[CCF]

Hey guys,

This summer I'll be spending some time in Vancouver. Its been a number of years since I've been there, and the times I have, were brief as I was always on my way to Victoria.

I was curious if anyone could recommend an inexpensive hotel. I would prefer something without rats. Obviously I would like something downtown, but that might be a little too pricey (I'm on a student's budget!)

As well, if anyone has any suggestions of things to see/do, that would be great. I wanted to go see a Whitecaps game, but unfortunately they aren't in town. I'd like to go see GM place, as well as the aquarium.

Thanks for your help!

[officedweller]

Try the YWCA Hotel - right downtown on Beatty Street:

http://www.ywcahotel.com/

There are also some backpackers' hostels on Granville Street - not sure of the names.

[agrant]

There's a few youth hostels downtown. You should look em up. I'm sure you'd be looking at hotel prices from $100 and up per night downtown.

[CCF]

Well I should add that the cost of the hotel will be split between my girlfriend and I. So if something was $100 a night, that would be alright. However, how plausible is it to find rates for that price?

[Holden West]

Shaughnessy Village (The cruise ship hotel!)

http://www.shaughnessyvillage.com/rates.html

cheap and tiny--under $80, even in summer.

http://www.shaughnessyvillage.com/graphics/room.JPG

[raggedy13]

Here are a couple ideas for things to do...

1)When in the summer are you visiting? If you come towards the end of July through the start of August you'll be able to check out the Celebration of Light fireworks competition. There are four different nights... http://www.hsbccelebrationoflight.com/fireworks/
Well worth checking out if you don't mind ridiculously busy crowds.

2)If you don't mind raw fish, it is always worth going out for sushi while in town. It's certainly my favourite pastime. Lots of places to choose from as well.

3)Going to the aquarium is certainly a good idea. I'd also recommend renting/borrowing a bike or rollerblades and going around the Stanley Park Seawall (although if you go along the whole Seawall you'll get a real good tour of the city's waterfront).

4)I suppose you can always checkout Science World if you're into that sort of thing.

5)Some interesting areas to check out for shopping/people watching/eating/etc would include Robson Street, Gastown, Chinatown, Yaletown, Commercial Drive and Granville Island. You should definitely check out Granville Island. You can take a water taxi across False Creek. That's always fun, and only like 2 bucks. Checking out all those areas would give you a good feel for the diversity and character of Vancouver's different neighbourhoods as well.

6)There are some cool laser shows at the Planetarium in Vanier Park in the Kitsilano neighbourhood (across False Creek). I don't think they're such a well-known attraction but I think they're pretty interesting, especially if you like Pink Floyd, Zeppelin etc. If you enjoy weed from time to time this is also the event to partake in that beforehand, but certainly still good without it.

7)If you want to watch a 3D movie on a huge screen there is always the IMAX at Canada Place. Probably also good for going to stoned.

8)The Vancouver Art Gallery often has modest but interesting exhibits, often showcasing some local talent. I'm not sure what will be showing while you're there but it is also worth checking out if you're into stuff like that.

9)The Museum of Anthropology is also great if you can manage the trek to the UBC campus and are particularly interested in Native art and artifacts.

10)You should also make sure to check out some of the local construction sites such as the Shangri-La (our upcoming tallest) at Georgia and Thurlow. It will certainly be near topping out while you're here and will likely already be the tallest thing in the skyline (or at least its crane).

That's all I got at the moment. Pretty general stuff but it would certainly keep you busy for awhile.

[CCF]

Thanks a lot of all your help so far everyone.

[excel]

If you like hiking the grouse grind is always a good one. you get an amazing view of the city once you reach the top as well. Its free to use but most people just hike up and then pay about 10 bucks to take the tram down. Im sure you would like to pay a visit to the beach as well, so i recommend spanish banks because its probably the nicest beach and it is not as busy. It is a little ways from downtown tho. So if distance is a problem i recommend english bay downtown. and if you are here at the end of august the PNE is worth a stop if you have time.

