Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite (part 2)

[xlxo]

Is it true that it is an easy short walk with wheeled luggage from Canada place where we get off the ship to Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel?

 

Is cab the best way to get to the Amtrak at 5:30am from this hotel?

Thanks

 

Yes it's an easy walk and quite feasible to roll luggage....

 

Cab is definitely the way to go to Amtrak regardless of time of day - the only alternative transport would be bus or Skytrain, both of which lack luggage space (the Canada Line to the airport is excellent for luggage, but other lines are designed with commuters in mind not tourists).

I agree it really depends on your luggage situation.... without luggage it's a 10 minute walk or just over 1/2 mile. Personally I would cab it as a heavy luggage traveler for about $10.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Pinnacle+Vancouver+Harbourfront+Hotel,+1133+W+Hastings+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6E+3T3/49.28809,-123.1119075/@49.2877022,-123.1181247,17z/am=t/data=!3m1!5s0x5486719d2fa2d817:0x8744a3435e0647f2!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x54867183ede22563:0x6760951648061853!2m2!1d-123.12071!2d49.288481!1m0!3e2

 

Another vote for cabbing to Amtrak at that time in the morning. About $14 for the carload on the taxi estimator...

http://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Vancouver&from=Pinnacle+Vancouver+Harbourfront+Hotel%2C+West+Hastings+Street%2C+Vancouver%2C+BC%2C+Canada&to=Pacific+Central+Station%2C+Station+Street%2C+Vancouver%2C+BC%2C+Canada&fromCoord=49.288481,-123.12071000000003&toCoord=49.273698,-123.097892

Edited May 6, 2015 by xlxo

[xlxo]

Also what's a good place to see the fireworks that won't be very rowdy, not be difficult to leave from afterwards, and not necessitate staking out all day to get a decent spot? And how do we easily get back to the hotel from there?

 

My fav spot to see the fireworks is on the Burrard bridge apex. Lots of photographers shoot from there because there is no sand to bury coolers of alcohol. Police are constantly going back on forth on the bridge for added security.

 

However some people I've taken there feel it's about a mile away from the barge. They want to get closer to the blast zone to feel the concussions.

 

Bring a radio to enjoy the music that's synced to the fireworks.

 

Another option are fireworks cruises. Board a boat and sail around the blast zone. Note getting back is slow as the harbor is heavily congested. Getting back to the hotel will be a challenge too as taxis and buses are in gridlock.

 

Another popular option is to book one of the hotels near Denman and Davie. Get a room overlooking the fireworks or a short walk from English Bay.

[Jim & Pat at Sea]

Arrive YVR Saturday on 8/22 about 8:00 PM; Sunday sailing on the Celebrity Infinity. Celebrity has used Ballantye pier, and hope they still do.

 

Looking for suggestions for a reasonable hotel for the night and your ideas on best transportion options (shuttle or taxi). Thanks! :)

[Newbcruiser1]

HOHO is a great value compared to any other bus tours, and depending where you're going it might just be possible to use for transport - e.g. an early dinner. Remember loop directions though, spending an hour going the long way seems foolish compared to saving $5-10 on cab fare IMO.

 

Transit in general is frequent and goes most anywhere downtown, but we have such a compact downtown core that the vast majority of attractions are quite walkable from each other. If you can walk five miles you could circle the whole of downtown. Bike rental is also popular, especially for Seawall/Stanley Park - you can get to anywhere that you could reach on foot and there are plenty of secure bike racks to lock up using the always-provided bike locks.

 

Best order and which places to prioritise depend on you and how you decide to travel - if using HOHO, do the places in order the HOHO visits to save backtracking inefficiently for example. Gastown & Yaletown (plus Chinatown, Kitsilano, Commercial Drive and other neighbourhoods) offer things to see, places to eat, shopping etc. but without more idea of your budget, tastes in food, desire to go buy lots of stuff etc. it's hard to say which areas would be best for you. Beaches are beaches, I guess if you want to sunbathe or swim in the ocean you should do it here instead of anywhere in Alaska!

 

Do have bad weather plans - while statistically July is dry and sunny, it's still the PNW so rain is always possible. Be flexible in when you hit indoor attractions, go do Grouse on the first clear day to ensure you maximise your value with good views.

 

Personally I always found the most tolerable place to go that did not involve being at least an hour early is Burrard Bridge.

 

Thanks for your advice, martincath! The 2-day HOHO Trolley ticket seems to be only $5 more than the 1-day if purchased online so I figured we could use it as our primary means of getting around for 2 of our 3 days?

 

What would you recommend in terms of activities if we hit a rainy day? Is the aquarium completely indoors? Aside from that, I'm at a loss!

