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It turned into a glorious, albeit chilly day for a bike ride around Vancouver Harbour. The snow-sprinkled North Shore mountains, particularly the Two Lions, looked incredibly gorgeous in the mid-day sun.
I rode across Lions Gate Bridge, with my wife Jas & 3 kids trailing, and met Michelle and Katy on the intersection of Denman and the Seawalk. After waiting a while for a no-show, and my family to catch up, we set off at 10.30 on the bike path along the seawall to the South-West corner of the Convention Centre. A tunnel underneath, unknown to many, connects to Waterfront road, just ahead of the lower Waterfront Seabus terminal entrance. At that point we joined up with Ye, while Jas and the kids exited stage-left: onto the seabus to Lonsdale Quay market for lunch and bubble tea. So much for Family Day!
We proceeded along the south shore, over the Main Street bridge, and left along Alexander Street and then Powell Street. Instead of taking Wall Street through Hastings-Sunrise, as we’d done during my recce, Ye took us up Pandora Street for a diversion around interesting spots in PNE. We saw the plaques and the memorial garden marking the internment of Japanese Canadians during WW2; murals celebrating the British Empire Games (forerunner to the Commonwealth Games); and Leeside Skatepark. This is an underpass beneath the Cassiar Connector and East Hastings which is a living art space for graffiti artists. In fact we saw teenagers both skating and spray-painting (not at the same time) while we were there.
Next up to the north west corner of the PNE, up Bridgeway street, and underneath the highway to get up to the bike path heading north over the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. It’s easy to see Vancouver as grimly industrial as you drive across, but the mountains and the inlet, particularly to the East, look lovely as you cycle over.
Indeed it’s always fascinating to me how Vancouver – often rated as one of the world’s most beautiful cities – is stuffed full of big, ugly industrial plants. Of course this industry is closely entwined with the city’s growth and development; supports the tax base; and still employs thousands of people. But one can’t help wonder whether it will eventually disappear, as our waterfronts are overtaken by yet more multi-million dollar condos.
After a short stretch along Main Street, you connect with the Spirit Trail just past Park & Tilford Gardens. Up a hill and a fast whizz down took us straight to Lonsdale Quay Market where we had a terrific array of choices for lunch. And bubble tea, of course.
The Spirit Trail took us to the Lions Gate Bridge where I checked out to head home to West Van, while the others crossed on the southbound Bike path. If you think it’s going to be too tough so have never tried it, you really should give it a go. Yes, it’s a 1.5km slow, grind of an ascent. But the views to the West are outstanding. The only downsides are sometimes it’s a bit windy, and when it’s not, the sewage works under the bridge are very smelly.
Pictures: Leeside Skatepark (Thanks, Ye!)
Thank you Jatinder for the wonderful Family Day Bike Ride and interesting report!
Attached are the colourful photos shared by Ye.
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