Vancouver

sandboxw — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:33:39 +0000

Q: The city of Vancouver is hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. Is this a fun place to visit?

A: Indeed Olympic fever has hit the city of Vancouver. And why not? The Winter Olympic Games will take place here and in Whistler February 12 to 28, 2010 followed by the Paralympic Winter Games for athletes with disabilities March 12 to 21, 2010. Everywhere you go there is a reminder of this. It is estimated that the games will be attended by 2.3 million people and include 5,000 athletes and officials, 10,000 media and 14,000 volunteers.

Vancouver is the largest city in the province of British Columbia. It’s surrounded by water on three sides and is nestled alongside the Coast Mountain Range. Vancouver is home to spectacular natural scenery and a bustling metropolitan core, and boasts one of the mildest climates in Canada. The Greater Vancouver region is home to more than two million people in 21 municipalities, making it the third largest metropolitan area in Canada.

WHERE TO STAY: There are more than 24,000 rooms in Greater Vancouver and more than 13,000 in the downtown core. While the average rate is just over $120, rooms can go for as little as $60 or more than $1,000 a night. The best hotel deals are offered October through April. We were very fortunate to find the Rosedale on Robson (www.rosedaleonrobson.com).

Comfort, location, relaxation, entertainment, water and mountain views…the Rosedale on Robson (www.rosedaleonrobson.com) has it all! As historic Yaletown’s only all suite hotel, the Rosedale offers one and two bedroom suites for the price of a conventional hotel room. You can choose from an array of suites with two double beds or a queen. See a 21st floor suite, complete with a gorgeous patio, if available. The suites offer the comforts of home with fully equipped galley kitchens. For the businessperson, you can access high speed internet WiFi as well as ample workspace. If you need time to relax head to the indoor swimming pool or the second floor garden terrace. For the fitness minded, there is a second floor exercise area and equipment is at your disposal.

The hotel won the 2007 Globe and Mail Business for the Arts Award in the category of Best Arts/Entrepreneur Partnership in recognition of their outstanding leadership within the arts community. Nominated by Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, the hotel has supported their theatre programs as well as their International Writer’s Workshop.

Last year the hotel teamed up with Vancouver’s Norman Rothstein Theatre and served as the official hotel sponsor for the play Hana’s Suitcase and the 2008 Chutzpah! Festival, which celebrates the performing arts through the presentation of an outstanding array of local, national and international artists showcasing music, dance, theatre and comedy. Through its continued involvement with the Norman Rothstein Theatre, the hotel maintains its support of the Vancouver arts community with a focus on socially meaningful projects.

The hotel continues to play a large supporting role for the Tony Proudfoot Fund and the ALS Society of BC. Proudfoot is the former Montreal Alouette football player who was diagnosed last year with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He also played for the BC Lions during his career. Proudfoot created his Fund to raise awareness about ALS and help research into its mysterious ability to affect some athletes who have suffered head injuries.

The hotel is situated on the corner of Hamilton and Robson Streets in Vancouver’s turn-of-the-century Yaletown, a former warehouse district that has been converted into a hip and fresh destination. The Rosedale is perfect for the leisure traveller, being just steps away from the finest restaurants, shopping, galleries, live entertainment and sports Vancouver has to offer. The location is also convenient for those travelling on business, as it is just a few short blocks from the heart of the city’s financial district.

This hotel is comprised of 219 spacious suites, each with voice mail, data ports, pay-per-view movies and Nintendo.

The hotel offers complimentary coffee, tea, hot chocolate and freshly baked goods every morning in “Goody’s” from 6:30-9:30 a.m. Rosie’s on Robson Restaurant and Pub is very popular among locals stopping by for dinner before enjoying a night out at the theatre, concert, or hockey game.

Unique to the Rosedale on Robson is their event desk, which offers popular sports, theatre and concert packages. Other features include secure underground parking with in/out privileges, valet parking, and safety deposit boxes. Just steps away from the symphony, opera and live theatre, nearby venues include the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, Centre For Performing Arts, and the Orpheum and Vogue Theatres. Sports enthusiasts can walk to GM Place, home of the Vancouver Canucks, and BC Place, home of the BC Lions. Close by are Granville Island, Chinatown, Kitsilano, English Bay, Stanley Park, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain, Edgewater Casino, Vancouver Art Gallery, Telus World of Science, golf courses, and beautiful beaches.

