Bike, Feet and Bus

On Thursday, it was a fantastically sunny day. I rode my bike along the seawall. Unlike Victoria, Vancouver has provided extensive pathways for both pedestrians and bicycles. Both are well traveled. And surprise - except during early morning and evening exercise times, most cyclists are European-style riders.

Getting Around by Bike

Along the Seawall

I Could Live Here When the Sun Shines

Summer Shakespeare in the Park

Every bridge in Vancouver is designed for vehicle traffic and pedestrians and bicycles. Imagine!

Able to Cross All Bridges

Many Bridges Many Marinas

Modern Totem

I parked my bike near the Sun Yat Sen Public Garden to walk about a mile to the center of downtown.

Abacus Public Art in Chinatown

I managed to get lost several times walking my way back downtown to join up with a walking tour that would culminate back in Chinatown.

I Hope This Isn't the Walking Tour

On the tour, we saw many of the same sites I had seen before, but was provided good description and information from the guide.

Greenest Building in a Green City

Cafe Topiary

I had thought Chinatown was only about one block as in Victoria. Here it covered many, many blocks. I was not sure I was going to find my bicycle.

Gates to Chinatown

Originally, Chinatown was comprised of mostly bachelor workers providing the backbreaking labor of the ports and building the railroad. Over 1000 lived on this one stretch of now empty street.

Once the Roughest Block in Chinatown

During early 20th century renovations, the city tried to limit Chinese retail by widening the street and reducing the width of the stores. The shop owners survived. This block-long store has the Guinness Record for the narrowest store at 1 1/2 meters.

The Narrowest Building

What Is All This Stuff

I ended that day riding back along the seawall and then the circumference of Stanley Park which I had also seen from the bus. Stanley Park is named for Lord Stanley who was also Governor General of Canada and was the original presentor of hockey's Stanley Cup.
Be sure to stop and eat at the Tea House - formerly officer mess quarters for the Canadian military when Stanley Park wa a defense site during WWII,

Dinner at the Stanley Park Tea House

If you get weary of walking and pedaling, public busses go everywhere every 10-15 minutes. There was a stop 1 block from my apartment which I took on Wednesday to get to the Art Gallery and the Foodie Tour.

Take the City Bus