Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite

[wendyp247]

Will be in Seattle for a day after the cruise .Flight leaves 10 pm Want to go to Pike Market and Boeing tour . Will be renting a car which should we do first. Any suggestons on how to navigate Seattle and parking . Will be there on 5/28 which is Memorial Day which will,problaby add to parking difficulties. Will we have time to take anything else in. Open to suggestions

[tracyd1014]

I'm sure this questions has probably been answered but I don't want to look through 101 pages of replies so...

How easy is it to get from the Vancouver airport to the Days Inn downtown? What's the best mode of transportation?

Thanks for the help.

[Kamloops50]

Will be in Seattle for a day after the cruise .Flight leaves 10 pm Want to go to Pike Market and Boeing tour . Will be renting a car which should we do first. Any suggestons on how to navigate Seattle and parking . Will be there on 5/28 which is Memorial Day which will,problaby add to parking difficulties. Will we have time to take anything else in. Open to suggestions

 

I think you posted this in the wrong thread . This about Vancouver BC and area.

[trinaM]

I am staying in the downtown area of vancouver pre-cruise. Where can I get the best poutine?

Best Frites?(belgian fries)

 

thank you.

[marilynbn]

I am staying in the downtown area of vancouver pre-cruise. Where can I get the best poutine?

Best Frites?(belgian fries)

 

thank you.

 

 

I asked this very same question a while back and I was given these 3 options:

 

"La Bella Patate" - 1215 Davie St.

"Fritz" - 718 Davie @ Granville St.

"Frenchies" - 425 Dunsmuir

 

I am so curious to try these myself while we are visiting Vancouver for the first time pre and post cruise.

 

~Marilyn

[Urban trekker]

Just a note about Fritz - they aren 't opened on Mondays and are basically a to go eatery - while there is a little standing area their isn't much seating and they can be very busy later in the evening as the club and pub crowd congregrate in the area.

As for La Belle Patate - haven't eaten there but it is a sit down establishment and you can get adult beverages as well and a friend of mine who is a retireed airline employee stated he thought their Poutine was as good as some Montreal places where he was stationed for a few years.

Frenchies is located in the 411 Seniors building - it's an older part of the downtown core and not close to most mainstream hotels. Not sure it is open late because there isn't a lot of ped traffic in the area once the work day ends.

Perhaps if you tell us which hotel you are staying at some of the other locals can suggest some more places.

Cheers

Dennis

[Mocha'shuman]

I'm flying in from Saskatoon in May with my cruisin' buddy. We get in after 3 and are staying at the Pan Pacific. We would like to spend some time wandering around after we check in; thinking about a seabus to Lonsdale Quay and going to the Market and Screaming Mimi's for clam chowder [a friend had been there several years ago and loved the chowder] or walking to Gas Town and finding somewhere to eat along the way - maybe the Old Spaghetti Factory? Any thoughts:) on these or alternate late afternoon/early evening possibilities. We both wanted to get to see some of Vancouver before the cruise & had thought of the walking to the Vancouver Lookout for a panormaic view of the city later in the evening. Safe walking area?

Thanks for any insights

Fern

[Putterdude]

[quote=Mocha'shuman;33408603]I'm flying in from Saskatoon in May with my cruisin' buddy. We get in after 3 and are staying at the Pan Pacific. We would like to spend some time wandering around after we check in; thinking about a seabus to Lonsdale Quay and going to the Market and Screaming Mimi's for clam chowder [a friend had been there several years ago and loved the chowder] or walking to Gas Town and finding somewhere to eat along the way - maybe the Old Spaghetti Factory? Any thoughts:) on these or alternate late afternoon/early evening possibilities. We both wanted to get to see some of Vancouver before the cruise & had thought of the walking to the Vancouver Lookout for a panormaic view of the city later in the evening. Safe walking area?

Thanks for any insights

Fern[/quote]

[SIZE=4]A trip across the harbour on the SeaBus is always a fun thing to do. Screaming Mimi's does have a great chowder but it is kind of pull a stool and sit down to eat it. You will also find the Quay does kind of wind down after about 6 pm or so. A walk into Gastown in the evening is safe, we ate at an OSF on the way home on Saturday and it still is fun and good value. Other stand-bys in Gastown are the Water Street Café and Al Porto. There are a plethora of restaurants in Gastown and here is link that you may care to review. The Lookout is located at the entrance to Gastown in Harbour Centre about a 3 block walk from from the Pan Pacific.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]Here also is a link for a city tour that a lot of cruisers enjoy on the morning of their cruise.[/SIZE]


[URL]http://www.gastown.org/restaurants-bars[/URL]

[URL]http://www.vancouvertours.com/pre-cruise-vancouver-city-tour[/URL]

[northwoods2]

[quote name='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[/QUOTE]

Urban trekker - we are staying at the Executive Hotel Vintage Park and would like to bike. Can you recommend a bike rental shop?

