> > > > > Vancouver/West End The West End of Vancouver is one of the most popular places to hang out in the city. Located on the western half of the downtown peninsula, the compact mostly residential area is surrounded by a string of beaches and the beloved Stanley Park, and bustling with tonnes of shops and eateries on its main streets. The West End was first conceived as the proposed city of New Liverpool. Too remote at that time, the investors were nicknamed the "Greenhorns" and the land remained an unrealized real estate dream. Eventually it was incorporated into the city of Vancouver. The arrival of the railway several years later provided the needed impetus for development and the area around West Georgia Street became Vancouver's first upscale neighbourhood. The rich moved on to other neighbourhoods early in the 20th century and a new wave of development began to bring in the middle class and a more transient population. Large mansions were converted to rooming houses, low-rise apartments were built and shops sprang up along the streetcar lines - Robson, Denman and Davie Streets.

The West End's skyline really began to take shape in the sixties and early seventies when 220 high-rise apartments were built in a 13-year period. To date, the West End is the most densely populated area in Canada.where to buy sushi grade fish in manchester nh Robson, Denman and Davie Streets continue to be the lifeblood of the neighbourhood jam-packed with bars, restaurants, cafes and shops. ichiban sushi menu charleston wvRobson is the renowned shopping street, with smaller eclectic stores closer to Denman that get increasingly more upscale as it climbs the hill towards the Central Business District. sushi conveyor belt copenhagenIn addition, Robson has numerous tourist souvenir shops as well as a good mix of trendy restaurant chains and small businesses.

Denman is noted for its countless independent cafes and restaurants, particularly around English Bay (Denman and Davie). The expansive variety of food ranges from Asian, Mediterranean, European, North American to even African. Whether you are craving for an indulgent slice of cheese cake, looking for a quick kabob takeout or taking time to wine and dine, Denman Street will have something to offer almost any time of the day. Closer to West Georgia Street and Stanley Park, there are a number of bicycle and inline skate rental places for easy riding or skating around the Seawall. While Denman Street is known for its good food, Davie Street has its fair share of entertaining shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, bakeries and produce stores. Unique to Davie Street is Davie Village, between Burrard and Jervis, the heart of Vancouver's GLBT community and home to the annual Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival. Besides the ever popular gay nightclub, Celebrities, there are also a number of provocative adult stores and a thriving community garden.

During the warmer months, the West End Farmers Market attracts the local/organic food crowd to mill away their Saturday mid-mornings, just off Davie Village on Comox Street. Coal Harbour, on the north side of the West End, is a relatively new, high-end area. Many of the condominiums were built in the last ten years and have million-dollar views coupled with multi-million-dollar price tags. It is a pleasant area to stroll or relax at the parks and the Seawall, but it lacks the raw energy and rustic character of English Bay. Map of the West End The West End is easily accessible from the City Centre. Heading west on almost any of the streets from downtown will lead you there. The main thoroughfare is West Georgia Street, which runs through the neighbourhood to Stanley Park and into the North Shore via the Lions Gate Bridge. Robson Street and Davie Street are also busy streets that carry traffic between the West End and the rest of downtown. If you are driving, it is best to park your car and explore the area by foot.

Many of the side streets are traffic calmed in some manner and are frequently blocked off so they cannot be used for through traffic. Parking lots are available in Coal Harbour ($12-$15 for the day) and Stanley Park. There is also limited on-street parking in the residential areas. The West End is mostly serviced by Translink buses from the City Centre. If travelling from other parts of Vancouver by public transit, you will have to get downtown first and then board one of the following: If travelling from the North Shore, the following buses pass through the West End on their way downtown: The Seawall is the main bike route in and around the West End (including Stanley Park). The popularity of the Seawall has been good for the bike rental business — there are a number of shops, particularly near the entrance of Stanley Park, where you can hire a bike for a few hours, a day or longer. With 1000 acres of mostly forested land at the western tip of downtown, Stanley Park is one of North America's largest urban parks, and quite literally, is an oasis of wilderness in the middle of the city.

The park is surrounded in its entirety by a 9km paved path called the seawall; a great place for rollerblading, cycling, jogging or just taking a pleasant walk. There is also hundreds of kilometers of inland trails crisscrossing the park in every direction. Stanley Park park attracts over 8 million visitors per year. The park includes both heavily forested natural areas, manicured gardens and totem poles. As tall and old as the trees appear, it is interesting to know that much of them are second-growth, as the area was heavily logged from 1860-1880. There is a free bus that shuttles visitors around the loop to the different parts of the park. The bus operates in the summer, every 12-15 minutes. It takes 45 minutes to do the full loop. There are stops near all of the major attractions including: Trivia: Every single one of Stanley Park's grey squirrels was descended from eight pairs given to Vancouver as a gift from New York City in 1909. Watch out for the Splash Zone at the Vancouver Aquarium

The West End is thick with restaurants. If you walk along Robson Street between downtown and Denman Street, or along Denman Street between Georgia Street and English Bay, you will pass dozens of eating options with a wide variety of cuisines and price points. There is a particular concentration of Korean food along a few bloks of Robson Street from Denman Street uphill to the east, maybe because many English as a Second Language (ESL) studens from Korea lodge here. At the English Bay end of Denman street, the water vistas have encouraged a cluster of high-price high-service restaurants. Brockton Lighthouse on the Stanley Park seawall The West End has fewer options to stay than the heart of downtown, but can offer slightly cheaper rates. Other than one hostel, there are no really cheap accommodation options in the West End. However, there are a few hostels in the neighbouring Central Business District and some more a bit further on in Gastown and the Eastside. Coal Harbour near Stanley Park in the West End