Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite

[Putterdude]

Sorry if this has been asked before. We will be staying at the Fairmont Waterfront in June. Can you tell me about the location, and if there is anything to do around that area?

 

Well you are staying in one of the city's top 5 hotels in a 100% location. You are down on the waterfront right acrsoss the Canada Place Cruise terminal and the Pan Pacific Hotel. There are many things to do around there, you could walk over to the SeaBus station and take a passanger ferry back and forth across the harbour. You can walk to Robson Street and all of its fashionable shops and restaurants, Pacific Centre (a downtown mall anchored by the Bay, Sears and Holt Renfrew) and the Art Gallery. There are a couple of tours that you may be interested in and here are there links:

 

http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/citytours/tour.html

 

http://www.vancouvertours.com/?utm_source=google-adwords&utm_medium=ppc

[jcpruett]

Can you tell me anything about the Inn at False Creek. I will be staying there in Aug. any info would be appreciated.

[Urban trekker]

That's the Quality Inn on Howe isn't it - great location and block away from my condo and I can see there outdoor pool from my balcony - the only drawback and I am sure that Putterdude will mention it as well is that it sits by an on ramp for the Granville Street bridge so you might want to get them to give you a room in the rear - the Big Bus and Vancouver trolley stop there - you are close to many of the attractions - only a two block walk to take the little ferry over to Granville Island - about 5 blocks to Yaletown and a similar distance to the shopping on Robson Street.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Putterdude]

Can you tell me anything about the Inn at False Creek. I will be staying there in Aug. any info would be appreciated.

 

It is a Quality Inn as you likely know. It tends to be on the south west edge of the downtown business district just before the Granville St bridge and sort of the transistion point into Vancouvers dense highrise residential neighbourhood known as the West End. You will be able to walk to English Bay and over the Granville Bridge to Granville Island. You are about 12 blocks south of the Canada Place Cruise terminal and 7 blocks to fashionable Robson Street and 4/5 blocks to the trendy Yaletown neighbourhood. It should be less than a $15 cab fare to the cruise terminal. It is in a safe area the only thing I would suggest you do is to insist on a west room. If you have an east facing room you will be right on a main traffic artery and an on ramp to the Granville St. bridge and that could be quite noisy.

[tutuwahineLV]

OK, found Death by Chocolate 2 blocks from my hotel, so I know where I'm havin dessert and coffee, and am thinking about WhiteSpot for dinner. Their menu looked like it had a nice vareity. Yea or Nay?? :confused:

 

Thanks for your help. I'll be there 2 weeks from Saturday. hoo ray!!

[Putterdude]

OK, found Death by Chocolate 2 blocks from my hotel, so I know where I'm havin dessert and coffee, and am thinking about WhiteSpot for dinner. Their menu looked like it had a nice vareity. Yea or Nay?? :confused:

 

Thanks for your help. I'll be there 2 weeks from Saturday. hoo ray!!

 

We will have the band out for your arrival.

 

White Spot is a bit like an Applebbies but maybe a slight bit upscale from them, but real good food and a Vancouver heritage restaurant chain. Death by Chocolate....the name says it all, being a chocoholic I try to avoid, it is just that good.

[Urban trekker]

Which Death by Chocolate are you referring to - there was one in the 800 block Burrard - it is no longer there.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Putterdude]

Which Death by Chocolate are you referring to - there was one in the 800 block Burrard - it is no longer there.

 

 

Ut,

Has the demise of Death by C on Burrard been fairly recent; I only ask because the location is still listed on their website?

[hornbill7]

Hi there

 

We're driving into Vancouver to stay overnight befor heading out on the train to Seattle to pick up a Hal cruise. Could someone recommend a low-stress arrival route into Vancouver for the National Office @ 1185 West Georgia please? We'll be arriving from Kamloops.

[tutuwahineLV]

Ut,

 

Has the demise of Death by C on Burrard been fairly recent; I only ask because the location is still listed on their website?

