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So, my wife and I are evaluating several big, multi-cultural cities to "try them on" for a week each with option to live permanently. We've set our sights Vancouver. From photos and stuff it looks fantastic, reading about the multi-cultural population and environment, it seems like a good fit for my wife and I, who like to be out during the day and are virtual shut-ins at night
We've been looking at several neighborhoods to stay our week in Vancouver, and narrowed it down to three places in three different neighborhoods.
The first is by Yaletown area near Granville and Davie St. (from alot of discussion I searched through here, this seems to be the top choice, right?)
The second is across the bridge a few blocks from Vancouver General Hospital (I guess that's Kitsilano?)
The third is Near Coal Harbor in the shadow of the Westin Bayshore Hotel.
Ideally, we'd like a super-safe and secure place close enough to walk our way around to the fun places (fun meaning some light window shopping, going to the Granville Island market for provisions, city sightseeing, take in a museum, maybe strolling around the park or by the sea), and then retire in the early evening and marvel in a room with a view that will encompass everything Vancouver offers. I know, it'll cost us, but we know going in that our budget comprises mostly the place where we'll lay our heads.
We'll have car, too (saving money by driving up from Seattle instead of straight in to Vancouver), so we can drive down to Richmond for Daiso and other fun stuff in the Asian malls, and drive out to Capilano Bridge, too.
So, to all the locals or visitors of the area, what do you recommend for people as idiosyncratic and uncompromising as we? I hope the answer isn't "stay in and bolt your doors and nevermind coming to Vancouver" because that would be a real bummer
Hmmm, just like me...
Out of the three choices, Granville & Davie would easily be the least safe, especially at night. Being near the Bayshore Hotel will give you the best views and safest area by far and quietest at night, but too far to walk to Granville Island. That would be my first choice. Yaletown would be very nice, but a bit noisy at night due to the many restaurants and bars, and it is the choice for those in their 20's and 30's for some evening fun. Granville & Davie is not a good choice for Yaletown, you will need to move closer to the heart of Yaletown for a "more pleasing" Yaletown experience.
Kits would be nice but kinda far away from the fun stuff the city has to offer.
I feel based on your post that being by the Bayshore Hotel will provide the best scenery by far and you will still be able to walk to Stanley Park, as you would be beside it, as well as walk to Robson Street, the downtown core, shopping etc. And you will be very close to the Lions Gate Bridge, for quick access to the North Shore etc. Unless you guys are really into walking, Granville Island is a bit of a walk from there.
Cheers, Gordon.
Davie and Granville isn't unsafe... it's just immediately seedy/grungey in that college kid nightlife kind of way - lots of top 40 nightclubs that smell of stale beer, fake Irish pubs, backpacker hostels, cheap greasy pizza joints, random porn shops, random panhandler asking for spare change, and the sidewalk grime that goes along with a nightlife scene that caters to the lowest common denominator.
The distances however downtown are minimal (Granville & Davie to Yaletown takes less than 5 minutes)... so it's pretty much as close as you can be to Yaletown without literally staying in Yaletown. And the only hotel in Yaletown is Opus Hotel (which is fabulous, by the way). The Opus is on Davie and Hamilton - barely 4 blocks over - 400 meters - from Granville/Davie. You have to keep in mind that you often only have to walk one block over to have an entirely different setting. One block over from Granville and Davie (a mere 100 meters - spitting distance), it's an entirely different world - luxury condos and the beginning of residential Yaletown if you walk a block east, or uninspired commercial office towers and the beginning of the West End if you walk one block west.
The beauty of downtown is its walkability, and being able to practically circumnavigate the entire downtown peninsula (ie: Yaletown, the West End, Coal Harbour, Gastown) in the span of an hour. I can walk from Yaletown to English Bay beach in 30 minutes along the sea wall. Speaking of the sea wall, there are these great little water taxis - Aquabus and False Creek Ferry - where you can zip over to Granville Island easily.
It's just being immediately on Granville (Granville between Drake and Robson, I should specify), you're going to deal with drunken buffoons. And even then, it's moreso on weekend evenings (Granville is eerily quiet on a weekday morning). And yet, as a female in her late 20's, I walk by there all the time on my way to/from my home - personal safety is never an issue during my 4 years living in this neighbourhood. It only becomes an issue if you provoke the drunken idiots. And I suppose you can argue it's the "least safe, especially at night" because it's the only location out of your chosen three where you can encounter the drunken frat boys. But you can easily avoid it by choosing not to walk down Granville after 9pm on a weekend.
The VGH is not in Kitsilano, it's further east in an area I refer to as "Cambie", and to be honest, not an ideal location to base yourself out of if you're hoping to walk around and soak in the atsmophere. It's kind of away from all the action and suburban by nature, even though it's on a main public transit line, but really, not a good base if you want to walk around and get a sense of the city. It's a residential area with some services and restaurants along Broadway (the main corridor), but nothing noteworthy - very stripmall-ish by nature there. Visit it, certainly, but it wouldn't be my first choice for a visitor to base their view of the city, especially with the Canada Line (subway) construction along Cambie Street.
Kitsilano would be a 10 minute drive further down Broadway, and even then, you'd want to head 5-10 blocks north of Broadway to the real Kits action: Yew Street, W 4th Avenue, and Kits Beach. Please visit Kits, it's a great neighbourhood in the summer.
The Westin Bayshore will give you more of a resort kind of feel. It's on the Burrard Inlet waterfront which serves as an industrial port (ie: no beaches), transportation corridor for seaplanes and Alaska cruise ships, but it also has yachts and the waterfront restaurants. Yaletown also has yachts and waterfront restaurants, but the major difference in my opinion is that Coal Harbour caters to the tourists, whereas Yaletown exists for local yuppies. And there is no real shopping/restaurant stretch in Coal Harbour, other than the occasional restaurant on the waterfront... Yaletown meanwhile has several blocks of upscale boutiques and a pretty fantastic restaurant/lounge scene. Coal Harbour, with its beautiful waterfront, is beautiful... but you'll find yourself having to walk 10-15 minutes to walk to more lively areas with restaurants and shops.
The Westin Bayshore is fantastic though because Stanley Park is right next door, and you can escape the mulitmillion dollar condos easily... Robson Street is a 10 minute walk up the street (oh the chain stores! oh the restaurants!), as is Denman Street (the heart of the West End, in my opinion) which connects Coal Harbour to English Bay... takes 15 minutes to walk its entire length, and it's lined with tiny little hidden gem ethnic restaurants that cater to the locals moreso than the waterfront by the Westin Bayshore.
A car is more of a hindrance than a necessity while in Vancouver, especially if you choose to stay downtown (which I highly recommend). Every hotel charges for parking, the average rate is usually well above $15/night. All attractions charge for parking, and street parking is only free downtwn after 8pm (7 days a week). I would almost recommend taking Amtrak to Vancouver, take a cab to your hotel downtown, and getting around by walking, taxis and public transit. Now you're saving money!
Regardless of where you will stay, be aware of the city's high car break-in rate. Property crime is rampant, even in hotel parking garages that are "secure"... yes, even in "safe" neighbourhoods... and yes, even if your car is parked on some residential side street outside of downtown where surely you don't see any homeless or junkies. The best advice I can give is that you don't leave anything inside your car, ever, when you're not inside it yourselves. Ideally, rent a car when you need to leave the city and explore the outskirts... but even if you're checking out the fabulous Daiso at Aberdeen Mall (yes, I'm quite the fan!), you can easily get there by taking the frequent 98 B-line bus which connects downtown to Richmond (a 25 minute ride). Personally, I actually ditched my car after living downtown for 2 years, and I don't regret it. When I need one, I just rent one for the day. It's not often I do that.
Anyhow, let me know if you have further questions. Let me know if what I wrote makes sense. Hopefully I didn't scare you!
Last edited by Robynator; 06-16-2008 at 09:38 PM..
Anyway, thanks for the responses!
I guess I should also qualify: My wife and I are also not very fond of hotels. We were never really into the "no kitchen, no washer/dryer" thing in hotel rooms, so we do vacation rentals almost exclusively.
So, Yaletown is out for a good nights sleep in general? We're no party types (though we are both in our early 30s), and we cherish peace and quiet to a fault.
Also, a car is a must, unfortunately. It's the most economical solution for us, and the vacation rentals we've seen have either included underground parking free or for less than $10/night.
Looks more and more like West End by Coal Harbor is the way to go as far as covering great view, peace, accessibility, and security are concerned. I also see a Capers market is right down the street from the place we are thinking of staying. Yay for local organic food!
Anywhere you guys recommend other than Richmond, Capilano, Vancouver Art Museum, and (of course) West Hastings *cough cough* ? We have 6 days here, so give me the scoop!
Last edited by Cornerguy1; 06-19-2008 at 02:47 PM..
Reason: Discuss moderation issues by Direct Message
Well then, vacation rentals are another matter entirely! Yes, you're set then with a car and Coal Harbour would be great for you. For what it's worth, Coal Harbour also has an Urban Fare tucked away at the north end of Bute Street. There's a larger Urban Fare in Yaletown on Davie/Pacific... a Choice's Market on Richards/Davie. Kin's Market on Davie (by Thurlow) is actually my favourite place downtown for buying fruit/veggies - a lot of their stuff is from local farms, they have a good organic section, and it's all reasonably priced.
Skip Capilano and be a local - go to the free Lynn Canyon instead. Practically a carbon copy of the same suspension bridge, and a larger park to explore with more (easy) trails through the forest and along the canyon. Capilano is more of a tourist trap and they'll charge you $30 a person for entrance. Lynn Canyon is also in North Vancouver, just further east.
On the same day you go to Lynn Canyon, I recommend driving up Cypress Bowl Road for a (free) view over the city (instead of say, Grouse Mountain). Then drive along to Horseshoe Bay for a lunch. Go to Whytecliff Park for the view (a short drive from Horseshoe Bay village). Then take Marine Drive back to Vancouver and stop off at Lighthouse Park if you want a rainforest experience... or just continue along Marine drive back. It's a beautiful, scenic, coastal drive back into the city from Horseshoe Bay. All together it takes about 30 minutes to drive from Horseshoe Bay to the Lion's Gate Bridge into Vancouver.
West Hastings is not really a destination... office towers, banks, haute couture (Chanel/Dolce & Gabbana stores)... if you mean the Amsterdam Cafe which is down on Hastings/Cambie, that's the only real "cafe" there is in the city. Not the glitziest few blocks of the city, mind you. Not quite the infamous East Hastings, but you're getting into that neck of the woods. More of a novelty I suppose.
The Museum of Anthropology out at UBC campus would be a must-see. Once you're there, you may as well also visit the Nitobe Japanese Gardens across the street.
Van Dusen Gardens on Oak Street if you're seeking 55 acres of botanical gardens.
Commercial Drive (between Venables and Broadway) for a vibrant bohemian/cafe culture... it used to be the city's "Little Italy". While Italian immigrants have moved elsewhere, there are still some great old school Italian espresso bars there (complete with the old Italian men in the back rooms playing cards/watching Italian soccer teams on TV).
South Granville (between the Granville Street Bridge & W 16th Avenue) for tiny art galleries/boutiques/local shopping district. You can walk there from Granville Island. It's immediately east of Kitsilano.
When in Richmond, be sure to drive to the historic fishing village of Steveston which is in the south-west corner of the city. Very unlike anywhere else in Vancouver... lots to see & do. Public wharf, fish & chips, seafood restaurants along the boardwalk, the largest fishing fleet in Canada, historic sites (the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Museum - National Historic Site, the Britannia Heritage Shipyards, London Farm House, etc).
Oh, and Yaletown is a good place for a sleep, yes. I've been sleeping here for 4 years quite soundly! Lots of luxury condos and heritage lofts. If Yaletown does interest you, try to find a property off of Davie/Pacific (along the waterfront) or a heritage loft on Homer/Helmcken. Even a place along Richards Street or Homer Street would be great.
Oh, and Yaletown is a good place for a sleep, yes. I've been sleeping here for 4 years quite soundly! Lots of luxury condos and heritage lofts. If Yaletown does interest you, try to find a property off of Davie/Pacific (along the waterfront) or a heritage loft on Homer/Helmcken. Even a place along Richards Street or Homer Street would be great.
Thanks again for all your help with our trip, Robynator!
Mind if I pick your brain on a few more locations?
Since you live in Yaletown, how is the area right by (or it might be the actual building) at Urban Fare on Davie?
How about Wall centre (Sheraton)? There are some condos in that building that are for rent weekly as well. Is that a good area?
Thanks again for all your help with our trip, Robynator!
Mind if I pick your brain on a few more locations?
Since you live in Yaletown, how is the area right by (or it might be the actual building) at Urban Fare on Davie?
How about Wall centre (Sheraton)? There are some condos in that building that are for rent weekly as well. Is that a good area?
Thanks again!
No problem!
The block of Urban Fare is situated on Yaletown Marina (yachts, the little water taxis to Granville Island), and you'd be located in the heart of the residential part of Yaletown, with the Roundhouse community center across the street, restaurant (with excellent patios) around the corner (overlooking the water), and the seawall (where locals are jogging, strolling, walking their dogs, cycling). There are coffee shops on that block next to Urban Fare, a liquor store around the corner (grocery stores don't sell booze in most of Canada), and enough services and restaurants across the street to keep you occupied.
Here are some photos I took a few years ago in early spring of Yaletown, including the area around Urban Fare:
The Wall Centre is located further inland from the water along a busier street (Burrard) with the hospital across the street, the court house across the street, a huge movie theatre next door and office towers nearby. But you're equal distance from the shops/restaurants of Robson Street to the north, Davie Street (think local services/casual restaurants/grocery stores) to the south and trendy Yaletown to the west. Yes, it's a good area. You're not really in any particular neighbourhood there though... you're sort of in an area between neighbourhoods along a major transportation corridor. But I stress, distances are very small. You could walk from the Sheraton Wall Center to Urban Fare in 10 minutes.
Last edited by Robynator; 06-19-2008 at 06:31 PM..
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Let me know if what I wrote makes sense. Hopefully I didn't scare you!
