The Passenger

North of Downtown Vancouver you’ll find Stanley Park which is a recreational zone on a half-peninsula named after conservative politician Frederick Arthur Stanley who was Governor General of Canada when it opened as a park in 1888. Stanley Park today has a large forest, contains the Vancouver Aquarium and offers long bicycle routes along the shore (‘seawall‘) giving you great views on the city center and the aeroboat harbor.

Vancouver is a city at the Pacific Ocean and for sure you would want to know a bit about sea life. For that reason there’s the amazing Vancouver Aquarium located within Stanley Park. The Vanaqua is the largest marine science center at Canada and was opened in 1956. Today there are 300 species of fish that you can admire, but to me the real stars are the local corals on display that have been beautifully set in scene.

Underneath the Granville Bridge you’ll find Granville Island, a half-peninsula within the False Creek. It is an artificial island created to host industry and it was converted in the 1970s and attracts many visitors these days. Highlight is the Granville Island Public Market that sells gourmet food which gives you the chance to try a lot of different local produce. It is surrounded by bars and restaurants and you can conveniently sit at the shore of the False Creek and enjoy views on the sea arm.

Public transport at Vancouver relies on the fantastic automated SkyTrain flying through the city as well as busses. But the most lovely means of transport is for sure the Aquabus: little boats operated by just one person each touring clockwise on the False Creek. Just jump on board, tell the operator how far you want to go and buy a ticket from them via credit card directly while floating on the water. Perfect for a round course with beautiful views or to access some nice places across the city.

The historic city quarter Gastown can be found in the east of Downtown Vancouver. It was once the germ cell of the city of Vancouver and a very industrial area with a harbor and a saw mill; the place is named after the first innkeeper John ‘Gassy Jack’ Deighton. Gastown burned down in 1886 and there are not many buildings that survived. Icon is the steam-powered clock located at the intersection of Water Street and Cambie Street. Every hour it gives a whistle four times and blows steam once.