Walking Tour 3

Yaletown, Granville Island & Kitsilano

Start: The Vancouver Public Library Central Branch at Horner and Georgia streets.

Finish: The Capers Building, 285 W. 4th Ave. (at Vine), in Kitsilano.

Time: 2 to 4 hours, not including shopping, eating, and sightseeing stops.

Best Time: Any time during business hours.

Worst Time: After 6pm, when Granville Island's shops have closed.

This tour takes you through three of Vancouver's most interesting neighborhoods: the trendy warehouse-turned-retail/restaurant district of Yaletown, the industrial-area-turned-public-market called Granville Island, and the laid-back enclave of Kitsilano. The tour includes a brief ferry ride and a stroll along the waterfront and beach.

We begin at:

1. Vancouver Public Library

Designed by architect Moshe Safdie, the library, 350 W. Georgia St. (tel. 604/331-3600), was enormously controversial when it opened in 1995. Though Safdie denied that the ancient Roman coliseum served as inspiration, the coliseum is exactly what comes to mind when you first see the exterior of this postmodern building. Architectural critics pooh-poohed it as derivative and ignorant of West Coast architectural traditions, but for the public it was love at first sight. The steps out front have become a popular public gathering place, the lofty atrium inside a favored hangout spot and "study-date" locale. Go inside the atrium and then into the high-tech library itself: It's light, airy, and wonderfully accessible.

From the library, walk south down Homer Street and turn left on Nelson Street. At Hamilton Street you're in:

2. Yaletown

Vancouver's former meatpacking warehouse district, Yaletown was where roughneck miners from Yale (up the Fraser Valley) used to come to drink and brawl. The city considered leveling the area in the 1970s until someone noticed that the raised loading docks would make great outdoor terraces and the low brick buildings themselves could be renovated into commercial space. Though it's taken years for the neighborhood to really catch on, the result is a funky upscale district of furniture shops, restaurants, multimedia companies, "New York-style" lofts, and lots and lots of clubs. Hamilton Street and Mainland Street are the trendiest arteries in Yaletown. Note the metal canopies over the loading docks on many buildings -- they used to keep shipping goods dry; now they do the same for tourists and latte-sipping computer programmers.

Walk down Mainland and turn left at Davie. Continue southeast down Davie Street, turn right on Pacific Boulevard, and across the street you'll see:

3. The Roundhouse

The Roundhouse is so named because that's exactly what this brick-and-timber frame building was, back when this land was the CPR's switching yard. The structure has since been converted into a community center. It's worth ducking inside to have a look at the locomotive that pulled the first passenger train into Vancouver, way back in 1887; you can also see the locomotive from the street, through a giant glass window.

Follow Davie Street south to the False Creek waterfront and the:

4. Yaletown Landing (at the Foot of Davie St.)

The forest of high-rises ringing the north shore of False Creek, where you're now standing, is the creation of one company -- Concorde Pacific, owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka Shing. Formerly a railway switching yard, the area was transformed for the Expo '86 World's Fair. When the fair came to an end, the provincial government sold the land to Li Ka Shing for a song on the understanding he would build condominiums. And did he ever.

At the landing site, note the large art piece, Street Light, designed by Bernie Miller and Alan Tregebov and installed in 1997. The large panels, each of which depicts a seminal event in False Creek's history, have been arranged so that on the anniversary of that event, the sun will shine directly through the panel, casting a shadowed image on the street.

From here, at the end of the dock, catch the Aquabus miniferry (tel. 604/689-5858) for Granville Island, right across False Creek. The little boats leave about every 15 minutes through the day; the fare is C$2.50 (US$2.25/£1.20) for adults.

The Aquabus will scoot you across False Creek harbor in about 5 minutes and let you off at:

5. Granville Island Ferry Dock

To be topographically honest, Granville Island is not really an island; it's more of a protuberance. But it contains a fascinating collection of shops, restaurants, theaters, artists' workshops, housing, a hotel, and still-functioning heavy industry -- one of the few successful examples of 1970s urban renewal. The Granville Island Information Centre, 1592 Johnston St. (tel. 604/666-5784), near the Public Market, has excellent free maps, but they're not really necessary -- the place is so compact, the best thing to do is simply wander and explore.

Right at the top of the Aquabus dock is an entrance into the:

6. Granville Island Public Market

This is an amazing place that sells just about anything and everything that's edible. The market is a wonderful place to stop and:

Take a Break

If it's edible, the Granville Island Public Market probably has it, from chocolate and fresh salmon to fresh bread and strawberries picked that morning out in the Fraser Valley. Those with an immediate hunger gravitate to the far side of the market, where A La Mode (tel. 604/685-8335) sells lattes and fabulous rhubarb-strawberry pie. The most fun way to feed yourself, however, is to roam the market stalls for sandwiches, sausages, or picnic supplies -- artichoke hearts, artisan cheese, cold smoked salmon, Indian candy, pepper pâté, freshly baked bread -- then head outside for an alfresco feast at one of the tables on the dock overlooking False Creek. The views are great, the fresh air invigorating, and, if you've brought small children along, it's the perfect place to play that endlessly fascinating (to kids) game of Catch the Seagull.