[valleyflyfisher]

The Buchan Hotel on Haro Street has a great location and is clean and reasonable $, steps away from the Stanley Park and Robson St., English Bay and to one of my favourite streets Denman St. I have not stayed there for a two years but the off season rates were around $60 and I think the summer rates are still under $100.

[ambiguoustraveller]

The Sylvia Hotel is a relatively popular "cheapish" nice hotel, in the West End neighbourhood of downtown, right on the waterfront. It's cheapest rooms go for $110. https://secure.in-vancouver.com/secure/sylviahotel.com/rooms.htm#rates

raggedy13 made good suggestions of neighbourhoods to visit, however I would include Kitsilano on that list. Strolling around Kits Point or on 4th Ave can be really nice in the summer. Some of the best restaurants in the city are in this area.

Other attractions you might want to check out are:

Bard on the Beach Shakespeare festival (at Vanier Park, near Granville Island). It's basically Shakespeare in these giant circus style tents, with the sun setting over the ocean and mountains in the background...a truly unique Vancouver experience that lasts all summer long.

Nightmarkets - Both Chinatown and Richmond have nightmarkets which are supposed to be amazing. Apparently Richmond is better, but most likely out of your way so you might want to try the Chinatown one.

Grouse Mountain - take the Gondola up, maybe hike around, eat at their restaurant or something. It's worth going just for the view.

Wreck Beach - This is Vancouver's famous clothing optional beach, but also known for its fantastic views towards west towards Vancouver Island, and north towards Howe Sound, as well as vendors selling both legal and illegal products. It's part of Pacific Spirit Park (also known as UBC endowment lands) which are great to see as well. It's very near the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, which is a MUST, the best museum in Vancouver, so you could do both in the same afternoon if you wished.

Jazz Festival - This year it runs June 22-July 1st. If you are in town at this time, I suggest going, as venues are all around the city, and concerts can be easily incorporated into a visit to whatever neighbourhood you happen to be in. Granville Island has a ton of venues, so grabbing lunch and sitting on a hill listening to Jazz can always be fun.

Folk Festival - Another popular festival, though it is overun by new agers who can be rather annoying. However they do have a wide variety of music, and the setting is fantastic (Jericho beach, on the Westside). They also sell lots of crafts, food etc.

Kayaking - you can rent kayaks at various locations (downtown, Granville Island, Jericho Sailing Centre) and paddle around English Bay and False Creek. It's a great way to see the city.

[ambiguoustraveller]

oh i also forgot to say that it's worth travelling to Vancouver just to eat! Some of my favourite restaurants are:

Vij's: rather expensive Indian fusion (Punjabi food cooked with local ingredients according to the season), but my favourite restaurant in the city.

Banana Leaf: there are a few locations of this Malaysisan restaurant, really really good medium priced food.

Vera's Burger Shack: a few locations as well (west end, kitsilano, UBC). For a city not known for its meat, this is a great place to get a hamburger. I like going to the one at Kits Beach, and taking my food to the beach itself. Cheap.

Go Fish: Fish and chips on the dock at Fisherman's Warf at Granville Island. The BEST in the city. Great location, great view, great food. Cheap.

Those are just a few of many good restaurants. I suggest looking at the Georgia Straight's "Best of Vancouver" eating section: http://www.straight.com/article/best-of-food-and-drink-readers-choices

Lastly, thought I'd just mention a few areas you might want to wander around and buy food in:

Sushi: like raggedy13 said you can get so much good cheap sushi here, in pretty much every neighbourhood. If you're interested in fusion there's a place on West Broadway called the Eatery which is quite popular with the student/youngish crowd.

Greek food: can be found all over, however the western part of Kitsilano is the traditional home of the Greek community and this is where some of the best restaurants can be found.

Chinese restaurants: Once again, are all over the city, however I would avoid Chinatown if I were you, as most of the restaurants are catered to tourists, and often not that good.

Italian: Little Italy is found on Commercial Drive, though the community has been considerably dispersed. This is, however, the place where you'll find some really good restaurants and cafes, such as Cafe Calabria. Commercial Drive has become very multicultural and is worth going for that reason alone.

