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Visit No . 1 -May 4, 2006

Taking a Walk Through Vancouver


My first stop was Canada Place, an outstanding landmark and symbol of the city located on the waterfront of Burrard Inlet. With its distinctive architecture that mimics the vast expanse of white sails of a turn of the century "tall ship", it is appropriate that it is also the Cruise Ship Terminal that pours hundreds of thousands of tourists annually into this beautiful city. (Victoria is the next stop on the cruise ship circuit) There are also two huge hotels, the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Center, an I-Max Theatre and the prerequisite underground shopping center.

Most outstanding, both literally and figuratively, is the extension of Canada Place into Burrard Inlet which facilitates a spectacular panoramic view of the whole region. Looking across to the left, one can see the slopes of West Vancouver and just straight across the water is beautiful Vancouver North . Looking back, one has a splendid view towards the downtown. To the right, past the construction, towards Stanley Park is Coal Harbour with its Seawalk. Beautifully lined with stylish high-rise condominiums, it is one of Canada's great city vistas-at least in the top five--the other four are in Vancouver as well! It is here that we get an introduction to that which Vancouver is famous for-- a marriage between sea, mountains, spectacular cityscape, all of which are represented in disproportionate dimensions here, making for a scene full of impact and grandeur.

All that aside, the real reason I went to Canada Place is because there is a Tourist Office located here. (just follow the signs) Make sure you start your visit with a map in hand and from what I have seen, I like the map which is in the brochure of The Vancouver Trolley Company because it shows their route to the obviously most interesting sights. Having said that, I spent the rest of the day not following their route.

Speaking of panoramic views, close to Canada Place is Harbour Center with its Lookout Tower which gives a bird's eye view of all of Vancouver. For the sake of panoramic photos I should have make a visit but despite the fact that it was a sunny day there was a bit of haze so I will put this off for another visit. Besides, I hate paying for tourist attractions.

Just east of Canada Place is a sentimental favourite of mine, the old Canadian Pacific Railway Station (see: Victoria -The Empress Hotel) . Since the railway stopped carrying passengers a long time ago, it no longer serves that purpose but it has been restored and serves as a transportation hub. As a result, it is now the entry point for a variety of transportation means such as the Seabus Terminal which provides ferry service for passage across Burrard Inlet to Vancouver North. It is also the terminal for the West Coast Express (Vancouver's answer to Toronto's Go Train) and finally, near-by is Waterfront Station for the Skytrain (rapid transit system) which ironically at this point is not elevated but underground.

I chose to continue my tour by turning east to the historic Gastown district (as a result of Buenos Aires I am still tempted to say "barrio") located just two blocks from Canada Place, bordered by Water Street and Hastings St. (hopefully you picked up a brochure at the tourist office).

Similar to Old Montreal or Yorkville, it is a place to hang out and enjoy the atmosphere . It is famous for its galleries, cafes, loft studios, pubs and clubs. It is said to have gotten its name from a pioneer, John Deighton - - alias "Gassy Jack" of whom a statute is located at the other end of the district.

An historical plaque located in Gastown says "through the early 1900's Gastown was the commercial center of Vancouver. By the 1960's, it had become the centre of Vancouver's "Skid Road". In the early 1970's it was rehabilitated to its former stature"

Just as an aside, hopefully, at some point in the future, some travel blogger, like me, will be reporting about similar "good news" information found on some future historical plaque located in a part of Downtown Eastside which has become the present skid row (or road) area. Specifically this is the area on the north end of Main St. around Hastings St.

In Gastown, a new attraction since my last visit is Storyeum, which according to the brochure, is a theatrical adventure, live and underground . "Enter a massive lift and descend beneath the streets of Gastown (talk about "high overhead"), your tour guide will take you through seven historic passages in British Columbia's history". The tourist office sells tickets for most attractions at a discount so enquire it you are the type that plans ahead.

The main attraction is, and still remains, something that is absolutely free for your enjoyment. It is the turn of the century steam clock that stands at the corner of Water St. and Seymour. Beautiful in its appearance, majestic in its size and fascinating in its functionality, ultra unique in its presentation, it continues to fascinate tourists through the ages.

