MAP 2: E. Pender St. at Taylor Way
Vancouver Police Museum
If you’re curious about some of shiny Vancouver’s darker moments, plan a visit to the Vancouver Police Museum, where the exhibits about policing, criminology, and various misdeeds are housed in the 1932 former city morgue and autopsy facility.
The museum’s holdings include more than 20,000 artifacts, photos, and documents about crime and police work in the city, from the region’s early days to the present. In the Sins gallery, you can check out the collection of counterfeit money, illegal drugs, and weapons, all confiscated from criminals. The True Crime gallery exhibits photos and evidence from notorious regional crimes, many of which remain unsolved. You can also visit the autopsy suite, last used in 1980 but still looking ready for its next casualty, which has a collection of preserved human organs. Some people may find the graphic exhibits rather creepy; the museum may not be appropriate for younger children.
The museum runs two two-hour Sins of the City Walking Tours (May-Oct., adults $20, seniors, students, and ages 16-18 $16), where you can explore the underbelly of Gastown and Chinatown. The Red Light Rendezvous Tour tells you about the neighborhoods’ brothels and the women who ran them, while on the Vice, Dice, and Opium Pipes Tour, you walk the beat of a 1920s cop, on the lookout for gambling dens, bootlegging joints, and other nefarious activity. Check the museum website or phone for tour times. While kids are allowed in the police museum at their parents’ discretion, the minimum age for the walking tours is 16.
The Vancouver Police Museum is located east of Gastown, on the edge of Chinatown. Buses 4 and 7 from downtown stop nearby.
MAP 2: 240 E. Cordova St., 604/665-3346, www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca; 9am-5pm Tues.-Sat.; adults $12, seniors and students $10, ages 6-18 $8
Gassy Jack Statue
At Maple Tree Square is a statue of Gassy Jack, a fast-talking British sailor and riverboat pilot turned saloonkeeper, from whom Vancouver’s historic Gastown district got its name. In 1867, Captain John Deighton, nicknamed “Gassy Jack” for his habit of telling tall tales, promised local millworkers that he’d serve them drinks if they’d build him a saloon on the shores of Burrard Inlet. The motivated millworkers constructed the bar in just one day, and the fledgling Gastown neighborhood took its title from Deighton’s “Gassy” nickname. Artist Vern Simpson crafted the copper statue of the hat-wearing Deighton, who is standing atop a barrel. A gift to the city, the statue was installed in 1970.
THE EVOLUTION OF CHINATOWN
In 1858, gold was discovered along British Columbia’s Fraser River. Among the miners and adventurers who flocked to the province for this emerging gold rush were a number of Chinese settlers. Many came north from California, while others arrived directly from China, primarily from Guangdong Province and the country’s southern regions.
Throughout the late 1800s, Chinese immigrants continued to arrive in B.C., including thousands who found work building the Canadian Pacific Railway. Others worked in the canneries in Steveston, or in the logging or mining industries. By the 1890s, more than 1,000 Chinese people had settled in Vancouver’s Chinatown, clustered on what is now Pender Street, between Carrall and Columbia Streets. By 1911, Vancouver’s Chinatown was the largest in Canada.
In 1923, Chinese immigration came to an abrupt halt, when the Canadian government passed the Chinese Immigration Act—often called the Chinese Exclusion Act—which effectively stopped any additional Chinese immigrants from settling in Canada. This lack of new residents, combined with the Great Depression of the 1930s, sent the neighborhood into decline.
The population of Vancouver’s Chinatown ebbed and flowed during the second half of the 1900s. Beginning in the 1980s, many new Chinese residents arrived in the Vancouver area, first from Hong Kong and more recently from Taiwan and mainland China. Most of these newcomers, many of whom were more well-to-do than earlier immigrants, avoided settling in the aging Chinatown, preferring to locate throughout the city or in Richmond, the suburb to the south that has become something of a “new Chinatown.”
