Читать книгу Walking Vancouver - John Lee - Страница 14

BOUNDARIES: W. Georgia St., Thurlow St., Burrard St., Helmcken St.

DISTANCE: ½ mile/¾ kilometre

DIFFICULTY: Easy

PARKING: There’s a parkade in the 1300 block of Alberni St., a short walk from the Shangri-La Hotel. Alberni also has metered street parking for several blocks.

PUBLIC TRANSIT: The Burrard SkyTrain station is a five-minute walk south of the Shangri-La. Buses 22 and 44 stop on nearby Burrard St. and bus 5 stops a couple of blocks away on Robson St.

Burrard is one of those busy downtown thoroughfares that locals pass along frequently without really noticing. Even the street’s name barely elicits a response, unless you happen to know your early British naval history. For those who may have forgotten or who actually have a life: the street is named after Sir Harry Burrard, whose moniker was originally appended to the nearby inlet by his friend Captain George Vancouver. Luckily, the naming took place before his marriage, or we might be walking Burrard-Neale St. today. If he could miraculously arrive on the street aboard a time-traveling SkyTrain, probably he’d smack his forehead in incredulity, before tucking into a nori-covered hotdog from the city’s best Japanese dog stand and catching a movie at the giant multiplex across the street. With Burrard-Neale in mind, look at this familiar street with an outsider’s curiosity.

