in nets.
Wreck Beach --- nude beach at UBC campus. To the left of the main trail is the commercial, busy area. To the right are some more secluded areas.
Downtown/Spanish Banks beaches
Sunset Beach/English Bay. great view.
Second Beach. Stanley Park. also others.
Walk down Commercial Street in the afternoon starting at 1st avenue and heading North. Continue to the waterfront and watch grain being loaded on ships, fish packing , etc., if you like that.
The world trade centre, Pacific Place, Canada Place. The Canadian Pavillion during Expo 86, this area is still worth a visit and hosts many conventions, special events including Canada Day (July 1) celebrations.
Take Sky Train, Sea Bus, between Lonsdale Quay and New Westminster Quay. (Also see the Transit section for more detail).
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Dance, theatre, movies etc.: check up-to-date listings in the Georgia Straight, which comes out every Thursday, is free, and can be found at many bars, record stores, 7-Elevens and Macs (24-hour food stores), drugstores, etc; or check the Thursday Vancouver Sun (Friday for movie reviews). The Sun has movie listings daily. The Hollywood, Starlight, Park, Paradise, Pacific Cinematheque, Varsity, UBC SUB films have the cheapest and/or best fare. Tickets for most major events can be charged by phone at (604) 280-4444. The film festival is in the early Fall at many of the above venues. Also see my festival list below. There are Omnimax theatres at Canada Place and at Science World.
Music: again, check the Georgia Straight, which is by far the best entertainment guide, for up-to-date listings, but here are some venues. Again, major concerts can be charged by phone at (604) 280-4444, but this will cost you a service charge, so it is often cheaper to get tickets at local record stores or at the door. [The Discorder monthly has more alternative band info. Terminal City, bi-weekly, is intermediate in tone, has more on the local and Washington state scene than the Straight, but is relatively new. The Thursday Vanouver Sun also has some space-limited info.]
classical and opera --- see what's on at the Orpheum, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, Vancouver East Cultural Centre, or UBC Music Department recital hall.
folk music --- the Vancouver Folk Festival is in late July. In the meantime, see what's playing at the W.I.S.E. Hall, 1882 Adanac, which puts on Rogue Folk Club events, plus Acoustic Connection events and monthly country dances and Irish ceilis. Call 736-3022 or 254-5858 for listings. Also, the Railway, ANZA club, Vancouver East Cultural centre and UBC grad centre often have concerts. For Irish music, go to the Blarneystone, the Unicorn, or the W.I.S.E. (Also, Luka Bloom plays the Commodore on Apr. 1.) [The Carribean Cafe in New Westminster has some Newfoundland Nights]
jazz --- the jazz festival is in mid-July. The best venues in the meantime are the Glass Slipper, Cafe Django, Alma Street Cafe, Cafe Bergman, Carnegie's, and sometimes the Commodore. [Also, the Hot Jazz Club?, may be members only.] The best part of the jazz festival is the free outdoor concerts in the Plaza of Nations, in Gastown, and on Granville Island. [New: Glass Slipper is moved to a former church with great acoustics, call for the new address (not in 1993 phone book). Hollywood North has some jazz.]
blues --- check out the Yale, especially the Sat. afternoon and Sunday night jams. However, this, and the Hotel California, are in a seedy area of town, at least after dark. Other blues bars include: Maximum Blues Pub, Hogan's Alley, Jake O'Grady's, the Fairview, Holywood North, the Lamplighter and sometimes the Arts Club Backstage lounge or the Commodore. Also the Rattlesnake Grill for acoustic dinner blues and the W.I.S.E. lounge, 1882 Adanac, west entrance, Sunday jam 4--8 for acoustic.
rock --- local and touring acts: Railway Club (intimate), Commodore (biggest in town, best dance floor), Town Pump, 86 Street. With the right band, the Commodore is my favourite, else the Railway Club is the best place, except it sometimes gets too smokey. To get into the Railway Club, just say you are a guest, meeting a member, and give my name if necessary. Else, just say you are a tourist in town for a few days, or tip, and they should let you in. Major touring acts play the PNE Coliseum, BC Place Stadium, or the Orpheum. [Update: 86 Street is now (Mar93) at least temporarily an all-ages gig. Other new clubs include the Hungry Eye, Cruel Elephant, Lunatic Fringe, Vogue, etc.]
Latin American --- check out La Quena, and the Latin Connection, and other places on Commercial Street, which also has lots of very good Italian restaurants and coffee bars and Latin American restaurants.
reggae --- Wed. nights at Graceland
metal --- Rock Cellar,...
Alternative, punk, house, hiphop, rave --- Cruel Elephant (live bands, some normal), Luv-a-Fair, Warehouse, Graceland, Twilight Zone.
Dance bars frequented by young UBC students --- UBC Pit pub, the Roxy, Notorious, Kits Pub, the Side Door... [Update: Pit has live music
Thursday nights]
Upscale dress code dance bars --- Richards on Richards, the Big Bam Boo, the Big Easy, Soft Rock Cafe, Shenanigans, Pelican Bay...
Pubs with good beer --- Culpepper's, Cheshire Cheese, UBC Grad Centre (has patio, in summer open M--F 1 p.m.--12, possibly more, phone 822-8954), Railway Club (more in rear bar), W.I.S.E. club, the King's Head, Blarneystone, the Jolly Taxpayer, Unicorn, Fringe, Fog and Suds (trendy), Jeremiah's, Jolly Taxpayer.
