Fabulous Vancouver. Part 1.

Hi Everyone.

I had spent a little time in Vancouver many years ago and had always thought I would like to return some day and explore it some more and this I did.  The ICED Congress was a good excuse and I arrived early and left late and used the long hours of sunlight in the evenings to wander around and enjoy some of what Vancouver had to offer.

I arrived back in Portland from Alaska and had a day to wash clothes and pack summer clothes for Vancouver and then I was off again.  The Congress was held at the Westin Bayshore.  It's a very classy affair and it was miles beyond my budget so I had organised to stay at a little place that was about five   minutes walk form the Westin Bayshore.  It's called the Robson Suites and it was fantastic.  It was just off Robson St which is fairly central and I actually had a little suite with full kitchen, laundry, lounge, king size bed to get lost in and bathroom as well as a little sun room and shared verandah for my Tai Chi studio.   Across the road was a Safeway and in the next block was this fabulous market called Capers where you could buy scrumptious fruit and smoothies and bread and even some prepared meals.  So I didn't go hungry and I didn't have to eat out.  On top of all this the staff at the Robson Suites were so helpful in advising me about getting around Vancouver.  They were generous with their shuttle bus and gave me clear instructions about how to get back on public transport.

It must have been a great place to be during the Winter Olympics because, it seems to me, the people of Vancouver take advantage of every opportunity to have fun.  One day, I went to the Art Gallery to see an exhibition of Impressionists' sketches which, of course, I loved.  On the way I came across a Volkswagon beetle parked on the side of the road and a group of people jiving in a blocked off street.  Real toe tappin' stuff!  Everyone I spoke to was full of the joys of spring/summer and sunshine.  They have to make the most of it and they do.

You may already know this, but it never ceases to amaze me how many Starbucks coffee shops are in the US and Canada.  They're on almost every block.  I even saw two opposite each other at an intersection and they both had customers in them.  The Canadians have their own chain of coffee shops called Tim Hortons and they are really good.  Not so many of them but worth the effort to find them.

I discovered that my hotel was well placed for a number of reasons.

1. I could sleep in late and still make it to the Congress on time.
2. It was an easy walk to Stanley Park.
3. It was an easy walk to the West End and English Bay.  It was a reasonably easy walk to Downtown Vancouver.
4. There was easy access to public transport close by.

 Nevertheless, I walked my little legs off while I was there and, of course, got a little lost once or twice so adding to my walking.  Stanley Park is huge, about 400 acres.  It has bikeways and walk ways and a zoo and night time concerts and rose gardens and places of significance to the indigenous people and a lovely old Pavilion to rest and eat at and much more.

Pavilion SP

View north from Stanley Park

Queen Elizabeth Park is another beautiful place popular with wedding parties and such like.  It's set on a hill and overlooks Vancouver.

A long way from home.

As with most cities, The older parts of Vancouver were the most interesting and had the most character.  It seemed to me that there were a lot of apartments but maybe that was because I spent most time in the central Vancouver area.  I found that Downtown Vancouver is full of highrise buildings, a real concrete jungle and not their best feature.  Close by is West End with it's quiet, tree lined streets and English Bay with it's myriad of visitors and both make a nice contrast to the concrete jungle.

A leafy street in the West End