Yep, thats the one we were looking at....found it on their website....:eek: :confused: When did it close?

[Putterdude]

Hi there

 

We're driving into Vancouver to stay overnight befor heading out on the train to Seattle to pick up a Hal cruise. Could someone recommend a low-stress arrival route into Vancouver for the National Office @ 1185 West Georgia please? We'll be arriving from Kamloops.

 

No!

You will be coming in on Hwy 1, after you enter Vancouver take the 1st Ave exit and go left at the light, 1st Ave will become Terminal Ave, stay on it until Main St. where you turn right. North on Main a few blocks and you will see a sign directing you to turn left to go into the Downtown. You will go over a viaduct or bridge and find yourself on Dunmuir St.. Continue west on Dunsmuir to Howe St. turn left on Howe for 1 block and turn right on Georgia St. and start looking for National on the left. You may not be able to trun left off Georgia into their lot and may have to go around the block. I would suggest the you go to Mapquest and pull down a map a direction, theirs may be a little different but both will get your there.

[Urban trekker]

A number of months ago - it is now Joey's Bar and Grill - an upscale eatery.

 

Sorry that you wont be able to indulge at that one.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Urban trekker]

The national office is located on the north side of Georgia at Bute - stay on Dunsmuir to Thurlow - two blocks further west then turn left - green arrow to help you - then up one block turn right and look for it - suspect parking entrance will be off of Bute - will check that out next time I am walking by that area.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Putterdude]

The national office is located on the north side of Georgia at Bute - stay on Dunsmuir to Thurlow - two blocks further west then turn left - green arrow to help you - then up one block turn right and look for it - suspect parking entrance will be off of Bute - will check that out next time I am walking by that area.

 

 

Quite right they are on the north side of Georgia St. I only passed them 2X a day for 25 years on the southside of Georgia (I think).

[hornbill7]

Thanks PD and Dennis. I've obviously had a look at the map of Vancouver and Downtown. Scary! Would it be any easier to go all the way round to the North on Hwy 1 and come in over the bridge? Or round by the south through Richmond?

[orchid72]

The national office is located on the north side of Georgia at Bute - stay on Dunsmuir to Thurlow - two blocks further west then turn left - green arrow to help you - then up one block turn right and look for it - suspect parking entrance will be off of Bute - will check that out next time I am walking by that area.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

 

Yes, the National/Alamo is on the corner of Georgia and Bute, just below the Fitness World. The entrance to the parking lot is through the back alley off of Bute (look for the signs), and an employee is usually stationed in the parking lot to check in the vehicle.

[orchid72]

OK, found Death by Chocolate 2 blocks from my hotel, so I know where I'm havin dessert and coffee, and am thinking about WhiteSpot for dinner. Their menu looked like it had a nice vareity. Yea or Nay?? :confused:

 

Thanks for your help. I'll be there 2 weeks from Saturday. hoo ray!!

 

As urban trekker said, Death by Chocolate on Burrard has closed down. If you're looking for a nice place to have dessert, you're willing to pay a little bit more and you REALLY want to indulge, may I suggest the chocoholic buffet at the Sutton Place Hotel?

 

Otherwise, if you want to save some money, have a really good pastry sourced from organic and fair-trade products (and made on-site), stop by Capers Market on Robson (between Bidwell and Cardero) and try their tarts, mouses, and pies. I especially love the lemon curd tart, the dark chocolate and raspberry tart, the pecan pie, and the white chocolate mousse cake. Note though, that this is not a restaurant; it is a grocery store but they have a great bakery section and you can always have a seat in their patio. The downside is that you will not get the presentation you would normally get from Death by Chocolate. The upside is, while the Capers desserts do not have as much bells and whistles as death by chocolate desserts, I personally think it makes it up for it in substance.

 

Or, you could also try true confections on Denman and Haro if you want to eat at a sit-down restaurant-type setting (a bit of a walk for you, if you're closer to Burrard).

