What to do whilst in Vancouver?
Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four & Beyond, After Dark

Vancouver is as fresh and dewy as this year’s Hollywood starlet. The city has great bones - the Coast Mountains soar over a glassy new skyline. The makeup is minimal and immaculate - the Pacific Ocean washes miles of chilled but sandy beach. Most attractive - for Vancouver’s turn in the spotlight (and to the delight of visitors) – this city is a friendly tease. She is open-minded, hip, cosmopolitan and unpretentious.

Gay and lesbian visitors find it easy to fall in love with Vancouver. From the first glimpse from the airplane window or driving up from the south (Seattle is only 143 miles away), it is evident that this city of two million has one of the most beautiful urban settings on earth. Neighbourhoods climb right up the sides of snow-capped and lushly forested mountain peaks. The city centre is a compact core of high-rises surrounded on three sides by water, public beaches, pedestrian and bike paths and anchored at the “West End” by 1000-acre Stanley Park. The yachts floating by the hundred in the many marinas spell Money. Yet nature and leisure are accessible to most everyone. It soon becomes clear why Vancouver has topped UN lists for comparative quality of life.

When to go & where to stay
In Vancouver’s high season (April-Oct.), sunshine prevails over the famous rain showers. Accommodation and occupancy rates are quite high by Canadian standards as the six-million cruise-ship passengers transiting to and from Alaska and the convention trade lead to large pre-bookings in the downtown hotels. Off-season, Vancouver’s climate may be damp but seldom freezing. Indeed, ocean currents produce mild spring weather and many blooms exotic to such a northern latitude - a profusion of bulbs, magnolias, azaleas, rhododendrons and 16 varieties of flowering cherry trees along city streets. Off-season, don’t hesitate to ask all accommodations about discounts and specials, as rates may be 50 percent below summer peaks! Mostly, the intrepid gay and lesbian visitor should seek to avoid an inconvenient across the bridge accommodation that may bill itself as “near downtown”. Anywhere can easily be walked from anywhere else in the downtown core and transportation links to outlying areas are, of course, focused in the downtown.

Unlike many North American cities, Vancouverites actually love to live downtown. The result is a blessing to the real estate/construction industry and a contributor to the 24-hour pulse that visitors can enjoy as well. Although there are several gay and lesbian enclaves, the heart of the gay community is still in the downtown West End. Three blocks of Davie Street are a rainbow-bannered retail “village” but the whole length of Davie and Denman Streets services this colourful, gay-friendly neighbourhood. Thousands of gay residents inhabit an interesting mix of seventies-style apartment blocks, modern condominium units and heritage frame homes. The urban density is buffered by tree-lined streets, mini-parks and traffic patterns that favour those who like to walk and people watch.

Be sure to tap into the largely gay-owned bed and breakfast network in the West End. Favourite amongst these “family” businesses is the Nelson House B & B (977 Broughton St.). It is a large, Edwardian house framed by a charming garden in a quiet, very central location only 3 blocks from Davie St. gay activities and 2 blocks from Robson St. shopping. Five spacious guestrooms and a large top-floor suite accommodate 90% rainbow visitors and a cool straight following. Indeed, this is the only downtown accommodation where gays and lesbians outnumber straights. The atmosphere is comfortable, relaxed and friendly. The full breakfasts are delicious and the rates are very good value. Nearby, the gay-friendly West End Guesthouse (1362 Haro St.), welcomes visitors to a more expensive and more hotel-like experience. Rooms are small but deluxe. Breakfasts, sherry and afternoon treats are high quality. The atmosphere is decidedly more formal. If full, either of these B & B’s will be happy to refer you elsewhere.

If staying on a modest budget, most 3 star hotels in downtown Vancouver offer a similar standard of amenity and convenience. Locations along Robson, Davie and Denman Streets are preferable to those along Granville Street. As most of these hotels are situated on commercial streets, be sure to enquire about noise level as well as view. Also remember to keep your accommodation receipts as the seven per cent Goods and Service Tax (GST) can be claimed as a rebate by foreign visitors.

European and American visitors will generally benefit from a favourable exchange rate against the Canadian dollar. In Vancouver, this factor can leverage your standard of style, comfort and impeccable hotel service to the very highest levels. On a large scale, the Pan Pacific Hotel maximizes harbour and mountain views while The Sutton Place wins top awards for service. On a smaller scale, The Wedgewood Hotel has a special cachet with visiting movie and music stars. As well, the Listel Vancouver (1300 Robson St) not only offers guestrooms filled with original art but was an early supporter among major hotels of Vancouver’s thriving Gay and Lesbian Business Association.

What to do whilst in Vancouver?

Day one
Day two
Day three
Day Four & Beyond
After Dark

photographs courtesy of Tourism Vancouver & David Ritchie