Latin American: Commercial Drive has a wide variety of restaurants, including the Havana, a Cuban restaurant with a theatre in the back.

Korean and Japanese: The West End, including Robson St. and Denman has become the playground for exchange students, and as a result a lot of really good Japanese and Korean restaurants have popped up.

Indian: Though Vij's is located on the westside, the best Indian food is probalby located on the East side. Fraser St. and Kingsway have many good places to eat.

West Coast: found all over the city, though downtown (especially Yaletown) and Kitsilano are probably best for this.

Cafes: Vancouver does have a million Starbucks', however there are also other very good coffee shops- Calhoun's on West Broadway, Caffe Artigiano (various locations), Joe's, Cafe Calabria and Caffè Bella Napoli on Commercial Drive.

Market: Granville Island is a great place to buy food, however the Punjabi Market centred around Main and 49th is great as well, as are the various Nightmarkets, as mentioned earlier.

[Nutterbug]

Best places for Skyline perspectives:

South False Creek
Jericho Beach
Queen Elizabeth Park
Centennial Park on Burnaby Mountain
Grouse Mountain

[Nutterbug]

Here are a couple ideas for things to do...

1)When in the summer are you visiting? If you come towards the end of July through the start of August you'll be able to check out the Celebration of Light fireworks competition. There are four different nights... http://www.hsbccelebrationoflight.com/fireworks/
Well worth checking out if you don't mind ridiculously busy crowds.

What? They're back down to three teams now, and the same old countries at that? Lame!

[excel]

^it does the job.

[tintinium]

I'll Add Guu to that restaurant list. TASTES GOOD! Japanese Izakaya on Denman.

[eduardo88]

Indian: Though Vij's is located on the westside, the best Indian food is probalby located on the East side. Fraser St. and Kingsway have many good places to eat.

If you want amazing indian food definatly go to Tandoori King on Fraser St. Prices arent too bad either. and if you don't want to go all the way there i'm pretty sure they still deliver.

[LeftCoaster]

I'll Add Guu to that restaurant list. TASTES GOOD! Japanese Izakaya on Denman.

Guu is wicked, and for another good japanese fusion restaurant try Chopstick Cafe Shirubay, in yaletown on mainland and Davie.

[radacal]

actually guu has three locations: one on robson, one on thurlow and one in gastown...(not on denman as posted)

[Kilgore Trout]

the izakaya on denman is also good, though. i don't remember the name.

there's also a guu in aberdeen centre, which is worth a visit. it's a large asian mall with a ton of great places to shop and eat. there's nothing like it within 1000km of regina, i can guarantee you that.

[Nutterbug]

I wonder if Vancouver's so deserving of a special mention in the Izakaya entry on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya#Izakaya_outside_Japan

[raggedy13]

^Well if there is anywhere worthy of such mention outside of Japan, why not Vancouver? :shrug: Is there another major non-Japanese city that is as infiltrated and influenced by Japanese cuisine as Vancouver? Surely there are many cities with lots of Japanese places (especially on NA's west coast), but how many of these places have a Japanese restaurant in essentially every neighbourhood and at such densities that having one per block is almost the norm in some areas (not to mention you can find at least 2 on the same block in some places). I'm sure Izakaya in Vancouver will only continue to grow in popularity. Compared to the prevalence of the typical sushi places, Izakaya is still a relatively new thing for the average Vancouverite. If it hasn't quite earned that special mention just yet, it's only a matter of (little) time.