 

I'm a cheapskate, but I love good food, so my personal preference is Capers.

[Putterdude]

Thanks PD and Dennis. I've obviously had a look at the map of Vancouver and Downtown. Scary! Would it be any easier to go all the way round to the North on Hwy 1 and come in over the bridge? Or round by the south through Richmond?

 

You could go via the North Shore but I lived on the North Shore for over 50 years, worked downtown on Georgia St and if I had to go out to the eastern areas of the lower mainland or Fraser Valley, the way I described would be the way I would go. If you go via the North Shore and the Lions Gate bridge you run some risk of an acident on either the 2nd Narrows or Lions Gate bridge or running into traffic trying to get on to the Lions Gate bridge. However if you have lots of time and want to drive over the Lions Gate and thru the Stanley Park Causeway then it will certainly work for you, it is a pretty drive. If at all possible so that you miss the traffic from Abbotsford into the city try to be at Abbotsford about 9 am, if your leave Kamloops about 6am you will be in Abotsford about 9am and that should should have you downtown about 10:30 +/-.

[Dphipps2]

Thanks for the links Putterdude.

 

Ok, no laughing,I have a stupid question. Do most places accept american $ or must I have it converted?:confused:

[orchid72]

Thanks PD and Dennis. I've obviously had a look at the map of Vancouver and Downtown. Scary! Would it be any easier to go all the way round to the North on Hwy 1 and come in over the bridge? Or round by the south through Richmond?

 

Yes, you could drive all the way to West Van then take the Lions Gate Bridge but you'll have to cross the second narrows first which can get backed up then have to cross Lion's gate which can also get backed up. It can get pretty frustrating.

 

Alternatively, you can take the Mcgill exit (which is past the 1st avenue exit) and then turn right on Wall Street (I think) which will turn into Powell, which will take you through Gastown. At the end of gastown, you can turn right onto Cordova then follow cordova to Bute then left on Bute then turn onto the back alley before you hit Georgia.

 

Regarding the Richmond route, you can also do that but you will be hitting a lot of lights along Granville or Oak Street. Plus, you'll also be fighting traffic on Oak Street Bridge and the Tunnel. The plus side is, you'll be avoiding the nightmare that is Port Mann Bridge.

 

I live close to Bute and Georgia and I find that everytime I need to go to and from the valley, the McGill route usually takes me there quicker.

 

I guess the bottom line is, you will hit traffic whichever way you turn. :eek:

[orchid72]

Thanks for the links Putterdude.

 

Ok, no laughing,I have a stupid question. Do most places accept american $ or must I have it converted?:confused:

 

Yes, a lot of places do accept US$, but some may not. If you're finding that a lot of places would not accept it, you can always go to a bureau de change to get it changed to CDN $. There are LOTS of bureau de change scattered pretty much everywhere in the downtown core.

 

Or, you can just take $$ out of the ATM.

 

I would say that to be on the safe side, have your US$ converted. JMHO.

[Putterdude]

Thanks for the links Putterdude.

 

Ok, no laughing,I have a stupid question. Do most places accept american $ or must I have it converted?:confused:

 

The Canadian and US dollar have been pretty much at par for the past month or 6 weeks, right now the US dollar is about 2 cents more. With Vancouver being so close the border businesses and services are quite used of accepting US cash but you probably won't get the exhange but at 2 cents it is no big deal. But if you wish you can go to an ATM once you get here and get some CDN money, that which you don't use you can exhange at the bank or currency exchange at the Vancouver airport when you leave or if you wish email it to me!

[hornbill7]

Thanks to PD, Orchid72 and dennis - you've been more than kind.

[Dphipps2]

Thanks for the info. Everyone on this board has been great!!!!

[Dirty Harry]

Putterdude: Thanks for the information on the hotels in Burnaby.

I have another question. Where can I find information (fares, stations, schedules, etc.) on the Skytrain?

Thanks

Dirty Harry