Hi glumbug

We are from Lytham (up the road from you!) - went Vancouver and Vancouver Island last June and loved it. Spent a week in each but it should have only been 3 days in Vancouver with the rest on the island.

We went ready to be astonished by what many rate as the greatest city in the world to live in. Vancouver just doesn't do that. After a week we realised that it is a very comfortable place to live and work but it just doesn't have the charisma of say NYC or Paris.

Vancouver shopping is very much on a par with say Manchester - the prices are not hugely different. What is different is the taste - brown seemed to be the colour of choice. As a result any clothes of a hue brighter than say fawn were on special offer. I bought a pile of Gant clothes for next to nothing because "it is a little gaudy for Canadian tastes" to quote the sales person.

Things to do - eating is the best we have ever experienced - think of it and they do it for a very reasonable price. Take away sushi was very good for less then £10 for two.

Booze - do not go into the the local Safeway and expect a huge (or any) beer/wine section. we asked and got blank "what planet are you from" looks. You have to go to one of the designated shops that sell alcohol.

Trips - Grouse mountain - silly price on the cable car but if the weather is good - walk up. The views are stunning - there are enclosed grizzlies on top and their was snow in June.

Kitsilano - where we stayed very young, urban and safe - had a local welcoming feel.

North Vancouver - the Wilmslow of Vancouver without the footballers but with the Ferraris and Range Rovers. Whole Foods are here along with £10 million houses.

Granville Market - a pretty good standard tourist trap. The food was varied with lots of local producers. The arts and crafts were worth the visit and the view to the city is great.

Stanley Park - a wilderness in the city. If the weather is good is a good place to spend some time - the beaches are good and there are lots of woodland walks.

Aquarium - on principle give it a miss. If you have seen the Pacific dolphins in ther wild, you then wonder how the aquarium justifies keeping them in such a small pool. Besides, the blue plant in Chester is bigger.

The rest - I am not sure what you want out of travel or how long you are there for but... Spending all your time in Vancouver misses out on some of the best civilised wildlife countryside in the world. If you can get out to Vancouver Island it is beautiful and has more wildlife than Knowsley.

ps ask any local what their biggest export is and they will shy away from answering. We were a little shocked when we got back!

First of all, the Vancouver Zoo is so absurdly remote that it shouldn't even be legal to call it "Vancouver".

Beyond that, I believe that if I were a University Student from Liverpool, the nightlife on Granville street would be entertaining.

Downtown Vancouver is relatively compact due to water on most sides, and thus you can see a whole lot of it during a short stay.

Notice that it seemed to take your countrymen a whole week to figure out that it didn't have the charisma they expected. One wonders why they were so slow to catch on if indeed Vancouver was so lacking. Shouldn't it have been obvious immediately in that case?

Funny stuff.

The most highly recommended museum to visit in Vancouver is the Museum of Anthropology on the UBC campus (http://www.moa.ubc.ca/).

This site lists some other museums/galleries in Vancouver http://www.moa.ubc.ca/, but I wouldn't recommend most of them.

However, if you really like museums, you may want to consider a day trip to Victoria to visit the Royal BC Museum (http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/).

NorthwestMale

Thanks for the suitably drab appraisal of our observations. We did indeed stay in Vancouver for one week due to the fact that we had booked an apartment for the full week. Unlike some we do not pull out of arrangenments just because it suits us.

Me thinks life in Vancouver is so good for some of you that logic goes out the window in favour of a more relaxed approached.

Or is that some of your number one export taking effect?

glumbug

I'll come clean on the inferences now - BC is one of the world's largest exporters of grade one hash. Apparently George W blocked their exports of timber into the US - many loggers went bust, looked at the huge tracts of unused land plus free hydro-electricity and decided to give George W an import he wasn't bargaining for!

enjoy you trip - we have seen the world and this was our best!

" BC is one of the world's largest exporters of grade one hash."

BC is said to export a certain amount of high grade Marijuana not Hashish but like criminal activity anywhere this has no effect on average citizen's lives.

"Apparently George W blocked their exports of timber into the US - many loggers went bust, looked at the huge tracts of unused land plus free hydro-electricity and decided to give George W an import he wasn't bargaining for!"

Abject nonsense from someone who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

Sam

Please fill in my knowledge gaps. Sources on a simple google search put the production of BC bud at $6 billion.

Any advance on that?

Also explain with trickle down how that huge amount of cash doesn't effect every citizen. It would appear from many sources, including the police and NGO's (the governments will always paper over such activity), to be your no.1 export. Economic activity whether legal or not has an impact on the whoile of a society.

BTW course it was abject my tongue was in my cheek at the time.

