Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite

[Urban trekker]

"Is this possible??

 

Rent a bike to ride around Stanley Park, eat lunch somewhere in the park (suggestions please for where), then continue on bike along sea wall to Granville Bridge and lock up bike and walk around the Granville Market and then bike it back to the bike store near entrance to Stanley Park. How much riding in miles would this be and how much time to do all of this?"

 

Yes it is possible but I wouldn't recommend riding over the Granville bridge - of our three downtown bridges it is the least bike friendly - either ride over the Burrard Bridge or better yet take the Aqua Ferry from the foot of Hornby St across to Granville Island - It has a ferry built to take bikes and it docks right at the market - $5.00 a round trip or $3.00 one way.

There are several bike lockups racks by the market in high traffic areas - I lock mind up there and have never had a problem.

 

After lunch you could ride back over the Burrard Bridge or return on the ferry and then take the Hornby St bike lane all the way back to the waterfront and then along the seawall to your bike rental place.

 

As for mileage - it is about 6 miles around the park and another 2 or 3 to Granville Island depending on your route and about the same back to your rental place.

 

it is hard for me to give a time because if it is a nice sunny day and you are a photo fanatic like me it could take a while - the speed limit on the Seawall is 15 KM or 10 miles per hour.

 

Hope this helps and free feel to ask more question - I live two blocks from the ferry right on the Hornby bike route and cycle this route at least once a week for recreation.

 

As for lunch - there are the Parks Board concessions and a number of higher end restaurants in the park but they are adjacent to the main Park drive which is above the bike route.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[marilynbn]

Thank you thank you Urban Trekker this is exactly the info I needed. I am so glad that the AquaBus ferry will take bikes. I originally wanted to go to Granville by ferry. Maybe we can ride the park and get a light snack and then have lunch in Granville. I am assuming that most of the terrain we would traverse would be flat? Is the route from Stanley Park to Hornby safe and biker friendly?

 

~Marilyn

[Urban trekker]

Yes it is a separated and marked route all the way - a couple of little inclines but nothing that is strenous.

 

The Aqua ferry from the foot of Hornby not the first one you will come to at the foot of Thurlow by the Aquatic Center is the designated bike ferry to Granville Island.

 

The picture attached is the actual ferry at the Hornby Street dock.

 

As for food - there a good number of eating places on Granville Island in the market.

 

Don`t know if you have it but here is a link to the Granville Island web site:

 

http://www.granvilleisland.com/

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Edited April 9, 2012 by Urban trekker
link added

[laiki]

I am also planning on biking the seawall. On the Stanley park website there is an email address to request a brochure. I filled it out and in just over a week got a nice brochure and map of Stanley park.

[ajpmom]

We will be arriving late (10pm) on Friday and I have heard about the Sky train to take downtown. Is it safe at that hour to take an adult with a cane and 2 kids with all their luggage to downtown or should I just plan on a cab.

 

Thanks

[laiki]

We are arriving in to Vancouver very late on a Monday in late May. We are staying at the airport Fairmont for convenience and then transferring to our downtown hotel at noon the next day (Tuesday). We will probably be all settled in to our hotel by 2pm.

 

On Wednesday we are doing the HOHO and Thursday we are doing a day full of biking and exploration of Stanley Park.

 

What would be your suggestion to do on Tuesday after we settle into our hotel? We are fine being out after dark and we have a decent budget (we aren't millionaires but it is our honeymoon so we do have a bit of flexibility).

 

Thanks in advance!

[scottbee]

We will be arriving late (10pm) on Friday and I have heard about the Sky train to take downtown. Is it safe at that hour to take an adult with a cane and 2 kids with all their luggage to downtown or should I just plan on a cab.

 

Thanks

 

it's very safe, from the airport you'll have a seat so no problem there. Where are you headed downtown? There may well be some walking once you get there.

[Putterdude]

We will be arriving late (10pm) on Friday and I have heard about the Sky train to take downtown. Is it safe at that hour to take an adult with a cane and 2 kids with all their luggage to downtown or should I just plan on a cab.

