Vancouver - Part 1: Chinatown, Gastown, Granville Island and Stanley Park

I already know I wish I had stayed longer but I did pack it in while I was in the Vancouver area.

Here's a map of Vancouver to give you some perspective on the places I visited while there.

First, I'm staying in an airbnb west of downtown but a quick ride by bus. After I checked in and chatted with the owners (who are so lovely and welcoming), I hopped onto the bus that took me to the edge of Chinatown so I could walk around the city. It was warm and sunny out (in the 80's) but seemed so much cooler because it has been SO HOT throughout my entire journey.

I zigzagged around Chinatown and stumbled upon the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. What a beautiful oasis inside a bustling city. It was the first garden of its kind outside of China with winding paths, rocks, water lilies, koi and turtles in the pond and pagodas nestled beside lush green plants. It so reminded me of my time in Taiwan.

After the gardens, I continued to walk around Chinatown and made my way to Gastown, Vancouver's oldest neighborhood. This is a bustling and beautiful area to walk around to check out the locals, tourists, shops, boutiques, bars, restaurants and the famous Steam Clock.

It is so lush and clean here!

This is an image of Canada Place sitting on the Burrard Inlet Waterfront. This was just outside where I was eating dinner. Gorgeous!

That's the Vancouver Lookout peeking over the buildings.

It was really crowded when i walked through the area and was happy to take a break and grab some sushi for dinner. I then continued my walk around the neighborhood to make my way to the bus that took me back to where I was staying. Apparently there had been a shooting near where I was staying so the route was blocked. I misunderstood where to get off the bus and ended up WAY in North Vancouver, miles from where I was staying. I wasn't the only one who made that mistake. Another young man and I waited about 30 minutes for a bus back to Vancouver so got to my room close to 11:00 p.m. I did see some cool neighborhoods on my unexpected journey.

The next morning, I made my way to Granville Island. I decided to drive instead of taking the bus and it took me about 20 minutes to get there and I found free parking right away. Granville Island is a peninsula and shopping area on False Creek, which is south of downtown. Thursday was Farmer's Market Day and the island is also famous for the Public Market.

I wandered down each and every aisle in the market in awe of all the foods, crafts, fruits, vegetables, fish mongers, bakeries, etc. It's truly incredible!

After a lunch of olives, cheese, fresh bread and berries, I made my way down to the dock and hopped on one of False Creek Ferries tugboats for a 40 minute sightseeing cruise up and down False Creek.

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Imagine living right along the water like this?!

The water is clean, the air is fresh and everyone is so friendly!

Back to where I started and onto my next adventure....Stanley Park.

Stanley Park is this HUGE rainforest park that is surrounded by water with miles of trails, beaches, wildlife, views, food and cultural/historical landmarks. It would take way more than a few hours to explore the park and all it has to offer.

Here's an aerial view of the park to give you an idea of how big it is. It's about 1000 acres of incredible beauty.

The first thing I saw, when I drove into the park, was the Second Beach Pool, which is a heated pool overlooking English Bay. The place was packed so I didn't stop to check it out. I continued on my drive around the island and made stops here and there to take photos.

Made my way to the northern tip of the park called Prospect Point. It was a perfect spot to park and take a walk around as well as take some pictures of the narrows.

I went back around and stopped to see the Stanley Park Totem Poles, one of the most visited attractions in British Columbia. The totems are from First Nations and are believed to have spiritual significance.

Made a few more stops along the park as I headed back through downtown to go to my airbnb. Below are a couple of shots I took from the seaplane terminal downtown.

Time for a beer, some dinner and a bit of relaxing. More adventures tomorrow!