At this point it was my intention to take the Seabus across Burrard Inlet to Lonsbury Quay in Vancouver North and walk a few blocks to a German bakery which used to sell real "Laugen" (refers to a type of dough) Prezels as they are made in Stuttgart, Baden-Wuertemberg-the home of the real pretzels (until someone corrects me) . There is a German bakery here in Victoria but the only resemblance their pretzels have to the real "Laugen Pretzel" is the shape. Of course, other than the pretzels, the view I spoke of from the end of Canada Place is even better from the ferry, but considering the restrictions of a one-day visit I had to "lamantablamente" relinquish both on the pretzels and the view.

After a bit of lunch at historic Sinclair Place I walked south-west on Granville Street which almost passes for a pedestrian mall due to its wide, tree lined sidewalks. Come to think of it, that's what downtown Vancouver lacks, a good old pedestrian mall in the "genre" of avenida Florida, in Buenos Aires, or La Rue Neuve, in Brussels.

Taking this a step further, one has to face the reality of this beautiful city and that would be the many homeless people that one sees here. The creation of a pedestrian mall would perhaps be considered by city planners as too much of a magnet for people looking for a pleasant place to hang out . As I alluded to earlier, Vancouver is presently wrestling with how to retake the streets of parts of the Downtown Eastside from the economically disadvantaged and the drug dependently challenged in time for the approaching Winter Olympics. That would be the subject of another report as there are several interesting proposals and initiatives under way.

It is a long jump of the imagination from homelessness to my next topic.

In last Saturday's Vancouver Sun, I noticed a full page ad for España Condominiums located at International Village. It looked interesting as prices started at $232,800 for a one Bedroom and from $363,000 for a two Bedroom which for Vancouver would be relatively cheap. Unfortunately, I had forgotten the ad and the only thing I remembered was that it was near BC Place, otherwise known as GM Place.

As I headed south-east in that direction, my attention was drawn to a building which had a vague resemblance to the Roman Coliseum . It was striking, leading and incisive in architecture and it immediately caught my eye and curiosity. This could only be the work of a great visionary architect. I had to find out who was behind this striking landmark.

I was taken aback when I read "Vancouver Public Library" over the main entrance for, I have never seen a library like this before. Located at the corner of Robson and Homer, the glass covered Promenade which joins the library with the Federal Tower will immediately catch your attention with translucent beauty and line of vision. What is also unusual for a library is the liberal commercial mix which brings coffee shops etc. right in the vicinity of the library. It is a must see and I was not surprised to learn that among the architects was Moishe Safte, as the architects for the building were Moshe Safdie and Associates and Downs/Archimbault and Partners.

You may already know that Moshe Safdie had his hand in many spectacular projects including Habitat '67 built in Montreal for Expo 67, during which (no, I can't resist to mention it, at the risk of dating myself and making myself more irrelevant) I was a host at the Canadian Pavilion . It still ranks as my greatest travel experience, as a young student from the University of Windsor, Ontario, to be placed into the excitement of a World's Fair, in this most cosmopolitan of cities was unforgettable.

Other projects of Moshe Safdie were: the National Gallery and former City Hall in Ottawa, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts addition, the Quebec City Museum of Civilization, the Center for the Performing Arts in Vancouver (across from the library) as well as a rabbinical college and a master plan for the courtyard area surrounding the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

I am tempted to add the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec (across the Ottawa River from parliament) to that list, due to its uniqueness but that jewel belongs to Metis architect Douglas Cardinal. He is well known, particularly in Western Canada where among other things he was the architect for the Edmonton Space and Sciences Center. Internationally, he had a hand (albeit, a short hand) in the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington which is part of the Smithsonian Institution His website says: "He has been credited with having created an indigenous Canadian style of architecture with his curvilinear and organic buildings" .

While being sidetracked on architects and being in Western Canada I must give Arthur Erickson his due as well for his influence is ample here in the Vancouver area including Simon Fraser University, in Burnaby and Robson Square downtown, among others.

A more recent project of Arthur Erickson is the The Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington

Ripping myself away from this beauty, I eventually found myself at the corner of West Pender and Abbot St. where the sales center for España Condominiums was located. It must have been a slow day because as I walked into the sales office, four people jumped up and precipitated themselves in my direction. In a sign of submission, I raised both hands and disappointed them by saying: "I only want some information" which brought visible sags in their body language.

The one-bedroom (579 sq. ft.) which in the newspaper ad was "from $232,800" was now, on the price list, "from $283,293" and the 2 bed-room (835 sq . ft.) which was advertised "from $363,600" had jumped to starting price of $438,980. Any inquiries were brushed off with a "no longer available" comment.