 

Thanks

 

It is safe but at that hour of night you may run into some big city "characters" on the cars and in around the stations. My biggest concern would be one of the person with the cane being able to handle the luggage and the walking that may be involved, it is not unusual to have to walk up to six blocks from downtown station to a hotel. But you know the person's abilities much better than me.

[Putterdude]

We are arriving in to Vancouver very late on a Monday in late May. We are staying at the airport Fairmont for convenience and then transferring to our downtown hotel at noon the next day (Tuesday). We will probably be all settled in to our hotel by 2pm.

 

On Wednesday we are doing the HOHO and Thursday we are doing a day full of biking and exploration of Stanley Park.

 

What would be your suggestion to do on Tuesday after we settle into our hotel? We are fine being out after dark and we have a decent budget (we aren't millionaires but it is our honeymoon so we do have a bit of flexibility).

 

Thanks in advance!

 

You have a number of options but if the weather is good you may enjoy a trip to the Capilano Suspension Bridge followed by a ride up Grouse Mountain where you may even care to have dinner over looking the city.

 

www.capbridge.com/

http://www.grousemountain.com/Summer/summer-activities/

[laiki]

You have a number of options but if the weather is good you may enjoy a trip to the Capilano Suspension Bridge followed by a ride up Grouse Mountain where you may even care to have dinner over looking the city.

 

www.capbridge.com/

http://www.grousemountain.com/Summer/summer-activities/

 

Thank you for the suggestions, these both look really scenic and fun. What would you suggest if the weather is foggy or rainy?

[Putterdude]

Thank you for the suggestions, these both look really scenic and fun. What would you suggest if the weather is foggy or rainy?

 

That is always a tough question and the fall-back answer is .... Granville Island.

[martincath]

We will be driving from Vancouver to Seattle. What is the process at the border? What do we need besides our passports? How long does the process take? Thanks anyone who can help.

 

~Marilyn

Assuming you're a US Citizen without a criminal record (NB: this *does* include DUIs, minor drug possession charges etc.) then the process is usually pretty simple: show correct ID, answer the CBSA officers questions politely and be welcomed to Canada.

 

On the logistical side, here's a link to the estimated border wait times and admissibility rules. You should be able to find a detailed list of what you can't bring on the CBSA website too - but if all you have is going to go on the cruise with you there shouldn't be any problems.

 

If you dig around on the site you can find an exportable database to crunch the numbers yourself, but quiet times are early mornings, late evenings, and early afternoon on weekdays. There are helpful signs as you approach the border giving wait times at both the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway crossings - unless PH is showing 15+ minutes less delay don't bother rerouting as it adds at least 10 minutes extra driving.

 

Barring the queue at the border, you'll either be on your way within 2 minutes of talking to the officer or sent to secondary screening which can take many minutes to hours.

 

As to the queue - we've been able to drive right to a booth at times, waited over an hour at others, it's always going to be a crapshoot but if you go very early/very late most likely you'll be waiting less than 15 minutes. Unless it's a holiday weekend when all bets are off!

[pizzalady1]

Does anyone know if a mobility scooter can ride on the ferry? I could not find anything on their website and they don't have anyone answer the phone.

[martincath]

Does anyone know if a mobility scooter can ride on the ferry? I could not find anything on their website and they don't have anyone answer the phone.

The Cyquabus ferries can definitely handle wheelchairs - they're designed for roll-on & -off for wheelchairs and bikes - but it's probably best to check with them by email about a scooter: service@theaquabus.com

Edit: Cyquabus is just what the Aquabus people call their bike & wheelchair accessible design, it's the same company/tickets/everything except the layout of the vessel!

Edited April 10, 2012 by martincath

[Urban trekker]

I will try and help with this as the issue comes up from time to time and I have seen some wheelchairs loaded - the ramp can be a problem for some people in wheelchairs because its angle will change with the tides but this shouldn't be a problem for you - there is a short lip that the chair must get over to get on the boat - can you get out of the chair and walk over it then the staff will usually lift the chair over the lift much like they do for baby carriages and there are lots of those on the ferry - I will likely be down by the dock in the next day or two - it's only two blocks away - and will asked the boat operators your question.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Urban trekker]

Yes they can load you - if you can't get put of the scooter or it is too heavy to lift they have a ramp that can be used - got this from one of the boat operators this evening during my evening walk.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[pizzalady1]

The Cyquabus ferries can definitely handle wheelchairs - they're designed for roll-on & -off for wheelchairs and bikes - but it's probably best to check with them by email about a scooter: service@theaquabus.com

Edit: Cyquabus is just what the Aquabus people call their bike & wheelchair accessible design, it's the same company/tickets/everything except the layout of the vessel!