Pubs with good view: I think on top of the Pan Pacific there is a good one, and also in another hotel, on Denman.
comedy clubs --- Yuk Yuk's
piano bars --- O'Ryan's (Gastown), O'Doul's, others in hotels.
My favourites --- Railway, W.I.S.E., Yale, Commodore, UBC grad centre, Town Pump, Blarneystone, Jolly Taxpayer. The UBC grad centre pub has a nice patio and is near the Museum of Anthropology and Wreck Beach.
after hours --- The World. cab should know. near Seymour and Pacific. All-ages. Railway Club doorman or cabs may know other places or raves. [Also new place: 303 W. Hastings.] For regular bars, the W.I.S.E. members lounge, Railway and Fairview will serve you right up until 2 and don't kick you out until around 2:30.
cafe/bar/gaming places. The Soho Cafe and Automotive are new upscale pool halls, one with good coffees, the other with a license and occasional live bands. Bar None is a extremely popular new game bar, with a few pool tables, different game boards and tables, etc.
(I did get carried away with the pub listings, but that's because I appreciate live music and good beer, when I'm away from the office. I haven't been to any of the many strip clubs, gay bars and tough joints, so I won't recommend any --- although I hear that the Balmoral is the toughest place in town, if you want to get some souvenir scars. :-) But I hear it has good darts.) Addedum: regarding strip clubs, someone recommends the Cecil and the Flash One on Granville St, near the Yale, but there are lots more.
Neighbourhood pubs are open until midnight weeknights and Sunday, 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Many nightclubs close 1 a.m. weeknights and 2 a.m. (1:30 for the Yale) on weekends, midnight on Sundays. The Railway is open until 2 a.m. Mon.--Sat. There are probably some (often illegal) after hours clubs (these change all the time), cab drivers or fellow nightclubbers would probably know of some.
You can purchase alcohol only at BC Liquor stores, wine stores beer and wine stores attached to pubs and through off-sales from a bar. All sales must be completed by 11 p.m. The liquor stores are closed on Sundays, the others are usually open. Cab drivers might know of bootleggers.
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Chinese --- go to Chinatown, the On On, New Diamond, Pink Pearl, Won Ton House, Uncle Willy's, the Dynasty... A lot of the bigger places have dim sum on Sundays. Also, just walk through Chinatown and sample the wares, especially at the bakeries (Chinese filled buns) and the Won Ton House (pan-fried Chinese dumplings). There are also three Chinese restaurants at the Village near UBC. Lots of really good Hong Kong chefs around town.
Mexican --- Topanga, on 4th, or a place on Commercial (Mayan), or Pepita's downtown or Las Margaritas or Primo's on 12th, [or the Mayan (Yucatan) Tito Pepe's on Commercial, near WISE.]
Thai --- Thai House downtown, Montri's, Salathai on Cambie?, Malinee Try the Pnomh Penh for Cambodian.
Vietnamese --- Saigon on Broadway (best) or 4th, Green Valley?
Greek: Sympatico, Vassili's, Maria's, Romeo's, Alexi's, Orestes, Athenes, Xen's..., all in the Kitsilano area. Candia near UBC. Estia, near Granville Island, has a buffet.
Italian --- Villa Lupo?, Il Giardino, Zeppo's, Umberto's (several), Settebello (good pizza), some cheaper places along Commercial, Piccolo Mondo on Burrard.
vegetarian --- La Quena, Circling Dawn, Sweet Cherubim, Vegetarian Buddhist restaurant, the Naam (24 hour), Woodlands (buffet)
seafood --- the Only (downscale), the Cannery, Joe Fortes, Salmon House on the Hill, Kettle of Fish, Bud's Halibut and Chips, places in Stanley Park.
pizza --- some very good pizza by the slice places along Robson, Davie. Sympatico also makes good pizza. So does Settebello. Alexi's makes good deep dish pizza. Also Flying Wedge, Candia, Golden Boy's, UBC Pizza, Sasamat.
24 hour --- the Naam (veg), Benny's Bagels, the Bread Garden, the Vineyard (Greek), probably some Bino's and some downtown places too.
Indian --- there's a good place next to the XXX-theatre at Main and 7th Also a place (Natraj?) near 41st and Main (or Cambie?) has a good buffet. Also Heaven on Earth on 4th.
Japanese --- Tojo's is supposed to be the best, but is expensive. Raku, near UBC, is a very good new Japanese/Canadian cross.
Lebanese --- one of the Little Dar Lebanons, Elissar, or Cafe Beirut?
African --- there is a great Ethiopian place, Nyala, next to Black Swan Records and near Topanga. Also Kilimanjaro in Gastown.
Swiss ---the William Tell and the Cafe Grunhaus (both expensive) Also the Frog and Peach, near UBC (fairly expensive)
French --- Le Crocodile, Le Gavroche, Cote D'azur, Le Railcar (expensive), Chez Thierry, Bishop's, etc. [Bishop's has the rep]
British --- Culpepper's, King's Head, The Diner, Cheshire Cheese...
Latin American --- La Quena, Latin Quarter, and Brazilian and Mayan restaurants may be found on Commercial Drive between Broadway and Adanac. There is a great little Mexican chicken place, but it closes early.
Portuguese --- Chamine on Commercial, Fado on Broadway
Spanish --- La Bodega, other tapas places.
breakfast --- Sophie's Cosmic Cafe, Thorntree Cafe, Red Pepper, the Naam.
local favourites --- the Raintree (westcoast), Raku (Japanese/American). |
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