I have looked online and the prices are quite varied.
Bayshore - $16.80 for 4 hours (would require transportation from hotel)
Bicycle Sports Pacific - $30 for half day (looks very close to hotel)

It seems to make sense to use BSP but at twice the cost it might be worth going over to Bayshore. We are renting 4 adult bikes.

We plan to bike in the morning and then head to our ship early afternoon.

What do you recommend?

[Tweedy]

[quote=Mocha'shuman;33408603]I'm flying in from Saskatoon in May with my cruisin' buddy. We get in after 3 and are staying at the Pan Pacific. We would like to spend some time wandering around after we check in; thinking about a seabus to Lonsdale Quay and going to the Market and Screaming Mimi's for clam chowder [a friend had been there several years ago and loved the chowder] or walking to Gas Town and finding somewhere to eat along the way - maybe the Old Spaghetti Factory? Any thoughts:) on these or alternate late afternoon/early evening possibilities. We both wanted to get to see some of Vancouver before the cruise & had thought of the walking to the Vancouver Lookout for a panormaic view of the city later in the evening. Safe walking area?

Thanks for any insights

Fern[/quote]

Another restuarant recommendation, if you plan on wandering around Gastown, would be Steamworks. Also, at the new convention center next to the Pan Pacific is a wonderful irish pub called Mahoney & Sons. Great food and if it is a nice day, you can sit out on their patio and view the spectacular harbour and mountains and watch a cruiseship or two sail away.

[Urban trekker]

Bike Sport Pacific is basically a short block from the hotel - they are a full service year round bike shop unlike some of the ones nearer Stanley Park which are only seasonal and basically just in the rental business.

Getting from BSP to Stanley Park or Granville Island is easy.

Just a thought check with your hotel perhaps they have some bikes available for customers or perhaps they might have a discount coupon etc.

I use BSP for my tuneups and parts.

Also if it is a nice sunny day the lineups can be long for the Stanley Park so you will probably on a bike in short order.

I can see your hotel from my condo.

Here's a link to the City of Vancouver bike route maps:

[url]http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/cycling/bikeways/maps.htm[/url]

Some of the bike shops have these to hand out.

Cheers

Dennis Edited April 19, 2012 by Urban trekker

[northwoods2]

Thanks Dennis.

I will check with the hotel. Any suggestions for late evening meal? Our flight lands at 7:16 pm and thought it would be nice to get a bite to eat.

Is the hotel a good choice?

[Urban trekker]

I can't speak about the hotel but there is a regular on these boards who is from Seattle who stays there frequently so it should do just fine.

As for eating - lot's of places in the immediate area - White spot is opened to 10PM and is less than two blocks away.

[url]www.whitespot.ca[/url]

Granville and Drake would be the downtown located that is by your hotel.

There area a number of bars, lounges with food service in the area and if all else fails there is a 24 hour Denny's about 5 blocks away. Subways and Pizza joints abound.

You could also eat at the airport.

Others are likely to drop by with their suggestions.

Cheers

Dennis Edited April 19, 2012 by Urban trekker

[Putterdude]

[quote name='northwoods2']Thanks Dennis.


Is the hotel a good choice?[/quote]

[SIZE=4]The hotel is one that is quite popular with cruisers and offers a shuttle to Canada Place. The one observation I have is that it is on Howe St. which is a one-way traffic artery out of the downtown core and to compound this even further the hotel is adjacent to the on-ramp of the Granville St. bridge....so my advice would be to try to get a west facing room so as to minimize the noise factor....besides who wants to spend their time in Vancouver looking into Ut's livingroom.;)[/SIZE]

[Mocha'shuman]

[quote name='Putterdude'][SIZE=4]A trip across the harbour on the SeaBus is always a fun thing to do. Screaming Mimi's does have a great chowder but it is kind of pull a stool and sit down to eat it. You will also find the Quay does kind of wind down after about 6 pm or so. A walk into Gastown in the evening is safe, we ate at an OSF on the way home on Saturday and it still is fun and good value. Other stand-bys in Gastown are the Water Street Café and Al Porto. There are a plethora of restaurants in Gastown and here is link that you may care to review. The Lookout is located at the entrance to Gastown in Harbour Centre about a 3 block walk from from the Pan Pacific.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=4]Here also is a link for a city tour that a lot of cruisers enjoy on the morning of their cruise.[/SIZE]


[URL]http://www.gastown.org/restaurants-bars[/URL]

[URL]http://www.vancouvertours.com/pre-cruise-vancouver-city-tour[/URL][/quote]


