A Day in Vancouver - June 13, 2001

We woke to overcast skies and evidence that rain had fallen overnight.  We had breakfast in our room and were out the door about 9:00 am.  We walked west on Davie Street to Denman Street, another major restaurant area of Vancouver.  Drizzle started falling and we had to use our umbrellas for the first time of our road trip.  We turned west on Georgia Street and into beautiful Stanley Park.  This area is known as the West End of Vancouver.

We walked along the east edge of Stanley Park past the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Hallelujah Point, the Nine O’clock Gun, to Brockton Point Lighthouse.  Rain started coming down harder but coming from drought-stricken Texas, it sort of felt good.  At Brockton Point we cut back to the Indian totem poles and backtracked to where we entered Stanley Park.  The park is full of beautiful trees and many kinds of flowers making it one of the nicest city parks in existence.  Vancouver got its start as a logging town but much of the forests of this area were saved.

Back in the city we walked along the yacht clubs lining Coal Harbor with large apartment condominiums lining the shore.  Vancouver is very clean for a large city and very walkable.  I suspect it is very livable as well.  We walked past the float airplane terminal with several pontoon airplanes docked.  We saw a few take off and land but because of the weather flights were at a minimum.  The rain started to slack off and we were able to close our umbrellas.  We walked past the Vancouver Convention Center and Canada Place, the cruise ship terminal.  No cruise ships were in port this morning.

We were nearing the old, original part of Vancouver known as the neighborhood of Gastown, named after an 1860s sailor, gold prospector and tavern owner, Gassy Jack.  No, Jack Deighton wasn’t called that because he had gas but because he continuously talked a lot.  We inquired about where to eat and were guided to the Steam Works Pub.  We sampled their microbrew – Rita had a Lions Gate lager and I had their Signature ale.  Both tasted good and went down well with our tasty lunch.  After lunch we walked to a shop selling maple syrup products and bought gelatos sweetened with maple syrup.  Then a short block away we found the steam clock and further on a statue of Gassy Jack.  Gastown has several Victorian buildings converted to chic shops and pubs.

We were becoming weary and started walking back to our hotel.  We took Pender Street past the US Consulate and then took Thurlow Street across town and back to our hotel.  As we approached our hotel we could see patches of blue sky in the south.  We had quite a walk today and rested in our hotel room, watching the Vancouver Canucks get beat by the Boston Bruins.  As engrossed as I was in the game I managed to drag myself away and we went out to have a nice dinner at a Thai restaurant just around the corner.