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October 22, 2009

Top Ten Tourist Attractions While You’re in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics – Part 3

Filed under: Articles, Tourist Attractions — Tags: 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada Place, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain, Stanley Park, Vancouver — OlympicHomeHotels

Here it is. The last part of three in the top ten places you should visit in Vancouver… before or after the 2010 Winter Olympic events.

Work with your homeowner from Olympic Home Hotels to stay a few more days if you can.

. Canada Place – If you ever attend a fancy convention in Vancouver, it’ll probably be here.

If you’re royalty, a high ranking politician or a C-level businessman, you’ll probably stay at the Pan Pacific (part of Canada Place)

If your cruise ship is docking in Vancouver, it will be in front of Canada Place.

And regardless if you’re one of the above or not… you have to visit this Vancouver landmark for it’s interesting architecture.

For more details:

http://www.canadaplace.ca

. Grouse Mountain – Take the Grouse Mountain Skyride up to an evening of dining and dancing at the Mountain Chalet.

Or, if you got hiker’s blood in your veins… attempt the Grouse Grind, 1.8 miles going up 2,800 feet. It usually takes and hour and a half on average to make this climb… but the current record holder has 25:24.

In the wintertime, you can snowshoe, snowboard, ski, ice skate, the list goes on.

For more details:

http://www.grousemountain.com

. Capilano Suspension Bridge – Got the guts to walk 450 feet on a 120-year-old suspension bridge? Sure, sure the original hemp and cedar planks of yore have since been reinforced by steel and concrete, but still…

If you make it across, there are some rewarding activities. The Treetops Adventure gives you access to see the rainforest from a bird’s eye view (as high as 100 feet above ground). There’s a collection of totem poles. And there’s a rainforest tour.

For more details:

http://www.capbridge.com

. Stanley Park – 400 hectares of cedar, hemlock and fir trees. The world famous 5.5 mile seawall where cyclists, pedestrians and inline skaters traverse. And gardens, several artfully landscaped gardens.

Stanley Park could be argued as Vancouver’s biggest tourist (and residents) attraction. Nearly eight million people visit every year.

If the weather permits, conquer the seawall.

For more details:

http://vancouver.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/

And that concludes are Top Ten Places to Visit in Vancouver series. We hope you found at least one attraction you’re willing to stick around in Vancouver after the 2010 Winter Olympics.

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October 21, 2009

Top Ten Tourist Attractions While You’re in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics – Part 2

Filed under: Articles, Tourist Attractions — Tags: 2010 Winter Olympics, Gastown, Granville Island, Vancouver, Vancouver Aquarium — OlympicHomeHotels

Continuing on from last blog post, here is part two of three in the top ten places you should visit in Vancouver… before or after the 2010 Winter Olympic events.

Take a few more days off from work. Why not?

. Vancouver Aquarium – With over 70,000 animals, it’s no wonder the Vancouver Aquarium is the largest one in Canada. There are dolphins, beluga whales, sea turtles, a few sharks and sea otters you can observe.

Not to mention, a large selection of tropical fish and fascinating specimens specific to the Pacific North West. This writer personally has an annual pass and enjoys taking his two year old whenever possible.

For more information:

http://www.visitvanaqua.org/

. Granville Island – Not really an island, but a former industrial park, Granville Island may be the most powerful testament to urban development around. Today, it is a center for the arts (with live theatre and the Emily Carr Institute of Art) and a bustling, vibrant public market.

On the pier, you can take a cheap ferry ride into downtown Vancouver or you can watch buskers, magicians and other street performers.

For more information:

http://www.granvilleisland.com/en

. Gastown – Gastown is Vancouver’s original downtown before it fell into disrepair in the 30s, then slowly restored after the 60’s when it came close to being demolished for a freeway (along with Chinatown).

Today, you can visit the old steam clock which continues to whistle every hour on the hour (albeit very much out-of-tune).

Also, you can walk the faux-cobblestone streets shopping at fashion boutiques and other tourist-oriented shops. At night, there are several nightclubs playing live music ranging from rock, to jazz to techno.

And how can I forget, the International Jazz Festival tends to crowd up Gastown during the early summer months. Quite the scene.

For more details:

http://www.gastown.org

That’s it for this blog. Watch for the exciting conclusion in the next one.

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October 20, 2009

Top Ten Tourist Attractions While You’re in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics – Part 1

Filed under: Articles, Tourist Attractions — OlympicHomeHotels

There are quite a lot of Vancouver points of interest and attractions you may want to visit before or after the Winter Olympic events. If you can, why not stick around to see them, or come earlier, before the events?

In this three part series, I’ll cover off ten places you should check out.

. Dr. Sun Yet-Sen Gardens – Named after China’s first professional revolutionary, Dr. Sun Yet-Sen travelled the world to raise funds and awareness for democracy in China during the early 20^th century.

Fifty-two master craftsman from Suzhou China worked on this beautiful landscape over twelve months. It is faithful to the Qing dynasty, complete with intricate halls and walkways put together without nails, screws or glue.

For more details:

http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com

. Chinatown – Did you know Vancouver’s Chinatown is North America’s second largest, after San Francisco? It’s true.

Here are a few locations you want to see: Silk Road Route, Chinatown Millennium Gate, Historical Alley and Han Dynasty Bell.

Then there’s the Sam Kee building, recognized by Ripley’s Believe or Not as the narrowest building on earth.

Of course, I would also recommend doing a little shopping for fresh groceries in the open streets. It’s quite an experience.

For more details:

http://vancouverchinatown.ca

. Robson Street – This one is for the shopaholics. High-end stores and upscale restaurants line this vibrant shopping street. Burberry’s first Canadian location is here. So are Hermes, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Lacoste and Coach.

And let’s not forget the infamous corner of Thurlow and Robson where two Starbucks sit diagonally across from each other. If you decide to meet there, be sure to tell your friend if it’s the North-East one or the South-West one.

That’s three for now. In the next blog post, we’ll cover off another three key Vancouver attractions you may want to visit while you’re here for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

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