We walked to the Vancouver Visitor Centre to decide what to do today. Folks there were very helpful. We decided on a hop on, hop off tour conducted by Landsea. Our tour bus yesterday was nice, but the Landsea buses were new double-deckers. Very nice.
We hopped off in Stanley Park at the first of three stops and walked among the flowers and along one of the trails. Hopped on the next bus and went to Prospect Point, where we had lunch and spent time looking at the ships and boats moving in and out of Burrard Inlet. We thought from the map that there was a lighthouse here, but it was down near the water--Prospect is atop a cliff--and accessible only by walking (or biking) the seawall path.
We hopped the next bus and rode to the Aquatic Centre. From here, we took a False Creek Ferry over to the Museum of Vancouver. Spent two hours going through the museum. Vancouver's history and trends through years is almost exactly like the U.S. The 1950s display looked like home I grew up in and was complete with a 1956 Ford Fairlane.
Back on the bus, we repeated most of the areas we saw on the tour yesterday and got back to our hotel just in time to grab a cab to head to the Trattoria Italian Kitchen in the Kitsilano section of town for dinner. Good meal.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Vancouver: Second Day
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.
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.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Vancouver: First Day
We got into Vancouver airport about 4:14 pm Pacific Time. On the ride to our hotel, we went through Granville Island, a shopping/eating area that is touted as one of the places to go in Vancouver. It looks interesting, a tourist-like small town on the edge of a big city, with lots of shops and restaurants. We're planning to go back there for a closer look on Monday.
We were pretty tired after getting to our hotel, but we still walked to Joey Bentall One, which was recommended by the hotel staff for dinner. Just a short two-block walk, but it gave us a feel for the city and a good dinner. The server was excellent and even took the time to write down some suggestions for things to do. So far, Vancouver looks like it will live up to its reputation as a friendly city. Hope we're acclimated to the time change tomorrow as it felt strange to be eating dinner at 10:00 pm Eastern Time.
We were pretty tired after getting to our hotel, but we still walked to Joey Bentall One, which was recommended by the hotel staff for dinner. Just a short two-block walk, but it gave us a feel for the city and a good dinner. The server was excellent and even took the time to write down some suggestions for things to do. So far, Vancouver looks like it will live up to its reputation as a friendly city. Hope we're acclimated to the time change tomorrow as it felt strange to be eating dinner at 10:00 pm Eastern Time.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Headed Out
Debbie and I leave Greenville-Spartanburg airport tomorrow morning at 9:15. We fly to Detroit, Seattle, and then Vancouver, arriving there about 7:25 pm ET. We're excited about the trip. I've never been on a cruise and it has been a long time since Debbie has.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
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