 

And thank you for your tip of the fireworks from the Burrard bridge. It looks like it would be walkable from the Hyatt? Is there anywhere nearby with restrooms that you know of? How early do you think we would have to arrive to get a decent spot by the rail? A quick google search seems like the photography buffs are there with their tripods quite early! :cool:

 

My fav spot to see the fireworks is on the Burrard bridge apex.

 

Another option are fireworks cruises.

 

Another popular option is to book one of the hotels near Denman and Davie. Get a room overlooking the fireworks or a short walk from English Bay.

 

I think the bridge should be sufficiently close for us, especially if it keeps us away from the mass crowds! Thanks for your advice! I did a quick fireworks cruise search and they seem pretty pricey - I don't feel the need to be directly under them! :) And as we already have a hotel booked that wasn't cheap, I would hate to splurge on another room just for the fireworks. So Burrard Bridge it is! How early have you gone in the past to stake out a prime spot? Is there a restroom nearby at either end of the bridge?

[Newbcruiser1]

Arrive YVR Saturday on 8/22 about 8:00 PM; Sunday sailing on the Celebrity Infinity. Celebrity has used Ballantye pier, and hope they still do.

 

Looking for suggestions for a reasonable hotel for the night and your ideas on best transportion options (shuttle or taxi). Thanks! :)

 

You may want to take a look at the offerings on Hotwire! I got the Hyatt Regency in downtown Vancouver for only $198/night at the end of July - there are lots of restaurants nearby for dinner, and it seems to be in a good location if you want to explore Vancouver for a little bit on Sunday before boarding the Infinity. It's only 4.5 star hotel in the Coal Harbour/Stanley Park zone with amenities of free wifi, laundry service, and services for the hearing impaired, so it's easy to spot. Alternatively if you just want a place to sleep, perhaps others can steer you towards a decent airport-area hotel which would likely save you some money!

[Newbcruiser1]

I would get just one day HoHo, and do the bus trip up to Capilano on the other day. Kind of expensive but a great experience through the tree tops. Rent a bike to go round Stanley Park, perhaps. Bike rentals on Denman. The beaches are a good idea, as is Gastown though it is a tourist trap.;) If you go to Yaletown you can get the little water taxi across to Granville Island.

 

There is lots to do in and around downtown Vancouver, and lots of great places to eat, something to suit every taste.

 

Thanks, Lizzie! The HOHO trolley seems to be only $5 more for a 2-day ticket if purchased online which seems to make it a better deal, especially if we can find a way to use it for transportation without having to double-back on the route too much.

 

Unfortunately my biking skills are about 20 years out of date and I would hate to injure myself before this "cruise of a lifetime". Do you have any other great ways to see Stanley Park without breaking our legs in the process? Or at least the "must-see" areas of the park?

 

And just to confirm, to get to Granville Island, we would take the HOHO to Yaletown and then catch the water-taxi? Or would the HOHO somehow get us across?

 

Any recommendations from anyone on must-try restaurants? We would prefer not to break the bank in our 3-days there and are thinking maybe $60/day for food maximum. We know there's a Timmies and a McDonalds in the mall adjoining our hotel which we can use for inexpensive breakfasts/lunches/snacks if needed. We love sushi - any recommendations not far from the Hyatt? And we heard we need to try Japadog - any other street food we should put on our list? And what about dinners?

[martincath]

Arrive YVR Saturday on 8/22 about 8:00 PM; Sunday sailing on the Celebrity Infinity. Celebrity has used Ballantye pier, and hope they still do.

 

Looking for suggestions for a reasonable hotel for the night and your ideas on best transportion options (shuttle or taxi). Thanks! :)

First, nobody uses Ballantyne any more - it's being extensively worked on as part of Port Metro Vancouver's ongoing plans and will be 100% freight-only; last cruise season was the last season for Ballantyne (and good riddance IMO).

 

Second, if you want to be downtown there are no shuttles available from the airport to your hotel. Since cabs went fixed-rate ($31 to anywhere downtown except very close the Canada Place which is $35) they're now guaranteed to be a better rate than shuttles were anyway for 2 people (you can still get shuttles from airport hotels to Canada Place, $15pp and that's a milkrun around several hotels to fill up before coming downtown).

 

Airport area hotels do offer shuttles to/from YVR for free - the downside of the fixed rate cabs is that now a hotel near the airport is a minimum $20 ride, so if you stay in a budget hotel with just one vehicle, and it's in for repairs/refueling/just drove off with another guest and you don't want to wait 20mins or more your options are limited.

 

Personally with an 8pm ETA, I would still look at an airport hotel - if you are physically capable of rolling your own luggage around get one close by a Skytrain station and use that to come downtown next day. Bridgeport Station is optimal - no extra airport fee so only $4pp ($2.75 on weekends) to get downtown, Skytrain is faster than cab (although walk to the station may cancel this time advantage), and you can invest the cash saved from cab fare to store your luggage at the pier if you're too early for the Longshoremen to start loading.

