For my last evening in Vancouver, I wanted to go exploring. I had seen the Jimi Hendrix Redhouse in Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco two weeks earlier so I thought it would be cool to look for the Jim Hendrix Shrine on the edge of Chinatown here in Vancouver.
So pressed for time (I wanted the lighting from sunset), I took a taxi to Chinatown. I saw the Jimi Hendrix Shrine, and I started a nice walk through Vancouver downtown. I walked north and west through Chinatown, into Gastown, all the way to the Waterfront, then I headed south along Granville street all the way back to my hotel. A really very nice loop through the city center.
Along the way, I saw: some historic buildings in Chinatown: Bank of Commerce, Carnegie Centre, and the really thin Sam Kee Building. I crossed under the Chinatown gate walked through Victory Square Cenotaph, the Sun Building, the Dominion Building and as I entered the Gastown area, I saw the famous Gastown Steam Clock.
I followed Cordova Street west toward the Waterfront Station. From the Granville building plaza, I got a fantastic view of the Burrard Inlet harbour area. I saw a helicopter take off from the Helijet Terminal; I saw the gigantic DP World Centerm Container terminal and the very nice looking Canada Place area jutting out into the harbor.
Walking south along Granville, I passed by the Birks Place / fka Bank of Commerce building and the Vancouver Block building with its iconic neon clock. I walked past the Granville Mall shopping area, made my way through the theater district, and I had dinner at a nice pub, then headed back to my hotel on Howe Street.
Chinatown, the main stretch of it on Pender Street, was nice to visit, but one block north the area got really sketchy. Stay on Pender and things are fine. I connected with Gastown by walking along Cambie and Cordova streets. They were fine. The area right in front of the train station was a little iffy but mostly ok. Granville was full of people shopping and a very safe walk.
Vancouver is a great place to visit and a really beautiful place to walk around sunset.
Vancouver Downtown Walk – Chinatown, Gastown, Waterfront, and Granville at EveryTrail
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