Vancouver Secrets

Things To Do In Vancouver – An Olympic Guide For Visitors

Here’s a first in my series of the Best Of Vancouver List, for those brave enough to make the trip to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics.

You won’t find these on any of those tourist site, and they are guaranteed to be a “tourist trap” free zone.

1) Best Street for Restaurants: West 4th Avenue – walk over the Burrard Street Bridge and then hang a right on 4th. Blows away Robson Street. My favorite is still is Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe. (2095 West 4th Avenue). In general, if it’s on this street, it’s good.

2) Best spots for a “walk on the wild side”. Keep in mind that Vancouver rolls up the carpet around 10. They’ll have a lot of “Olympic” events that will be going on on Georgia street – I’d avoid this all together, unless you’re accompanied by a bobsled team.

Here’s a few spots that will give you the Vancouver Experience:

The Amsterdam Cafe. – 301 West Hastings Street.. Like the ads says: The New Amsterdam Cafe™ is North America’s Premiere Smoke friendly Cafe. You can have a coffee and a joint at this quaint hangout. Just don’t ask to bum or buy anything. The crackdown on sales started a while back. Take you time, visit with the locals outside… this is Vancouver when the games are not in town.

The Yale: The Yale Hotel began in the mid 1880’s as a CPR bunkhouse – now is a place to catch the Blues. The Vancouver Blues Festival is running during the Olympics, and although Vancouver isn’t know for the blues.. it’s worth catching. Hopefully they’ll have some great bands in for the games.

Skip the Capilano Suspension bridge and walk down a mountain bank to Wreck Beach. (Northwest Marine Drive & University Blvd). A lot more swinging going on here, although there’s that “shrinkage” factor in February.

More later…

photo credit: Proggie