THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES THAT MAKE UP THE WONDERFUL CITY OF VANCOUVER...

West Vancouver

A much more peaceful part of the city that has many families and Senior Citizens residing in it.  West Vancouver is on the North-Western side of the Lions Gate Bridge.  It spreads from the dual-sided Park Royal Shopping Mall, which is a must-see, up to past the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, into the Lions Bay Residential area.  West Vancouver is a beautiful part of Vancouver that should not be surpassed by anyone.

North Vancouver

The City of North Vancouver is a vibrant community where more than 48,000 citizens have chosen to make their home. Surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, residents enjoy a quality of life comprised of safe, clean neighbourhoods and responsible municipal governance. The City boasts a diverse culture, as well as a thriving arts community and a range of recreational activities to explore.

Gastown
The origins of the city are in the cobblestoned streets and heritage buildings of Vancouver’s first neighbourhood, a showcase for modern local design, restaurants and nightlife.
Vancouver’s first community, named after saloon keeper John “Gassy Jack” Deighton (who allegedly opened the Globe Saloon within 24 hours of his arrival in 1867) is something of an anomaly. Once a gritty warehouse district attracting transients and panhandlers, Gastown was nearly bulldozed in the 1970s. Thanks to a last-minute intervention by residents and heritage buffs, the area was declared a historic site and the old Victorian buildings were restored, some streets and alleys were cleaned up and the skid row denizens were pushed to the nearby Downtown Eastside. Still, the area is not quite the gentrified community that city planners had in mind more than 30 years ago: much of Gastown, which is the docking point for cruise ships from Alaska and California, is distinguished by tacky tourist fare, gas lamps and new cobblestones. At the same time, however, there is a dynamic mix of high-end restaurants, fashionable clothing stores and upscale furniture boutiques, as well as a lively nightlife. Depending on what you’re looking for, you’ll find a box of Cuban cigars as easily as a locally made modern sofa.

You can’t miss it: The Irish Heather Gastropub pours Guinness and serves the ultimate Irish comfort food: mashed potatoes with cabbage, green onions and lots of butter (217 Carrall Street).

Don’t miss it: Look for cutting-edge clothing and jewellery by local designers at Dream (311 W. Cordova Street).

West End
A lively mix of shops and restaurants intersect beach and rainforest in this young urban village.

The neighbourhood known as the West End, situated to the west of downtown’s Central Business District between Burrard Street and English Bay Beach, is one of the most densely populated communities in North America. And it’s no wonder. The West End is the gateway to Stanley Park: sandy beaches, miles of shaded walkways, sidewalk cafés and endless trails for biking, running and rollerblading make this one of Vancouver’s most appealing neighbourhoods. The population of this area, which is the heart of the city’s gay community, is on average younger than the rest of the city: 50 percent of residents are between 20 and 40.

If you’re visiting in summer, check out the yearly Pride Parade and Festival or the annual Celebration of Light, where countries compete every year in a fireworks competition from a barge in English Bay.

You can’t miss it: For a good example of what the community looked like before the high-rises started to go up in the 1960s, take a walk around Barclay Heritage Square starting at Barclay and Broughton Streets.

Don’t miss it: Watch the sun go down at English Bay Beach with a six-pack of lemon poppyseed cupcakes from—where else?—Cupcakes (1116 Denman Street).

Chinatown
This bustling commercial area east of downtown offers divine dim sum and serene garden strolls.

With its array of hole-in-the-wall restaurants, noisy markets, dim alleys and the constant buzz of Chinese conversation, Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of the most vibrant and authentic ethnic communities on the west coast. The largest Chinatown in Canada (the second largest in North America) will give you a first-hand look at why Vancouver has such a strong reputation as a multicultural city. While it’s often the food that brings visitors to this neighbourhood, there are many reasons to stay after dinner. From May through September, you’ll find a public night market at Pender and Carrall Streets near Shanghai Alley where the original Chinese settlement developed even before the City of Vancouver was incorporated in 1886. Vendors sell everything from faux Gucci bags and Rolex watches to dried squid and imported pottery.

You can’t miss it: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden (5778 Carrall Street) is the only authentic, classic Chinese garden outside of China.
Don’t miss it: Lunch at Hoa Huah Buddhist Vegetarian Restaurant (137 E. Pender) offers delicious faux chicken that actually tastes like, well, chicken.