For more information, visit their website at www.rosedaleonrobson.com or call Reservations at 604-689-8033 or toll-free at 1-800-661-8870.

WHAT TO DO: When I told people I was going to Vancouver those who have been there before insisted we make time to visit the TELUS World of Science and Science World (www.scienceworld.bc.ca), located at 1455 Quebec Street across the street from the Main Street/Science World Skytrain station. It features hundreds of interactive exhibits in five galleries. One involves a simulated wheelchair race where you get to test your upper body strength. Racing a wheelchair, we discover, requires you to use many muscles. Here we also learn about wheelchair posture. Racing wheelchairs, it turns out, can reach speeds of 32 km per hour on a flat course.

Science World’s exhibits are designed to engage and entertain a broad spectrum of people, from toddlers to senior citizens. Younger children may find a gallery like Kidspace most interesting, whereas adults might have more fun in a gallery like BodyWorks. Is my face symmetrical? What will I look like in 30 years? Where did I come from? These are just a few of the questions that the BodyWorks gallery has explored this year, allowing visitors to get a peek into what our bodies look like with powerful, interactive stations where they can stretch a rope out to see how long intestines are, capture their face on camera and watch themselves age and use their powers of observation to try to read facial expressions correctly.

Special exhibits come and go here all of the time. During our visit it was Disney: The Music Behind the Magic. It included rare artifacts, interpretive films, a game show testing your musical knowledge of Disney and the chance to create sound effects and remix Disney hits. The “Our World” Gallery investigated the resources we use every day. Science Theatre features a wide range of cultural and science shows. In the Sara Stern Gallery, you get to investigate the magic of the natural world. Check out the incredible bee hive. The Kidspace Gallery is geared towards youngsters aged two to six. For a mere $5 extra, you an enjoy an OmniImax film in one of the world’s largest dome screens and a sensational wrap-around digital sound system. We saw the film The Alps, which captures the incredible true story of a mountaineer on a personal journey to make peace with the mountain that killed his father.

At the Vancouver Aquarium (www.vanaqua.org) you come to face-to-fin with over 70,000 animals, including beluga whales, Steller sea lions, dolphins, seals and more! Enjoy the dolphin and whale shows, sea otter feeds, and shark dives. Free-roaming animals abound in their opular Amazon Gallery. Be sure to stop by their newest gallery that’s full of interactive exhibits and a children’s play learning area. For a unique hands-on adventure, ask about the Animal Encounters program. You can call their easy to remember phone number - 604.659.FISH

I always like to check out amusement parks. Located on the site of Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition (www.pne.ca) on East Hastings Street, the 15 acre Playland Amusement Park is a popular attraction. Open from late April through the end of September it has hosted millions of thrillseekers of all ages since it opened in 1910. The Park was named "Happy Land" in 1926 and remained on the original site until 1958, when it was moved to its present spot and re-opened under the name Playland. Previously owned by a number of parent companies, Playland became a division of the PNE family in July, 1993. Playland’s marquee attraction, the beloved 1958 Wooden Roller Coaster remains the most popular ride on the site and one of the most highly regarded wooden coasters in the world. Designed by the legendary ride construction team, Carl Phare and Walker LeRoy, the Playland Wooden Coaster rides over half a million thrillseekers annually. Now I must confess that I normally avoid rollercoasters. Nonetheless, I convinced my family to wait in line for a half hour. That first drop was incredibly frightening, but a major rush at the same time. I am glad I did it. Ditto for the flume, in which we all got soaked to the skin. Other popular rides include the wild mouse, hell’s gate, wave swinger, crazy beach party, the corkscew, rock climbing, the hellevator, the pirate ship and music express. The “Kids Playce” has a variety of tamer rides, including the merry-go-round, KC’s Raceway, dune buggies, the super slide, Pirate adventure, elephants,helicopters and honeybee express. There are the traditional carnival games, an arcade and plenty of food options. This place is a lot fun and I would highly recommend you spend the day there.

