English Bay, our first destination after 24 hours of trying to sleep off jet lag!
The secret is out, we (me and my three youngest) spent 2 weeks visiting with my mother in the very lovely city of Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada.) If you enjoy water, lots of it, together with the energy of a big city, cleanliness, consideration, and lots of interesting architecture both historic and modern, well Vancouver is the place for you! And once you step out to the city's parks and beaches you will see that the natives love their home too....it was so wonderful to see so many groups of friends and family gathering to enjoy the beautiful summer weather.
Love flowers and landscaping? You will not be disappointed, interesting flora is found everywhere, hanging abundantly overhead and spilling out of planters everywhere! And if you are someone, like me, who prefers to explore a city on foot, well Vancouver is perfect as the downtown can be traversed easily. If you plan to do lots of walking with kids in tow, it might be a good idea to do some training sessions beforehand, as my kids don't seem to have the same enthusiasm that I do for walking. Hopefully it will grow on them!
The coal harbor area combines a slick city vibe with gorgeous aquatic views......one of my favorite parts of the city.
False creek (this photo taken from the Cambie Street Bridge) has a much more laid back vibe, and there are lots of nice parks and fields for playing.......
At the end of False Creek is a science museum, which is kid oriented and lots of fun (according to my two sons who went there with my mother.)
One of the funnest ways to get acquinted with False Creek is on the cutest little ferry, called the Aquabus. We took the Aquabus to Granville Island, though there are quite a few stops.
At the mouth of False Creek you'll see this glorious bridge, Burrard Street Bridge, an art deco style, steel truss bridge constructed between 1930-1932. Love it!
And continuing with the historic vein, Vancouver's own mini flatiron building can be found in the neighborhood called Gas Town, a historic section right on the water front that was almost torn down!
Gas Town is also home to this famous steam operated clock, which blows steam in the form of a chime every half an hour.
Vancouver Lookout, a 360 degree indoor viewing deck located in teh Harbor Centre is a great way to see the city, from above, and your ticket is good for a full day, so go in the morning and then plan to return for sunset. Our feet were to sore to actually do this, but it sure sounded like a good idea at the time!
A view of Canada Place, the Rocky Mountains and North Vancouver from Vancouver Lookout.
And speaking of North Vancouver, why not hop on the commuter ferry to Lonsdale Quay at the terminal now housed in this historic train station, boasting a gorgeous lobby, sort of like a mini Grand Central Station.
Once in Londsdale Quay, you might enjoy the bustling market, or enjoy the view and then head back to downtown Vancouver. We actually did this little trip on British Columbia day, and all the public transporation was free, so I then convinced my kids to take a ride of the metro for some sight seeing, though that idea didn't go over so well, so we headed back home.
Vancouver has many interesting neighborhoods, including the old theater district on Granville Street, where businesses are encouraged to use neon signs as a nod to yesteryear.
Oh, and don't forget to look down when you're wondering around the streets of Yaletown, we enjoyed this leaf concrete stamp which was used all over the place in a playful and seemingly random way.
Thats it for your intro to Vancouver, fasten your seat belt as there are lots more photos to come!
