Vancouver, British Columbia, is an enviable place to be, come springtime when everyone swaddles in fleece and heads outdoors to take advantage of the mountains-meet-sea locale. Sure, you can join the masses bicycling the Stanley Park seawall and hiking the Grouse Mountain Grind – they are top attractions, after all. But Vancouver’s true spirit – freewheeling and offbeat – percolates away from the mainstream and is best revealed in these quirky activities:
Island-hopping: Hundreds of islands splash off Vancouver’s coast. While many are uninhabited, those that do have residents are populated by laid-back artisans, retirees and escapists drawn to the relative isolation and abundant natural beauty. Ferries provide the local transport, and often the ride itself – as the boat slithers through a labyrinth of rugged, lighthouse-punctuated land masses – is every bit as rewarding as the destination.
Bowen Island is the closest of the bunch, a 20-minute ride from West Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay. Galleries, nautical-
style pubs and a kayak rental shop line the harborside boardwalk; many visitors head inland for a hike in nearby Crippen Regional Park to view the bird sanctuary and waterfalls. Farther on, aqua-skied Salt Spring Island takes three hours to reach from Vancouver and has reaped fame as an artists colony and organic-farmers haven. A vibrant Saturday-morning market showcases the community’s crafts and earthy produce, and many visitors return with chimes, candles, herbs and other tools for rejuvenation.
Coffee-bingeing: Vancouver nurses a walloping caffeine addiction, and the undisputed place to get a fix is Commercial Drive on the city’s east side. Italian immigrants first opened shop here, with artists and countercultural types piling in thereafter. The result is a peculiar mix where Old World bakery aromas mingle with patchouli wafting from psychics’ parlors, and mohawked skateboarders reach for tomatoes beside little old ladies at the local produce stand. Everyone is united, however, in their love of energy-jiving java.
The best bingeing takes place in the half-mile stretch between East Second Avenue and Napier Street, at four Italian coffeehouses that brew espressos, lattes and cappuccinos. Continental Coffee and Cafe Roma offer the most traditional scene, with natty, cap-wearing seniors sipping and shouting at soccer matches on satellite TV. Caffe Calabria lacks the sports viewing but compensates with kitsch: Plaster nymphs frolic throughout, and a Sistine Chapel-like fresco shows God passing Adam a cappuccino. Joe’s serves its attitude-adjusting roasts amid a throng of pool tables.
Once buzzed, step out and explore The Drive’s funky shops. Where else can you purchase dreadlock shampoo, belly-dancing supplies, a cape and a Che Guevara backpack in one fell swoop?
Getting naked: If the relaxed, hippy-ish islands bred with oddball Commercial Drive, Wreck Beach would be their unrepentant wild child. It’s an anything-goes kind of place – and mostly what goes are your clothes, because Wreck Beach is a nude beach (though, as long as you’re respectful, you don’t have to be in the buff).
The setting shocks and awes: A steep path behind the University of British Columbia carries visitors down to the undeveloped, log-strewn shoreline. The thick surrounding forest shields the beach so it feels worlds away from the big city, yet downtown is a mere few miles away. And “undeveloped” doesn’t mean lacking in creature comforts. On warm weekends in particular, Wreck Beach explodes with enterprising vendors who set up shop on the sand, so procurement of a baked potato, glass of wine, haircut, massage or musk-ox burger are equally possible. The naked roving banana salesman remains a crowd favorite: Just be sure you grab carefully. Unfortunately, the beach’s vibe is coming under threat, as the university tries to build residence towers on the hill overlooking the shore – an act that has sparked naked protest marches.
INSIDER’S GUIDE
GET AROUND: BC Ferries (888-223-3779; bcferries.com) sails to the islands from Vancouver’s two terminals – Horseshoe Bay in the northwest, and Tsawwassen in the south. Most vessels also carry cars for an additional fee.
DINE: Doc Morgan’s Inn (604-947-0808), near the Bowen Island ferry dock, serves fish and chips and pints of beer in a seafaring atmosphere; pub fare runs $7-$13. At Havana (604-253-9119), on Commercial Drive, Caribbean fried chicken, portobello mushroom panini and mojitos can be noshed outdoors on the porch – an excellent vantage point to people-watch – or indoors on red-velvet cushioned seats; entrees cost $14-$20.
STAY: Downtown’s pension-style Victorian Hotel (604-681-6369, 877-681-6369; victorianhotel.ca; $68-$130) can’t be beat for price and low-key class. Glossy hardwood floors, down duvets, bay windows and antique furnishings appoint the spotless rooms. Continental breakfast is included. The ivy-covered Sylvia Hotel (604-681-9321; sylviahotel.com; $86-$165) has welcomed families since 1912 to its oceanfront digs in the West End neighborhood. Many return year after year for their dose of stained-glass windows, thick carpets and all-round Old World charm.
