February 26, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
Vancouver, Sightseeing Tours
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“Meet our moose – Saxel,” said one of the jovial ambassadors of Saxony Olympic House in Vancouver (aka the Tudor-style Vancouver Rowing Club). He then had me in stitches with his version of their special Olympia song – a real oompa anthem, normally performed by the band De Erbschleicher in the evenings, along with DJs, big screen coverage of the Games, Saxony beers and (meaty!) cuisine.
I’d decided to make a day of it, and renting a bike at one of the bicycle and skate shops on Denman Street in the West End, I pedaled off into one of the largest urban parks in North America – Stanley Park. Densely populated by giant cedar, hemlock and fir trees, its perimeter seawall offers amazing views of the city and North Shore mountains.
After Saxony House I continued round to the colourful set of totem poles (carved by various First Nations artists), then on to the Nine O’Clock Gun (a cannon that fires nightly) and the little Brockton Point Lighthouse.
Under the Lions Gate Bridge at Prospect Point, were lots of gaps where trees used to be – a grim reminder of the winter storm in 2006. At the café, a cheeky raccoon begged for scraps and I stopped to take photos of the elegant Siwash Rock that juts out of the sea around here.
Next I headed towards English Bay, passing the outdoor swimming pool. This was my cue to turn inland, passing the Lost Lagoon before arriving back at the West End.
One place I’d highly recommend in the Park, is the Vancouver Aquarium – if you have a couple of hours to spare – go and visit the belugas, sea otters and undersea creatures!
February 23, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
Vancouver, Sightseeing Tours
Find more information about Vancouver - Sightseeing Tours
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On the north banks of False Creek, at the colourful Concorde Place, sits the enormous white, ice-cube-like Maison du Quebec. Of all the cluster of Olympic pavilions in this area, I’ve found this to be the most accessible and have dropped in for beers and poutine without having to line up.
The atmosphere is friendly and buzzing, and by day I’ve caught a few acts on their stage, including Inuit artists Beatrice Deer and Etua Snowball. By night, their modern circus acts are hilarious – involving extras like cheeky nurses!
From Concorde Place, it’s a short walk to Vancouver’s exotic Chinatown, North America’s third largest. Stick to main, Pender and Keefer streets and browse shops selling the works from stinky dried fish and durian fruit to silks and Hello Kitty purses. Steamy-windowed wonton and dim sum restaurants are plentiful – one of my favourites is Hon’s Wun-Tun House on Keefer St. In the summer this area comes alive during weekend night markets.
For an hour or so of utter peace, the Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden is an oasis of calm amid its noisy surroundings. Located at Columbia & Keefer Streets, it’s full of Taoist symbolism, with gnarled pine trees, bamboo, turtles in jade green ponds and Ming Dynasty-style architecture.