[SpongeG]

If you want amazing indian food definatly go to Tandoori King on Fraser St. Prices arent too bad either. and if you don't want to go all the way there i'm pretty sure they still deliver.

tandoori palace on commercial is really good

their nan is really good - made fresh with your order in their clay oven - most places use pre made nan

and their sheeh kabobs are really good

[SpongeG]

^Well if there is anywhere worthy of such mention outside of Japan, why not Vancouver? :shrug: Is there another major non-Japanese city that is as infiltrated and influenced by Japanese cuisine as Vancouver? Surely there are many cities with lots of Japanese places (especially on NA's west coast), but how many of these places have a Japanese restaurant in essentially every neighbourhood and at such densities that having one per block is almost the norm in some areas (not to mention you can find at least 2 on the same block in some places). I'm sure Izakaya in Vancouver will only continue to grow in popularity. Compared to the prevalence of the typical sushi places, Izakaya is still a relatively new thing for the average Vancouverite. If it hasn't quite earned that special mention just yet, it's only a matter of (little) time.

Vancouver has the largest Japanese Cmmunity in Canada for sure - i think its 70,000 where as Toronto only has 14,000 Japanese

not sure how it compares to other cities in the states

[Zephyr]

I will also be traveling to Vancouver this summer, and it will be my first trip!

Are the Whitecaps games worth going to? There's no other sports games in town during the time I will be there. I've never been to a pro soccer game but I do like the sport.

Also, are you able to actually swim in the water at this time of year, or should I just plan to hang out at the beach? I'm trying to decide what I'll need to bring with me to the beach.

Thanks! :)

[crazyjoeda]

There's a few youth hostels downtown. You should look em up. I'm sure you'd be looking at hotel prices from $100 and up per night downtown.

You might not be able to stay at a hostel if your from Canada, alot of times they are only for international travelers. But check it out there are quite a few right downtown and you can stay for about $20 per night.

[Nutterbug]

I will also be traveling to Vancouver this summer, and it will be my first trip!

Are the Whitecaps games worth going to? There's no other sports games in town during the time I will be there. I've never been to a pro soccer game but I do like the sport.
Aren't the Colorado Rapids in a league above the Whitecaps?

You could also go to a BC Lions game, and check out this strange new version of football that plays 12 a side on a bigger field, has only 3 downs and goal posts at the goal lines.

Also, are you able to actually swim in the water at this time of year, or should I just plan to hang out at the beach? I'm trying to decide what I'll need to bring with me to the beach.
Only if it's either a really hot day, or you have good tolerance for the cold.

Kits beach also has a pool next to it, if you must get a bit of water action.

[Zephyr]

I never hear much about the Rapids and don't even know where they play (somewhere in Commerce City?). I wasn't sure if soccer/football is more fun to watch in Canada. The BC Lions will unfortunately be playing out of town when I am visiting.

Thanks for the tips on the beach! I may try to bear the cold water.

[vanman]

If you went to white rock beach in the summer the water would probably be warm cause it's so shallow. The only problem is it's out in the suburbs so if your not driving I wouldn't bother going to it.

[mezzanine]

^ not an avid fan, but swanguard stadium is fairly accessible from patterson station. If you like baseballl, you could see the vancouver canadians at nat bailey, which has a nice old-time feel. avoid cambie st to get there (subway construction), take transit along main st.

As above, watch for cold water at the beaches, in spite of hot weather we sometimes get here.

second, third beaches - at stanley park, easily accessible. second beach can be noisy and busy (it's at the foot of davie and denman streets), third is more quiet. Don't forget the firework festival in late July if you're here.

Jericho - quiet and peaceful. you can walk out quite aways at low tide.

Wreck beach - at UBC. our 'clothing optional' beach....

[Zephyr]

I might skip the soccer game and unfortunately the baseball team is out of town as well, but the beaches will be fun. Thanks for all your help!

[CCF]

Just wanted to say that I had a wonderful time. Truly is a beautiful city. While walking Robson I was shocked to see that empty lot across from the Empire Landmark hotel. What's the deal with that lot?

[mr.x2]

Just wanted to say that I had a wonderful time. Truly is a beautiful city. While walking Robson I was shocked to see that empty lot across from the Empire Landmark hotel. What's the deal with that lot?

Yea, i can remember that undeveloped lot eversince i could remember. and i miss Cow's ice cream! *sigh* childhood memories.

Glad you enjoyed Vancouver. Thank you! Come again!