Features

Out In The Open In Vancouver

31 Aug 2007 by business traveller

A cityscape like Vancouver's doesn't happen by chance, says Brent Hannon who explored its green gems.

Pundits love to rave about Shanghai, and in doing so, they raid the thesaurus, filling their descriptions with adjectives, among them: vibrant! energetic! buzzing! But the one that stands out as the most over-used of all, is “post-modern”. Shanghai, we are told, is post-modern, ultra post-modern, or even, beyond post-modern.

Now, I live in Shanghai and, yes, it is energetic, vibrant and all that. But it is absolutely not post-modern. Shanghai is still struggling to become a 20th-century city; it is still building subway lines, freeways, office towers and apartment blocks, feats that most cities accomplished decades ago. Shanghai is just another city that is modernising in conventional ways. Post-modern can only happen after the construction is finished.

Which brings us to Vancouver. This jewel of a little town is everything Shanghai (or Hongkong) is not. Vancouver is quiet, clean and user-friendly; it is small, charming and liberal, with personal freedoms so pronounced that they offend even their American neighbours. The place is very well planned – a cityscape like this doesn’t happen by chance – with huge pieces of prime real estate devoted to parkland and public use. All these features qualify Vancouver as post-modern.

Then, there are the pathways that define the city, linking its restaurants and hotels with city neighbourhoods, sandy beaches and forested parks. These paths put people on their feet or on their bikes, and they take traffic off the streets and remove stress from people’s lives. The paths are supplemented by small ferries that serve key waterfront sites, making cars even less of a necessity.

Visitors from outside the city rave about these walking paths, downtown parks and tiny, frequent ferry services. That shows you how rare these features are. Restfulness is a big topic in the West these days, where people are rediscovering the need for natural beauty and peace in their daily lives. By virtue of its fine planning and its lucky location, Vancouver delivers restfulness in droves. “Asian visitors always appreciate how calm Vancouver is,” says Wendy Underwood, manager of international travel media relations for Tourism Vancouver. “We like to think of ourselves as a big metropolis, but we’re not.”

Some of the city’s restful serenity is mere luck. Rainy weather aside, the place is blessed with a fine location. The green peaks and deep ocean inlets on the north side of town deliver a healthy dose of natural beauty, and to the west and south are more bays, rivers and tree-covered islands. Talk about good feng shui.

But good luck is just one of the ingredients; the other one is foresight. Vancouver is the North American poster child for good urban planning. Cities like this don’t just happen; they are created, and the process is far from easy. Think of Hongkong Island for a moment. There, the entire waterfront has been snatched by developers, with nary a seaside sidewalk, let alone some park space, for the city’s residents. In Vancouver, it is just the opposite: the people have defeated the developers. Sightlines to the sea have been vigorously protected, and most major downtown streets deliver welcome views of the blue oceans and forested peaks that make the city so unique.

Huge swaths of downtown waterfront are public property, a ring of prime real estate devoted to greenery and beaches, to children and dogs and vacationers. David Lam Park, Sunset Beach, English Bay Beach and many others all sit on to-die-for real estate, to say nothing of Stanley Park, a 405-hectare chunk of wild parkland that is as big as downtown itself. It takes foresight and courage, especially with property prices rocketing skyward, to tell developers and banks and corporations – the moneyed classes who hold sway everywhere else –?to keep their hands off the public heritage. But there it is, for everyone to enjoy.

The best way to see post-modern Vancouver is on one of these wonderful foot and bicycle paths, which effortlessly link the downtown neighbourhoods: Chinatown, Gastown, Coal Harbour, the West End and Yaletown. Get yourself a bike, or a good pair of walking shoes, and join the people of Vancouver in their daily life.

Each of these neighbourhoods has a unique character, as do Granville Street with its nightclubs, Robson Street with its high-end shopping and Granville Island with its public market. The best bet is to choose a couple of neighbourhoods and explore. Chinatown hasn’t changed much over the years; it is still an old-school Asian district where an older generation of mainland immigrants lives and shops, and it still serves the best barbecue pork and beef-noodle soup around. Nearby Gastown, formerly a semi-derelict tourist area, is quickly acquiring more upscale bars and restaurants and boutiques.

The hottest downtown neighbourhood is Yaletown, a waterfront district that has surged onto the city’s consciousness as the epicentre of all things hip. Our walking tour of downtown started here, then jumped onto a ferry to Granville island and another ferry to Sunset Beach before proceeding along the West End streets and waterfront as far as our legs, or our bicycles, carried us.

But first, Yaletown. Surrounded by condos and filled with restaurants, tiny hotels, pubs, parks, bookstores, coffee shops and boutiques, Yaletown captures the essence of Vancouver. In its distant past, this was a warehouse district and its low-rise brick buildings and spacious loading docks have been retained, and by sheer luck, they make perfect patios for sun-drenched dining.

