G
ganjavih
Guest
Here are some pics from my recent trip to Van City. It was my first trip back in about 8 or 9 years and my impression of the city has changed completely. While I was a bit underwhelmed when I visited in the late 90s, I was completely sold this time around. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe all the shiny new condos have diluted out the ugly slabs that dominated the skyline before. Granville street seems to have been cleaned up quite a bit. The city as a whole is very clean and tidy compared to Toronto. Chinatown is much more attractive than I remember it being. I had some great meals which I wasn't really expecting. The downtown core is a very attractive mix of old and new, and it was bustling despite the daily showers. I looked around for cheap-looking condos, exposed concrete, surface lots, etc. and none were to be found in the downtown core. It's strange, it's a younger city than Toronto yet it feels more mature and established. Perhaps it's the geography that encouraged smart planning and wise use of space... I dunno... but it seems they got their act together. And, cassius, I apologise, but I never got around to getting those townhouse pics you asked for... sorry! Anyhoo, here are the pics...
The Pacific Central Station. I caught the bus to Seattle here (photo tour to come).
The Burrard Bridge... one of the many bridges linking downtown to the rest of the city.
Granville Market
Typical VanCondos from Granville Island
Heritage District
Views from the Harbour Centre
Gastown
Chinatown
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Canada Place
Back up the Harbour Centre tower for some evening shots...
Hotel Vancouver and friend...
Inside Waterfront Station
Urban decay in Vancouver is much worse than anything I've seen in other major Canadian cities.
The beautiful Dominion Building
The Hudson, a nice little conversion. This historic building was being renovated and a tower added in this new condo project.
Vancouver's upscale Shaughnessy neighbourhood. Check out those mossy trees.
Whoa... check out this weird house. Quite a roof.
Queen Elizabeth Park... beautiful even in January. I don't think I saw a single poorly-maintained lawn in Vancouver... whether it be a park or front yard.
Hotel Vancouver by night...
One of the great meals I had was at this place, Bin 941. If you're ever in town, go there! It was one of the best meals I ever had and very affordable. I enjoyed it so much, I went back the next night.
The former Virgin Megastore, now HMV.
The Vancouver Art Gallery
Clubbing on Granville on a Saturday night
Downtown retail... including the historic HBC building.
One Wall Centre... wow, look what nice cladding can do! Paging Harry Stinson...
Funky old cab...
Funky old... whatever...
Hey look! They finish their condos in Vancouver... including cladding the roof elements.
It wasn't all fun and games though. The daily showers were really annoying... apparently it's been raining daily for the past couple of months or so. Their panhandling problem seems to be as bad if not worse than Toronto's. I was in town for about 2 minutes before I was harrassed for some change. There was also a particularly pushy hooker doing business just outside my hotel which was in a fairly good part of downtown. She would kindly offer her services when I would stroll over to the 7-11 for a late night snack... then offer again on my way back. I also wasn't too impressed with how long it took to get to UBC from downtown. It took me over an hour and I was a bit late for my meeting. The term "B-line", as the route was labelled on the map, was a bit misleading. A fellow at the university I spoke with who was a former Toronto resident was of the opinion that Vancouver's transit system really sucks compared to Toronto's. I didn't use it enough to say but the 30 minute frequencies for some of the lines in North Vancouver in the evenings were not cool... especially when you're waiting in the rain.
All in all, it was a fun trip and I have a new appreciation for the city. Hope you enjoyed the pics...
The Pacific Central Station. I caught the bus to Seattle here (photo tour to come).
The Burrard Bridge... one of the many bridges linking downtown to the rest of the city.
Granville Market
Typical VanCondos from Granville Island
Heritage District
Views from the Harbour Centre
Gastown
Chinatown
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Canada Place
Back up the Harbour Centre tower for some evening shots...
Hotel Vancouver and friend...
Inside Waterfront Station
Urban decay in Vancouver is much worse than anything I've seen in other major Canadian cities.
The beautiful Dominion Building
The Hudson, a nice little conversion. This historic building was being renovated and a tower added in this new condo project.
Vancouver's upscale Shaughnessy neighbourhood. Check out those mossy trees.
Whoa... check out this weird house. Quite a roof.
Queen Elizabeth Park... beautiful even in January. I don't think I saw a single poorly-maintained lawn in Vancouver... whether it be a park or front yard.
Hotel Vancouver by night...
One of the great meals I had was at this place, Bin 941. If you're ever in town, go there! It was one of the best meals I ever had and very affordable. I enjoyed it so much, I went back the next night.
The former Virgin Megastore, now HMV.
The Vancouver Art Gallery
Clubbing on Granville on a Saturday night
Downtown retail... including the historic HBC building.
One Wall Centre... wow, look what nice cladding can do! Paging Harry Stinson...
Funky old cab...
Funky old... whatever...
Hey look! They finish their condos in Vancouver... including cladding the roof elements.
It wasn't all fun and games though. The daily showers were really annoying... apparently it's been raining daily for the past couple of months or so. Their panhandling problem seems to be as bad if not worse than Toronto's. I was in town for about 2 minutes before I was harrassed for some change. There was also a particularly pushy hooker doing business just outside my hotel which was in a fairly good part of downtown. She would kindly offer her services when I would stroll over to the 7-11 for a late night snack... then offer again on my way back. I also wasn't too impressed with how long it took to get to UBC from downtown. It took me over an hour and I was a bit late for my meeting. The term "B-line", as the route was labelled on the map, was a bit misleading. A fellow at the university I spoke with who was a former Toronto resident was of the opinion that Vancouver's transit system really sucks compared to Toronto's. I didn't use it enough to say but the 30 minute frequencies for some of the lines in North Vancouver in the evenings were not cool... especially when you're waiting in the rain.
All in all, it was a fun trip and I have a new appreciation for the city. Hope you enjoyed the pics...