The Good - Today we biked the Seawall at Stanley Park. We wanted to explore more of beautiful Stanley Park so rented some bikes and decided to bike around. Originally the plan was to go inside around the trees, but we ended up just doing the bike loop around the perimeter bordering the ocean. It was really scenic and beautiful. Guides say it takes about an hour to bike, but we took about 2 with maybe 6 stops for rests. Gorgeous and enjoyable. Tiring but good.
Some shots of the seawall bike path from the internet.
The Bad and the Ugly - We decided to explore Chinatown and try to have dinner there. We were craving good Chinese food and we figured Chinatown would have good food. We decided to take a bus over to that area at about 7pm, walk around and enjoy some shops, then find a good place to eat and have dinner. Whoa were we surprised. It was a holiday today, so most of the shops were closed. Then we ended up on Hastings street which had a large amount of homeless and crazy people condensed and walking around. As tourists we were a bit lost not knowing where to go or where we should go or even how to get out of that area or get back on some public transportation. Finally we decided to just take a bus back to a familiar area and eat somewhere "safe".
More Good - We were waiting at the Main Street bus stop and then we saw our savior - the New Town Bakery and Restaurant. It was like a little jewel in the middle of some a wasteland. This place was awesome. It is an award winning bakery and had good Chinese food. Unfortunately we were there a little late and they were closing in the middle of our meal. But the food and service were excellent, and they helped us get directions and advice on getting around in Chinatown.
No photos of the place or food because I forgot, but we got pork dumplings (shumai), shrimp dumplings (hargow), bbq duck, yang chow fried rice and fresh squid with spicy salt. Some friends had also previously brought my relatives the pork siopao buns, which we had tried earlier and we liked those as well. Food and Service were excellent! A jewel of Chinatown! Photos of their food are on their menu and website, and you can probably find some on the internet as well.
So our friendly waitress told us that - Apparently Chinatown pretty much shuts down after 6pm, and Hastings street is notoriously bad so we should avoid it. They helped us find the GasTown which is a hip downtown eating and shopping area. From there we walked through Waterfront Station area and Coal Harbor. A ton of walking and sightseeing in the evening, but an interesting way to see the city.
Good stuff overall. Glad we made it!
