Driving Downtown – Vancouver 4K – Canada



Driving Downtown – Vancouver BC Canada – Season 1 Episode 22.
Starting Point: Granville St .
Vancouver, officially the City of Vancouver, is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The 2011 census recorded 603,502 people in the city, making it the eighth largest Canadian municipality.[1] The Greater Vancouver area of around 2.4 million inhabitants is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,[1] the second largest city on the United States–Canada border, and the most populous in Western Canada. Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English.[4][5] Vancouver is classed as a Beta global city. The City of Vancouver encompasses a land area of about 114 square kilometres, giving it a population density of about 5,249 people per square kilometre (13,590 per square mile). Vancouver is the most densely populated Canadian municipality, and the fourth most densely populated city with over 250,000 residents in North America, behind New York City, San Francisco,[6] and Mexico City.

The original settlement, named Gastown, grew up on clearcuts on the west edge of the Hastings Mill logging sawmill’s property, where a makeshift tavern had been set up on a plank between two stumps and the proprietor, Gassy Jack, persuaded the curious millworkers to build him a tavern, on 1 July 1867. From that first enterprise, other stores and some hotels quickly appeared along the waterfront to the west. Gastown became formally laid out as a registered townsite dubbed Granville, B.I. (“B.I” standing for “Burrard Inlet”). As part of the land and political deal whereby the area of the townsite was made the railhead of the CPR, it was renamed “Vancouver” and incorporated shortly thereafter as a city, in 1886. By 1887, the transcontinental railway was extended to the city to take advantage of its large natural seaport, which soon became a vital link in a trade route between the Orient, Eastern Canada, and Europe.[7][8] As of 2009, Port Metro Vancouver is the busiest and largest port in Canada, and the most diversified port in North America.[9] While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by nature, making tourism its second-largest industry.[10] Major film production studios in Vancouver and Burnaby have turned Greater Vancouver and nearby areas into one of the largest film production centres in North America,[11][12] earning it the film industry nickname, Hollywood North.[13][14][15]

Vancouver is consistently named as one of the top five worldwide cities for livability and quality of life,[16][17] and the Economist Intelligence Unit acknowledged it as the first city to rank among the top-ten of the world’s most liveable cities[18] for five consecutive years.[19] Vancouver has hosted many international conferences and events, including the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, UN Habitat I, Expo 86, the World Police and Fire Games in 1989 and 2009; and the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics which were held in Vancouver and Whistler, a resort community 125 km (78 mi) north of the city.[20] In 2014, following thirty years in California, the annual TED conference made Vancouver its indefinite home. Several matches of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup were played in Vancouver, including the final at BC Place Stadium.[21]

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Why Are Sports Travelers Enjoying the 21st Winter Olympics?

Millions of visitors are experiencing a wealth of colour, sporting events, music and shows during the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010! Savvy sports travelers planned years in advance to be in the “Hollywood of the North” this February, when over 10,000 of the world’s top athletes descended on BC. Not only is British Columbia a beautiful place to visit; but Canadians gave athletes and tourists a true to form, warm welcome at the Opening Ceremony held on Friday, February 12th, 2010 to mark the beginning of the XXI Winter Games.

Despite the concern of their Canadian hosts, visitors are enjoying this lovely city during an unprecedented rise in temperatures; making it one of the warmest winters in over 100 years while the East Coast of North America and even Europe is snow laden. Considering the snowfall in Vancouver, last winter, this is not something anyone would wish on the host city of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics! However, Vancouverites trucked the snow in from back East, along with their visitors, and seem to be infused with an almost summer like spirit amidst the balmy temperatures.

If you have visited Vancouver before, you may be surprised to see streets unusually busy near the popular venues and tourist attractions, both day and night, with everyone taking full advantage of the charged atmosphere. Olympic Games characteristically infuse athletes, sports travelers and enthusiasts with energy while competing in or just viewing the top class Olympic competition at local venues; it’s no different in Vancouver, Richmond, Cypress Mountain and Whistler this year, despite the dangers competitors face on the slopes, tracks and ice rinks.