And, this being Vancouver, every patio is perpetually filled with carefree revellers. Some of these are visitors; tourism to the city has skyrocketed, despite the strong Canadian dollar. In good weather, the cheerful diners and drinkers lounge on the Yaletown patios all day, every day. “Yaletown doesn’t have the 5:05 syndrome, when everybody leaves and goes somewhere else,” says Erin Forber, sales coordinator of Opus Hotel, a lovely boutique property in the heart of Yaletown.

Naturally, Yaletown didn’t happen by chance. “Yaletown is a good example of what the city planners have done with Vancouver,” says Underwood. “You have boutiques, restaurants, pubs, bookstores and clubs, but you also have services, like post offices, banks and grocery stores.” In other words, unlike most downtown neighbourhoods in North America, people live here.

The whole 20-block Yaletown area is chock-a-block with entertainment: throw a rock in any direction and it’ll hit a brewpub, seafood restaurant, nightclub or coffee shop. For example, Yaletown Brewery will serve you a cappicola and mushroom pizza, or a teriyaki salmon burger with wasabi mayo and pickled ginger, along with a super hopped-up home-brewed IPA. At the other end of the spectrum is Goldfish, a very fancy seafood fusion joint that is the talk of the town. Think grilled halibut with coconut turmeric sauce, and kaffir lime mojitos, and you won’t be far wrong.

The spiritual heart of Yaletown is David Lam Park, a huge patch of green space that fronts the water and is filled with playgrounds and public art. Little boats pull up to David Lam Park from time to time; these are the sea buses, which ferry folks around False Creek, connecting Yaletown to Granville Island, Sunset Beach, Vanier Park and a few other places. Tickets are US$3.32, but US$16.14 will buy you 20 tickets.

The trip to Granville Island takes about 10 minutes and stops at the public market, a vast warren of fresh seafood, handmade candy and local produce, fish and chips, brewpubs and so on. The place is alive with street music, public performances, art classes and throngs of visitors soaking up its seaside location. Of particular interest is Edible British Columbia, a lush stall that sells only local produce, along with cooking demonstrations, walking tours, kayaking trips and other bespoke concierge services. “They can help you really experience the local culinary scene,” says Underwood.

Ah yes, the local culinary scene. It is hard to recommend restaurants in Vancouver because there are so many, and of such variety. But they do share something in common: most are reasonable, says foodie Tom Curry, a long-time Vancouver resident. “Fine dining here is still pretty cheap,” he says. “London, San Francisco and New York are still far more expensive.”

Vancouver is famous for seafood, of course, particularly halibut, salmon, dungeness crab, and fat wet scallops and oysters. But when it comes to cooking these fresh morsels, it all gets mixed up, says Curry. “Everyone talks about West Coast cuisine, but what is that?” he asks. “Lots of restaurants claim to be West Coast, and seafood is traditional here, and most of it is very good. But Vancouver is an immigrant town. It’s all about change. Most Greek restaurants are run by Turks, and most sushi restaurants are managed by Chinese. So the food changes here. The ingredients are different, and the diners are different. In Vancouver, the West Coast has its imprint on every style of food.”

Low prices aside, Vancouver has its other food-related quirks. For example, the 100 Mile Diet, which is now the North American diet du jour, was invented in Vancouver. Yes, adherents can only eat local food, nothing from beyond 100 miles. Raincity Grill, on Denman and Davie in the West End, is one of the originators of the menu. Meanwhile, C Restaurant, another upscale seafood palace, stresses sustainable fishing and buys single-river salmon and trusted scallops from friendly local fishermen.

Single river salmon? 100 Mile Diets? Even the city’s excesses – in the tourist districts, anyway – seem harmless and eccentric in an affluent, West Coast sort of way. Single river salmon must be Vancouver’s answer to the single malt whiskies and estate-bottled wines that other places boast about. By the way, all the food in Granville Island is trans-fat free. There’s probably not a trans-fat to be found anywhere north of the US border.

Next, we jump the sea bus from Granville Island to Sunset Beach, a west-facing strip of parkland filled with frisbees, dogs, roller skaters, bike riders and tai-chi practitioners. As mentioned, our trail is a long one, more than 40km; it passes through the distant beaches of Kitsilano, on the West Side, then loops down False Creek to Science World, then back through Yaletown and Sunset Beach and English Bay beach and on into Stanley Park. Or not: the trail can skip Stanley Park and snake its sinuous way straight to Coal Harbour, land of yachts, and home to Lift, with its fabulous views of the mountains and expensive seafood. And from there, it makes a virtuous loop back to the Heritage District and Gastown and Chinatown, more or less.

