A walk about Vancouver
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Whether you're an art lover, someone who swoons at exquisite architecture or just someone intrigued by the idea of a walkabout at midnight John Atkin's two hours tours will show you that no matter where you walk in Vancouver there's always something interesting to see. "We would see some of the tourist spots but we would also be looking at much more ordinary things," says John.
If you really want to get a feel for the city then these are some of the places you must certainly take a walk about recommends John Atkin, a local civic historian and co-author of 'Vancouver Walks'.
1. Gastown, Vancouver
As you walk along the historic brick roads of Gastown flanked by maple trees and old street lights on either side you feel like you're walking back in time. Most of the restored brick buildings that you see along one side of the street date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. Although Vancouver sprang up in 1886 the city burned down three months later and had to be rebuilt. There's quite a medley of hotels here from those made for miners and loggers to the sort that housed travellers sailing out to China and Australia.
On the opposite side by the water's edge sits the Hudson's Bay company warehouse and others where silk coming in to the city and furs collected from forests round the province were sorted and graded before being shipped east. Whisky and other spirits were also bottled in these warehouses before moving out into the market for selling.
This neighbourhood is 130 years old and is where life in Vancouver began but it's got a fresh layer of modern culture laid over its history in the form of new buildings and recent face lifts. Had the people of this city not protested against its demolition in the 1970s we may not have had this part of the city to walk through today.
2. Chinatown, Vancouver
If you want a real taste of Cantonese culture, some great Chinese food and an interesting shopping trip then Chinatown is certainly worth a walk about. The Chinese are very much a part of the Vancouver cityscape and have been here as long as the city itself. Some of the city's oldest buildings are right here in Chinatown.
You can hear people speaking in Cantonese and see buildings that look like they were cut straight out of a postcard of Hong Kong or Shanghai. You'll see the city's Chinese people trickle off the buses, nip into the shops for their groceries and then climb back on the bus home.
There's a classical Chinese garden here which is the only reproduction of a Ming dynasty garden outside China. This garden is named after Dr Sun-Yat-Sen who visited Vancouver 3 times while raising money for his revolution that toppled the Ch'ing dynasty and paved the way for modern China.
Even today the ties between the city's Chinese community and the government on the Chinese mainland are strong and you'll get a real sense of that as you walk through Chinatown.
3. Vancouver Seawall walk
A walk along the seawall takes you right round the edge of Vancouver's waterfront. You'll actually be walking along False Creek. You can walk down to the rocks perched on the edge of the creek and dip your hand in, which is not something you could have done 25 years ago when 17 sawmills sat on the creek. "It was a polluted nasty piece of water," says John Atkin.
You'll see the transformation of the old Canadian Pacific Railways freight yards and repair shops, walk past the site of sawmills, boat yards and there's public art commemorating the old barrel factory along the creek which speak of Vancouver's heavy industrial past.
As you continue walking along False Creek Downtown Vancouver's new towers, commercial buildings and public housing come into view. Over the last 25 years this area has undergone a complete transformation with the clean up of the Creek after the last of the sawmills closed down in 1981.
4. Waterfront walk
Another interesting route to take is from Stanley Park to Downtown Vancouver along the waterfront walkway. You'll pass the transformed old railway yards and freight yards along the way and you'll even see the site of the old Boeing aircraft factory.
As you continue towards Downtown, past the old ship yards the new parks and gardens and well designed residential buildings which are part of the modern Downtown Vancouver landscape come into view.
The policies in Vancouver have been framed to preserve views from the city out across the water to the mountains and you'll see how well that's worked as you walk down the street, drive around town or look out from a building window. No matter where you are you'll always have a spectacular view.
5. Kitisilano
As you walk along the clear water kissed fringe of Kitsilano beach you'll see a well kept neighbourhood along the waterfront that'll have you dreaming of dinner parties and caviar and polite afternoon tea. This posh looking neighbourhood with its tree lined streets was designed to attract the upper middle class.
Looking out onto the English Bay dotted with boats and a curved bridge across, these houses are built on slopes that seem to crawl beneath the water. You'll also see some pre World War I apartment buildings in this neighbourhood.
6. Strathcona
A walk through Strathcona, Vancouver's very own Victorian neighbourhood will take you back to the turn of the century. This old working class neighbourhood tucked away on the eastern edge of the city has quite a collection of 19th century homes. There's a Portuguese grocery, an Italian grocery and lots of quaint little coffee places to stop at for a cappuccino or cup of tea and perhaps a slice of home made cake. It's a pleasant neighbourhood to walk through and it's only 15 minutes from Downtown.
If you want to read more about Vancouver you may want to delve into one of John Atkins Books about Vancouver:
Heritage Walks Around Vancouver [1992] (with Michael Kluckner)
Strathcona: Vancouver's First Neighbourhood [1994] (Winner of the City of Vancouver Heritage Award)
Vancouver Walks [2004, second ed. 2005] (with Michael Kluckner)
Skytrain Explorer [2005].
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Useful links
John Atkin`s blog
Walking tours of Vancouver with John Atkin
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