Vancouver: Fast Facts

Where better for the 2010 Olympics Winter Games to take place than the home of Winter Sports – CANADA! Vancouver is regarded as one the most popular cities in North America, while nearby Whistler counts itself among the world’s best ski resorts. Vancouver is the largest city in British Columbia and the third largest city in Canada. It's surrounded by water on three sides and is nestled alongside the Coast Mountain Range. Vancouver is home to spectacular natural scenery and a bustling metropolitan core, and boasts one of the mildest climates in Canada.

The City of Vancouver supports a wide range of destination sites — from more than 190 parks to three different civic theatres — that are interesting places to visit for tourists and residents alike. Vancouver is also home to many other sights and is networked by a comprehensive transportation system.

Main Streets & Orientation

With four different bodies of water lapping at its edges and mile after mile of shoreline, Vancouver's geography can seem a bit complicated. That's part of the city's maritime charm, of course, and visitors usually don't find it too difficult to get their bearings. Downtown Vancouver is on a peninsula: think of it as an upraised thumb on the mitten-shaped Vancouver mainland. Stanley Park, the West End, Yaletown, and Vancouver's business and financial center are located on this thumb of land bordered to the north by Burrard Inlet, the city's main deep-water harbor and

port, to the west by English Bay, and to the south by False Creek.

Farther west beyond English Bay is the Pacific Ocean. Just south across False Creek is Granville Island, famous for its public market, and the beach community of Kitsilano. This part of the city, called the West Side, covers the mainland, or the hand of the mitten. Its western shoreline looks out on the Strait of Georgia with the Pacific beyond, and the North Arm of the Fraser River demarcates it to the south.

Pacific Spirit Park and the University of British Columbia (UBC), a locus for visitors because of its outstanding Museum of Anthropology, take up most of the western tip of the West Side; the rest is mostly residential, with a sprinkling of businesses along main arterial streets. Both mainland and peninsula are covered by a simple rectilinear street pattern.

Lastly, North Vancouver is the mountain-backed area directly across Burrard Inlet from downtown Vancouver.

Currency Yes, Canada has its own currency, people...and it's no longer a laughing matter! The US and Canadian Dollar are in fact almost equal. Well, depending on the day I suppose – I guess the Canadian dollar is a bit lower - listen, its close enough!

Internet Free Internet access is available at all the Vancouver public libraries. As well, with the ever-growing cafe culture, there are sprouting up plenty of free wi-fi areas all around town. Most coffee shops have it for example – anyway, if fast, cheap and quite often can be found for free if you’re willing to look around a bit.

Police For emergencies, dial 911. This is a free call and the same as in the USA.

Post Office & Mail Letters and postcards up to 30 grams cost 85¢ to mail to the U.S. and C$1.45 for overseas airmail service; 50¢ within Canada. You can buy stamps and mail parcels at the main post office or at any of the postal outlets inside drugstores and convenience stores. Look for a POSTAL SERVICES sign. The main post office is at West Georgia and Homer streets (349 W. Georgia). It's open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5:30pm. You'll also find post office outlets in Shopper's Drug Mart and 7-Eleven stores with longer opening hours.

Restrooms Fast food restaurants and hotel lobbies are your best bet for downtown facilities. The shopping centers like Pacific Centre and Sinclair Centre also have restrooms.

Safety Overall, Vancouver is a safe city; violent-crime rates are quite low. However, property crimes and crimes of opportunity (such as items being stolen from unlocked cars) occur pretty frequently, particularly downtown. Vancouver's Downtown East Side, on Hastings between Gastown and Chinatown, is a troubled neighbourhood and should be avoided at night. That being said, it's more eyesore than danger in this area.

Phones in Vancouver Phones in British Columbia are identical to U.S. phones. The country code is the same as the U.S. code (1). Local calls normally cost C25¢. Many hotels charge up to C$1 per local call and much more for long-distance calls. You can save considerably by using your calling card or cellphone.

Well, that’s a start … more info to follow but please don’t hesitate to submit your questions below.