Cultus Lake Waterpark (www.cultus.com) is the leader in the waterpark industry on the West Coast. Whether you are on vacation or just taking a much needed break, watersliding is a great recreational activity. This is a family oriented park, providing guests with rides for all ages. For thrill seekers there are some extreme waterslides. Open Victoria Day to Labour Day, I spent the day there with my family. It was a one hour and 20 minute drive from downtown Vancouver to Chilliwack, but well worth the trip. Youthful general manager Paul Larsen has been there for 10 years and seen the park grow.

The first phase of their expansion opened in 2008 with the highlight being the Colossal Canyon, a family raft ride that is like no other. Our family went on this twice. It is quite a thriller. The same goes for the Valley of Fear, which includes one incredible drop that has you experiencing panic and a thrill at the same time. The 72 foot free fall and speed slide has you moving at a rapid pace. There are three other slides which are much tamer. For little ones, a much more sedate area exists. I found the adventure river, in which you travel in a circle on a small tube very relaxing. The two large hot tubs indeed warm you up. Cultus Lake is full of greenspace. You can find shade under trees or rent an umbrella. It is a great way to spend a warm summer day.

A brand new amenity building located on the west side of the park holds washroom facilities complete with change rooms and showers. Also located in this facility are family rooms, which are wheelchair friendly. At the end of the building is a new food service outlet, Pier 84 fish n’ chips. Recent expansion also included new walkways, planters, and shade structures, which aid in the resort feeling you get when you visit the park.

For families like mine which love the beach, Vancouver has plenty to offer in that area. Whether you’re looking for a stretch of sand to spread out and relax with a good book, an outdoor court to spike a volleyball, or a catwalk to strut your stuff, Vancouver’s got it. Our favorite spot was Third Beach in Stanley Park, where the tide often does not come up until mid afternoon. The water is fairly warm here. Just a bit up the road is Second Beach, which also has a large public swimming pool. Kitsilano Beach Park, located practically downtown, features one of the largest swimming pools I have ever seen

Snow seldom falls in the city, yet Vancouverites enjoy some of the best downhill and cross-country ski facilities in North America. The twinkling lights of the local ski mountains - Grouse Mountain, Cypress and Mount Seymour - attract the city’s residents and tourists alike, urging them to strap on snowboards, skis or snow shoes throughout winter months. And just two hours north, lay the twin internationally renowned ski mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb. This top ranked destination ski resort draws skiers from all over the world for downhill and helicopter skiing

If you are planning a summer visit to Vancouver, then you must include Theatre Under the Stars (www.tuts.ca) at the Malkin Bowl. The program’s best of Broadway musicals have been delighting audiences in Stanley Park since 1940. Every July and August they present two wonderful productions on alternating nights. The summer of 2008 featured Jesus Christ Superstar and Annie Get Your Gun on the stage. My family and I saw the former, purchasing our tickets online at www.ticketstonight.ca. This was a convenient choice since we were able to print them off the computer and avoid any lineups the night of the show. We got there a bit early and grabbed a light bite to eat in their small concession stand. Reserved tickets are $36 for adults and $34 for children versus $31 and $29 for general admission. We really enjoyed the experience of watching theatre “under the stars.” Here is a tip. Bring insect repellant so the flies don’t get to you. Jesus Christ Superstar, of course, is the first masterpiece from the legendary writing team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It exploded onto the scene in 1971 changing the world of musical theatre forever. Set in two acts it tells the story of the final seven days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, dramatizing Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem, the unrest caused by his preaching and popularity, his betrayal by Judas, the trial before Pontius Pilate, and his ultimate crucifixion. Stay tuned to their website to see what productions are planned for 2009.

If you are a baseball fans, then the months of June, July and August represent an opportunity for you to see some good old fashioned minor league ball. The Vancouver Canadians (www.canadiansbaseball.com) play out of the prettiest little ballpark in North America – 57 year old Nat Bailey Stadium. There are 5,100 seats here, everyone of them dandy. The Canadians are the short season rookie “A” ball affiliate of the major league Oakland Athletics.

DINING OUT: There are some superb restaurants in Vancouver. Here are two in particular I strongly recommend.

Bridges (www.bridgesrestaurant.com) was always one of my favorite spots when I used to frequent Vancouver for business a number of years ago. This restaurant has been a landmark on Vancouver’s waterfront for over 27 years.