Downtown
For the true urban adventurer, your stroll downtown can begin with a hike through a rain forest, and end with some fine window shopping. Dare you to name another city that offers the same.

As a cosmopolitan centre for shopping, dining and finding that certain heart-of-the-city buzz that big-city lovers crave, downtown Vancouver performs. Robson Street, a central axis crammed with restaurants and boutiques, and Granville Street, a slightly seedy but pedestrianized thoroughfare lined with pubs, cinema and music stores, make exploring this city’s downtown core an exhilarating experience. What makes Vancouver one of the world’s most enviable places to live, however, is that the urban bustle is situated just blocks from the serenity of a rain forest; turn a couple of downtown corners and you’ll look up to see a spectacular view of the Pacific and the rugged peaks of the Coast Mountains. Stanley Park, famous for its wild forest trails and world-class aquarium, is located at the north end of Robson Street, just blocks from the heart of one of the country’s best shopping districts. Both Robson and Granville Streets offer a range of evening entertainment as well: there are dozens of dance clubs and casual live music venues, as well as opera, ballet and theatre at the Centre for Performing Arts, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Playhouse.

You can’t miss it: Get your bearings by viewing the city from Harbour Centre, a high-rise building with a panoramic viewing level (515 W. Hastings Street).

Don’t miss it: The renowned Vancouver Art Gallery, where one of the main attractions is the paintings of Victoria-born Emily Carr, is an obvious must-see choice for visitors, but don’t forget to stop in at the cafeteria upstairs for an affordable gourmet lunch on the patio.

Yaletown
This former industrial district has given way to the chic spot to see and be seen.
Vancouver magazine described Yaletown, Vancouver’s historic warehouse district, as having two distinct and opposing personalities. The “light industrial district with several legendary and very loud nightclubs stashed in its pockets” was starting to give way to “a clean, quiet residential neighbourhood full of densely packed high-rise towers.”

A year later, Yaletown, which takes its name from turn-of-last-century rail workers from Yale, B.C., is less raucous than it once was, but the area, which has been compared to New York’s Soho district, is more stylish than ever. Chic specialty shops like cosmetics mecca BeautyMark and see-and-be-seen restaurants like Glowbal, Circola and the Elixir Lounge at the boutique hotel Opus line the eight gentrified blocks of this downtown neighbourhood.
You can’t miss it: The best place to find this year’s must-have accessory? The Mini Yaletown showroom, snuggled between clothing and homeware shops at 1128 Hamilton Street.

Don’t miss it: The $100 loaf of bread on display in the bakery at Urban Fare’s 177 Davie Street location. (They’re not joking.)

False Creek
This scenic waterfront community is home to Vancouver’s largest public market.
False Creek which, as its name suggests, is not a creek at all (it’s an inlet) is home to Granville Island, which is not an island at all (it’s a peninsula). Got that? One thing that is true of the largest attraction in the False Creek area is that Granville Island is one of the most successful former-industrial-park revitalizations in North America. The community of False Creek—the waterfront area west from Cambie Street to Granville Street—is best seen from a seaside pathway that will take you right to Granville Island; here you’ll find such a dazzling array of fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods, wine, arts and crafts and entertainment.
You can’t miss it: Railspur Alley, a relatively less-travelled road on the Island, offers visitors a concentrated dose of textile, glass and jewellery shops designed to allow window shoppers to view the artisans working inside.

Don’t miss it: False Creek’s Sea Village, a community of floating houses, is best viewed from the window of the Aquabus ferry route from Granville Island to nearby Stamps’ Landing.

South Granville
Vancouver’s toniest retail district is home to a multitude of art galleries, antique stores and chocolate shops. Hmm. Champagne truffle, Prada shoes,Warhol painting or all of the above?

Shopping in this design-conscious shopping district will quickly prove that in Vancouver, “casual, comfortable, urban living” is not just a line from a home accessories catalogue—it’s a religion. Separated from the downtown core by the Granville Street Bridge, this chic area is typified by fashionable boutiques and their even more fashionable customers. Spend a bit a time here and you’ll soon learn that Vancouver really is Hollywood North: pop into Meinhardt Fine Foods (3002 Granville) for a bottle of white-truffle-infused olive oil and it may be Goldie Hawn, a resident of nearby Shaughnessy, that lets you in line.
You can’t miss it: “Gallery Row,” (Granville Street from W.5th to W. 15th) a strip of art dealers and galleries featuring a staggering range of Northwest Coast Native art and contemporary photography, sculpture and paintings.