Thanks for the information [things slowing down on Lonsdale quay after 6 and the menu in Gastown at The Waterstreet Cafe looks great] and links [we are doing a Vancouver tour to the airport when we disembark] Mahoney and Sons sounds great to unwind at the end of the day - especially if it is nice enough to sit on the patio. [Thanks 'Tweedy'] We will likely have coffee in our room and then do a nice walk in the area around the Pan Pacific - check out of the hotel and onto the ship [although on our itinerary it says that we are to check in at 2 different times between 12-3 ; 12-3:30 and arrive after 1:confused:ship departs at 4:30]

It is great to get information from people who know an area

Thanks again Edited April 19, 2012 by Mocha'shuman

[trinaM]

[quote name='Urban trekker']Just a note about Fritz - they aren 't opened on Mondays
As for La Belle Patate

Frenchies is located in the 411 Seniors building - it's an older part of the downtown core and not close to most mainstream hotels. Not sure it is open late because there isn't a lot of ped traffic in the area once the work day ends.

Perhaps if you tell us which hotel you are staying at some of the other locals can suggest some more places.

Cheers

Dennis[/QUOTE]

Hi dennis,

the place I am staying is on Richards in the downtown core(Van)
I am looking for a good poutine. also other good "cheap" eats .. thanks.

[martincath]

[quote name='trinaM']Hi dennis,

the place I am staying is on Richards in the downtown core(Van)
I am looking for a good poutine. also other good "cheap" eats .. thanks.[/quote]
Unless you're down at Richards & Davie then [URL="http://frenchies-diner.com/home/"]Frenchies[/URL] should be the most convenient - it's between Richards & Homer. If you are near Davie, then [URL="http://www.fritzfries.ca/"]Fritz[/URL] will be closest (it's on the third block along from Richards).

You also asked about Frites - the only actual Belgian menu I know downtown is [URL="http://www.chambar.com/"]Chambar[/URL], which is a dinner-only semi-fancy joint. You can sit at the bar and order appies, which includes IMHO the best poutine in town, but stray onto the entrees and you won't find much of anything for less than $25-30. Very tasty, but not cheap.

Cheap eats downtown - noodle places abound everywhere, Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese/Fusion based and all will feed you pretty well for $10 or less a big bowl. My favourite is the premium pork broth at [URL="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1602269/restaurant/Yaletown/Ramen-Jinya-Vancouver"]Ramen Jinya[/URL], 270 Robson St (2 blocks off Richards).

Izakayas (= Japanese Pub serving small nibbly plates of a wide variety of foods) are also common throughout downtown Vancouver; local chains with a great rep include [URL="http://hapaizakaya.com/"]Hapa[/URL] and [URL="http://guu-izakaya.com/"]Guu[/URL].

A tremendous cheap meal can be had at [URL="http://lataqueria.ca/"]La Taqueria[/URL] - original branch at 322 West Hastings St is just over a block off Richards. Just a little further down Hastings at Victory Square (huge war memorial is easy to spot) you'll find the main branch of [URL="http://nuba.ca/"]Nuba[/URL], a Lebanese resto (have the cauliflower, even if you normally hate the stuff - it's sooooooo good).

Anywhere on Richards you won't be too far from Yaletown - while there are some pretty pricey restos there, you can also find some bargains. [URL="http://www.hamiltonstreetgrill.com/"]Hamilton Street Grill[/URL] always places among the top few steakhouses in the local newspaper/magazine annual awards and is half the price of Gotham; [URL="http://www.cachebistro.com/"]Cache[/URL] offers a very good value table d'hote dinner for $35; Hapa Izakaya has a branch here.

If you don't mind walking through somewhat sketchy areas, then the non-touristy parts of Gastown offer some options too - [URL="http://saveonmeats.ca/"]Save On Meats[/URL] diner is outrageously cheap (one of the best burgers in town for $6, a breakfast sandwich & coffee to go for $3.48) and [URL="http://www.deaconscorner.ca/"]Deacon's Corner[/URL] is often praised as serious value for breakfast/lunch (caveat - I find the service randomly surly/slow and the kitchen rather heavyhanded with salt; they're right across the road from the [URL="http://www.alibi.ca/"]Alibi Room[/URL] though which is hands-down the best pub for craft beer in town - heck, pretty much anywhere in Canada).

If that doesn't do it for you, give a more detailed breakdown of $ you want to spend and genre of food preferred and we'll go from there...

[flyorange]

[quote name='Urban trekker']Here's a link to the daily rates for the YWCA:

[URL]http://www.ywcahotel.com/content/DAILY_RATES/964[/URL]

If you want a no frills let's share the bath with others yes it is a good deal but if you want your own private bath and you are in high season then the rates are considerable higher.