This is the heart of Vancouver, this ring of trail that winds along the city’s beaches and bays, loops into Stanley Park, through fields of grass, and stands of Cedar, Hemlock and Douglas Fir, and back. Pick any part of the trail, start exploring, and rest assured: close as you may feel to Mother Nature, you will never be more than 10 minutes from refreshment, liquid, seafood or otherwise.


WILD WILD BC

Capilano Suspension Bridge can support two fully loaded Boeing B747s, says the brochure, and a giant Douglas Fir tree crashed onto it last year and did no damage. But today, the bridge faces a much bigger challenge: it is groaning and creaking under the weight of countless American tourists.

Seventy-five metres below is the Capilano River, and perched in a nearby Cedar tree is a bald eagle, undeterred by the summer crowds. I am having trouble concentrating on the scenery, though, because with this many people on it, the bridge is rocking and swaying like Aretha Franklin. But a few minutes later, all is well. I have reached the far side, and entered the calm, shady rainforest, under the welcoming boughs of the signature northwest conifers: Red Cedar, Douglas Fir and Hemlock.

One of  Vancouver’s many virtues is its nearness to the mountains, especially the green peaks that loom above the north end of town. Capilano bridge is nestled in those peaks, just 15 minutes from downtown, and it provides a quick and easy taste of wild BC, plus home-made fudge and grilled salmon and native souvenirs.

The bridge has spanned this gorge since 1889, but the spectacular Treetops Adventure, a series of pathways suspended high above the forest floor, opened just four years ago. The swaying pathways are hitched to giant Douglas Firs, and we feel like hobbits as we stroll beneath the forest giants. From on high, the forest looks much different; alder and vine maples fight for sunlight on the forest floor, and beneath them, staking out the last remaining open spots, are sword ferns and mosses, growing on soft carpets of hemlock needles.

There is also a Cliff Walk that leans far out over the river, plus eco tours, totem poles and helpful signs explaining the area’s ecology, animals and history. And inevitably, there is the return trip on the bridge itself, still swaying under the weight of the summertime tourists. It’s all part of the fun at Capilano bridge.


FACT FILE

TRAVELLER'S TIP

Tourism Vancouver, at 200 Burrard Street, is much more than a collection of brochures. Here, along with the excellent free advice, you can change money, book tours and hotels, and buy theatre and music tickets (including half-price tickets to same-day events) or even a See Vancouver card, complete with microchip, that gets you into various attractions. For more information, visit www.tourismvancouver.com


POINTS ON THE MAP

C Restaurant
2-1600 Howe Street
tel 604 681 1164
www.crestaurant.com

Edible British Columbia
Unit 565, 1689 Johnston Street, Granville Island
tel 604 662 3606
www.edible-britishcolumbia.com

Goldfish Pacific Kitchen
1118 Mainland Street
tel 604 689 8318
www.goldfishpacifickitchen.com

Raincity Grill
1193 Denman Street
tel 604 685 7337
www.raincitygrill.com

Yaletown Brewing Company
1111 Mainland Street
tel 604 681 2739

VANCOUVER HOTELS

FAIRMONT

WHAT'S IT LIKE? A classic old railroad hotel that opened in 1939. Underwent a C$70 million (US$66.5 million) renovation in the mid-1990s.

WHERE IS IT? On West Georgia Street, in the middle of downtown Vancouver, equidistant from Chinatown, Yaletown and the West End.

HOW MANY ROOMS? 556 guestrooms and suites in various sizes that harken back to pre-airplane days.

ROOM FACILITIES: Room standards like ironing board and coffee maker. Some rooms connect to one another, and all have windows that really open.

DINING: Griffins has earned a reputation for its lavish buffets and fine views, while The Carvery features juicy Alberta beef prime rib sandwiches at lunchtime.

BARS: 900 West Lounge has that business-club feel to it. Has a selection of martinis and an extensive wine list.

BUSINESS FACILITIES: Light secretarial service and workstations in business centre. Internet access is chargeable; Wi-Fi in the lobby and public areas.

LEISURE FACILITIES: Health club, swimming pool and Absolute Spa deliver all the leisure that an average visitor could handle. Pets are welcome.

PRICE: Rooms start at about US$280 per night, depending on the season.

CONTACT: 900 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, Canada, tel 604 684 3131, www.fairmont.com/hotelvancouver/


OPUS

WHAT'S IT LIKE? A little cosy little boutique hotel that oozes Yaletown chic, the Opus is trendy but efficient, filled with friendly staff who get things done.

WHERE IS IT? In the heart of Yaletown, on the False Creek waterfront at the southeast tip of downtown Vancouver.

HOW MANY ROOMS? 96 rooms, each with a different personality ranging from modern and minimalist to artful and eclectric.

ROOM FACILITIES: Standard amenitities. Designs are different, and so are some bathrooms, which have wall-to-wall street-facing windows, curtains optional.