Don’t miss it: “Chocolate Row,” Explore the sweetest section of Granville Street, between W.11th and W.14th, where you’ll find Bernard Callebaut, Purdy’s and Le Chocolat Belge within blocks of one another.

Kitsilano
With a warm sandy beach, great shopping, quiet leafy streets and stunning views of the city, is it any surprise that Kitsilano is one of Vancouver’s most desirable neighbourhoods?
You might get the impression that nothing much happens in this cozy, west side neighbourhood if you started your explorations of Kitsilano at West 5th Avenue. After all, “Kits,” as locals know it, is one of the most enviable residential areas in Vancouver precisely because of its quiet streets, leafy lots and spacious homes.

Walk a block north to West 4th Avenue, however, and you’ll find yourself transported to a hip shopping district catering to the west coast’s healthy-lifestyle junkies: Lululemon Athletica sells comfy Vancouver-made yoga wear; Westbeach is a mecca for snowboarders and surfers; and Caper’s Community Market offers a huge selection of local, organic food. Keep walking north and you’ll arrive at the long sandy shore, warm shallow waters and spectacular mountain views of Kitsilano Beach, one of Vancouver’s most popular waterfronts. Here you’ll also find the city’s largest outdoor pool at Yew and Cornwall Streets and, just a short stroll east along the waterfront path from Kits Beach, you’ll come to Vanier Park, home to the Vancouver Museum and Bard on the Beach summertime theatre.
You can’t miss it: Beach volleyball goes all summer long at Kits Beach; grab a (log) seat near the tennis courts just off of Cornwall and Arbutus for the best view of the action.
Don’t miss it: Vancouver’s legendary jazz venue The Cellar (604-738-1959) is hidden (like all good jazz clubs should be) in a below-street-level location at 3611 West Broadway. Visit www.cellarjazz.com for a weekly calendar of performances.

Commercial Drive
This vibrant section of the city is home to family-run cafés, live music and a centre for counter culture.

Between Broadway and Venables on Commercial Drive, these 17 blocks comprise what is often referred to as Vancouver’s “mini United Nations.” “The Drive” as it’s known to locals, was Vancouver’s first suburb and was long referred to as Little Italy. While many of the original Italian immigrants have since moved to other neighbourhoods, you’ll still find many family-owned cafés serving up Old World-style cappuccino, and spot bacci tournaments in nearby parks. Writers, painters and musicians are drawn to this tightly knit, “hippie” neighbourhood—there is always live music or poetry readings going on in cafes, bars and often on the street corners along The Drive.

You can’t miss it: The Public Dreams Society hosts their otherworldly Illuminares Lantern Procession at Trout Lake Park July 26, 2003. Visit www.publicdreams.org.
Don’t miss it: The tiny art gallery and theatre tucked away at the back of Havana Restaurant (1212 Commercial Drive) features local artists and performers. Diners are also invited to leave their mark by carving their name on the restaurant walls.

South Main
East meets west in this new neighbourhood: think funky with a young urbanite influence.
There are two giant IKEA stores in the Lower Mainland, more than a dozen Gap clothing stores and nearly as many Earls Restaurants. Not that Ivar bookshelves, cargo pants and chicken wings aren’t functional, fetching and delicious choices, but if you’re looking for something less ubiquitous, South Main is the place to go. Part of the larger Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, South Main, which extends along Main Street from Broadway all the way to 29th Avenue, is an ethnically diverse area that has become a popular residential neighbourhood for upwardly mobile professionals. Main Street offers funky vintage clothing shops and one-of-a-kind home furnishing and accessories stores.

You can’t miss it: Fuel up on caffeine from Soma Café (2528 Main Street) or Lugz (2525 Main Street) before exploring the dozens of furniture and nostalgia shops along “Antique Row” on Main Street between 16th and 25th Avenue.

Don’t miss it: The red seafood curry with pineapple and squash at Monsoon Restaurant (2526 Main Street), which features Pan-Asian food in a hip, lively space.

*article taken from http://www.vanmag.com/city.html