Vancouver for the day post cruise

[martincath]

On 4/25/2022 at 6:28 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

...This time, looking for something different, I'm going to take a cab to an airport hotel and then take the skytrain to the Elizabeth Gardens. The price of the Fairmont at the airport was insane, so I decided on Holiday Inn because they have a shuttle to the airport. 

 

Any issues with wandering around those areas?   

I'm fairly sure you mean Queen Elizabeth Park, which does have several gardens? If so, the only things to warn about are the relative steepness of the hill from King Edward station up to the park (it's the highest point in the city) and the time inefficiency of heading to your YVR hotel then back into town.

 

If it is the Holiday Inn, rather than the HI express, you're actually going to be the same drive time (13mins without traffic) to YVR or to QEP - so balancing time and money I'd be inclined to cab to the park and avoid that hill as well as a possibly long shuttle wait, as no hotel has more than one vehicle available so even on a constant loop it would be running at best once every ~40mins given the bottlenecks of limited bridges to YVR, most likely once per hour if it's a scheduled shuttle.

 

Coming back from QEP or thereabouts, the walk downhill to King Eddie is fine so save some cash by Skytraining back - I'd ask at the hotel first about whether their shuttle will collect you from SkyTrain and if so which station (either Bridgeport or Aberdeen could be the most convenient depending which way the drivers go to get to the airport).

 

In case you weren't already aware, you can walk between QEP and the popular Van Dusen botanic gardens easily - it's less than a mile and pretty flat too. Walk the other direction to Main Street and there are a lot of restos, especially if you head down the hill toward King Eddie. Sun Sui Wah's original location is here - unless you're a big group then the Alaskan King Crab Feast won't work, but they are also justly famous for their Squab as well as inventing the whole AKC feast concept.

 

Personally I'd consider this the ideal circumstances to use PorterGenie - hand over your bags at the pier, get them delivered to your hotel later on. Base rate of $25 for a Vancouver pickup, Richmond dropoff plus a per-bag fee of $8-10 - but that would mean you could then take SkyTrain from pier to King Eddie (transfer to a bus most of the way up the hill or flag a cab for a few buck ride to avoid the hill entirely) and SkyTrain back out to YVR without any bag hassles. The savings from avoiding a metered cab ride from pier to the HI would give you about $40 which almost entirely funds the bag transfer for a couple - and saves you time...

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks, martincath. Unfortunately, Googlemaps doesn't show terrain. I'll look at your transportation suggestions. Yes, I meant Queen Elizabeth Park. And I'm thinking about the Van Dusen Gardens, too. I might eat at one of the restos in the park or gardens. 

 

I'm at HI Express. I have to be at the airport around 6:30 AM, so I wanted to be very close to the airport. 

[martincath]

2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Thanks, martincath. Unfortunately, Googlemaps doesn't show terrain. I'll look at your transportation suggestions. Yes, I meant Queen Elizabeth Park. And I'm thinking about the Van Dusen Gardens, too. I might eat at one of the restos in the park or gardens. 

 

I'm at HI Express. I have to be at the airport around 6:30 AM, so I wanted to be very close to the airport. 

HI express is better located - 8min/700 yard walk to Bridgeport Station, so if you can handle trundling bags then using SkyTrain to get there and back is viable. At the very least your 'head for the hotel first' plan gets much more efficient with a short walk after check-in!

 

Handy hint for Google Maps - flip to Bike as mode of transit, as this gives an elevation tracker, and even if bike & walking routes are not identical you'll still get an immediate indication of any big hills en route!

 

Of the garden-based options, Seasons at QEP is vastly superior to Shaugnessy's at VD - the former suffers from the usual 'good but overpriced' like all of the Sequoia group, but at least the view makes up for it (caveat - I have not been since TheBeforeTimes, so it's possible quality of food and service has taken a hit...) whereas I've heard nothing but bad about the decline of Shaugnessy's for the last decade, with more than enough reports from foodies I trust to avoid them like the plague...

