Vancouver

[irvington]

Years ago I visited Vancouver and went to the museum of anthropology (?). Is that still recommended?

[Putterdude]

Years ago I visited Vancouver and went to the museum of anthropology (?). Is that still recommended?

 

Very much so, it is definitely time well spent.

 

http://www.moa.ubc.ca/visitor/

[BCHappyGal]

1. Are the grizzly bears a guarantee - or are they know to inhabit the area & you are lucky if you get to see them?

 

2. My cruise ship docks at 7 a.m. (On Wednesday) & my train leaves at 5:45 p.m. - I know there is travel time & we will want to be at the train station well before the departure time, etc. Based on that caveat, will we have time to do either of these. I am leaning towards Lynn Valley - unless the grizzly bears are a guarantee!

 

The grizzlies live at Grouse Mtn in an enclosure. They were found as very young cubs beside Momma bears who had been killed and rather than put them down instead they created a habitat for them on Grouse Mtn.

[Pittypatbr]

I have similar time constraints - arrival downtown mid afternoon. I would enjoy the bicycles, but not all in my party of 4 would ride them. What transportation alternative do I have to see Stanley Park without spending a fortune on a HoHo for just a few hours?

[martincath]

I have similar time constraints - arrival downtown mid afternoon. I would enjoy the bicycles, but not all in my party of 4 would ride them. What transportation alternative do I have to see Stanley Park without spending a fortune on a HoHo for just a few hours?

There's a 'park only' HOHO route - priced currently at $10 per adult. Since bike rentals generally run about that price for a couple of hours, I'm pretty sure this shouldn't be within your definition of 'a fortune' ;)

 

Horse-drawn carriages (currently $30pp), bike paths, HOHOs and local Transit that pass through are all listed here:

 

http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/stanley/gettinghere.htm

 

You can use the #19 bus to get to the park from downtown, but if there are four of you a cab will probably cost the same or even less than transit per person (though depending on your other potential activities, how you plan to get in from the airport etc. a book of Faresavers or a Daypass could be a worthwhile investment - search for those terms on the board).

[Pittypatbr]

Thanks Martincath for the suggestions. The Stanley Park Shuttle park only hoho would be perfect, except it begins May 21 and we will be there May 11! The Vancouver trolley shuttle doesn't begin until June. So our only choice seems to be to take a bus or taxi to the park, and then take the horse drawn carriage for $60 a couple. And since I want to go to the aquarium, we would have to then walk back over there and pay that admission of $40. So the price would be well over $100 for 4 or so hours. Actually, since both the aquarium and the carriages close at 5 we would have to do one or the other. I just wish the Stanley Park Shuttle would begin operating a couple of weeks earlier!! I don't know if this is even worthwhile for our time frame. There is just no way we will be at our hotel before three, so any delay would cut into our window even more.

[TheCalicoCat]

The grizzly bears live a large, natural but fenced area so yes they are all but a guaranteed seeing. You could do both the mountain and the Lynn Canyon bridge if you budget your time. Unless you want to go zipliniing 2 to 3 hrs would be enough time for Grouse, unless you are going to do a lot of hiking, an hour at Lynn Valley suspension bridge would do it. If you were going to do it all by transit I would allow about 2 hrs which would have you downtown by 3 or 3:30 and then you are only 10 mins from the Amtrak station. If you are planning on renting a car you could shave 30 mins off the travel time.

 

As a footnote, if you were going to do the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse, that would be a slam dunk as the CSB is on the the same road as Grouse and you go right by it. While we locals prefer the Lynn Valley Bridge with its trails and alike while the Capilano bridge is particularly attractive to tourists.

 

http://www.grousemountain.com/wildlife-refuge/bear-cam

 

http://www.capbridge.com/

 

Are Bridge Delays something to worry about on a Wednesday? (Commuter traffic & such)

[Putterdude]

When you have to cross a bridge that can always be a concern however in the mid afternoon it shouldn't be a concern unless there is an accident on the bridge or a police incident (a suicidal person).