However, as every project in Vancouver seems to be, it is spectacular and if you are interested you can have a look at: www.espanaliving.com. This one caught my attention because it is touted as "This is living in the village. Let España, influenced by the artistry of Spain, be your home stage". Who can resist that, especially since Spain is a country that I like a lot.

Just as an aside, I often mention commercial establishments in my reports and it may seem like I have a hidden agenda, but that is simply not the case as they reflects my interests at that particular moment. Commercial ventures are part of everyone's life and as such are fair game to comment upon.

I might also add that, a day in Vancouver means a cityscape that is punctuated by a myriad of spectacular condominium and rental projects because it is such a liveable, viable downtown .

Postscript:
Vancouver Sun, Saturday, May 6,2006
Espana in Vancouver "Buyers Snap up Eastside towers"
The story goes on to say that two-thirds of the units sold before the "grand opening" last weekend and 90% had sold by mid-week when I made my visit .....so much for my comments about it being a "slow day" for the sales staff.

This apparently is the third Downtown Eastside new-homes project this year to generate robust buyer acceptance. The other projects were the "33 Project" and the "Woodward's project" (536 units in the former Woodward's store) both are located close to the Espana project and they both sold out in the weekend following their launching. Such interest on the east side of Vancouver is of course good news for the city. As mentioned in the article "It's the go to area. A few years ago it was Yaletown (which I talk about later) now it is here."

Time was pressing, as I have to catch the last ferry for Victoria at 21:00 . This meant leaving the downtown at about 19:00 since I was not familiar with the connections and the how much time the bus would take to get back to Tsawwassan. Therefore, for my next order of business, it was high time to get going on the long scenic walk, along Robson St. to Denman to Davies and back to Grenville Street that would give an excellent slice of Vancouver downtown living.

Walking north-west on Robson, one finds a beautiful street with many trendy shops, cafes and the ever-present condominiums liberally sprinkled along its length.

Turning left on Denman St. is more of the same except for the lack of trendy shops but there is still a hustle and bustle that makes for interesting people watching.

As I was walking along Denman, I remembered that the controversial Dr. Hedy Fry is
the local member of parliament for this federal riding of Vancouver Centre. This morning (Friday) I was surprised to read in the paper that yesterday, around the time that I was walking Denmam St, . she was giving a news conference in nearby Stanley Park to announce her candidacy for the leadership of the federal Liberal party. Newspaper reporters were still grilling her about comments she made in the House of Commons a couple of years ago that some people in Prince George were burning crosses "as we speak". She admitted to having been in error but it is hard in politics to bury a gaffe.

This is also the riding in which Sven Robinson of the NDP, trying to revive his 25-year former career as an MP, presented himself as a candidate in the last federal election. It was a loss of memory as to whom an expensive diamond ring at an auction belonged to that caused him to resign his seat in the first place. The voters of Vancouver Center were not kind to him and Hedy Fry was re-elected.

Walking along Denman into the bright afternoon sun, I found myself on the sands of famous English Bay. It was low tide, resulting in the exposure of a huge beach of fine sable sand which was liberally sprinkled with people in various stages of undress catching the last warm rays of the sun . When I use the word "undress" I don't mean Wreck Beach on the other side of the Bay which is a well-known nude beach, or as they say in the German mineral water spas- a "no textile" zone.

It is truly another one of Vancouver's spectacular spots as one looks down the beach of English Bay to the green splendour of Stanley Park to the north-west. Straight ahead across the Bay seems to be ocean but it is in fact the Georgia Strait which separates the mainland from Vancouver Island. The Seawall Promenade of course allows for access by foot, bicycle or roller blades to the entire waterfront for many, many kilometres and is a wonderful way to see Vancouver at least from the outside looking in.

My second to last turn was onto Davie St. which was my path back towards downtown. I walked by a twin tower apartment building in this area. Barbara and I had visited and selected this building, in the summer of 2004, as a potential place to live, as we had intended to move to Vancouver last year . This however was shelved after Barbara's decision to enter into the Orientation and Mobility Program for Visually Impaired Persons at Mohawk College in Brantford, Ontario last year. It is ironic that her program brought us out here to this beautiful part of the world as she had selected Victoria as her destination for doing her three-month practicum.

One cannot walk the area of Davie St. and to a lesser extent Denman without noticing that here is the largest gay community this side of San Francisco which of course makes for an interesting and vibrant community.

My last turn was back onto Granville St. in order to cross the Granville Street Bridge which goes over False Creek,an area which is a testament to what urban renewal can achieve.