If you enjoy party pumping music and a carefree atmosphere in the celebrity littered streets an Olympic host city is where you’ll get it… a manic embracing of all that’s good in life while you have the chance – while you have life in your veins – to strive, to perform and to live your utmost. If you’re in Vancouver, you have the opportunity to party long into the night or rise early in the morning. Some have witnessed and testified to the glory of seeing a moon and stars set in the West over the BC Lions (mountains on the North Shore) while at the same time, watching the sun rise in the East over the distant snow-covered slopes of Mount Baker in Washington, USA – all from Granville Bridge, Vancouver. Certainly worth exploring…

Fellow travel club members, friends and family with firsthand accounts about exciting trips to international destinations, like Vancouver, are inspiring as they often have similar goals and objectives when traveling. These international travel tips can be the most valuable of all. These people will probably have plenty of memories to share with you about the hotels, favorite restaurants and interesting tourist attractions they’ve most enjoyed during their stay… So if you enjoy a Sporting Buzzzzzz, London 2012 is not far away!

Source by Anne L Dix

Vancouver 2010 Olympics: Thing To Do

From the figure skating to the bob sledding, from the ice hockey, to the ski jumping, there is nothing quite like being there to witness the winter Olympic games. This coming year, it’s going to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and we’ve got you covered. After all, you’re not traveling to Vancouver just to see the Olympics, but also to see the city. So, here’s a few cool things you can do while you’re in town for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics:

Scuba Diving

You may not believe it, given that this is Canada, but Vancouver sports some of the best scuba diving on the planet. You can take a dip in the icy cold waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland where you’ll see some amazing marine life such as wolf eel and octopus. In addition, you can admire the coral park in Deep Cove and Whytecliff Park near Horseshoe Bay. Or check out the Sunshine coast, with a  jagged coastal fjord which will provide a challenge for even the best divers. There are even a few shipwrecks that you can explore while you’re in town for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and looking for things to do.  

White Water Rafting

Are you ready for some real fun? Not for the faint of heart, white water rafting is available on the Thompson, Nahaltatch, Squamish, Elaho and Chilliwack Rivers. Be sure to dress for the occasion, in bathing suits and shoes that you don’t mind getting wet. Also, follow the instructions of your guides as you rush down the river. White water may look fun and it is, but it is also dangerous if you don’t follow the rules.

Granville Island
If you’re here with kids for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and looking for things to do, then you should definitely check out this amazing place. It was created in 1979 from what once was industrial wasteland under the Granville Bridge but today, it’s a paradise for tourists, who come from near and far to admire the beauty that is Granville Island.
You can sample fresh fudge or warm donuts in the Public Market, a kind of farmers market for tourists or wander among the houseboats and ask the people who live there what it’s like to live on the water all the time. For the kids, you can check out Kids Market, which is a colorful building filled with shops selling all kinds of cool handmade toys, many of them done by local artists. Not to mention clothing for your young one.
Whatever it is that you’re looking to do in Vancover at the 2010 Olympics, this city has it all and it’s all for you.

Source by Chuck White

Vancouver: best places to visit during winter olympics

VANCOUVER OLYMPICS 2010 which is officialy known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games will be held on February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, Canada. Atheletes from ninety seven countries will be participated in 15 winter sports events. Popular winter sports such as speed skating, snowboarding, and ice hockey will be spotlighted in Vancouver.

The event also serves to spotlight the sightseeing attractions and outdoor adventures in and around the city. Sports lovers from across the globe, can also enjoy to see some beautiful places of Vancouver. Surrounded by water on three sides and nestled alongside the Coast Mountain Range, Vancouver is the largest city in the province of British Columbia with over half a million residents and one of the mildest climates in Canada.

Top 10 favourite places to visit during Vancouver Olympics 2010:

1. Vancouver Aquarium – Much more to see and do then look at exotic fish
2. Science World – A definite must-see; an interactive museum for the whole family
3. Museum of Anthropology – West Coast Canadian history and Aboriginal art
4. Vancouver Art Gallery – Features displays and traveling exhibits from a wide range of Canadian and international artists
5. H.R. Macmillan Space Center – Explore your sense of wonder about the universe, our planet and space exploration
6. Vancouver Maritime Museum – History of Canada’s Pacific port with artifacts, models, paintings and photographs
7. Stanley Park – 1000 acres of beaches, trails and forest; one of Vancouver’s true historic landmarks
8. Capilano Suspension Bridge – One of Vancouver’s most popular fixtures in a beautiful setting
9. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden – An amazing, must-see garden patterned after a Ming-Dynasty Scholar
10. Granville Island – A wonderful waterfront public market with lots of family fun, entertainment, food and urban culture.

Source by Merinews Network