Some of Chinatown’s signature produce markets, herbalists, tea shops, bakeries, and Chinese restaurants still remain, with bins piled high with ginseng, winter melons, and yu choy (greens), or display cases filled with tea leaves, coconut buns, and various herbal remedies. In recent years, however, many apartment and condominium buildings have sprouted up, and chic restaurants, cafés, and bars have opened, making it a newly vibrant destination for eating and drinking. While many applaud these businesses and the increased life that they’re bringing to Chinatown streets, some residents are expressing concern at the pace and extent of the neighborhood’s changes.
With its mix of historic and modern, Vancouver’s Chinatown remains an exciting district to explore, but the neighborhood will undoubtedly continue to evolve.
MAP 2: Maple Tree Square, intersection of Alexander, Carrall, Water, and Powell Sts.
Gastown Steam Clock
Sure, it’s touristy, but you’ll still find yourself in front of this local icon, waiting for it to toot its steam whistle every 15 minutes. The historic-looking Gastown Steam Clock actually dates back only to 1977, when area businesses commissioned clockmaker Ray Saunders to create the clock as part of the neighborhood’s revitalization. Saunders based his clock on an 1875 design; it draws power from the city’s underground steam heating system (and from three electric motors). Weighing over two tons, with steam whistles above its dial, the clock stands 16 feet (five meters) tall.
MAP 2: Water St., at Cambie St.
Woodward’s Building
Charles Woodward started his career as a grocer in Ontario before opening a shop in Vancouver in the late 1800s. In 1903, he moved the original location of Woodward’s Department Store to Gastown. Woodward’s sold clothing for men, women, and children; housewares; and food. Growing to occupy most of a city block, the store developed into a prime Vancouver shopping destination. On its roof was a tower crowned with a red neon “W” that became a city landmark and is visible to this day.
In 1992, Woodward’s declared bankruptcy. It wasn’t until 2006 that the former store was converted into a mixed-use complex, combining residential, commercial, and arts spaces.
MAP 2: Hastings and Abbott Sts.
Catfe
For cat lovers only: Vancouver’s first cat café is part coffee shop and part foster home for felines. Catfe, inside the International Village mall on the edge of Chinatown, has partnered with the B.C. SPCA, bringing in 8-12 adoptable cats every week. Visitors can pet and play with the animals while enjoying a coffee or light snack. The café allows only 16 guests at one time, for visits of up to one hour. In each time slot, 10 spots can be reserved online; book up to four weeks in advance on their website. The remaining spots are available for walk-ins.
MAP 2: International Village, 88 W. Pender St., #2035, 778/379-0060, www.catfe.ca; 11am-8pm Sun.-Wed., 5pm-9pm Thurs., 11am-9pm Fri.-Sat.; $5 with any café purchase, $8 without purchase
Yaletown and False Creek Map 3
S Science World
What’s that dome thing? Kids may want to check out the distinctive geodesic dome (constructed for the Expo ’86 world’s fair) that houses Vancouver’s cool science museum, even before they venture inside. Clad in aluminum and illuminated at night with nearly 400 lights, the 155-foot-tall dome looks like a colossal shiny golf ball, shimmering on the edge of False Creek.
Science World, on Vancouver’s False Creek
Officially called Science World at Telus World of Science, the museum is full of hands-on exhibits about the human body, natural world, light and sound, puzzles and illusions, and more. The BodyWorks exhibit helps kids explore what’s inside of them and where they came from, while in the Eureka! Gallery they can walk on an oversize piano, try to capture their shadows, or launch a parachute. The littlest visitors have their own Kidspace, designed for children under age six, stocked with giant building blocks, water features, and games for exploring light an
d color. Live science shows and demonstrations take place throughout the day, entertaining (and educating) with fire, electricity, balloons, and other science themes—even grossology (“the impolite science of the human body”). A rotating selection of films plays on the five-story-tall screen in the immersive OMNIMAX Theatre ($6).
Outside in Ken Spencer Science Park, you can explore more interactive exhibits about the local environment and issues of sustainability. The park even has its own chicken coop.
