Vancouver is rated as the #1 place to live by various studies. We really enjoy visiting this city but it is very expensive. Today, we found that an average small one bedroom apartment/condo downtown would cost at least $500,000! The man at the desk here at The Lord Stanley just told us that BC (British Columbia) means Bring Cash!
There are 2.5 million people in the Vancouver area - it is quite densely populated. Green space and water features are incorporated wherever possible making it not seem like a cement city. It really is quite clean, friendly, and easy to get around. You can even rent a car by the minute at Car 2 Go!
Today has been another beautiful day! Still warm - around 30 (that's Celsius)! We saw a number of outdoor weddings complete with horse drawn carriages.
This morning, we walked to Gastown - a couple of miles or about 4 kilometers. We decided to walk on some different streets and I joked that if we ended up in China Town, that meant we had walked through the less desirable area where many homeless spend their time. We found Gastown with no trouble.
Here is the Steam Clock.
After shopping for a while we decided to find Save On Meats - a place that Guy Fieri featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives last night. We thought we might be close but we had to go a couple of blocks south to get to the right street. All of a sudden we were definitely in that less desirable area. After walking about a block, we found Save On Meats but decided to pass. Neither of us was very comfortable in that area. We went back to the tourist area of Gastown and ate at The Old Spaghetti Factory.
Then we caught the blue line trolley back to Canada Place – many of the Anime Revolution participants were out and about. These kids posed for Ray.
We caught a red line trolley and rode down Robson Street - the major downtown shopping district. They usually have 16,000 people in that shopping district everyday!
We hopped off at Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park. There were lots of people there but we could see the exhibits. I enjoyed seeing the beluga whales.
We walked home – it was probably a couple of miles so yes, we are getting exercise!
After a rest – oh, it felt good to take my shoes off! – we headed to Safeway to get something for dinner. The sidewalks are full of people – weird looking people! Today was the Vancouver Zombie Walk 2012!
Tonight we are taking it easy - tomorrow is cruise day!
additional note: It is dusk and some bikers just went by - their bike frames (the whole frames) are flashing lights of neon colors! Cool!
I love walking and exploring but am always leery of ending up in a less-desirable part of town. Glad you realized where you were and headed back to a more comfortable area. ;-)
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