Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Point Grey, the larger, more southerly peninsula, is home to the
University of British Columbia and sprawling residential neighbour-
hoods. On the smaller peninsula to the north, visitors will discover a
striking contrast between the east end, with its cluster of downtown
skyscrapers, and the west end, occupied by the lovely, unspoiled
woodlands of Stanley Park.
GASTOWN
At the end of the 19th century, rail
transportation and the gold rush were
driving the economic development of
Gastown, which would become an im-
portant distribution centre for merchan-
dise. Its warehouses were soon so full
that a second “warehouse district” was
created in Yaletown, which ended up
supplanting Gastown. After a long de-
cline, Gastown's restoration was under-
taken in the middle of the 1960s and
continues today.
Located a short walk from downtown
and the Cruise Ship Terminal, Gastown
is high on the agenda of many sight-
seers and cruise-ship passengers on a
day pass. Today, Gastown is a historic
district with many handsome late-19th
and early 20th-century Victorian and
Edwardian commercial vernacular
buildings, which narrowly escaped
the wrecker's ball in the late 1960s.
Although many of these buildings now
house good restaurants and popular
3
A Vancouver landmark: the Gastown Steam
Clock.
© iStockphoto.com / Ronnie Comeau
3
The attractive Gastown neighbourhood.
© Tourism Vancouver / Tom Ryan
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