MAP 3: 1455 Quebec St., 604/443-7440, www.scienceworld.ca, subway: Main Street-Science World; 10am-5pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-6pm Sat.-Sun. Apr.-late June, 10am-8pm Thurs., 10am-6pm Fri.-Wed. late June-early Sept., 10am-5pm Tues.-Fri., 10am-6pm Sat.-Sun. early Sept.-Mar.; adults $24, seniors and students $19, ages 3-12 $16
Olympic Village
On the south side of False Creek, a new neighborhood developed thanks to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The residential buildings where athletes lived during the Games have been transformed into the Olympic Village, also known as the Village at False Creek, comprising stylish condominiums, brewpubs, cafés, a community center, and several public art pieces. Look for The Birds in the Southeast False Creek Plaza, two 18-foot-tall (5.5-meter) sparrows crafted by Vancouver artist Myfanwy MacLeod. The Olympic Village provides a great vantage point for skyline photos.
MAP 3: Bounded by Ontario St., Athletes Way, Columbia St., and W. 1st Ave.; subway: Olympic Village or Main Street-Science World
B.C. Place and the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame
The odd-looking structure along False Creek that resembles a giant spaceship is B.C. Place, a sports and concert arena. Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps (www.whitecapsfc.com) play here, as do the Canadian Football League’s B.C. Lions (www.bclions.com). Built in 1983, the arena has hosted the Expo ’86 opening ceremonies, the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Games, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, as well as concerts by Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, and many other performers.
Inside B.C. Place, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame (Beatty St. at Robson St., Gate A, 604/687-5520, www.bcsportshalloffame.com; 10am-5pm daily; adults $15, seniors, students, and ages 6-17 $12) highlights regional sports history and offers interactive games where kids (and accompanying adults) can test their athletic prowess. Exhibits feature topics like Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics, women and aboriginal sports figures, and a Hall of Champions showcasing B.C. athletes.
You can also book the All Access Experience ($20), which includes a B.C. Place tour along with access to the Hall of Fame. Tours visit the field, media room, premium boxes, and (when available) the locker rooms. The All Access Experience tours are offered on specific dates, so check ahead for availability.
If you’re attending an event at B.C. Place within two weeks of your visit to the Sports Hall of Fame, show your event ticket stub to get 50 percent off your Hall of Fame admission.
Outside the arena, near the intersection of Robson and Beatty Streets, is the Terry Fox Memorial, a series of four progressively larger sculptures by Vancouver artist Douglas Coupland. The memorial honors Fox, the B.C. man who embarked on a cross-Canada run in 1980 to raise money for cancer research after losing his own leg to the disease.
MAP 3: 777 Pacific Blvd., 604/669-2300, www.bcplacestadium.com; subway: Stadium-Chinatown
Engine 374 Pavilion
The Canadian Pacific Railway completed its cross-Canada train route in 1885, when rail workers drove the last spike of the transcontinental railroad into the ground at Craigellachie, near the town of Revelstoke, in eastern British Columbia. A year and a half later, on May 23, 1887, the first transcontinental passenger train rolled into Vancouver, pulled by Engine 374.
This historic locomotive is now on view at the Engine 374 Pavilion, next to the Yaletown-Roundhouse Community Centre. Posing next to the engine makes a fun photo op for rail enthusiasts of all ages.
The Engine 374 Pavilion is typically open every day, but hours vary, as the staff are all volunteers. Call to make sure they’re open before making a special trip.
MAP 3: 181 Roundhouse Mews, 604/713-1800, http://roundhouse.ca; subway: Yaletown-Roundhouse; hours vary; free
Long Table Distillery
Vancouver’s first micro-distillery produces several varieties of gin and vodka in their 80-gallon (300-liter) copper-pot still. Long Table Distillery also makes small batches of seasonal spirits, like Akvavit or Amaro, so stop by their Yaletown tasting room to see what’s brewing. In the 28-seat space, with a polished wood bar and a wall of windows into the distilling room, you can choose a flight of three spirits ($6); the staff can explain what you’re drinking and how it’s made. They also host popular Gin & Tonic Fridays (4pm-9pm) and Cocktail Saturdays (3pm-9pm), when they offer custom cocktails, and you can purchase snacks from food trucks parked out front.
MAP 3: 1451 Hornby St., 604/266-0177, http://longtabledistillery.com; 1pm-6pm Wed.-Thurs., 1pm-9pm Fri.-Sat.
