Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
erage.) As well as living closer together than elsewhere in Vancouver, the population is on
average younger than in the rest of the city, with half of the residents between 20 and 40
years old. Wander down Robson or Denman Street and you'll soon see the appeal of the
urban lifestyle afforded by life in the West End—the endless outdoor cafés, wide range of
dining choices, fashionable boutiques, the sandy beaches of English Bay, and the proxim-
ity of Stanley Park.
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Stanley Park
Beautiful
Stanley Park,
a lush 405-hectare (1,000-acre) tree- and garden-carpeted penin-
sula jutting out into Burrard Inlet, is a sight for sore eyes in any weather—an enormous
peaceful oasis sandwiched between the city center's skyscrapers and the North Shore at
the other end of Lions Gate Bridge. Unlike other famous parks, like New York's Central
Park and London's Royal Park, Stanley Park is a permanent preserve of wilderness in the
heart of the city, complete with dense coastal forests and abundant wildlife.
It was Alexander Hamilton, land commissioner for the Canadian Pacific Railroad
(CPR), whose proposal to preserve the end of Burrard Peninsula led to the creation of the
park. Later named for Lord Stanley, Canada's governor-general from 1888 to 1893, the
parkwasdedicatedfor“theuseandenjoymentofallpeoplesofallcolors,creeds,andcus-
toms for all time.” Stanley Park's creation demonstrated incredible foresight on the part
of Hamilton and city leaders, considering that at the time most of the West End was wil-
derness and the vote took place on June 23, 1886—just 12 days after the entire city had
burned to the ground. The biggest changes to the park in the ensuing years have been the
work of Mother Nature, including a devastating windstorm in December 2006 that des-
troyed hundreds of trees.
VANCOUVER VIEWS
Whenever I visit a city for the first time, I like starting off by finding a viewpoint
that lets me see the layout of the city. In Vancouver the obvious option to get your
bearings is by taking a flightseeing trip in a helicopter or floatplane, but this also
means paying out big bucks. Instead, consider one of the following less expensive
options.