From Triangle Square, the small plaza in front of the public market, head south (left) on Duranleau Street, where you'll pass enticing shops and marine charter services. At Anderson Street turn right and right again on waterside Island Park Walk, following it north to the:

7. Government Fish Dock

Want to buy fresh from the boat? This is the place to do it. Find fresh salmon in season (summer and early fall), prawns, scallops, and other shellfish much of the rest of the year. Sales take place every day in high season and on weekend mornings the rest of the year. Hours and availability, of course, depend on the catch.

Continue on the seaside walkway, and eventually you pass beneath the:

8. Burrard Bridge

In 1927, the city fathers commissioned noted urban planner Harland Bartholomew to provide some guidance on how to expand their rather raw seaport city. One of Bartholomew's first injunctions: Build beautiful bridges. The Burrard Bridge is the result, an elegant steel span with two castles guarding the approaches at either end.

Walk beneath the bridge and continue along the waterside pedestrian path in Vanier Park to:

9. Heritage Harbour

Many older wooden boats find shelter here, including the seiner BCP45 shown on the back of the old Canadian $5 bill. Those interested in a shortcut can pick up a ferry (False Creek Ferries; tel. 604/684-7781) at this point and ride back to Granville Island (stop 5) or over to the West End. On weekdays and in the off season, the ferries run less frequently. Hours and fares are posted on the sign at the end of the dock.

If you're continuing the walk, proceed west along the shoreline. To your left stands artist Chung Hung's massive iron sculpture Gate to the Northwest Passage. Just beyond that, the conical building is the Vancouver Museum, 1100 Chestnut St. (tel. 604/736-4431) and H. R. MacMillan Space Centre (tel. 604/738-STAR). The low building next to that is the Vancouver Archives, 1150 Chestnut (tel. 604/736-8561), home to some truly fascinating panoramic photographs of Vancouver back in the early days.

Continue on the waterside path until you come to the:

10. Maritime Museum

For centuries, the quest of every European explorer was to find the Northwest Passage, the seagoing shortcut to the riches of the East. The little ship housed inside the Maritime Museum, 1905 Ogden Ave. (tel. 604/257-8300), is the one that finally did it. Tours of the RCMP vessel, the St. Roch, are available at regular intervals throughout the day. Out back of the museum, the junk on the lawn by the north side all comes from various ships wrecked on the B.C. coast.

In front of the museum, you'll see the:

11. Totem Pole

Carved by the exceptional Kwakiutl carver Mungo Martin (who also did many of the poles displayed in the Museum of Anthropology and in Stanley Park), the 10 figures on this 30m-tall (98-ft.) pole each represent an ancestor of the 10 Kwakiutl clans. An identical pole was presented to Queen Elizabeth in 1958 to mark B.C.'s centenary. It now stands in Windsor Great Park in England.

Continue on the waterside pathway to:

12. Kitsilano Beach

Vancouver is blessed with beaches. From here, they stretch almost unbroken to the University of British Columbia, 10km (6 1/4 miles) west on the tip of the Point Grey peninsula. Each beach has its own distinct personality. Below UBC, Wreck Beach is a semiwild strand for nudists and nature lovers. Beaches in between cater to dogs, picnicking families, and hikers. Kitsilano Beach (Kits Beach for short) is home to a spandex-and-testosterone set that loves a fast and furious game on the volleyball courts. But relaxers love Kits, too. The logs lined up on the beach make it a fine place to lay out a blanket and laze the day away. Small children love to play on the nearby swings, while older kids favor the lifeguarded swimming area or the world's largest outdoor saltwater swimming pool. On a clear day, the views of the mountains are tremendous.

About midway down Kits Beach, a sidewalk veers left and takes you up to Yew Street. Follow Yew uphill to 4th Avenue and turn right. At 2285 W. 4th Ave. you'll find:

13. The Capers Building

Back in the 1960s, Kitsilano was Canada's Hippie Central, a Haight-Ashbury-like enclave of head shops, communes, and coffeehouses. In the early 1970s, Vancouver's supersquare mayor, Tom Campbell, went so far as to propose rounding up all the tie-dyed long-hairs and shipping them off to a detention center. As the years passed, the hippies' waistlines and wallets got thicker, run-down communes and boardinghouses were renovated or replaced with new apartments and condos, and the shops came to reflect Kitsilano's new affluence, though still with a touch of counterculture.

The retail/office/apartment building at 2285 W. 4th Ave. was built according to an innovative energy-efficient design, and now serves as home to an excellent bookstore called Duthie's, and to Capers, an organic supermarket.

The walk ends here. You may want to explore the shopping opportunities along 4th Avenue. Or you can catch a no. 4 or 7 bus to take you back to downtown Vancouver.