| Submitted by: David Dalton United States |
| Submission Date: 11 February 2005 |
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view restaurants --- English Bay Cafe, Raintree, Seasons in the Park, Salmon House on the Hill, Grouse Mountain Grouse Nest?, Harbour Centre, many hotels (one on Denman, also Pan Pacific), etc.
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BC place --- football, in season (fall) PNE Coliseum --- NHL hockey, playoffs starting soon (May) Nat Bailey Stadium --- professional baseball (AAA), not major league, outdoors. this is great for early evening or 'businessman's lunch' games. It has been rated as one of the top outdoor baseball diamonds in AAA ball.
Softball City, Surrey --- local softball leagues Swanguard Stadium ---- professional soccer rugby is often played on the UBC fields.
Tickets for most major entertainment and sporting events can be obtained by phoning (604) 280-4444.
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UBC Bookstore --- biggest but much of this is textbooks Duthie's books downtown and on 10th
Duthie's professional bookstore (on 7th?) White Dwarf (science fiction)
Michael Thompson (good for out of print) Banyen Books (new age)
Book Warehouse (discount) on Broadway, Fourth, and Robson. Pink Peppercorn (cookbooks only)
Travel Bug (travel books)
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cheapest: A&B Sound on Seymour Street, closely followed by SAM next door.
best local and alternative selection: Track (local, alternative), Highlife (local, reggae, Latin), Zulu (alternative, local, Canadian), Black Swan (folk, celtic, jazz), Festival Records (at VFMF office) (folk, international)
classical: Magic Flute, Sikora's
music stores: Rufus Guitar, Ward Music, Tom Lee Music Hall, ...
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A guidebook might be useful here, since I've never needed to use these and can't really strongly recommend any.
For places with more character, check the rates at the Wedgewood Hotel, the Granville Island Hotel and possibly the Sylvia Hotel. The Hotel Meridien has a good chocolate buffet, but may be expensive. The Hotel Vancouver is an old building with interesting architecture and is centrally located, but is probably expensive. The Ramada Inn on Broadway is probably reasonably priced, and has a good pub/blues bar on the ground floor. There are also some Holiday Inns and Best Westerns.
Downtown places such as the Hotel Granville, Sandman Inn, and the Blue Horizon Hotel (has a nightclub called Shenanigans) may be reasonable. The youth hostel, UBC conference housing (cheaper for students) and the YM/WCA are probably the cheapest. Of those, the UBC option may be the best, but the youth hostel would be cheaper and is close to a good beach. There are lots of cheap hotels on Granville and East Hastings, but many of them are a bit seedy. The Yale hotel has a blues bar on the ground floor, the Cecil has a strip club, and the Austin has a strip club and a sports bar. Many of the seedier hotels are frequented by prostitutes, are mainly rooming houses for welfare recipients, and (e.g. the Balmoral) have a tough clientele. However, some are probably ok. There are probably a few bed-and-breakfast places, but I don't have a list in front of me. The Yellow Pages might list some. There are plenty of very expensive hotels. The Pan Pacific probably has the best view and is located at Canada Place (now the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre.)
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Currently $1.50 for one zone during rush hour, or all zones otherwise. Includes electric and diesel buses, elevated rapid transit (Skytrain) to some of the suburbs, and the Seabus to North Vancouver (worth it for the view). Bus maps, schedules and information can be obtained from a kiosk at Georgia (or Robson?) and Granville, from public libraries, and Ticketmaster outlets (one in Eaton's). Bus tickets can also be obtained from most 7-11's, Safeways and some Macs. Day passes ($4.50) and monthly passes ($54) are also available. Some of the buses run from 5:30 or 6 a.m. until 3 or 3:30 a.m., but it is usually wise to check the schedule or phone BC Transit first. Skytrain shuts down around 1 a.m
From Marg Meikle: 'One thing I would add is that the Vancouver Trolley Co. or whatever that trolley bus is called--is good value. It's $15.00 for a day and you can get off and on as many times as you want--and it goes to all the regular tourist sposts except UBC. If you live here, they let you do it for $10.00 which beats parking if you are trying to schlepp people around and actually stop in a bunch of places. And B.C. Transit has as good deal on day passes too. The people at tourism b.c. on Melville St. are really helpful. (I've lived here all my life and still marvel at the stuff I don't know.)'