[scottbee]

Are Bridge Delays something to worry about on a Wednesday? (Commuter traffic & such)

 

They can be, but if you take Seabus/bus up to Capilano/Grouse; you bypass any potential issues on the Lions Gate Bridge. Seabus (which is a passenger ferry across burrard inlet) leaves every 10-15 minutes from the Waterfront Station complex, next door to Canada Place.

[martincath]

...The Stanley Park Shuttle park only hoho would be perfect, except it begins May 21 and we will be there May 11! ... So the price would be well over $100 for 4 or so hours.

 

Had a quick search of your other posts - downside to multiple queries is disjointed answers! - for a better understanding of your requirements and do have a suggestion that *might* work:

 

Vancouver Trolley Company offer a combo package of HOHO ticket plus attractions - in this case the relevant one is Tour + Stanley Park Attractions (both Aquarium and Carriage Tour) for $97.50 or less. The 2 days *do not* need to be consecutive so you could use the HOHO to get to the park, do the aquarium on day of arrival then do the carriage ride on your day of embarkation. I know you said you didn't want to do anything but board the ship that day, but you could easily get to the park, ride the carriage, back to hotel again within 3 hours total - you should even be able to leave your bags in your hotel room and check out after coming back from the park.

 

There's also hiring a car if your group don't all like bikes - it's $10 for a whole day of parking anywhere in Stanley Park so you can drive around, stop, walk around a bit, drive on and repeat as needed.

 

Lastly, if the bike dislike is because of 'too much work' you could rent a pair of tandems - as long as 2 of you are willing to do the lions share of pedaling maybe you can convince the other 2 to join you? ;)

[Pittypatbr]

Thanks, Martincath. I apologize for the double posts - I didn't even find the Canada section at first, but I will try not to do that any more! :o The combo package actually is a great idea. We just may try to do that. The tandem bikes sound like fun, too, so I will have to see what the others want to do. I appreciate the suggestions. :)

[martincath]

Thanks, Martincath. I apologize for the double posts - I didn't even find the Canada section at first, but I will try not to do that any more! :o The combo package actually is a great idea. We just may try to do that. The tandem bikes sound like fun, too, so I will have to see what the others want to do. I appreciate the suggestions. :)

No apology necessary. And congrats on 45 years of marriage - hope I'm still willing to take a tandem with the missus after that long together;)

[TallinnGirl]

This may be of interest to some who are traveling to Vancouver before the 30th of May...I bought ours yesteday

 

http://www.groupon.com/deals/vancouver-lookout-1?c=dnb&p=6

[Sally Forth]

Years ago I visited Vancouver and went to the museum of anthropology (?). Is that still recommended?

 

The Museum of Anthropology is still very much recommended. Take a few minutes to walk around the grounds, too. There is also a new museum at UBC called the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. They have a huge blue whale skeleton, and the story of the skeleton's discovery and transport is worth a visit.

http://beatymuseum.ubc.ca/ If you are traveling with kids, the museum has fun low-tech family days on Sundays in the summer.

 

It is an easy 10 minute (and pretty) walk across the street from the M of A up through the Rose Garden and along Main Mall, and if you ask someone, you could drop into Nitobe Gardens along the way, too. From the Beaty Museum it is a 10 minute walk back to the main UBC bus loop.

 

Viv

[irvington]

The Museum of Anthropology is still very much recommended. Take a few minutes to walk around the grounds, too. There is also a new museum at UBC called the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. They have a huge blue whale skeleton, and the story of the skeleton's discovery and transport is worth a visit.

http://beatymuseum.ubc.ca/ If you are traveling with kids, the museum has fun low-tech family days on Sundays in the summer.

 

It is an easy 10 minute (and pretty) walk across the street from the M of A up through the Rose Garden and along Main Mall, and if you ask someone, you could drop into Nitobe Gardens along the way, too. From the Beaty Museum it is a 10 minute walk back to the main UBC bus loop.

 

Viv

 

Wow -- looks neat. My kids would love it. We may have to plan another trip just to Vancouver.