DINING: At Elixir, Chef Don Letendre takes a contemporary approach to classic French cuisine. Choose a room to suit your mood: bustling bistro, airy garden or plush velvet.

BARS: Opus Bar blends groovy lighting, designer furniture and glass-walled restrooms with innovative cocktails, fancy snacks and live DJ music.

BUSINESS FACILITIES: Business centre is open all day and has laster printer, fax photocopying and free high-speed internet. Wi-Fi: US$15 for 24 hours.

LEISURE FACILITIES: Opus has a small fitness centre, but like most boutique hotels it has no swimming pool, but Yaletown itself is leisure enough.

PRICE: Rack rate for a Standard Room starts at US$310, plus tax.

CONTACT: 322 Davie Street, Vancouver, Canada, tel 604 642 6787, www.opushotel.com


PACIFIC PALISADES

WHAT'S IT LIKE? A Kimpton Hotel that combines comfort and efficiency with a quirky personality, and also qualifies as a genunine bargain. Pets allowed.

WHERE IS IT? Toward the western end of Robson Street, just abobe Coal Harbour, and close to Denman Street and Stanley Park.

HOW MANY ROOMS? 233 rooms offering views of Robson Street, or Coal Harbour and the mountains.

ROOM FACILITIES: A kitchen with microwave, minibar, coffee maker, complimentary high-speed internet access and writing desk.

DINING: Zin Restaurant and Lounge serves West Coast ingredients in a variety of global styles, ranging from Indian to Vietnamese to Moroccan.

BARS: Zin also specialises in cocktails, which it calls Zintinis. Try the Key Lime Quickie, made from chilled vodka, triple sec and lime juice.

BUSINESS FACILITIES: Has a 24-hour business centre and six function rooms. Free Wi-Fi is available in the lobby and in Zin restaurant.

LEISURE FACILITIES: Yoga kits (available free of charge), spa service in-room, fitness centre, steam room and a four-metre-deep swimming pool.

PRICE: Rack rate for a Deluxe Room starts at US$220 during the summer high season.

CONTACT: 1277 Robson Street, Vancouver, Canada, tel 604 688 0461, www.pacificpalisadeshotel.com


WEDGEWOOD

WHAT'S IT LIKE? A classy, old-world boutique hotel with ornate décor and luxurious fittings. Its small size delivers very personal service.

WHERE IS IT? On the shopping streets of Robson and Burrard, and close to all the mjaor downtown attrations and businesses.

HOW MANY ROOMS? 83 rooms, all featuring owner Eleni Skalbania's personal design hallmarks. Views included.

ROOM FACILITIES: Flowers, fine antiques and original artworks adorn each room, and the penthouse suites have fireplaces and wet-bars; modern amenities.

DINING: Bacchus serves up a Vancourvery blend of West Coast ingredients combined with classic French preparations. Rich plush furniture and dark wood.

BARS: Bacchus Piano Lounge echoes to the sound of calssic peices and happy-hour fun, accompanied by high tea, wine and finger food.

BUSINESS FACILITIES: Complimentary use of business centre facilities, which includes internet access and standard secretarial services. No Wi-Fi.

LEISURE FACILITIES: The Spa offers aromatherapy, reflexology, cranial therapy, deep tissue, and dozens more. A small but well-equipped fitness centre.

PRICE: Standard Rooms from around US$250.

CONTACT: 845 Hornby Street, Vancouver, Canada, tel 604 689 7777, www.wedgewoodhotel.com


WESTIN BAYSHORE

WHAT'S IT LIKE? A modern glass and steel design that delivers a sense of space, plus polished comfort one would expect from a relatively new Westin hotel.

WHERE IS IT? On the Coal Harbour waterfront, a stone's throw from Stanley Park, and close to Denman Street and West End dining and shopping.

HOW MANY ROOMS? 511 rooms - 191 in the Tower Building and 320 in the Main. Westin Workout rooms available.

ROOM FACILITIES: Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors in Main Building rooms, Westin Heavenly Beds and internet. Heavenly Cribs and Heavenly Dog Beds on request.

DINING: Currents features creative menus and attentive service, while Seawall Bar and Grill has an awesome seaside patio and park, harbour and mountain views.

BARS: Cocktails, wine and northwest beer are available at both Currents and Seawall Bar and Grill.

BUSINESS FACILITIES: Forty high-tech meeting rooms, a business centre, Wi-Fi (available at a fee) and the largest ballroom in western Canada.

LEISURE FACILITIES: Reebok gym, indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, spas, massages, you name it. Stanley Park is just outside the back door.

PRICE: Summer rates from US$243 per night.

CONTACT: 1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver, Canada, tel 604 682 3377, www.westinbayshore.com

Loading comments...

Search Flight

See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls