Took a Grayline Westcoast Sightseeing tour of the city. Housing costs are incredible here. According to our tour driver Rick, a downtown studio apartment rents for $2,000 to $2,500 Canadian a month. Right now, a Canadian dollar is worth about 75 cents U.S. He pointed out houses on our tour that looked like they were 1,500 - 2,000 square feet in a nice, but not particularly upscale, area. Said they sold for over a million dollars.
The first stop was Granville Island, a renovated industrial area that is now filled with markets, shops, and restaurants. You could spend more than the hour or so we were here. The Public Market is an amazing place where you can buy anything from local crafts to a wonderful assortment of food and groceries.
The tour continued through sections of the city: Chinatown, Gastown, the Sports Arenas, and Canada Place, from which we will sail on Tuesday.
Next stop was Stanley Park, a thousand acre city park northwest of the downtown area. We saw some beautiful flowers near the entrance. We will come back tomorrow and see those on foot. The stops on this tour were the totem pole display and Hallelujah Point, from where you could see the downtown skyline across Burrard Inlet and Coal Harbour.
The tour continued over the Lions Gate Bridge to the north shore and the Capilano Suspension Bridge, 450 feet long and 230 feet above the Capilano River. Quite a wobbly adventure walking across the bridge. Rick said this was Vancouver's predominant tourist attraction (I thought Stanley Park was a much better attraction).
Dinner was at Five Sails, in the Pan Pacific Hotel. Scallops, halibut, and salmon were all fantastic, as was the service. Recommended.
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