•	Begin at the southwest corner of W. Georgia and Thurlow Sts, craning your neck as skyward as humanly possible. Completed in early 2009, the 61-story Shangri-La is Vancouver’s tallest tower and dominates the surrounding shops and office buildings. The 659-foot/201-metre glass box comprises a luxury hotel (the first North American branch of the Asia Pacific Shangri-La chain) topped with swanky condos on the upper floors, where the priciest “penthouse estate” had an initial listing at $15 million. To get an idea of your new neighbors, swing by the nearby high-end stores: there’s a Burberry shop on the building’s ground level, a pricey Urban Fare supermarket next door and, spreading east along Alberni St., a string of platinum card hangouts including Tiffany and Hermés.
•	Cross over Alberni and head south on the right side of Thurlow St. Within a minute or so, you’ll come to Joe Fortes Seafood & Chophouse, one of Vancouver’s most popular dine-outs. The oyster bar and rooftop patio are especially celebrated. Budget noshers should drop by at lunch for the $10 Blue Plate Special (the heaping Cobb salad is recommended). The restaurant is named after a legendary Jamaican immigrant who arrived in the city in 1885, later becoming Vancouver’s first unofficial lifeguard. Dedicated to his adopted community, this well-loved character taught generations of local children to swim.
•	Cross clamorous Robson St. and continue south on Thurlow. At the next intersection, turn left along Smithe St. and follow its curve past the fire hall on your right. A little farther along is Le Crocodile, the city’s finest French restaurant. Behind its unassuming half-curtained windows, this immaculate eatery has been satisfying loyal, in-the-know locals for two decades. Consider coming back for dinner to tuck into one of the classic dishes: filet de boeuf grillé is recommended. The headwaiter here, complete with an almost clichéd heavy French accent and a white napkin permanently draped over his bent arm, adds to the Parisian ambiance.
•	If you’re salivating, continue east along Smithe and you’ll soon roll up at the best hotdog stand in town. For a city justly famous for its dining scene, Vancouver’s street food options are woeful, but it’s worth saving your budget-level appetite for Japa Dog. The Japanese-flavored menu here includes the Misomayo, a turkey smokie with miso sauce; the Terimayo, served with shreds of nori and teriyaki sauce; and the Oroshu, a bratwurst with daiko, green onions, and soy sauce. Consider trying all three, just like TV chef Anthony Bourdain did when he filmed a segment here. Or you could emulate Ice Cube who, according to the stand’s gallery of photos, has eaten here 10 times. Sadly, Steven Segal only dropped by once.
•	Cross here to the other side of Burrard St. and you can wash down your dog with a quick beer at the Winking Judge pub on the corner. This is a Brit-style, welcoming little watering hole: there are few traditional-style taverns like this in Vancouver any more, so this one was an instant novelty when it opened in 2008. The regulars here are after-work office slaves and barrel-bellied solicitors from the city’s legal profession: the Provincial Law Court is just a couple of blocks away. Sip on a cold one, then try to resist the lure of the sherry trifle on the pub classics menu.
•	Cross over Smithe here and continue south on the left side of Burrard St. The Scotiabank Cinema on your left is the city’s largest multiplex. Unless it’s raining and you fancy sitting down for a couple of hours, keep walking. On your right, across Burrard, is the former YMCA building. A sandy-colored 1940s structure with some Art Moderne architectural flourishes, its façade was preserved in the new condo tower now occupying the site.
•	Continue south on the left side of Burrard and you’ll soon come to one of Vancouver’s best, yet most neglected, Modernist buildings. The Dal Grauer Substation, designed by Ned Pratt, was a symphony of public art and utility when it opened in 1954. Part of the BC Electric downtown grid, the machinery and staircases of the interior were revealed by a spectacular floor-to-ceiling exterior of colored glass panels, created by contemporary artist B.C. Binning. The impression was of a living Mondrian painting. When a 1980s fire damaged the building, the panels were replaced with gray Plexiglas, giving the structure a faceless, monolithic look. Plans to restore its original esthetic have stalled several times over the years.
	The substation was such a success that an adjoining building was commissioned from the same architects. Next door’s BC Electric tower, now known as “Electra,” mirrors the feel of the substation. Check out the building’s lower level mosaic of blue, black, and green tiles (also designed by Binning). BC Electric, now called BC Hydro, moved out in 1995 and the heritage-designated structure—the city’s best Modernist skyscraper—now houses condos and offices.
•	Turn your back on Electra and cross to the right side of Burrard. This Nelson St. intersection probably has more heritage buildings than any other downtown crossroads. Ahead of you on the northwest corner is the handsome gray stone visage of the First Baptist Church. The cornerstone of the Gothic Revival building, dominated by its large tower and steeply gabled roof, was laid in 1910 and it’s housed a busy downtown congregation ever since. The church, which replaced a wooden original, was gutted by fire in the 1930s. It was restored by Charles Bentall, a wealthy church-goer and prominent local developer.
•	Cross over to the other Nelson St. corner and you’ll be face-to-face with an even bigger house of worship. St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church opened its heavy wooden doors in 1933. Climb the steps and slip inside and you’ll find a Medieval-Gothic-style interior with a high-ceilinged nave, deep transepts, and soaring leaded and stained glass windows. Alongside its active pastoral role (you’ll likely see the homeless camped outside on most mornings), St. Andrew’s has also become an atmospheric music venue in recent years. Several choirs are based here, there’s a “jazz vespers” service every Sunday afternoon, and visiting performers from Bryan Adams to Billy Bragg have graced the pulpit with concerts.
•	Re-cross to the left side of Burrard. Hogging the block from Nelson to Helmcken St. is the Wall Centre complex, complete with frenetic fountains, a landscaped garden, and the giant One Wall Centre tower. Completed in 2001, this elliptical glass spike was Vancouver’s tallest building until the Shangri-La surpassed it in 2009. Housing a 733-room Sheraton Hotel and splashy condos (including one rumored to be owned by action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme), the 48-story tower is 491 feet/150 metres tall but it’s more infamous locally for its two-tone glass exterior. Due to an argument with the city over the look of the finished structure, the builders were made to change the glass they were using partway through the project. The tower now has darkened mirror glass on its lower floors and clear glass on its upper floors.
•	Continue south on Burrard and turn right over the crosswalk at the Helmcken St. intersection. St. Paul’s Hospital will be rising ahead of you. This old red-brick site has a long history. Built by the Montreal-based Sisters of Providence Catholic order in 1894, it quickly grew from its original 25-bed facility to more than 500 beds by WWII. The Sisters remained involved in the running of the hospital until the late 1960s, when the first lay administrator was hired. St. Paul’s is famous for its annual festive display of Christmas lights on its Burrard St. exterior. Duck inside to treat your blisters here or weave back along Burrard for a coffee pit stop.

POINTS OF INTEREST

Shangri-La 1128 W. Georgia St., 604-689-1120

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chophouse 777 Thurlow St., 604-669-1940

Le Crocodile 909 Burrard St., 604-669-4298

Japa Dog northwest corner of Smithe St. and Burrard St.

Winking Judge 888 Burrard St. St., 604-684-9465

Scotiabank Theatre 900 Burrard St., 604-630-1407

Dal Grauer Substation 950 Burrard St.

Electra 970 Burrard St.

First Baptist Church 969 Burrard St., 604-683-8441

St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church 1022 Nelson St., 604-683-4574

Wall Centre 1088 Burrard St., 604-331-1000

St. Paul’s Hospital 1081 Burrard St., 604-682-2344

ROUTE SUMMARY

1.		Start at the southwest corner of W. Georgia and Thurlow Sts.
2.		Head south on the right-hand side of Thurlow, crossing Alberni and Robson Sts.
3.		Turn left along Smithe St. to the intersection with Burrard St.
4.		Cross over to the other side of Burrard.
5.		Head south on the left side of Burrard.
6.		Cross to the other side of Burrard at Nelson St.
7.		Cross over Nelson and re-cross to the left side of Burrard.
8.		Continue south on the left side of Burrard.
9.		Cross back to the right side of Burrard at the Helmcken St. intersection.

St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church