 

Whether you Skytrain, cab or shuttle to the pier storing your bags allows you a nice unencumbered morning of touring Vancouver before boarding.

 

Another quite viable alternative is to use a tour company - e.g. LandSea - to pick you up at your YVR hotel, tour around the city with you and your suitcases, then drop you at the pier c.2pm where you can board nice & quickly as the crowds will have died down.

[martincath]

Various Qs, so I'm amalgamating into a single post:

 

Burrard Bridge - no restrooms. Unless you have teeny bladders though no need - fireworks really don't last that long, and arriving c. 9:45pm is enough to get somewhere with a view. It's a pretty long bridge, it's much less popular/well-known than other places to watch from - you want to be somewhere from the middle toward the far side, most folks who do come stay nearer the downtown side so I've always been able to get to the rail no problem just by walking further out.

 

HOHO - no extra charge for day 2 with any HOHO as far as I know. Unless there's been a change in policies, buying in advance includes 2 days for same cost as 1 day. Only walkup payment has the extra $5 for second day - with no real online discount, the 2nd day free is the encouragement to make people commit upfront to buying.

 

Stanley Park - if you use the Trolley, you'll get 7 stops inside the park anyway. Other HOHOs offer up to 6 stops. If you really, really want to see the park without physical effort then pay for the Park Shuttle - run by the trolley people, it has 15 stops for $10pp. Horse & carriage is $$$, doesn't see as much, but has the "Squeeeee! Horsies!!" angle going for it... other than these, you're walking (a lot - 400 hectares...), biking, or paying a cabbie to drive you around. Must See area - IMO, totem poles (better than any I've seen in Alaska, though not as many as the big parks up there), rose garden, Prospect Point, Beaver Lake, and basically the whole Seawall all around the outside (8km just for the park bits). You can rent adult tricycles if you're worried about falling off because you're stunned by the beauty of our scenery rather than just too lazy;-)

 

Aquarium - has some outdoor parts (incl dolphin show), but mostly indoors. All our galleries, museums, Science World make for indoor spots you can spend a few hours.

 

Granville Island - HOHOs all get you here. Some include a one-way ferry ticket, so you can hop off just outside the park and go straight to GI without having to loop around over bridges and to the museum 'campus' (three museums all close together, with nothing else so unless you want to see said museums kind of a waste of time...). You do have to walk a couple of hundred yards off the 'island' to the HOHO stop to reboard, but could buy your own ferry ticket to get back to the prior stop if you want to cut back on walking.

 

Food - thanks for actually listing a budget. No idea why people seem to hate listing what they're willing to spend, it's MUCH easier to home in on relevant reccos this way. With $60pp a day, the fact you're willing to hit Timmies & similar for brekky & lunch will help a lot. We are not a cheap town, especially compared to most US standards. A brekky combo with coffee & eats can be as little as $5, lunch you probably want to assume at least $10 without booze, leaving say $35 for a sitdown dinner to ensure you have tax&tip left. If you don't drink you can still afford many midrange dining options - if you want booze things get tight, as we have relatively huge Sin Taxes in BC...

 

Look at the menus of chains like Milestones, Earls, White Spot - there are branches around town, so doesn't matter whether you're near hotel or out & about.

 

Street food - Japadog definitely, and we do have quite a few food carts these days offering a variety of food from grilled cheese to aussie pies to Indian to fresh fish & game. My faves include Vij, Kaboom Box, Soho Road, Fresh+Local+Wild (smallest patio in the city, 3 seats!), Roaming Dragon (one of the first trucks).

 

Sushi-wise, a good combo of quality & value is at ShuRaku downtown. Other fishy places within budget would include most bars (for nice views, awesome patio try Tap & Barrel at the convention centre) and the very-fishy Fish Shack (some excellent deals on various days, fish & chips is always good - I find that they are excellent for simple, fresh items but lose quality when the food sounds fancy, e.g. regular slaw good but anything high-falutin' sounding like Asian Sweet & Sour slaw are weaksauce).

 

Swankier but able-to-stay-in-budget, if perhaps only just or by careful choices, consider:

The Wine Bar (wines by the ounce, lots of ~$5 nibbly dishes, same kitchen as fancy next-door Provence resto);

Cactus Club Cafe (spots at both English Bay and Convention Centre with great views - may need to split appies to stay in-budget, or have 2 appies as your meal - their prawn ravioli is one of my fave 'always on' local dishes);

Flying Pig (3 locations now, and their Happy Hour is one of the best in town - definite savings to be had);

Brix (very nice resto, but 'first seating' prix fixe still comes in at $29 and offers stellar value for the price - beautiful place, an indoor covered courtyard so you can sit 'outdoors' even when the liquid sunshine is pouring)

 

I think that covers all your Qs above - need to go make dinner now, I'll check back later in case I missed anything...