 

I will try and help with this as the issue comes up from time to time and I have seen some wheelchairs loaded - the ramp can be a problem for some people in wheelchairs because its angle will change with the tides but this shouldn't be a problem for you - there is a short lip that the chair must get over to get on the boat - can you get out of the chair and walk over it then the staff will usually lift the chair over the lift much like they do for baby carriages and there are lots of those on the ferry - I will likely be down by the dock in the next day or two - it's only two blocks away - and will asked the boat operators your question.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Yes they can load you - if you can't get put of the scooter or it is too heavy to lift they have a ramp that can be used - got this from one of the boat operators this evening during my evening walk.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

I finally got an answer from my email. They can only load bikes/wheelchair/scooters at the Hornby and Granville Island Stations. They said it was available from 10am to 6pm and runs every 5-6 minutes.

 

I am trying to locate the Hornby Station on a map--we will be at the Roundhouse before going over to Granville Island. How far is the Hornby Station from there?

 

Thanks, everyone.

[Urban trekker]

Six or seven blocks along the seawall on a nice dedicated walkway - basically flat all the way and a gorgeous walk on a nice weather day. if you have a map of the area and you see the two bridges - Granville and Burrard - Hornby is between those two structures.

 

Good luck on your visit and don't hestitate to ask for more info if necessary.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[brichar499]

Help. I have googled HOHO and only get a chinese restaurant. Clearly I'm missing something. Can I get a link from someone? Thanks.

[movingimages]

Help. I have googled HOHO and only get a chinese restaurant. Clearly I'm missing something. Can I get a link from someone? Thanks.

 

http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/tours/hop-on-hop-off

[Putterdude]

Help. I have googled HOHO and only get a chinese restaurant. Clearly I'm missing something. Can I get a link from someone? Thanks.

 

Here are 3 links for you:

 

www.vancouvertrolley.com/

http://www.bigbus.ca/

http://www.vancouverpinkbustours.com/

[bellebaby]

Hello. We will be in Vancouver pre-cruise on Victoria Day. Is this simply a Monday-off for workers, banks closing, etc. or will there be crowds and/or activities downtown?

 

BTW - Hotels seem to be highly occupied/comparatively expensive for the weekend. I assume this is because of the holiday.

 

Thanks.

Edited April 14, 2012 by bellebaby

[Urban trekker]

Government offices and business will be closed - retail, entertainment etc will be open - downtown Vancouver is a very compact area - there are about 80,000 of us living in the downtown core so there is always lots of people coming and going.

 

Yes hotels are expensive - once cruise season starts the rates jump - we are also a popular convention destination - there is a large one going on this weekend and there seems to be one just about every week.

 

Hope this helps and enjoy your visit.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[bellebaby]

Government offices and business will be closed - retail, entertainment etc will be open - downtown Vancouver is a very compact area - there are about 80,000 of us living in the downtown core so there is always lots of people coming and going.

 

Yes hotels are expensive - once cruise season starts the rates jump - we are also a popular convention destination - there is a large one going on this weekend and there seems to be one just about every week.

 

Hope this helps and enjoy your visit.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Thanks for the information... Glad I have hotel frequent guest points to use...

 

We've been to Vancouver several times. One of our favorite pre-cruise destinations.

 

B

[Wozzie29]

Hiya, sorry if this is annoying repeated:o but: next year in June/July we are hoping to go on an Alaska cruise and thought we'd visit Vancouver for a few days (we already saw the "highlights" a few years ago). How many days do you think would be nice to discover more of your fair city and harbour and also Victoria Island? I remember a rather rushed trip to the B/gardens and that's it. Is there more to do on Vic Island?

 

Tks in anticipation.:D