Back in Vancouver, British Columbia, ready to spend the day exploring the city. Yesterday was a travel day, rough seas and rain. A good day to nap and read. Tomorrow is our early flight home.
Disembarking the ship and getting through customs was a breeze. A short walk to our beautiful hotel, where we stowed our bags until our room was ready later in the day.
We decided to do the “hop on and hop off” bus tour to give up a thumbnail mix of history, geography, culture, art, etc. I believe these bus tours hit the highlights when you have a brief city stay.
Stanley Park is very impressive with an aquarium, trails, beaches, different flora, athletic fields and a collection of totem poles. Stanley Park is 1,001-acre public park, and for comparison is one-fifth larger than NYC’s Central Park.
Granville Island where the public market resides, amidst artist galleries and shops, and a variety of unique stores.
The rest of the tour took us through some of the more upscale areas as well those at the other end of the scale. We also drove through Chinatown, Yaletown the sports stadiums, Gastown (including the Steam Powered Clock).
Vancouver is a clean, orderly city, with both the preservation of old buildings and the construction of modern ones. Somehow it looks like they all belong.
Vancouver is a desirable place to live, and it’s an expensive place to live. Housing is in high demand, with people choosing to live further out from the city to find more affordable options. Want to retire in Vancouver from the U.S., you may pay a 20 percent tax on your purchase, as a foreigner buying in designated area.
We stayed at the Exchange Hotel in the downtown. This is the most elegant hotel I’ve stayed at. The old Vancouver Stock Exchange Building, it’s been refurbished into a LEED Platinum building. The Exchange Hotel was comfortable and a bit intimidating.
The hotel was a couple of blocks from the waterfront and the train station. My vacation planner did a remarkable job!
Photo credits: Jori & Mike (unless otherwise noted)
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Tomorrow: Traveling home, cruise observations
Ticket 2 Ride 
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