[Newbcruiser1]

 

HOHO - no extra charge for day 2 with any HOHO as far as I know. Unless there's been a change in policies, buying in advance includes 2 days for same cost as 1 day. Only walkup payment has the extra $5 for second day - with no real online discount, the 2nd day free is the encouragement to make people commit upfront to buying.

 

Stanley Park - if you use the Trolley, you'll get 7 stops inside the park anyway. Other HOHOs offer up to 6 stops. If you really, really want to see the park without physical effort then pay for the Park Shuttle - run by the trolley people, it has 15 stops for $10pp. Horse & carriage is $$$, doesn't see as much, but has the "Squeeeee! Horsies!!" angle going for it... other than these, you're walking (a lot - 400 hectares...), biking, or paying a cabbie to drive you around. Must See area - IMO, totem poles (better than any I've seen in Alaska, though not as many as the big parks up there), rose garden, Prospect Point, Beaver Lake, and basically the whole Seawall all around the outside (8km just for the park bits). You can rent adult tricycles if you're worried about falling off because you're stunned by the beauty of our scenery rather than just to laziness.

 

Granville Island - HOHOs all get you here. Some include a one-way ferry ticket, so you can hop off just outside the park and go straight to GI without having to loop around over bridges and to the museum 'campus' (three museums all close together, with nothing else so unless you want to see said museums kind of a waste of time...). You do have to walk a couple of hundred yards off the 'island' to the HOHO stop to reboard, but could buy your own ferry ticket to get back to the prior stop if you want to cut back on walking.

 

Food - thanks for actually listing a budget. No idea why people seem to hate listing what they're willing to spend, it's MUCH easier to home in on relevant reccos this way. With $60pp a day, the fact you're willing to hit Timmies & similar for brekky & lunch will help a lot. We are not a cheap town, especially compared to most US standards. A brekky combo with coffee & eats can be as little as $5, lunch you probably want to assume at least $10 without booze, leaving say $35 for a sitdown dinner to ensure you have tax&tip left. If you don't drink you can still afford many midrange dining options - if you want booze things get tight, as we have relatively huge Sin Taxes in BC...

 

Look at the menus of chains like Milestones, Earls, White Spot - there are branches around town, so doesn't matter whether you're near hotel or out & about.

 

Street food - Japadog definitely, and we do have quite a few food carts these days offering a variety of food from grilled cheese to aussie pies to Indian to fresh fish & game. My faves include Vij, Kaboom Box, Soho Road, Fresh+Local+Wild (smallest patio in the city, 3 seats!), Roaming Dragon (one of the first trucks).

 

Sushi-wise, a good combo of quality & value is at ShuRaku downtown. Other fishy places within budget would include most bars (for nice views, awesome patio try Tap & Barrel at the convention centre) and the very-fishy Fish Shack (some excellent deals on various days, fish & chips is always good - I find that they are excellent for simple, fresh items but lose quality when the food sounds fancy, e.g. regular slaw good but anything high-falutin' sounding like Asian Sweet & Sour slaw are weaksauce).

 

Swankier but able-to-stay-in-budget, if perhaps only just or by careful choices, consider:

The Wine Bar (wines by the ounce, lots of ~$5 nibbly dishes, same kitchen as fancy next-door Provence resto);

Cactus Club Cafe (spots at both English Bay and Convention Centre with great views - may need to split appies to stay in-budget, or have 2 appies as your meal - their prawn ravioli is one of my fave 'always on' local dishes);

Flying Pig (3 locations now, and their Happy Hour is one of the best in town - definite savings to be had);

Brix (very nice resto, but 'first seating' prix fixe still comes in at $29 and offers stellar value for the price - beautiful place, an indoor covered courtyard so you can sit 'outdoors' even when the liquid sunshine is pouring)

...

 

 

Thank you SO much for the further information!!!

 

Good to know about the HOHO - we will likely just wait until we get there to be sure we do want to purchase it, and figure out for which days. I'm under the impression that we can purchase tickets at our hotel?

 

Stanley Park - I was more worried about my clumsiness and the potential for falling off the bike than anything else! ;) And I might feel super ridiculous on an adult tricycle, so we'll probably try to make do with the HOHO trolley stops around Stanley Park and hoof it where needed! Or I'll send my friend off on a bike while I explore a more limited area on foot! How much time would you suggest we allocate to Stanley Park? I suppose it would make the most sense to do it on the same day as the aquarium (assuming that all 3 of our days there end up being nice?). And re: the aquarium, I have read that it's best to go first thing in the morning to beat the crowds - do you have any experience with that?

 

Re: transportation to Grouse Mountain - I see that they have a free shuttle in the summer from Canada Place - I guess that would be our best bet to get there?