[YVRteacher]

On 4/25/2022 at 6:28 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I will be in Vancouver for one day after my cruise. The one and only nonstop flight I can get is early in the morning. Last time, I stayed on Granville Island, did the market, Bard on the Beach, and it was great. This time, looking for something different, I'm going to take a cab to an airport hotel and then take the skytrain to the Elizabeth Gardens. The price of the Fairmont at the airport was insane, so I decided on Holiday Inn because they have a shuttle to the airport. 

 

Any issues with wandering around those areas?   

Those are all very safe. Queen Elizabeth Park is quite small so if you are looking for a spectacular garden go to Van Dusen.  Your entry fee to Van Dusen will also get you into Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth park. There is a wonderful restaurant in the park called Seasons.  Make a reservation if you want to dine there and ask for a patio seat with a view.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thank you both for the tips. I think most restaurants in a special setting fall under the "good but overpriced" category. It's certainly true of the restaurants in Bryant park in NYC. I know you can't eat the view, but it does make a meal pleasant.

[Tracey/Thom]

On 3/31/2022 at 6:11 PM, sfaaa said:

Do not go to Vancouver Chinatown. The place's a dump and overrun by homeless and druggies. Real shame as it used to be a nice tourist attraction.

Agree! We were there 2 weeks ago, and it was not pleasant.

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 4/26/2022 at 6:56 PM, martincath said:

HI express is better located - 8min/700 yard walk to Bridgeport Station, so if you can handle trundling bags then using SkyTrain to get there and back is viable. At the very least your 'head for the hotel first' plan gets much more efficient with a short walk after check-in!

 

Handy hint for Google Maps - flip to Bike as mode of transit, as this gives an elevation tracker, and even if bike & walking routes are not identical you'll still get an immediate indication of any big hills en route!

 

Of the garden-based options, Seasons at QEP is vastly superior to Shaugnessy's at VD - the former suffers from the usual 'good but overpriced' like all of the Sequoia group, but at least the view makes up for it (caveat - I have not been since TheBeforeTimes, so it's possible quality of food and service has taken a hit...) whereas I've heard nothing but bad about the decline of Shaugnessy's for the last decade, with more than enough reports from foodies I trust to avoid them like the plague...

 

On 4/27/2022 at 2:22 AM, YVRteacher said:

Those are all very safe. Queen Elizabeth Park is quite small so if you are looking for a spectacular garden go to Van Dusen.  Your entry fee to Van Dusen will also get you into Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth park. There is a wonderful restaurant in the park called Seasons.  Make a reservation if you want to dine there and ask for a patio seat with a view.

 

Thank you both for the recommendation. Seasons was wonderful. Yes, very expensive, but a lovely end to the trip. Food was delicious and service was perfect--attentive without being fussy. And as I said earlier in this thread, you can't eat the view, but the view made the meal even more special. 

 

Both gardens were gorgeous and it made for a lot of walking but a lovely day. If anyone has a day in Vancouver and likes gardens, go to Van Dusen and/or Queen Elizabeth Park. There are more gardens to see there than in Stanley park. In June-July stand in the middle of the rose garden at QE Park. The roses are huge and the aroma is incredible! 

 

[martincath]

9 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Thank you both for the recommendation. Seasons was wonderful. Yes, very expensive, but a lovely end to the trip. Food was delicious and service was perfect--attentive without being fussy. And as I said earlier in this thread, you can't eat the view, but the view made the meal even more special. 

 

Both gardens were gorgeous and it made for a lot of walking but a lovely day. If anyone has a day in Vancouver and likes gardens, go to Van Dusen and/or Queen Elizabeth Park. There are more gardens to see there than in Stanley park. In June-July stand in the middle of the rose garden at QE Park. The roses are huge and the aroma is incredible!

You're welcome - glad to hear Seasons still has good food & service these days and that you enjoyed your time here!