Undeniably the most famous and easily-accessed destination from the seabus is Gastown, the historic downtown core of Vancouver.  While Gastown does take the airbrushed historical ambiance a bit too far sometimes, it’s a beautiful tree-lined corner of Vancouver and there’s plenty to see and do there after you’ve seen the most obvious places.

The most obvious places, in brief are: the Steam Clock, the statue of Gassy Jack and The Old Spaghetti Factory.  All three have their charm, and the Steam Clock and Gassy Jack should certainly be seen quickly  by any self-respecting tourist.  The claim to fame of the Spaghetti factory is its stunning wood-and-stained glass-and-railway car interior– popping in to use the washroom will allow you to enjoy it without suffering one of their curiously alcohol-free Margaritas.

There is a niche of good shopping to be done in Gastown, depite the tourist shops pushing keychains and over-priced maple syrup.  There is a Jade Store, the perfect place to buy little souvenirs (for those who might prefer a jade grizzly bear eating a pink-jade salmon to a “My brother went to Vancouver…” t-shirt)?  There are also several gallery-stores featuring native art, from Haida masks to beautifully minimalist Inuit sculptures.  Up on the less-prettified Cordova Street there are some first-rate boutiques featuring unique clothes and accessories from local designers: among the best of these is Dream Boutique.  Some of the tourist stores in central Gastown, meanwhile, have branched more into gift-store territory, and these can be good too. 

After taking pictures and browsing, it’ll be time for a coffee or a drink, and Gastown rises to the occasion with a great variety of places. But that is the subject of another post…

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