Vancouver- Port and Recreational Center
by Paul H. Green
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a large port and metropolitan area of over 2 million people. It is the center of embarking for Alaskan cruises and over 1 million people leave for cruises from Vancouver. Vancouver is located on a peninsula on the Pacific Ocean, by English Bay and the Fraser River, and is a young city even for North America. Large parts of the downtown were redeveloped in 1986 for the Expo '86 World's Fair. A former cargo pier was transformed into Canada Place, which copies the style and size of an ocean cruise ship. This complex has open deck space where you can see sensational views of the harbor, the Burrad Inlet, Stanley Park and the North Shore Mountains.
Vancouver shares a similar climate to the rest of the region from Seattle to the Alaskan panhandle, which means warm winters and cool summers, though somewhat warmer than farther north. Some of the outdoor activities are similar as well. There are several boat tours for the purpose of seeing the whales in the area. The Vancouver area is home to whales, sea lions, seals and other sea mammals. Birds such as eagles also make their home here. See www.vancouver.com for more information. Whale watching tours leave both from downtown Vancouver and also from the small fishing port of Steveston. The straits of Georgia, between Vancouver and Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands are places where excursion boats can regularly see whales and other sea creatures. These trips can take up a large portion of a day, with time left over to have dinner and relax at Canada Place.
Your second day in Vancouver can be used to tour the city. A location in Vancouver where one can get acquainted with its water loving tradition is the Vancouver Maritime Museum. There's even an exhibit there examining the history of the quixotic attempt to establish a Northwest Passage to China, and this is examined in works by a group of artists. There is an exhibit on the history of the port of Vancouver, now one of the largest in North America and on Vancouver's maritime tradition from the standpoint of nature and wildlife. Visit the Aquarium Marine Science Center, located in Stanley Park, where the huge tanks and pools have below water level windows for you to get a close-up look at beluga and humpback whales, seals, sea otters and other animals and fish. Then there are exhibits of fish and wildlife from all over the world. In the rainforest exhibit, the tropical jungle tank has famous aggressive fish like the piranha and also alligators and crocodiles. The Tropic Zone tank has various eels and even a few sharks.
Vancouver's Chinatown is one of the largest in North America. You can get there quickly from downtown, using Vancouver's Skytrain rapid transit system. It has been declared an historic district, and its architecture is patterned on that of Canton, China. There is a Chinese Cultural Center Museum and Archives which has the story of how the Chinese got to British Columbia and Vancouver. A fine example of Cantonese architecture can be found on West Pender St, in the Chinese Freemasons building. On one side there are the standard recess balconies and pagoda style roofs, while the façade of the other side is more in the Victorian tradition. Next, nearby on Carall St. is the Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden. This Ming style garden was built in 1986, with only traditional tools. Guided tours include lectures on the philosophy and the design of the garden.
Granville Island is an upscale place to hangout and relax. It's actually a 35-acre peninsula that is the home of art galleries, museums, a marina and parks. There is a ferry from the Vancouver Aquatic Science Center that will take you to the Granville Public Market. This is just a short ferry ride with the Aquabus, or False Creek Ferry, across the False Creek. The Public Market is in a large 50,000 square foot building with no chain stores at all. Fresh meat and fish is available from local vendors, and farmers. Some of the fruits and vegetables are sold from trucks outside the market. The outdoor truck market starts in May and runs until the winter.
Vancouver has also kept a direct connection to the outdoors both for sports and for the preservation of wildlife. See www.bcpassport.com/vancouver-adventure/outdoor-adventure/ski-conditions.aspx for information on skiing and other outdoor fun. Stanley Park is a 1,000 acre park that is only blocks from downtown. It is along the shore with an over 5-mile seawall path. There are also several totem poles on display that are works of the Kwakwaka'wakw, Haida and Nisga'a native peoples. In the background you can see the North Shore Mountains and in fact, Vancouver is scheduled to be the host of the 2010 Winter Olympics. There are several ski areas in the North Shore Mountains that are only a half-an-hour a way from downtown by car.