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Seabus (BC Transit) to North Vancouver
BC Ferries, to the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island, from Horseshoe Bay, reachable by bus. Royal Sealink a Vancouver harbour to Victoria direct, rapid private service that just started. Royal Hudson train/steamboat round trip, with meals. (to Squamish?) This is probably worth it.
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Winter Roots Music Festival (folk,roots) mid to late February
Festival du bois (French culture) Feb. or March, Mallairdeville
NHL playoffs (hockey) mid-April to June
Vancouver Children's Festival April or May
Mayworks early May
Music West conference/festival early May
Victoria Day Monday before or on May 24
Vancouver Writer's Festival fall?
Canada Day July 1
Sea Festival (family oriented) late June or early July
Vancouver Int'l Dragon Boat Festival early July?
Vancouver Folk Music Festival mid-July, Jericho Park, near youth hostel
Celtica Festival was held in 1990, but not since.
Vancouver Jazz Festival early July (weekend nearest July 1)
BC Day Aug. 1
Mission Folk Festival late July or early August
Stein Valley (Voices of the Wilderness) or Seabird Island festival: late July?
PNE Exhibition and Fair mid-August to Labour Day
Fringe Festival (small theatre groups) early to mid-September
Dancing on the Edge (dance) early September
(a poetry reading series often happens around the same time)
Vancouver Film Festival late-Sept. to mid-October
skating at Robson Square begins in late fall
skiing (downhill and cross country) late fall to late spring
First Night New Year's Eve outdoor festival
Chinese New Year February (moves, lunar)
I've probably missed a few --- there seems to be a festival of some kind almost every week. Also, the dates are from memory. In nearby Seattle there are a few major festivals, including Bumbershoot and Folklife, that are worth the three hour drive. In Penticton there is a Peach festival and in Kelowna there is a regatta in late summer. Both of these towns are in the Okanagan Valley, several hours drive away, on the way to Calgary.
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Shopping/Souvenirs
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I like neighbourhood shopping areas best:
Chinatown --- you can get some good bargains
West 10th Ave. --- between Discovery and Blanca, lots of small shops
West Broadway --- between MacDonald and Alma, produce stores, shops
also near Burrard there is a First Nations Craft store.
West 4th Avenue --- between Burrard and Balsalm, near Macdonald and near
Alma, lots of small shops. There is a nice handicapped crafts store near
the Russian centre.
Not far from Vanier Park, Museum/Planetarium, Kits Beach.
Browse the eclectic line of shops--kitchen gadgets, coffee
shops, pizzerias, clothing, bedding, etc. This was one of
the 60's hot spots--Canada's best answer to San Francisco's
North Beach area, and it still retains a [small] bit of that
'slightly off-centre' feeling. Buses (7 and 4) right down 4th
and back to the city centre.
UBC --- souvenirs at the Museum of Anthropology shop, SUB Thunderbird
Shop, or UBC Bookstore.
Granville Island --- the public market is good for food and food
related souvenirs. Otherwise, lots of tourist related shops.
Gastown --- lots of tourist (expensive) shops.
Robsonstrasse (along Robson) used to be European flavoured but
is now a cruising street, with lots of expensive fashion stores,
restaurants, and the like.
Granville Street has some small shops, which get seedy near the bridge.
There are some funky clothing/footwear/book stores there
Visit the Granville Square at the north end of Granville
street at lunchtime on a sunny day and mingle with a lively
bunch of workers ogling each other and the scenery. Some good
fast food lunches available from the storefronts there. Easy
walk from there to Gastown for the obligatory high-priced souvenirs.
Hastings has some shops from Granville to near Main, including
some pawnshops and discount department stores such as Fedco/Fields
and Army and Navy. It gets seedier the further east you go,
but could be a stop on the downtown--gastown--chinatown circuit.
The landmark head Woodward's, with the rooftop W, has been closed. |
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| Copyright © - "David Dalton" |
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