 

Food - thank you so much for your suggestions! I realized after I posted that I had allocated closer to $100/day for food! So we'll likely do breakfast on the cheap and then lunch and dinner at more moderately priced restaurants (or food trucks for lunch!). And I should mention that I don't typically drink (although I might splurge on one or two in Vancouver) so that's not an issue in terms of budget either! The chain restaurants (except for White Spot) we have in toronto - I.e. The Keg, Joey, Earls, Milestones, etc. I eat at them relatively frequently here so I'm hoping to try something new! We used to have a Brix in Toronto which I never ate at so we'll keep it in mind if we're in that area at all.

 

Cactus Club looks great - we might do that one evening as the location looks great as well along the water. And Flying Pig looks good as well!

 

Shuraku appears to be close to the Hyatt so thanks for that suggestion! Any other sushi restaurants that you would recommend (with a similar balance of quality and value)? And any other seafood restaurants? I'm not so much into fish and chips but love shrimps, scallops, etc. Also any other lunch recommendations? I read good things about Bread and Meat (I think that's what it was called!)? A walk-up-and-order type place is sufficient for us.

 

And is there anywhere near Stanley Park to eat? And any suggestions for pre-Fireworks dinner that would be close to the Burrard Bridge?

 

Lastly - best places to buy some water/pop before our cruise that aren't too far to lug back to the hotel? And same with wine?

 

Thank you SO much once again - your information and tips are fantastic!!!

[martincath]

Answers in your quote below:

Good to know about the HOHO - we will likely just wait until we get there to be sure we do want to purchase it, and figure out for which days. I'm under the impression that we can purchase tickets at our hotel?

Assuming you do decide to buy, why not do so on the day online to save the $5pp for 2nd day? Smartphone, hotel wifi, business centre computer if you travel entirely without tech will all let you make the purchase same day just before leaving the hotel - but worst case you can just walk up and pay on the day, the 'floating' HOHO staff have credit card terminals (if the first bus has no terminal, you can just get on anyway and wait until a floater boards to process you - I've seen several people do this).

 

How much time would you suggest we allocate to Stanley Park? I suppose it would make the most sense to do it on the same day as the aquarium (assuming that all 3 of our days there end up being nice?). And re: the aquarium, I have read that it's best to go first thing in the morning to beat the crowds - do you have any experience with that?

How long in the Park? How long is a piece of string...? For a brief overview, a couple of hours plus HOHO time between stops is probably enough. To see all of it, a lifetime is insufficient - it changes every year, every season. Since Aquarium is inside the park, yes, it's sensible to combine. Either very early or late - but early better as if you underestimate your time you can stay, but if you arrive late they might kick you out without you seeing everything you want to. I find two-three hours enough, maybe a little more if you try to take in dolphin shows, feedings, keeper talks etc.

 

Re: transportation to Grouse Mountain - I see that they have a free shuttle in the summer from Canada Place - I guess that would be our best bet to get there?

The Grouse Shuttle, yes. But if you were also planning to visit Capilano bridge... the best shuttle stop is right outside your hotel! Shuttles go from Canada Place, to you, then Blue Horizon hotel, then off to the bridge - and the bridge is on the same road as Grouse. Public transit buses run between them - single zone fare, $2.75 cash - or a cab isn't going to be much more. Doing both attractions in same day is popular due to their proximity.

 

Food - thank you so much for your suggestions! I realized after I posted that I had allocated closer to $100/day for food! So we'll likely do breakfast on the cheap and then lunch and dinner at more moderately priced restaurants (or food trucks for lunch!). And I should mention that I don't typically drink (although I might splurge on one or two in Vancouver) so that's not an issue in terms of budget either! The chain restaurants (except for White Spot) we have in toronto - I.e. The Keg, Joey, Earls, Milestones, etc. I eat at them relatively frequently here so I'm hoping to try something new! We used to have a Brix in Toronto which I never ate at so we'll keep it in mind if we're in that area at all.

My bad - never even looked at your location or I would have skipped Milestones etc. Our Brix is not your Brix - a buddy in T.O. was a manager there so we visited a lot when we lived there; the vibe is quite different, just coincidence that they're both named after the same wine terminology.

 

Cheap brekky then food truck lunch leaves $60-70 for dinner; call it ~$50 for food plus a glass of nice vino. That opens a LOT more options - you can be less picky on the menu at Cactus Club for a start! Other options:

L'Abattoir is back to our fave locally; their value has remained good while our other couple of go-tos have steadily snuck up their prices. You could easily get 2 courses here within budget and frankly that's enough food - I have an app/entree, my wife ALWAYS has the sweetbreads then another appy and we don't leave hungry.

Diva is another appy/entree for <$50 option, but better value is the bar menu or if they're doing a tasting menus the pricepoint is usually very sharp.

Wildebeest - if you like dead animals, and lots of them, and the more unusual bits thereof, this is your go-to in Vancouver.

