But
while opening a restaurant has become an achievable dream for
many locals, all that competition from like‑minded entrepreneurs
can just as quickly drive them out of business if they don’t
measure up.
“We
also have some of the highest number of failures in Canada–80
percent either don’t make money or actually fail in the first
two years,” Howes said.
The
lively restaurant scene isn’t the only reason to come to Vancouver
as there are plenty of other attractions. True, it rains a lot–about
45 inches a year–but it rarely pours. Rather it mists, it dribbles,
it hangs overhead, bathing the harbor in a clear gray light,
running off umbrellas in tiny little droplets. The temperature
seldom dips below freezing, and that mild weather, combined
with all the precipitation, keeps the city green year‑round.
Every
once in a while a weather phenomenon that locals call the “Pineapple
Express” wafts into town, carrying breezes so balmy that you
can walk the waterfront without a coat in the coldest months.
Restaurants have their outside tables set up no matter the season,
and they’re usually occupied.
Even
in the rain, visitors can ride a covered boat taxi between downtown
and the Granville Island Public Market, where they’ll find vendors
selling everything from fresh farm produce and baked goods to
ethnic food and crafts. The little water taxi, known as the
Aquabus, seats perhaps a dozen people and delivers passengers
to several destinations for a little over $5. Riders get a close
view of False Creek, part of the harbor that extends well into
the city, passing the barges, yachts and houseboats that float
along the waterfront.
Some
of the houseboats are offices, with large windows facing the
water; some are little houses covered in clapboard, with window
boxes. A few of the boats moored in the middle of the harbor
look like they’ve been lived in for years. Sometimes a seal
swims lazily past through the urban water landscape. Much of
the waterfront is open to visitors, including a long walkway
along the bay.
Stanley
Park is another must‑see. Established in 1888, the verdant
1,000‑acre natural reserve is situated at the tip of the
city and surrounded on three sides by water. Just a short drive
from downtown, the park is at its most fragrant in spring, when
the cherry trees, plum trees, azaleas and other ornamentals
bloom. But any time of year, the park has plenty to offer, with
colossal cedar, hemlock and fir trees; a 6‑mile seawall;
several monuments, including a mermaid on a rock a la Copenhagen;
a large totem pole display; and a children’s railway.
The
park is also home to the Vancouver Aquarium, which features
a popular beluga whale show and a good cafeteria with lattes
for footsore parents.
Vancouver
is a friendly place, and that may be due in part to its diversity.
“People have had to learn to find ways to live together,” said
Baldwin Wong, who works for the city as a multicultural social
planner. But Vancouver would be very different had a proposal
succeeded 40 years ago to extend what is now the trans‑Canada
highway through the city to the sea.
“They
were going to ram it through the east side of Vancouver, through
historic Chinatown, and do a big sort of typical American city
thing,” said Bob McGilvray, an architect who worked for the
city planning office for many years. Conservationists, planners,
and Chinatown residents protested, and the plan was scrapped.
“The
result: We don’t have these huge highways downtown which are
just loud and a no‑man’s‑land,” said McGilvray.
Chinatown
is now one of three designated historical districts in the city,
and downtown Vancouver remains highway‑free. It’s a place
that’s fun to wander on foot–as long as you carry an umbrella.
When
you go...
Vancouver:
(604) 682‑2222 or
http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/.
Halso
Konditori: 2668 Arbutus St.; (604) 736‑3335 or http://www.halsobakery.com.
Swedish bakery.
Hawker’s
Delight: 4127 Main St. Malaysian and Singaporean food; entrees
under $10.
Tomahawk:
1550 Philip Ave., North Vancouver; (604) 988‑2612 or http://www.tomahawkrestaurant.com.
Burgers, family fare; entrees under $10‑$20.
Le
Crocodile: 100‑909 Burrard St.; (604) 669‑4298 or
http://www.lecrocodilerestaurant.com.
French food, $10‑35.
Urban
Fare: Yaletown location at 177 Davie St.; (604) 975‑7550
or http://www.urbanfare.com.
Gourmet grocery store.
Aquabus:
Water taxi between downtown and Granville Island Public Market;
(604) 689‑5858 or http://www.theaquabus.com.
Tickets about $5.25.
Stanley
Park: A mile from downtown Vancouver; http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/.
Vancouver
Aquarium: Located in Stanley Park; (604) 659‑3474 or http://www.vanaqua.org.
Open daily, 10 a.m.‑5:30 p.m., September‑June; summers,
9:30 a.m.‑7 p.m. Adults, $15.25; children 4‑12, $8.65.
Opus
Hotel: 322 Davie St.; (866) 642‑6787 or http://www.opushotel.com.
Small, luxurious, modern hotel in Yaletown. Rooms start at $175.