THE ISLAND THE OLYMPICS BUILT
Before hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver embarked on numerous building projects: the Canada Line subway connecting downtown and the airport, the Olympic Cauldron on the Coal Harbour waterfront, and the former Athletes Village on the shores of False Creek, which housed competitors during the Games and is now the fashionable Olympic Village district.
Yet one of the Olympics’ most unusual legacies may be an artificial island. To build the Athletes Village, developers excavated a vast amount of rocks, sand, and gravel. More than 2 million cubic feet (60,000 cubic meters) of this excavated material was used to construct tiny Habitat Island, along Southeast False Creek.
Now city-owned parkland, Habitat Island has more than 200 native trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses, and, as befits its name, it provides a habitat for birds, crabs, starfish, and other land and sea creatures.
Habitat Island is located on the False Creek waterfront, near the foot of Columbia Street, east of the Cambie Bridge. A rock pathway leads onto the island from the Seawall path. You can wander over to the island for a stroll or a picnic. Or simply explore the island that the Olympics built.
Granville Island Map 4
TOP EXPERIENCE
S Granville Island Public Market
The island’s main attraction is the year-round indoor Granville Island Public Market. It’s a food lover’s heaven, where artistically arranged fruits garnish the produce stalls, and you can nibble away the day on charcuterie, cheeses, pastries, fudge, and other treats. While food vendors predominate among the nearly 50 stands, some stalls sell jewelry, leather goods, and other locally made crafts. There’s no particular order to the merchandise, though, so plan to wander, browse, and snack.
fresh fish, Granville Island Public Market
Granville Island was once known as “Industrial Island” for the sawmills, factories, and other businesses that operated here. The buildings that house the market were converted from their former industrial uses in the 1970s.
Start at Blue Parrot Espresso Bar (604/688-5127, www.blueparrotcoffee.com) for java with a water view. Sample the unexpectedly addictive salmon candy (cured, salty-sweet fish snacks) at any of the seafood counters, or line up with the locals for house-made charcuterie at Oyama Sausage (604/327-7407, www.oyamasausage.ca) or nut-studded grape loaves at Terra Breads Bakery Café (604/685-3102, www.terrabreads.com). You might hope that the kids won’t notice longtime favorite Lee’s Donuts (604/685-4021), at least until it’s time for dessert.
In summer, the Granville Island Farmers Market (10am-3pm Thurs. June-Sept.) sets up once a week in front of the Public Market, bringing more local farmers and artisans to the island. At any time, musicians and other entertainers might perform outside the market.
You can pick up picnic fixings or prepared foods in the Public Market and eat outdoors behind the market building. If it’s too crowded there, take your picnic to the opposite end of the island and enjoy it on the grass overlooking the water in
Ron Basford Park.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the Public Market, book the two-hour Granville Island Market Tour with Vancouver Foodie Tours (http://foodietours.ca; 10:30am daily mid-May-mid-Sept., 10:30am Thurs.-Sun. mid-Sept.-mid-May; $54-58). You’ll learn the stories of many of the vendors and their products and sample 20 different foods and drinks.
The Public Market is located along False Creek, facing the downtown skyline. As you walk onto the island on Anderson Street, continue till the road forks, then bear left; the market will be one block ahead. The market is busiest on weekend afternoons, especially when the weather is nice.
MAP 4: 1689 Johnston St., 604/666-6655; http://granvilleisland.com; 9am-7pm daily; free
NEARBY:
▪ Eat your way across the country at Edible Canada Bistro (click here).
▪ Check out the local music scene at the Backstage Lounge (click here).
▪ Browse museum-quality aboriginal art at Eagle Spirit Gallery (click here).
▪ Kayak around the island with Ecomarine Paddlesports Centre (click here).
▪ Find almost anything you’d wear on your head at the Granville Island Hat Shop (click here).
S Railspur Alley
Explore this pedestrian-only cobblestone lane near the center of Granville Island for its artist studios and shops. Go inside the petite studios, where many of the artists welcome you to watch and chat while they work. Look for textile weavers, leather crafters, woodworkers, and even a sake maker in the lane’s low buildings.
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