Vancouver Day 1: Walking Tour

Ever since our 2016 vacation in Reykjavik when I discovered there are guides who give pay-what-you-want tours in cities, I have incorporated them into our international vacations. Whether I am in Paris or Jerusalem or Melbourne or Florence, I do a quick Google search to see if anyone is running a free tour, and try to book one early in the trip. Often (though not always) led by locals, these tours offer an overview of the city, and leaves us with an appreciation that lasts throughout our visit.  

Starting at Canada Place at 10 am on Tuesday morning, Erika with Toonie Tours took our international group of 15 on a three-hour walking tour of the downtown area. We came from New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, Finland, plus some new Canadians. Erika hails from Mexico where she used to work in the hospitality industry. She was training a young woman from Japan. Between the two of them, we always had someone at the front and tail of our group ensuring no one was lost crossing streets or ducking in and out buildings as us tourists did what tourists do -- gawk and take pictures.

Canada Place was an easy, downhill 25-minute walk from our hotel. The hotel was so charming, it merits its own blogpost. 

After many tours on three different continents and several countries, I can tell you I am the only one I have seen who takes notes and pictures during the tour. I think I have unsettled more than one guide.

Let's get started.

Vancouver was the last Canadian city to be colonized by the Europeans. The east coast was colonized in the 1500's (later than Christopher Columbus "discovering" America in 1492), but they did not make their way west until the late 1700's. The indigenous people occupied this area for many centuries, of course. First came the Spanish. They left. Then came Captain James Cook (of Sydney fame) and the British Empire. Captain George Vancouver arrived in 1792. In 1867 Canada became a country, but Vancouver did not join them until 1886. At 800,000 kilometers (500,000 miles), it is a really big country, and it took the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway before Vancouver could be reached from the east coast cities of Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa. 

One hundred years later in 1986 Vancouver celebrated its 100th anniversary and hosted the World Expo.

Remember those years: 1886 and 1986.

So far, so good.

In anticipation of the 1986 World Expo Vancouver underwent a major transformation from constructing new buildings to putting in a cruise ship port. Cruise ships continue to be a big business for the city.

There are four main nicknames to keep in mind. Erika gave us two at this time, and added the other two later on.

ONE: Vancouver is called RAINcouver because it rains 120-200 days a year. 

It does not snow, making Vancouver the warmest city in Canada.

TWO: Vancouver is called Hollywood North. After Los Angeles and New York, more movies are filmed here than anywhere else. The strong dollar. The varied topography -- from deserts to rain forests. Varied architectural styles. The Lions Gate Bridge in Stanley Park looks like a green version of San Francisco's red Golden Gate Bridge. The color is changed in post production. Flags are changed. Whatever is clearly Vancouver is hidden.

Time to start the walking portion of the tour.

We walked to 355 Burrard, the Marine Building. Looking at the outside of the Art
Deco-styled building many marine themes are easily identifiable up close. Seashells. An anchor. Sea animals. It was built during the hey dey after World War I -- 1920-1929. Uh oh, we know what happened in 1929. In the United States the Stock Market crashed, as did many other world economies. The owners tried to sell the building to the government. Though it cost $1,000,000 to build, they could only sell it for $900,000. The Guinness Family, who amassed their wealth in beer and other endeavors, bought the building. They sold it as offices. 

We were able to step inside the lobby. One of its most stunning features is the elevator that has 300 types of week (types or pieces?). The Marine Building is World Heritage Building. Most buildings are designed so the first floor is open to the public with shops and restaurants.

Inside the elevator

Outside the elevator

Back outside we crossed the street to admire the building from a distance. Up close we couldn't see much because of the construction scaffolding covered the lower floors. Erika noted they used two different brick colors: brown and white to represent the ocean and rocks in the ocean. It is the most representational building in Vancouver, though it has been in moves pretending to be other places.

THREE: Vancouver is known for Vancouverism: As the city grew, those in charge realized if they weren't careful, Vancouver would become just as crowded as cities before them did. They had  the opportunity to make sure it grew the right way. Rules were put in place for construction, including regulating the height of buildings. In Dubai the tallest building in 800 meters high, in Vancouver it is only 200 meters. The skyscrapers are not only shorter, they are further spread out. There is more open space between buildings. New architecture has more windows making the skyline look brighter.  It is a walkable city filled with green areas. New buildings blend with old buildings to mirror architectural styles including colors. For example, across the street the 1930s social club has a newer brown building around it. Once Erika pointed that out, we saw examples all over the place.

The city has many murals and public art sprinkled around. Later we realized we should have looked for a graffiti or public art tour. Next time.

The cathedral was the first church built by the British in Vancouver. It is a Heritage Building. Today it is surrounded by two more buildings.

Trains were important in 1886. Hotels were built to support the train industry. Trains brought wealthy people to Vancouver from eastern cities. The Fairmont Hotel looks like a castle and was built in the style seen in other destination cities. It is cross between a French Chateau and an Scottish Castle. Not quite either, but still impressive. She urged the men to keep an eye on their wallets as we walked through the first floor, not because of pick pockets but because their wives might want to do some high end shopping. Yes, the comment would come across as extremely sexist from a male tour guide, but Erika pulled it off.