I often stay at Y's when traveling but then I worked for them for more than 40 years so am used to their level of service - I have a cruise planned from NYC in Oct and was going to stay at one of the Y's for around $105.00 a night shared bath but good location and stayed there before - for the fun of it I checked Hotwire for same dates and got the Helmsley now part of the Westin chain for $107.00 a night and I will have my own bath etc.

Cheers

Dennis[/quote]


i know that everyone is recommending the Canada line to get to downtown from the airport..but we have 4 people and taxi might be a cheaper option. however, it seems like the fare ranges from 35 dollars to 65 dollars depending on my search on google...does anyone know how much it should/would cost to go from the airport to downtown ? thank you

[Putterdude]

[quote name='flyorange']i know that everyone is recommending the Canada line to get to downtown from the airport..but we have 4 people and taxi might be a cheaper option. however, it seems like the fare ranges from 35 dollars to 65 dollars depending on my search on google...does anyone know how much it should/would cost to go from the airport to downtown ? thank you[/quote]

[SIZE=4]A cab fare from the airport to almost anywhere downtown will run you about $35. The Canada Line fare is $8.75 pp so for 4 people it is pretty much the same cost. With the 4 of you and luggage you will want to take a mini-van cab so you may have to wait an extra few minutes for one.[/SIZE]

[scottbee]

[quote name='flyorange']i know that everyone is recommending the Canada line to get to downtown from the airport..but we have 4 people and taxi might be a cheaper option. however, it seems like the fare ranges from 35 dollars to 65 dollars depending on my search on google...does anyone know how much it should/would cost to go from the airport to downtown ? thank you[/quote]

$35+tip assuming you're not arriving during morning rush hour. However, you might have to wait for a minivan taxi at the airport as the "standard" taxi in Vancouver is a Prius, and you're typically not going to get 4 people + cruise luggage in a Prius.

If you do Skytrain; go to the 7-11 in the airport and buy a book of 10 two-zone tickets (called a faresaver) for $31.50. That's cheaper than the $8.75/ea you'll pay for two zone tickets on the platform at the airport (3.75 + airport surcharge) as there's no surcharge on books of tickets. That will also leave you some tickets to either get back to the airport at the end of your cruise, or do some sightseeing around Vancouver.

[flyorange]

[quote name='Putterdude'][SIZE=4]A cab fare from the airport to almost anywhere downtown will run you about $35. The Canada Line fare is $8.75 pp so for 4 people it is pretty much the same cost. With the 4 of you and luggage you will want to take a mini-van cab so you may have to wait an extra few minutes for one.[/SIZE][/quote]

thanks! does mini-van cost more than the standard cab ?

[flyorange]

[quote name='scottbee']$35+tip assuming you're not arriving during morning rush hour. However, you might have to wait for a minivan taxi at the airport as the "standard" taxi in Vancouver is a Prius, and you're typically not going to get 4 people + cruise luggage in a Prius.

If you do Skytrain; go to the 7-11 in the airport and buy a book of 10 two-zone tickets (called a faresaver) for $31.50. That's cheaper than the $8.75/ea you'll pay for two zone tickets on the platform at the airport (3.75 + airport surcharge) as there's no surcharge on books of tickets. That will also leave you some tickets to either get back to the airport at the end of your cruise, or do some sightseeing around Vancouver.[/quote]

thanks for the tip! so i looked on the transit system's website and it says that 1-zone ticket can allow you to travel through multiple zones on sunday. Since i'm arriving on sunday and will only be spending time in downtown vancouver before my cruise, would 1-zone ticket work ? and this might be a dumb question....the faresaver comes in 10 single tickets ? it's not like one ticket with 10 uses right?
thanks ! Edited April 20, 2012 by flyorange

[Putterdude]

[quote name='flyorange']thanks! does mini-van cost more than the standard cab ?[/quote]

[SIZE=4]No they are exactly the same price and they form about 17 or 18% of the total taxi fleet.[/SIZE]

[Putterdude]

[quote name='flyorange']thanks for the tip! so i looked on the transit system's website and it says that 1-zone ticket can allow you to travel through multiple zones on sunday. Since i'm arriving on sunday and will only be spending time in downtown vancouver before my cruise, would 1-zone ticket work ?

thanks ![/quote]

[SIZE=4]Yes, a one zone ticket would apply on a Sunday, $2.50 or $1.75 if over 65 plus the $5 airport surcharge.[/SIZE]

[Tweedy]

[quote name='flyorange']question....the faresaver comes in 10 single tickets ? it's not like one ticket with 10 uses right?
thanks ![/quote]

Yes, it is 10 single tickets. You will have to validate the ticket either before you get on sky train or when you board a bus. I believe they allow for 90 minutes on one ticket. I have an annual pass so that's why I'm guessing at the 90 minute transfer time.