Walking Vancouver. John Lee
who have repeatedly hit the Orpheum stage. In the 1970s, the aging venue was about to be turned into a multiscreen cinema complex when public outcry convinced the city to step in and buy the theatre, transforming it into a new civic concert hall. After a complete restoration, the Orpheum reopened in 1977 and early visitors were reminded of what a gem they had in their midst. Inspired by the Spanish Baroque school, the building’s domed, multi-arched interior is a feast of sumptuous marble and plaster decoration. Now designated a National Historic Site, the Orpheum is the home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and continues to host leading musical acts from around the world. It also hosts highly recommended backstage ghost and heritage walks during the summer months.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Lennox Pub 800 Granville St., 604-408-0881
Commodore Ballroom 868 Granville St., 604-739-4550
Orpheum Theatre 884 Granville St., 604-665-3050
Plaza Club 881 Granville St., 604-646-0064
Vogue Theatre 918 Granville St., 604-688-1975
Granville Room 957 Granville St., 604-633-0056
Templeton 1087 Granville St., 604-685-4612
Yale Hotel 1300 Granville St., 604-681-9253
ROUTE SUMMARY
| 1. | Start at the northeast corner of Granville and Robson Sts. | |
| 2. | Staying on the left side of Granville, cross Robson. | |
| 3. | Continue south on Granville, crossing over to the right side opposite the Orpheum Theatre. | |
| 4. | Cross back to the left side of Granville at the next intersection. | |
| 5. | Continue south on the left side of Granville. | |
| 6. | Cross back the right side of Granville at the 900 block. | |
| 7. | At the Helmcken St. intersection, re-cross to the left side of Granville. | |
| 8. | Continue south on the left side of Granville, passing the intersections with Davie St. and Drake St. |
Commodore Ballroom
4 YALETOWN: VANCOUVER’S BRICK-BUILT SOHO
BOUNDARIES: BC Place Stadium, Richards St., Davie St., Pacific Blvd.
DISTANCE: 1 mile/1½ kilometres
DIFFICULTY: Easy
PARKING: There’s a parking lot in the 600 block of Cambie St., a short walk from BC Place. There’s also metered street parking in the streets near the stadium.
PUBLIC TRANSIT: SkyTrain’s Stadium station is a short walk from BC Place, while Canada Line trains stop at the Yaletown-Roundhouse station at Davie and Mainland Sts. Bus 15 stops on nearby Cambie St.
Yaletown looks totally different from any other Vancouver neighborhood. Created almost entirely from red bricks—both the buildings and elevated sidewalks here are brick-faced—the area was filled with railway sheds and storage warehouses in the 1880s after the Canadian Pacific Railway relocated its operations from the pioneer settlement of Yale in BC’s rugged interior. Along with the name, the imported workers brought their hard-drinking ways with them and Yaletown soon became a no-go nook for anyone who preferred not to have a fist fight with their beer. When the trains left a few decades later, the area was quickly colonized by squatters and fell into rapid disrepair, only to be completely scrubbed up and reclaimed as part of the site for the giant Expo ’86 world exposition. After the event, the area, complete with its character-packed heritage status, became Vancouver’s version of SoHo. The old brick warehouses were reappointed and transformed into chichi shops, restaurants, and apartments and the elevated loading docks became its sidewalks. Today, Yaletown is a compact treat for strollers, with plenty of pit stops and colorful historic reminders. We’ll launch our walk on the fringes of the area, with a little sporting dalliance.
| • | You’ll start your Yaletown-area weave at BC Place, the city’s biggest sporting venue. As well as being home of the CFL’s BC Lions, this is the venue of choice for the kind of music acts that like to pack in crowds of up to 60,000: Madonna and the Rolling Stones have strutted their stuff here in recent years. The stadium’s air-supported fabric roof—at 10 acres/4 hectares, it’s the largest of its type in the world—hit the headlines in 2006 when it deflated, sending icy water cascading into the interior. Since patched up, the venue hosts the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, after which its dodgy lid will be replaced with a slick new retractable model. |
| • | Exit the stadium precinct west, crossing over Expo Blvd. Then cross over to the west side of Beatty St. Head south downhill on Beatty. About half way down on your right, you’ll come to Dix BBQ & Brewery. An ideal spot for a heaping lunch, this popular drinking hole is beloved of carnivores who drop by en masse to slaver over southern-style pulled pork and velvet-soft brisket. And don’t forget the beer: one of the city’s handful of brewpubs, Dix serves its own heady tipples as well as brews from favored local producers like North Vancouver’s Red Truck Beer Company. |
| • | If your liquid lunch hasn’t got the better of you, continue south along Beatty to the next corner, then turn right up Smithe St. Head west over Cambie St. and on your right is Artworks Gallery, a popular exhibition space where everything is for sale. Nip inside and check out the array of landscape, abstract, and photography works. |
| • | Continue west on Smithe, crossing Hamilton St. and passing Fire Hall Number 8 on your right. On the corner of the next block, you’ll pass Subeez Café, one of Vancouver’s favorite nighttime haunts. The dark interior of this cavernous spot is atmospherically lined with giant, half-melted candles. Make a mental note to come back in the evening for a chatty meal with friends or to join the martini scrum around the small bar. On balmy summer nights, the narrow patio here is usually packed to the gills. |
| • | Maintain a westerly direction as you stroll up the slight incline and take the next left along Richards St. This thoroughfare has been transformed over the last decade with a forest of glass condo towers—a far cry from the rooming houses and railway-worker cottages that used to be here. Even the sidewalks have been beautified: check out the leaf prints artfully pressed into the cement. |
| • |
Cross to the right side of Richards and continue southward to the intersection with Nelson St. On the corner here you’ll find the free-entry Contemporary Art Gallery, a small public exhibition space focused on local and international |