Down below's Stanley Park. On the side of the trees there's a beach. You can't see it [points over to left]. Steveston's over there. [points to left] Coast Guard station. There's the Yacht Club, and beyond it, the docks. Then over on the other side of the inlet, there's Grouse Mountain. It's about 4,000 feet high. There's a restaurant on top of it. Nice restaurant.
-- from the screenplay for Playback, by Raymond Chandler
Chandler's detective Philip Marlow was one of Hollywood's most popular creations, but studio executives so hated his set-in-Vancouver screenplay that it never made it into celluloid. That was back in the days before Vancouver came to be called "Hollywood North" because of all the films that are shot here. Chandler's geography in the above excerpt was a bit off, but that's quite understandable, since it can be a little difficult to orient yourself in this city surrounded by water. If you have directional problems, just remember that the grid of streets basically runs northwest to southeast rather than straight north-south, and that the mountains (which you can't always see) are north. The best way to get acquainted with this unique city is to explore its various neighborhoods on foot. The tours below provide a good overall introduction.
