Vancouver Secrets

The Vancouver Olympic Guide Of Things To See And Do

With Olympic tickets now on sale to our foreign friends, I thought it may be a good time to provide a quick guide of what to see and do as an alternative to the events. With just over 6 months until the winter games, you’ll want to get the most out of the most expensive trip you’ll ever take. Trust me, it will be worth every cent.

You’ll want to draw your map now, so that you’ll be prepared to abandon hope trying to get through our city to an event – as we have no freeways.

There’s lots to see and do, all just a short walk from our downtown hotels, or the basement suite you are planning on renting.

The locals will all tell you about Stanley Park.. it’s a beautiful spot with a great sea wall.

It’s Vancouver’s Central park without the people.

Be sure to come back in June when the rain stops.

If you planned ahead and booked your downtown hotel last year, you’re only a short walk to the famous Gastown… our buses all run close to the area, so just get off when an addict starts bugging you. Look for the mountains and turn right.

In Gastown you’ll find a quaint shops and lots of nightlife… with the cruise ships not as frequently arriving, you can expect to find great service and a warm welcome. Leave the area before dark if you’re over 40.

Vancouver has a great Chinatown. I am hoping they’ll decide to stay open after 6PM once the Olympics get closer.

The area is authentic, busy and full of activity. The produce and bakeries are world class.

You’ll want to find alternatives if you want to experience Vancouver’s Dim Sum… I have only managed to find one spot with cart service.

Next, if you managed to avoid it on your way from Gastown to Chinatown, is our famous East Hasting area.

Think Amsterdam meets Calcutta.

But not to worry – we treat our addicts better than any other province in Canada – great welfare, safe injection sites and lots of soup kitchens. They have a right to live downtown, even though the average downtown vice president can’t afford to. We are all for affordable housing – although it’s only for this select bunch.

Now you’ve stumbled through our underbelly, everything is uphill from there.

Grab a cab and jump over to Yaletown.

Great bars and restaurants and a few unique boutiques. Best time is nighttime, and the girls are really girls over here.

You’ll want to end your day here and get ready for the good stuff now… note that I intentionally forgot Robson Street. If you aren’t into tourist traps, you’re best to skip the area.

Day 2 – if the streets aren’t completely jammed, you might want to rent a car and explore the best part of Vancouver.

Pretend you are leaving town, or on the way back to the airport, and cross a bridge. As soon as you do, turn right on 4th street or 10 street.

Find a parking spot and walk either of these streets – enjoy Vancouver’s best food, stores and great beaches.

After you’ve had lunch, and grabbed a few Vancouver souvenirs, jump back in the car and head to the UBC area. Great drive, scenic and home of our famous Wreck beach.

A couple of warnings: The walk down the cliff (and back up) is about 1400 feet vertical. Also, it’s clothing optional, and the only ones you’ll find in February will be there for nefarious reasons.

After you’ve had you workout, it’s time to head back through downtown and across the Lions Gate Bridge.

North Vancouver is one of the most scenic parts of Vancouver, and the best suburb in the world.

Drive the British properties… the good news is that house prices have dropped by around 30%+. The bad news is that they were in the $4-5 million range. The views of downtown are breathtaking.

Then head east for the Capilano Bridge. Worth the trip to walk across this amazing suspension bridge.

Keep going east and stop in at Deep Cove. Quaint Beach town and no crowds. Rent a canoe or a boat and discover real nature.

If you’re a skier, you are a short drive up the hill from here, where you’ll find a good snowboarding hill – Cypress Mountain. When the other ski hills are rained out, they always have fresh snow.

After skiing, you’ll want to grab a great dinner – head back towards Vancouver, take the Trans-Canada highway, and cross the Second Narrows Bridge. Turn right and head to Commercial Drive.

This is Vancouver’s best-kept secret – you’ll find every type of food imaginable, at local prices. Best coffee shops too.

Now you’re through the Vancouver loop.. you can head back to your Winter Olympic Games.

The organizing team should have the transit mess fixed by then… enjoy.