Any recommendations for Vancouver? Heading there for a few days on my way home from Aus in a couple of weeks.
Fascinating place that is easy to love at face value but has a darker side too that is worth exploring if you’re into that sort of thing. I’d be inclined to have a good poke around.
Can’t recommend highly enough taking the bike tour as a start. Takes in all the things you’d expect including Stanley Park, but it’s where it starts to get interesting. Weaves through the original 1880’s settlement houses, then over to the early grand official buildings where there are some uncomfortable truths around development rights and conflict with indeginous people that despite attempts to brush under the carpet are not going away. Then past the big-bucks chintzy seafront flats built with Chinese and (allegedly) dirty Russian money, then onto beautiful Stanley Park with its Totem poles etc. Again, some paradoxes here, British Columbia is proud of its methods of power generation and very keen to present its green credentials (look at all the roof gardens on the flats), but at SP look across the bay to the immense number of ships exporting Canadian coal to be burned at power stations spewing their shit in Asia. They tend to keep rather quiet about that one.
A real controversial one though would be suggesting going to Downtown Eastside where the fentanyl crisis and political strategies is playing out on the streets with devastating affect. You question whether you should be there and have to handle that one very sensitively, but seeing that with your own eyes has to make you question everything. How you do that without being a gawping tourist I don’t know, but its something I felt I had to do and each person will have their own views on that. Regardless of your political leanings the decriminalisation and well-intended policies to supply safe drugs and their consequences are worth reading about before going there. At least the zombies don’t need to fund their habits so you can walk past without worrying about having your phone nicked and people can get to work so that’s erm, something I suppose. Jesus Christ, no wonder it’s a confusing place.
But for the traditionally touristy side, definitely Gastown for fun, eating, drinking etc. They’re very proud of the exceptional beers being produced there now so a good session with a sample rack of say 5 or 7 on the go is a must. Loads of similar bars but Steamworks is fantastic with about 20 on the go at any time and fantastic pub-type restaurant-standard food.
If you want to get out of the city for a bit, take the free Lonsdale ferry across to North Vancouver and go across the Capilano suspension bridge and you might as well be in the wilderness for your nature fix. All the treetop experiences and that sort of stuff there. Several other similar opportunities in VC which are relatively cheap and convenient for a day trip and worth a google.
So yeah, quite a place. Depends on how heavy you want to go and what you’re after. but I’d get stuck right in. It’ll be one to remember either way.