Hawksworth, even at your revised price, shouldn't be here - except for their bar nibbles and 'beef for two' dish. Varies exactly what it is, but always a honkin' big ass lump of top notch cow with plenty of sides, cooked beautifully and with interesting sauces for somewhere in the $100-130 range. Literally big enough for two to eat nothing else (right now it's a 24oz striploin, my fave is when it's an old-school Chateaubriand).

 

Shuraku appears to be close to the Hyatt so thanks for that suggestion! Any other sushi restaurants that you would recommend (with a similar balance of quality and value)?

Unfortunately ShuRaku is one of few in that quality/value sweetspot downtown - to get notably better you have to spend quite a bit more (Tojos, Blue Water) or go further afield (although Kaide isn't really very far, part of the walk down Richards gets oddly industrial/gritty for a block or so; I know folks who don't like walking there in the evenings - IMO not an issue, but YMMV)

 

And any other seafood restaurants? I'm not so much into fish and chips but love shrimps, scallops, etc.

Coast is inside your revised range; it's the upmarket seafood place from the same folks as Fish Shack.

 

Also any other lunch recommendations? I read good things about Bread and Meat (I think that's what it was called!)? A walk-up-and-order type place is sufficient for us.

Being diabetic I really can't frequent places with bread in their name - but I hear good things!

Guu was outrageously popular in T.O. when it opened; why not try one of their six Vancouver locations with much smaller queues?

La Taqueria is, I suppose, now a chain with 2 branches plus a bigger sit-down resto in the family. Very authentic Mexican, very taco focused as you probably guessed from the name...

We also have Taco Fino, a super-popular taco truck/restaurant/bar empire of West Coast style tacos. I do enjoy them, but prefer pork to fish so would rather visit LT personally - many folks prefer TF though...

Nuba is another local chain I should have posted about before - easy to dine for $50 a couple, let alone per person. Lebanese food, tasty, healthy, have standard mezze plates so you can sample several popular dishes if you're unfamiliar - do not leave without having the cauliflower, it literally reversed my opinion on what I used to deem Satan's Albino Vegetable...

And is there anywhere near Stanley Park to eat? And any suggestions for pre-Fireworks dinner that would be close to the Burrard Bridge?

Everything in the park is either horrible or horrible value - Cactus Club English Bay is the closest place on the south side I'd recommend, or Lift on the north side. I hear nothing but good things about Ten Ten Tapas, on the Seawall basically under Burrard bridge - but really anything downtown isn't too far away.

 

Lastly - best places to buy some water/pop before our cruise that aren't too far to lug back to the hotel? And same with wine?

Nearest with reasonable pricing probably Urban Fare or London Drugs - both a 1/4 mile on foot (walking map w/both - just delete the one you don't want). Wine, we have BC Liquor (same idea as LCBO) and there's one just along from that Urban Fare so it's easy to hit both in one trip.

Thank you SO much once again - your information and tips are fantastic!!!

You're very welcome - hope we can entice another Torontonian to move West;-)

[dhill]

I don't have a question just a comment. We just disembarked from the Soltice in Vancouver the other day.What a beautiful city,We really enjoyed are extra days there We stayed at the Pan Pacific really nice hotel great location.Any planning to visit will not be disapointed:)

[weatherboy80]

Instead of riding the HOHO trolley - how walkable is everything in downtown from a starting point of the Pan Pacific in the span of several hours? We are probably most interested in Stanley Park, Robson street, Gastown, and/or perhaps the public market, but only have 1 full day before we leave the following day for Alaska. We are in pretty good shape and don't mind walking several miles to see the sites anyways.

 

Additionally, we are planning on riding the Canada Line from the airport to Canada Place with luggage in tow. It doesn't appear to be more than a block at most from the nearest station to the Pan Pacific. Will this be a problem?

 

Thanks :)

[Urban trekker]

Vancouver has a very compact downtown core where many of the attractions and sites you want to visit are located.

 

It is also a very walkable city - you can in fact walk/bike all the way from Canada Place, around Stanley Park and False Creek, through Granville Island and Kitsilano and onwards to UBC on mostly a separate dedicated walkway.

 

If you walk the entire Stanley Park seawall it is about 10 kms around - the bulk of the tourist attractions are in the eastern or closest part to downtown and the main entrance.

 

Another option would be to rent bikes and tour the Park and Granville Island that way.

 

With daylight to almost 9PM right now you have lots of time to see the places that you mentioned.

 

It is only a couple of blocks from the Station to Canada Place - slightly uphill but very manageable with rolling luggage. Exit the station - you are on Cordova - turn right - walk slightly uphill to Howe Street - turn right and straight infront of you will be the Canada Place/ Pan Pacific complex.

 

Hope this helps and enjoy your visit.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Edited May 7, 2015 by Urban trekker

[weatherboy80]

Great info - thanks!

[Jim & Pat at Sea]

Arrive YVR Saturday on 8/22 about 8:00 PM; Sunday sailing on the Celebrity Infinity. Celebrity has used Ballantye pier, and hope they still do.