This walk puts you again into one the top four city vistas in Canada. The bird's eye view of False Creek from high up is spectacular. This area known as Yaletown is punctuated by a multitude of super modern, ultra expensive, futuristic glass towers, that make the condo/apartment buildings in Ottawa (our home town) look architecturally challenged . One is left with the impression that this is second to none--says he, who has never seen Hong Kong or Shanghai! If the view of the "stalagmite-like" condos doesn't clinch it for you there is beautiful Granville Island below with its myriad of art studios, restaurant, the Emily Carr College of Art and marina spread below you. On the far side is the view of Vancouver gently rising up the slopes with terrace like neatness, one step at a time. If you still aren't convinced turn around and look at the forest of high-rise condos as you look toward West Vancouver. If you still haven't got the full picture, look carefully and you will see the snow covered slopes of Grouse Mountain, Vancouver's prime ski area. This is the spot that perhaps typifies the magnificence that is Vancouver if you take away the roaring traffic on the Granville Street Bridge and the cement factory that is on Granville Island just across from the most spectacular condos. O.K, so nothing is perfect, but it is pretty close.

False Creek, years ago was anything but a perfect place . In fact in the 1950 it was described as a filthy ditch good for being filled in. In the 1960's there was a push to clean up the creek which required the co-operation of the Canadian Pacific Railway which owned two-thirds of the land. Through a series of land swaps, land grants and co-operation between the CPR, the province and the city, the city ended up with control of the south shore of False Inlet.

This allowed the city to start an urban renewal plan much in the same way that Buenos Aires did in the Puerto Madero barrio. This was the old port that had become run down and neglected and overdue for urban renewal. Today after much restoration and construction, it is one of the most expensive and desirable areas of Buenos Aires to live in.

The consensus was unclear with respect to False Creek as to whether future development should lean towards industry or other types of development. In 1972 the pro-change group won the day and the recommendation was made for False Creek to become a mix of urban housing and for Granville Island to become an urban park . A huge task lay ahead in the cleaning up of the creeks industrial past. The next challenge was to get the right mix of residential housing with a futuristic sense of an abundance of parks and recreational paths and facilities.

On the creeks north side, the CPR rail yards were designated by the province as the future site of Expo 86, another World Fair destined for Canada. After the Expo 86 the entire area was bought by Li Ka-shing, one of the world's richest men which led to its present development as one of the most desirable areas in all of Vancouver.

Source for notes on False Creek:
http://www.discovervancouver.com/gvb/false-creek.asp

The only thing that remains of Expo 86 is the silver geodesic dome which has morphed into Science World located just beside BC Place.

My intent at this point was to continue my walk to Granville Island to do a little sight-seeing there, however at this point I had to face reality and find the bus stop for Bus No . 601 to start my trip back to Victoria.

So Granville Island and many other sites will have to wait for my next visit to Vancouver.

Some final observations:

I had anticipated, that being a sunny day it would be perfect for photography. However, I found with my digital camera it is difficult to shot photos were part of the picture is illuminated by sunlight and part is in the shadow. The shadow part often comes out too dark, as a result I only took pictures which had a lot of sun illumination resulting in whole sides of streets not being photographed. I don't know whether this a short coming of digital camera or my inability to properly use mine.

In conclusion, my visit to Vancouver lacked something and I think it was a lack of people. Today, being a work day took away some of the electricity that is in the air on a warm, sunny weekend day when the streets are full of people and activity . At least that's the memory that I have from my last visit two years ago.

For whatever reason, I also missed Victoria and the familiarity and routine which have been established there. Perhaps I have also gotten used to sharing everything with Barbara which we have done since my return from Argentina and her termination her studies in Brantford. Travelling on my own now does not seem to hold the same cache that it held in Argentina, where the style of travelling meant: moving on into the unknown on a daily basis, not investing a lot of time in planning and a budget level of accommodations (by my own choice). I like traveling in this manner it is obvious not everyone's cup of tea.

This morning (Friday), I headed for the library along the Inner Harbour, which I am starting to think more and more has got to be in the top ten sights in Canada (no, the other nine are not in Victoria) and then proceeded to walk through the Empress Hotel to get to Government Street. Once again on my route, this town worked its magic - I broke out into an involuntary smile and a general feeling of positive karma which I have gotten on a daily basis here. It's good to be back in Victoria-I can't believe I am saying this as I am generally a big city person.