Vancouver has an amazingly livable downtown. The area known as the West End is snugged between fabulous shopping on Robson Street, the beaches of English Bay and the forest of Stanley Park, all within walking distance to hotels, the art gallery and the commerce district of the city. People live on these streets lined with mature shade trees, where street-corner gardens are in bloom and everyone and their dog are out on the streets enjoying the hip urban atmosphere.

I’m lucky to be able to visit my daughter Rosey in her lovely third-floor walk up, like so many of the beautiful old apartment buildings in the West End. Some of the large, old, three-story houses from Vancouver’s prosperous early days still remain, many now converted to condos but still looking lovely, along with a sprinkling of taller apartments (see the video at the end). A fabulous safe place to walk and people watch, night and day.

I went over on the ferry last Wednesday to catch Australia’s entry into the Celebration of Lights, a eye-poppiing fireworks and music show held out in English Bay every year to the delight of hundreds of thousands of happy Vancouverites who converge on the beaches at dusk three times over the course of a week for the three shows. A must-see event! We walked down from my daughter’s apartment in fifteen minutes to snag a great spot on the beach to watch the show and, when it was over, walked back with a hundred thousand of our closest friends. Amazing.

Friday morning I walked over to Hamburger Mary’s on Davie Street for breakfast and enjoyed the people out getting ready for the start of the Pride Celebration that night.  Unfortunately we couldn’t stay, and caught a ferry that night for the Island again.

It’s all on my facebook and instagram pages.  Friend me if you haven’t already.

Love, love, love Vancouver’s lovely West End. Check it out if you get the chance.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save