The following post was contributed by Tourism Vancouver’s own Walt Judas, Vice President Visitor Services, Communications & 2010.
Being in the tourism industry in Vancouver affords me the opportunity to experience many of our incredible attractions, or dine at several of the city’s finest restaurants on a regular basis.
The same can’t be said for my wife, who in addition to her own career, runs our home in the suburbs and often doesn’t get the chance to take in Vancouver’s wonderful amenities. Consequently, we find ourselves in a tug-of-war with me wanting to stay home after a hectic week, while she wants to go out, preferably shopping downtown.
On a recent long weekend, we battled to a draw. I reluctantly agreed to leave the various projects and my comfortable hammock at home, in favour of an outing. But the deal included me deciding where to go and what to do.
Before I leave too much of a negative impression, let me say from the start that I (we) had so much fun, I wondered why we didn’t do it more often (yes, it’s me).
We spent an afternoon at Granville Island, one of my favorite places in the city, and virtually next to the first apartment my wife and I shared after getting married the year of Expo.
While I’ve been to Granville Island countless times, I always discover something new and that’s what makes it so enjoyable. The weather was glorious so naturally the island was packed with locals, independent visitors, and tour groups.
People-watching is a favorite pastime. And there is no shortage of interesting characters on the island. Tourists with cameras, hippies in hemp, uber-rich with serious plastic work, Joe and Jane six-pack, brides and grooms, and people of virtually every ethnic stripe. Although I was carrying a new digital camera, I avoided the temptation of taking too many people shots, instead focusing on the incredible scenery of the island and its surroundings.
As part of my preparation for the outing at Granville Island, I brought an original, large wedding photo that had outlived its broken and dated frame, and would either be filed away to be shown at a funeral, or re-framed to hang somewhere in the house. We visited one of my favorite retailers on the island (Opus Framing & Art Supplies) to find a suitable frame for the image. For an extremely affordable price and efficient process, we walked away with one of the nicest framed pictures we own (not just because we look so young and innocent in our wedding garb).
The highlight of our time at Granville Island was jumping aboard a False Creek ferry for a tour of the waterway that is home to mega-yachts, sailing boats, fishing boats, houseboats, and beautiful residences on both the north and south sides of the little inlet.
There are not many things better than to be on a boat, on the water, in Vancouver, on a glorious Sunday afternoon with your partner. I wasn’t the only one experiencing the same thing as evidenced by the conversations we enjoyed with people on the boat and on the island.
I can’t wait to go back.
10:46 am
This is a great article on Granville Island,
I feel the same way and when I get a chance to
go there, I always wish I could get there more
often
11:10 am
Walt that was a very nice account of a day spent on Granville Island in the sunshine.
I think Granville Island is one of a handful of places in Vancouver that are unique in every sense of the word. And it strongly makes the case for preserving existing buildings and their surroundings when new uses for a place are desired. It requires more creativity and cooperation to make the reuse of old buildings and places a success, but in doing so tremendous cultural and human capital are created.
Put simply, most people like to see an effort having been made to hold onto our past and they like interesting places that are human scaled. This is especially true if these spaces empower a person with a sense of exploration and offer the promise of worthwhile discovery. Successful places compel one to look around the corner or look in a shop because there might be something interesting there. A series of these encounters and private discoveries creates a power set of lasting memories.