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Vancouver: a Natural BeautyA Roundup of Vancouver, B.C.By Julie TereshchukLet’s be frank– it rains a lot in Vancouver. So much that there’s even an ode to the climate set into a rock down at Heritage Harbour. However, just as the poem says, when the sun comes out all is forgiven. No wonder moviemakers – with their eye for a pretty face - flock to “Hollywood North”
The airport terminal itself does a good job of emphasizing the city's cornerstones: from the subtle splashing of fountains and smell of running water that pervades the international arrival hall to native artist Bill Reid’s strikingly rich green jade canoe sculpture, by the exit doors. Downtown Vancouver's busiest shopping street is Robson Street, in the heart of the Central Business District (CBD), which still maintains a lively atmosphere even after the high rise offices empty for the evening. A rich mélange of shopping, dining and entertainment attracts locals and visitors - many making the short walk from the giant ships docked at the Cruise Terminal. Before modern-day cruise ships and jet airliners brought tourists en masse to Vancouver, they arrived by rail. The Canadian Pacific Railway built soaring chateau-like hotels to accommodate their passengers in elegant comfort - and the Hotel Vancouver still thrives. The art-deco lobby with original tiling and light fixtures is home to a knowledgeable Concierge desk - where the recommendation to try Cin Cin, an Italian restaurant on Robson Street, hit the spot perfectly. The Concierge even produced a copy of the restaurant’s separate vegetarian menu from her file. At Cin Cin’s a flight of tiled stairs leads from the bustle of late-night shopping up to a dimly lit equally busy restaurant. The open kitchen and blazing wood oven look out over white linen covered tables in the dining room, and a small covered terrace, popular with diners on a fall Saturday evening. In the atrium lounge of the Four Seasons Hotel, a close neighbor to the Hotel Vancouver, spare more than a glance for the wall hanging by artist, See Loo – reproduced in miniature on the hotel’s room keys. The black hair of the animal hide background contrasts with the Inuit figures and native animals that cover the piece – a close inspection reveals pieces of whalebone used for faces, and fringed clothing made from a long-haired animal hide. Hotel guests enjoy the luxury of free shoe cleaning - rooms are stocked with bags that guests leave outside their door – and an overnight laundry service is also available. Another simple but effective touch – order your morning paper by using a door hanger: one side for the Vancouver Sun, the other side brings the Wall Street Journal – delivered in a Four Seasons bag, with the day’s weather forecast. The hotel provides employment for a host of nimble-fingered workers, who are able to rewind hairdryer cords, returning them to their brand new precision. The same workers probably roll the clean sweat towels in the health club – and then thoughtfully place them in the mini towel-refrigerator so patrons get an instant cool-down after hitting the tread mills, exercise bikes, stair stepper or free weights. For visitors on a budget, Vancouver has every major North American hotel chain. Many are located on Hornby Street, in a part of town where the streets are busy and safe. However, the area’s a brisk walk from the CBD and without its charm, sitting between the somewhat seedy West End and Yaletown districts. For drivers arriving from the airport, the area is easily accessible from the Granville Bridge. The Residence Inn by Marriott at 1234 Hornby Street, is a spotlessly clean all-suites hotel, where all rooms are studios, sleeping a maximum of 5. The hotel serves a hearty complimentary breakfast, which is sometimes mobbed by the tour groups that regularly flood the hotel, clogging the elevators that service the 21 floors and secure parking garage. The Landis Hotel, next door to the Residence Inn, is similar but all suites have 2 bedrooms. Things to do:Kitsilano Beach: The Kits (local shorthand for Kitsilano) neighborhood is relaxed: not slacker, not hippie, nor hip – simply relaxed. On a weekend morning, head south out of downtown across Burrard or Granville Bridge to West 4th and brunch at the inexpensive Sophie’s Cosmic Café: look for the giant knife and fork at the door. Treasures from countless garage sales and thrift shops decorate the diner-style restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Waddle away replete from the pancakes, or spice up the migas with their Cajun hot sauce. (2095 West 4th Ave, Vancouver V5Y 1G2 Tel: (604)732-6810
What takes 90 minutes (unless you’re super-fit), gets your heart pounding as if it’s about to burst, and then rewards you with one of the most exquisite panoramic views of Vancouver? The answer is, the aptly named “Grouse Grind” – a mountain trail and, if you’re reasonably fit, a dramatic alternative to riding the cable car up the closest mountain peak to downtown Vancouver. Grouse Mountain is just 10 minutes by car through Stanley Park, across Lions Gate Bridge, and up Capilano Road (home of the same-name suspension bridge, regularly packed with visitors). Parking for the trail is available at no charge in a small lot below the entrance, or there’s a metered parking lot at the cable-car rides.