 

Looking for suggestions for a reasonable hotel for the night and your ideas on best transportation options (shuttle or taxi). Thanks!

 

My thanks to Newbcruiser1 and martincath for your suggestions. So now we have several alternatives to chose from with hotels and transportation.

 

Follow up question is there an issue with checked bag and carry-on for each of us on the skytrain? Thanks again!

[martincath]

My thanks to Newbcruiser1 and martincath for your suggestions. So now we have several alternatives to chose from with hotels and transportation.

 

Follow up question is there an issue with checked bag and carry-on for each of us on the skytrain? Thanks again!

You're welcome.

 

I travel on Skytrain to/from YVR with a 28" wheely case and a regular size backpack no problem - I'm 6'1" and the wrong side of 250lbs and don't seem to impinge on my wife in the next seat (who has the same bags as me plus a large purse).

[martincath]

Instead of riding the HOHO trolley - how walkable is everything in downtown from a starting point of the Pan Pacific in the span of several hours? We are probably most interested in Stanley Park, Robson street, Gastown, and/or perhaps the public market, but only have 1 full day before we leave the following day for Alaska. We are in pretty good shape and don't mind walking several miles to see the sites anyways.

 

Additionally, we are planning on riding the Canada Line from the airport to Canada Place with luggage in tow. It doesn't appear to be more than a block at most from the nearest station to the Pan Pacific. Will this be a problem?

 

Thanks :)

Just a little to add to UTs answer - the closest Skytrain entrance you see on a map to the PP is less than a block, but it leads to the wrong line. Canada Line - follow UTs info rather than trying to work your way through the bowels of the station up & down levels.

 

I'd second bikes - at a leisurely 10mph (there's a very rarely-enforced cycling speed limit of 15kph, just shy of 10mph) you are probably covering double the territory you would on foot even allowing for the extra time finding bike racks, using locks & arranging helmets. On foot, while you could walk the whole seawall back around false creek then up through Chinatown into Gastown and back to the PP in maybe four hours if you're experienced walkers, there are strategic parts to skip where it sounds like you won't miss the bits you are prioritising.

 

Personally, whether on foot or by bike, I'd hug the seawall from the PP toward the park, travel up Pipeline to the Rose Gardens then follow paths toward the Totem poles. You could easily stay inside the park much longer, check out the Beaver lake, Prospect Point for views across to North & West Van, visit Lost Lagoon etc. etc. etc.! From Totems, cut off the lighthouse corner (Google doesn't accept you can walk out the other side yet, eventually their maps will get fixed but for now ignore the extra loop to the right) stick to Seawall all the way around from there - don't miss our answer to Copenhagen's Little Mermaid, Girl In A Wetsuit - and follow all the way around through the kiddie waterpark complere with walk-through child-dryer, on around the headland and past Siwash rock (look for recent damage to the sandstone - even after extensive engineering big enough storms can still wreak havoc!), on past the beaches and saltwater pool, nice views across English Bay to UBC/Kitsilano/Point Grey.

 

Leave the park and get on a ferry to Granville Island to save going out of your way to cross bridges, have some food - you'll probably be starving after this much walking, I like Edible Canada for good fancy food or just grab something quick in the Public Market then shop to your heart's content. When you're done on GI get another ferry to the far end of the creek (Athletes Village if you're interested in seeing it, otherwise Plaza of Nations) and head up into Chinatown (Sun Yat Sen is one of the best urban gardens of any type in the world, and the largest.most authentic Chinese Scholars gardens anywhere outside China - the free park next door is in similar style just with modern materials and the same Koi swim around both).

 

Further north into Gastown (NB: the intersection of Carrall & Hastings is usually packed with downtown eastsiders, but there's no nicer way up that doesn't involve detouring several blocks before heading home - don't engage with anyone, it's busy enough that you won't get chased for money) to see Gassy Jack (map shows as Chill Winston, a pub with large patio on the same square as the statue) & Steam Clock before returning to the PP. Map link here

 

If you're a couple pay cash fare on ferries ($9pp, $3.50 on the short leg to GI and $5.50 on the long one to the end of the creek); for 3 or more a strip of Aquabucks makes sense ($25 for 20 tix, 2 & 4 needed for the trips respectively). False Creek Ferries charges basically the same as Aquabus - downside of the 'bucks is you can only use them on one ferry company so may have to wait a couple of minutes extra for the right one.

[Jim & Pat at Sea]

You're welcome.

 

I travel on Skytrain to/from YVR with a 28" wheely case and a regular size backpack no problem - I'm 6'1" and the wrong side of 250lbs and don't seem to impinge on my wife in the next seat (who has the same bags as me plus a large purse).

 

Thanks and have a great weekend.