Located next to the public market on historic Granville Island, Bridges serves the freshest seafood Vancouver has to offer. Set near the Arts Club Theatre and Maritime Market, Bridges offers magnificent views of Vancouver’s waterfront, mountains and city center. Bridges Dining Room, Bar, Bistro and outdoor dining are the quintessential summer experience in Vancouver. Served by public moorage, Aquabus and False Creek Ferries, Bridges is easily reached by the water and has hundreds of free parking stalls for automobile access. It is open daily, from 11 a.m. On the evening my party dined there we were seated on the patio.

Bridges operates a second floor dining room with 150 seats inside and a 40 seat terrace. On the main floor is a 120 seat bistro and a 100 seat bar with its own terrace. During the summer months they operate Vancouver’s largest patio, with a license for 300 seats on the waterfront. What do we recommend? Well for one thing you will probably need to go back more than once. Our party shared some appetizers: hot garlic prawns, the tuna duo and the sweet red pepper and spinach dish. We enjoyed their salad and then sampled the crab and halibut cake burger, the fresh halibut fish and chips, their signature smoked wild salmon pizza and their grilled wild BC sockeye salmon. For dessert we left room for the tiramisu, chocolate mousse cake and a ice cream sundae for the delighted child at the table.

The Mill Marine Bistro (www.millbistro.ca) is another “can’t miss” spot. Only 34 years of age, owner Daniel Frankel is already a veteran in the Vancouver hospitality business. As president, CEO and founder of the Daniel Hospitality Group, he and his management company oversee a growing number of operations, including the Mill, theStanley Park Pavilion, Stanley’s Parks Bar and Grill, the Prospect Point Lookout Complex in Stanley Park, the Mill Dock, Delilah’s Restaurant and Martini Bar, the Coal Harbour Café & Catering Operations and Danny’s Dogs & Shakes.

Frankel considers the Mill one of his flagship spots. And why not? He designed and built this place from scratch in 2003. It truly epitomizes the west coast casual dining scene, smack on the waterfront in Coal Harbour, overlooking the north shore mountains. I loved the Lotsa Lox pizza. It features wild BC smoked salmon, pesto goat cream cheese, green onions and capers. Other items worth sampling include the original Mill nachos, edamane (Japanese soy beans in the pod with rock salt), their variety of big salads, the BC Salmon Burger and some superb pastas, notably the chicken linguini and the penne primavera.

The Mill provides unobstructed views of the North Shore Mountains, the Burrard Inlet and Stanley Park. Its menu is inspired by fresh British Columbia produce and seasonal ingredients “We buy organic when we can,” Frankel says. The Bistro & Bar seats 60, and the patio can accommodate 200. It also offers Vancouver’s first and only boat-thru foodservice through its dock, The Mill Dock (Harbour Green).

GETTING AROUND: Vancouver’s road system and traffic are easier to handle than those of many other cities, but there are no freeways within the city, so traffic tends to move more slowly than cities with high-speed road systems. Unless you plan to travel outside of the downtown core, where most people get around by public transit, on foot or by taxi, you will not need a car. For travel outside the downtown area, options include public transit, car rentals, tour buses, taxis, or even limousines if you want to go in style!

Public transit can get you to many points of interest across the region relatively quickly and inexpensively by conventional buses, mini-bus "Community Shuttles," rapid "B-Line" services, a rail system called "SkyTrain" and even passenger ferries that offer a scenic trip across the inner harbour from downtown Vancouver to the North Shore. A commuter rail service, the West Coast Express, connects downtown Vancouver and Mission in the Fraser Valley each weekday morning and afternoon.

All of these transit services, plus the region’s major roads, are part of the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority, known as TransLink. TransLink’s fare system allows transit passengers to purchase a ticket for the number of zones they wish to cross and then easily transfer from one transit mode to another within those zones for up to 90 minutes on the same ticket. Books of transit tickets, called FareSavers, are available at retail outlets at a discount and can be validated for use any time. DayPasses provide unlimited travel for one day.

Log on to www.tourismvancouver.com for complete details about this great city.

Mike Cohen's Travels

Vancouver