Hi, I would include a night in Whistler if possible. Museum of Anthropology, Walking around Yaletown, Robson Street has great shops and people watching. Go to Granville Island Market. There is a roots outlet on Boundary road but difficult to get there with out a car and not that great clothing IMO. Walk through Chinatown or go to Richmond and go to the Aberdeen Mall. You'll swear your in Hong Kong. Walk along west 4th or 10th btween Mcdonald and Alma near UBC. Lots of University students and young hip places in this area. Take the ferry to Victoria for 1 night, Watch for Orca whales off the ferry. And most of all Pray for Sun!. Vancouver can be gorgeous at this time of year, We've had a cold spring so far so the blooms are late. You may luck out and get the cherry blossoms, Tulips and early Rhodos all at once. If you are on Granville St. one night go to Sanafir restaurant. It's awesome and the people watching great.

Markrosy, you're not too bright, are ya chap?

For our number one export would probably be computer operating systems I suppose.

Secondly, if ya knew english you'd probably understand "...of cash doesn't AFFECT every citizen". Don't they teach you blokes english over there?

Not only that, but you don't even appear to know the difference between "hash" and marijuana. You must've been smoking some of the good stuff that those Canucks serve up in bales to need a whole week to assess Vancouver.

Oh, and one more thing, markrosy:

Thanks for the drab government and the generally uninspiring populace, the relatively dull countryside, and the generations of folks thought to have been too near to the points of detonation when those WW II bombs came crashing down upon you all.

Oh, and thanks additionally for the use of your side of the big pool which allowed my grandparents the opportunity to save you and your kind from extermination by kicking some ass and doing what you blokes couldn't achieve on your own.

Wow, Mark - where's the 'irony'
emoticon when you need it!

The Lounge mentality is creeping into the Canada forum! Yikes.

Hi all again,

Well I just wanted to thank everyone for the tips and suggestions above, we've started to make plans but all are welcomed so thanks for taking the effort to get back to me on my question.

Northwestmale

I am from German decent your loon. Why in the hell do I think I have any interest in WW2. Long gone history, no bearing on our lives, Europe is nearly one country anyway now.

"Thanks for the drab government and the generally uninspiring populace, the relatively dull countryside, and the generations of folks thought to have been too near to the points of detonation when those WW II bombs came crashing down upon you all"

Nope sorry - lost for any relevance on that one.

Effect/affect - serves me right for cutting and pasting Sam's mistake.

Hash v marijuana - yep, no idea about the difference. No interest in food for dopeheads.

"You must've been smoking some of the good stuff that those Canucks serve up in bales to need a whole week to assess Vancouver"

I now know you are in some log cabin in the hills. I wasn't on a bloody assessment tour - I was on bloody holiday. Remember - fun, enjoyment, social interaction.

Any more drivel more than welcome, please.

LLamalady - long live the essence of the lounge. Have given up with that place but yes agreed - was about time the Canada forum was given some life.

And, back to the original question – Vancouver is a small city, not to be compared with NY, Paris or even Toronto.

As university gals you'll be quite comfortable to walk it – or skytrain. Shopping downtown can be done along Robson Street, although many of the stores are same as what you'd find in any mall. No outlets (sigh) – gotta go to Bellingham US for that. You might want to try the stores along 4th Avenue in the Kits area.

As far as activities, rent bikes or roller blades (along Denman Street) and do the Stanley Park seawall (10K) or continue along to Yaletown to see where the "beautiful people" live. Stop for coffee or a bite to eat. Urban Fare is a grocery store where you can buy take-away and do some people watching outside if you choose.

You can keep going along the seawall around Science World, check out the construction guys putting up the athletes village for 2010 Olympics, and along to Granville Island for a beer at Bridges Pub (or other spot). Up and over the Burrard Street bridge back home.

Are you a runner? The Vancouver Marathon/half marathon or 8k takes places first Sunday in May.

A day trip to Whistler might be interesting – or walk try the Capilano suspension bridge. Yes, I know it's touristy but I always recommend it because it's fun. Even my guests from New York have enjoyed it.

UBC Anthropology Museum. Do a search to see what's on display currently. Vancouver Art Gallery is right downtown – but it's admittedly small and looking to relocate.

Catch the seabus from downtown to cross the inlet to North Vancouver (not to be confused with West Van which is where you'll find the expensive homes). Catch the bus up to Grouse Mtn. It'll be cold up there, but probably no skiing. Maybe you could go snow shoeing or dog mushing. They offer that up there.

Vancouver is very much a put on your fleece, get outdoors, catch a few rays on the outdoor patio if not too cold and people watch kind of city.