With all the gorgeous scenery of Vancouver surrounding you, why would a visitor spend precious hours in a place unimaginatively called “The Museum of Anthropology” Drive out to the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus, spend 5 minutes in the Great Hall and you’ll be hooked. Two hours later, you’ll emerge from this treasure house of First Nations culture reeling from the sensory overload provided by the combined forces of the awesome world-class collection displayed in an architecturally stunning setting. Both historic and contemporary work is featured, including Bill Reid’s 1980 Raven sculpture, which tells the ancient First Nations story of how Raven coaxed the first men out of a giant clamshell. Apart from the host of poles, wooden carvings and dance masks on permanent display, there are also smaller galleries featuring special exhibits. The overall accessibility is impressive: apart from being able to take photographs with little restriction, visitors can also view the Museum’s stack of archival materials, which are on open display.
Entrance to the Nitobe can be combined with UBC’s Botanical Garden, a short drive east along SW Marine Drive. Parts of the Botanical Garden are left to grow wild, while others are more cultivated and formal. The 70 acres is a true botanical garden, designed primarily for education and research, and includes a British Columbia Native Garden, a Food Garden, an Asian Garden and a Physick Garden – growing traditional medicinal plants.
Interpretive guides in period costume bring alive the reconstructed site, which had its heyday between 1839 and 1858. The blacksmith’s shop has a working forge, where the blazing fire is stoked with bellows of the period, and a guide hammered a metal rod into a door hook on the worn anvil. Barrels were vital for the business of the Fort, as local produce such as salmon and cranberries was traded as far away as Hawaii. The barrel making process demonstrated in the Cooperage seemed too complex and skilful for a product that although in high demand was a lowly packing material. In the Storehouse visitors come face to face with the most important commodities traded at the fort – including furs, anything made of iron (highly prized to the local peoples), and goods imported from England. Other buildings in the Fort are slowly being added and furnished – the Great House and the Residencies contrast the living quarters of the Chief Trader (equivalent of today’s CEO) and the Fort’s workers. Outdoor exhibits include panning for gold. Fort Langley is 1 hour east of Vancouver, close to the shores of the Fraser River. Views across the valley to the twin peaks in Golden Ears Provincial Park have drawn artists to the area, settling among historic barns and homesteads. The township of Fort Langley is a charmer: try the coffee and browse the shelves in Wendel’s Bookstore and Café. Fish & Chips in White Rock:Head southwest from Fort Langley, through horse country that rivals Kentucky, and Mt. Baker looms, across the U.S. border. A stone’s throw from the Peace Arch border crossing, White Rock on Semiahmoo Bay is a quiet spot, with the flavor of an old-fashioned English seaside town. For a real taste, stop at Moby Dick’s on the front, for Fish & Chips, cooked to perfection in their secret-recipe batter. And don’t miss the hand-painted restrooms, featuring exuberant underwater scenes – mermen in the men’s, mermaids in the women’s. Moby Dick Seafood Restaurant: 15479 Marina Drive, White Rock V4B 1C9. Tel: (604)536-2424. About the author: Julie Tereshchuk, a freelance writer and photographer based in Austin, Texas, can be contacted at jt@jtworld.biz Images by Julie Tereshchuk |
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Visitors flying
into Canada's third-biggest city on a clear day can admire this natural
beauty: the mountains backing the compact city, that looks out over the
Georgia Straits and its scattered shoal of pine-clad islands dotting the
coastline.
Families and
singles relish Kits Beach. And no wonder – the beach is actually a string of
parks and beaches, including a doggie paradise where off-leash rules let
them frolic in a small cove off English Bay. There are tennis courts;
there’s volleyball on the beach and jogging on the path that winds along the
front. From the pay parking lot stroll east (right), admiring the
picture-perfect views of Vancouver, and you’ll soon come to Heritage Harbour
and 
Museum of
Anthropology, Nitobe Japanese Garden and UBC’s Botanical Garden:
As
a bonus, walk across the street and follow the signs for the
Fort Langley: Arriving at