We walked to Robson Square. Historically it was the home of the Justice Palace. Today it is the Modern Art Museum. The square is used both for protests and entertainment. It is a popular place to hang out in during the summer months. With the temperate weather, I keep forgetting it is January. It wasn't warm enough for me to leave my coat in the hotel, but I didn't need my gloves. 

This square is the demarcation between the poor and the wealthy sides of Vancouver. You feel the change as you cross the street, leaving behind Tiffany and witnessing homelessness. It is a sudden change.

The former justice building is in the neo-classical style with a triangle holding sturdy columns. I'm sure it is used as the backdrop filming cities that take place on the steps of the capitol building in random US cities. The building was designed by 30-year old architect Frances Rattenbury. I am disappointed we did not see what exhibits were at the art museum. Perhaps we would have had we faced a rainy day.

We are encroaching the halfway mark, the Vancouver Public Library.

The building was designed to look like the colosseum, the theory being the design is turning the idea of entertainment being defined by bloody battles into entertainment being chess tournaments, reading, shops, music, and other culture. The building is only 30 years old.

We paused here for a bathroom break. Most of the group found comfy chairs and had a side conversation. I looked at their new releases.

Erika leads us down the street leading to a stadium. Don and I were visibly excited thinking it was the hockey stadium where we had tickets to see the Canucks play later that night. Alas, no, it is their football stadium. Yes, the American football stadium is downtown. In addition to football, they also play what everyone else in the world means by football (soccer) and hosts concerts, including last month's Taylor Swift concert. 

This brings us to FOUR: Vancouver is famous for hosting the Olympics. In 2010 Vancouver was the host of the Winter Olympics. There is a bit of rivalry between Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver as to which hosted the best Olympics Reminded me of the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne. Vancouver says their was the best because they were the most cautious about spending money (it happened on the heels of the 2008 world financial collapse) and did not have a huge construction projects. Canadians got 14 gold medals, more than at the other games.  

Hockey is played around the corner. Though Canada has not won a Stanley Cup since the 1990s, it is considered the biggest sport in Canada. Canadian players populate the US teams because they are better funded. The Stanley Cup is named after Lord Frederick Stanley, the first governor of Canada (the crown's representative) and who Stanley Park in Vancouver is named after.

It was built for Expo '86. The area in front of the stadium is Terry Fox Plaza. When Terry Fox was 16 he got cancer. His leg was cut off to cure him. He became severely depressed. As part of his healing, he did a Forrest Gump-style run across Canada to raise awareness for cancer. He did a marathon every day for 43 days starting at the Pacific Ocean to take water to the Atlantic Ocean. By the 43rd day his cancer was back and he was unable to continue. He became a national hero.  He lived from July 28, 1956 to June 28, 1981.

The football stadium fits 55,000 people (100,000 for the Taylor Swift concert). The hockey arena seats 19,000.

As we walked closer to Gastown, Erika pointed out Chinatown. Unlike in Melbourne, we did not go to Chinatown. Perhaps next time.

We paused at Victory Square which honors their veterans. Looking closely, you can identify clever features such as the lampshades look like helmets. In the square is Hotel Europe, also known as the Flat Iron Building of Vancouver. Another place that could pass for New York City. Finished in 1909, it was constructed out of steel.

Looking in another direction, a tower that looks a lot like Seattle's Space Needle is visible. 

We walked to the Gastown section of Vancouver. Vancouver was originally called Granville. Today there is a small island called Granville that is easily accessible by a 40-passenger aquabus that runs nonstop. We went there later in the trip.

In the early days of the city, there was a huge lumber mill. The trains came down to this part of town to haul the lumber away. The leader of the mill town was "Gassie" Jack ("John the talker"). He made sure the men had what they needed (booze) and opened the first bar, Gassie Jack's Bar, which is now the Cambria Hotel. That morphed into Gassie Town, which then became Gastown. It had nothing to do with gas in the town.

In 1977 the area was gentrified into a touristy section that looks old. It is a beautiful place to go for dinner at night, though we did not find a restaurant we liked. Vancouver has a reputation for being a foodie town. That week was Dining Out Week, which I think of as Restaurant Week, with multi-course meal deals. 

The famous steam clock was also renovated in 1977, though it is mechanical and not a steam clock. Its four notes chime a melody every quarter of an hour. It is often broken, and never on time. The tune was changed to Taylor Swift's "Shake if Off" in honor of her tour. I later read it was built over a steam grate to keep the homeless from sleeping on it. Instead, the homeless huddle a block away.

We ended our tour in the Old Train Station, now an impressive tourist information center since the 1979 merger of the ferry, subway, and train subways. It is a neo-classical building I suspect is used as a general hall in many movies. The last train was on October 27, 1979 and was 15 minutes late. 

As with all pay what you want tours, Erika asked us for our donations. The couple from Seattle wandered off just before this point. That must be frustrating for tour guides working for donations. Erika said she gives the money to the company and that they accept all major world denominations, plus credit cards. Fortunate for us since we had not yet gotten any Canadian money, but I still had some US twenty dollar bills.