UBC Building, August 8, 2005, 5:25 pm
Hello from Vancouver (5): Gastown and My
Final Explorations
After my extremely interesting
walking tour of the Downtown East Side I decided to round out
my exploration of the city with another bicycling trip. In my mind,
bicycling is just the perfect way to discover a city, it gives you
greater range than walking, you don't need to wait around for buses,
and you get exercise at the same time -bonus!
I realized that I had not even seen Gastown yet, which gave me
a perfect excuse for another round of exploring. I went to Spokes
Bicycle Rentals again, talked to Phil who had been so helpful
to me on Saturday in my exploration of Stanley Park and off I went
for another few hours, to see just a bit more of Vancouver before
I had to leave. I decided to ride back to the Downtown East Side
since I wasn't able to take any photos during the walking tour.
I rode along the waterfront trail past Canada Place and the Harbour
Centre to the east side of town.
The Sun Tower
I closely retraced my steps from this morning's walking tour on
the bicycle and took some pictures of some of the buildings along
the way. One place that definitely stood out was the Sun Tower,
a building created between 1911 and 1912 that used to be the headquarters
of the Vancouver Sun. I rode through Chinatown again, which still
had such an unusually orderly and organized feel to it.
Then I explored Gastown, one of Vancouver's most historic areas.
Its founding father was a loquacious saloon owner: John "Gassy
Jack" Deighton, who, in 1867, built a saloon near the corner
of Carrall and Water Streets to profit from the local lumber mill
workers and gold prospectors on their way to the Yukon. By the 1870s,
Gastown was a multicultural community, complete with saloons, hotels
and grocery stores, brought into town because Vancouver had been
chosen as the Canadian Pacific Railroad terminus.
"Gassy Jack" with Storeyum promoters
By 1886 it had 1,000 buildings and 3,000 residents. Then, in 1886,
a blaze broke out and burned the town to the ground. Although destroying
the town, this fire started the biggest building boom in West Coast
history. After an economic decline in the early part of the 20th
century, Gastown became a virtual backwater from the 1930s to 1950s
until a group of local merchants and property owners put it back
on the map in the 1960s by renovating the historic buildings and
turning them into one of the city's top tourist attractions.
Vancouver's famous Steam Clock
One of the biggest draws Gastown is the steam-powered clock, the
world's first, created by Raymond Saunders who has a small shop
nearby. Live steam, pumped from a plant that heats more than 100
downtown buildings, operates the mechanism of the clocks and blows
the whistles. At each quarter hour the clock sounds the Westminster
Chimes while the large whistle announces the hours. Gastown's Steam
Clock is one of the favourite photography spots for tourists. Gastown
also houses another major Vancouver attraction: an innovative educational
and cultural experience called Storeyum: it's 100,000 square foot
indoor venue showcases the colourful history of Canada's West Coast
in live reenactments.
Of course I didn't have time to explore Gastown and all its stores
and restaurants in detail since my plane would be leaving in a few
hours and I still wanted to head back to Stanley Park one more time
to catch another glimpse of this most gorgeous urban greenspace.
So back I cycled past construction of the new convention centre
and back on the waterfront into Stanley Park. Since this was my
second time in the park I caught a few things I missed the first
time around: I saw the Girl in a Wetsuit sculpture, created in 1972,
which is a life-size bronze statue of a woman in a wetsuit, with
flippers on her feet and her mask pushed up on her forehead, and
sits on a large intertidal boulder just offshore of Stanley Park.
Girl in a Wetsuit
I didn't go all around the park but cut across it after a nice
little icecream break at the Lumberman's Arch concession stand and
I rode through the beautiful Rose Garden and Shakespeare Garden
which form the backbone of the perennial flower beds and ornamental
trees and shrubs. Stanley Park is really a sight to behold, and
it offers so many recreational and relaxation opportunities. The
park also holds a children's farmyard and miniature train.
My final stop in the park was the Lost Lagoon, a large pond, featuring
a fountain at its centre, set against a gorgeous backdrop of forests,
flowering shrubs, with the mountains towering in the background.
The amount of visual beauty of this area is virtually overwhelming
and I was starting to feel a little sad that I had to end my visit
since I had to make it back to UBC on the other side of town to
retrieve my luggage and head off to the airport.
Beautiful flower beds in Stanley Park
I had originally planned to go biking until 5:30 pm, considering
that my flight wouldn't leave until almost 9 pm, but then I realized
it's Monday and rush hour would be setting in soon. So I took my
bike back early, said my goodbyes to Phil, who's been so helpful
all along, and he gave me a few more words of local advice as to
which bus routes to take and off I went to catch a bus to Burrard
Street. The intersection of Burrard and Georgia was totally nuts,
since the city was repaving and police were directing traffic manually.
I was glad I had taken my bike back early, at least I would make
it back to the university in time for my departure to the airport.
Finally the #44 bus came and I could relax. Actually I was surprised
that it only took me 25 minutes to get back to the University which
left me extra time to complete some travel reports over the Internet.
All in all, Victoria and Vancouver have been an awesome experience.
I had absolutely perfect weather: 25 degrees with beaming sunshine
and absolutely no humidity. I had a fabulous reunion in Victoria
with my co-worker Clare, two and a half very interesting days at
the Canada-US Servas Conference where I got to know some of the
most generous and dedicated individuals I have ever had a chance
to meet, and in the time in between I had an opportunity to explore
Vancouver, a vibrant and exciting city full of contrasts, set in
one of the most physically stunning locations anywhere on the planet.
It's been a very short trip, and all I can say - I'll be back.....
Useful Books:
Related Articles:
Hello from Victoria (1) - Reaching
the West Coast
Hello from Victoria (2) - Exploring
Victoria and its vicinity"
Hello from Vancouver (1) - Arrival
in Vancouver
Hello from Vancouver (2) - Wheeling
around Stanley Park
Hello from Vancouver (3) - The Grouse
Mountain Experience
Hello from Vancouver (4) - A Walking
Tour through the Downtown East Side
Hello from Vancouver (5) - Gastown
and My Final Explorations
Hello from Vancouver (6) - Covering
the Servas Conference
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