[ChucktownSteve]

We'll be staying in Richmond Monday night pre cruise. We're having a hard time finding a good restaurant for dinner that isn't Asian or serves dim sum. Someone suggested the Boathouse. Any quick recommendations or suggestions? Thankx. Steve

[Kamloops50]

We'll be staying in Richmond Monday night pre cruise. We're having a hard time finding a good restaurant for dinner that isn't Asian or serves dim sum. Someone suggested the Boathouse. Any quick recommendations or suggestions? Thankx. Steve

 

There is an Earl's and White Spot in Richmond. The hotel can also suggest restaurants as well.

 

Sent from my SGH-I317M using Forums mobile app

[xlxo]

Instead of riding the HOHO trolley - how walkable is everything in downtown from a starting point of the Pan Pacific in the span of several hours? We are probably most interested in Stanley Park, Robson street, Gastown, and/or perhaps the public market, but only have 1 full day before we leave the following day for Alaska. We are in pretty good shape and don't mind walking several miles to see the sites anyways.

 

Vancouver has a very compact downtown core where many of the attractions and sites you want to visit are located.

If you look at Google Maps. From the Pan Pacific, you can be anywhere in downtown in a 30 minute walk....

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Pan+Pacific+Vancouver,+Vancouver,+BC/Davie+St+%26+Denman+St,+Vancouver,+BC/@49.2895729,-123.1642546,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x54867182daa3cfd7:0x511bd0c9c1bbc59e!2m2!1d-123.1129!2d49.287989!1m5!1m1!1s0x5486722f52571e77:0x290ef7c922a2da95!2m2!1d-123.141794!2d49.2872684!3e2

[xlxo]

We'll be staying in Richmond Monday night pre cruise. We're having a hard time finding a good restaurant for dinner that isn't Asian or serves dim sum. Someone suggested the Boathouse. Any quick recommendations or suggestions? Thankx. Steve

Can you clarify which Richmond hotel so we can target your restaurant options? Are you staying in Storybrooke?

 

BTW.... Dim Sum is a brunch/lunch option. Not available for dinner.

Edited May 8, 2015 by xlxo

[xlxo]

I'd second bikes - at a leisurely 10mph (there's a very rarely-enforced cycling speed limit of 15kph, just shy of 10mph) you are probably covering double the territory you would on foot even allowing for the extra time finding bike racks, using locks & arranging helmets. On foot, while you could walk the whole seawall back around false creek then up through Chinatown into Gastown and back to the PP in maybe four hours if you're experienced walkers, there are strategic parts to skip where it sounds like you won't miss the bits you are prioritising.

 

Personally, whether on foot or by bike, I'd hug the seawall from the PP toward the park

Some thoughts...

• One cyclist speed trap is Siwash rock. There's often officers on horseback waiting in ambush. Haven't see a full gallop taser take down yet.
  
• Do walk your bikes where there is signage around the park.
  
• Vancouver has an extensive number of bike lanes for safe riding around the downtown core
  
• Vancouver does have a high theft rate for unsecured and secured bikes.
  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vancouver+bike+theft
  

[xlxo]

Follow up question is there an issue with checked bag and carry-on for each of us on the skytrain? Thanks again!

The number of checked bags and whether you travelling with children can make a difference on subway vs taxi.

• Taxi is $35 for the carload. Offers door to door service. There is no downtown hotel near the train station. Use google maps to calculate how for you need to drag your luggage from train station to hotel. It's about 7 minutes to drag the luggage out of Waterfront station to the Pan Pacific...
  https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Waterfront+Station+All+Lines,+Vancouver,+BC/Pan+Pacific+Vancouver,+Vancouver,+BC/@49.286749,-123.1156505,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x548671787334305f:0xae866e790f6744d9!2m2!1d-123.111773!2d49.285687!1m5!1m1!1s0x54867182daa3cfd7:0x511bd0c9c1bbc59e!2m2!1d-123.1129!2d49.287989
  
• Canada Line subway is $9 for each adult from airport to downtown.
  
• with checked luggage...
  
  • try to get seating at the very front or the very back of the train to avoid aisle congestion as non airport riders will need to climb over your luggage. Some will wait for a second train to get these prime locations.
    
  • there is a wide common area in the train mid section. However cyclists and wheelchairs may demand you to move as it's a priority area for them
    
  • there is ample space below the train seats for luggage. However I've see no one use this space because it's often dirty as that's where people shoes go.
    

  [*]travel for both is about 30 minutes downtown

[ChucktownSteve]

Can you clarify which Richmond hotel so we can target your restaurant options? Are you staying in Storybrooke?

 

BTW.... Dim Sum is a brunch/lunch option. Not available for dinner.

 

We're staying at LaQuinta Airport but the other couple has a rental car and is picking us up for dinner. So basically that part of town is where we're seeking. One of the other couple has problems when she eats Asian food.

 

Thankx.