Granville Island

by Charlotte Holst |

Before I go into describing the things to see and do, and how to get to Granville Island, please indulge me by letting me tell you the history of the place.

Granville Island is not an island at all, it is in fact a peninsula. In 1792, when Captain Vancouver sailed into what is now called Burrard Inlet, the present Granville Island was mostly under water with a small mud flat used by the Capilano Indians to store their canoes.

In 1917 Vancouver was a booming little city and Granville Island had been dyed and filled with dredged sand to form a 40 acre industrial area. The area included sawmills, processing plants, warehouses, gravel dumps, foundries, COoperage’s, and hog-fuel burners. It had become a haven for loggers, ship-jumpers, and rowdies.In February 1953, the third bridge (Granville Street Bridge today) to cross the body of water now known as False Creek, opened. It crossed over the once bustling working area that had now become grimy with heavy industry and on it stood abandoned and dilapidated buildings. The area had become an

Vancouver is now proud of Granville Island.

The shops, restaurants and Public Market

There are so many shops and restaurants that it would take a book to describe the wealth that is available on the peninsula. I will describe some of the places that stick out in my mind from my last visit and the areas to go to for a certain product.

When you first enter Granville Island the first main building on your left is the Kids Only Market. It is a colorful, airy place to shop for the kids. It was created to be fun for everyone and not only are there toys and little people’s clothing but also art supplies, models and collectibles that would interest adults as well. There is always something to do for young ones and if there isn’t a planned event, there are play areas set up. You could also just explore, the kids love this just as mush as Playland and the store owners are used to it. Also it’s FREE!Hours: 10-6, Fri. ‘till 9

The street into the Island is called Anderson and if you go down it against traffic you will see the Granville Island info centre where there are maps

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people remember most about the Island.It is the most active area of the Island.. If you took every type of food store in the Lower Mainland and rolled them into one and crammed it into 40,000 square feet (sorry, I didn’t want to do math to figure this in metric), that's the ‘Market’. You gotta’ like crowds to shop here and have lots of money becauseeverything looks so appetizing especiallywhen you're hungry. If you can’t find some specialty food item around town just head to Granville, they'll have it.

Granville Island is a great place for unique gifts. They have arts and craft stores galore and not crafts that you did in Brownies or Beavers, we're talking’ art.Another thing the ‘island’ has a reputation for is the theatre. There are five theatres to check out; The Arts Club, The Arts Club Review Cabaret, The Waterfront, The Performance Works and The Carrousel Theatre. They are all in the phone book so phone them up and check out their professional shows. Prices vary and don’t forget to mention you're a student when inquiring.

Activities are many around the Island. You can canoe, boat, play tennis, splash in the water park, listen to music,

embarrassment to Vancouver. Granville Island was dying.

Even in Ottawa the question of what to do with the site was asked. Burn it down? Fill it in? Redevelop?

In the early ‘70’s owners of a marina across the ‘creek’, Bill Harvey and Mitch Taylor, snooped around the ‘island’ and got the entrepreneurial idea of opening Mulvaney’s. Soon the Keg ‘n’ Cleaver (The Keg) opened and the laughter of the people was coming back to Granville Island.

In 1973 the government followed suit and started to redo the entire island.It is now a people place. You can shop, dream and wander. It is popular as a place to ‘be’. Thousands of out-of-town visitors go there even though it has never been promoted as a tourist attraction.

of the Island and brochures for shops. It’s well worth your time to head there first because of the wealth of information available. They do a much better job of informing you than I could ever do and they have service in French, something I couldn't provide.

For anyone into any type of water activity, the Maritime Market is located along the water starting at the right side of the Island when you first go in. There are manystores selling things from fishing to clothing, scuba lessons to any kind of boat sales and rentals, not to mention enough seafood restaurants to feed a fleet of college students who may happen to read this article and descend on Granville Island like hungry piranhas with very bad timing.

The Public Market is what

go to galleries, shop, dine, snack, catch some rays or bike on the paths around the ‘island’. Granville Islandhas enough activities to occupy you for weeks to come. So enjoy it all and be thankful that Granville Island was saved. How to get there

If you're going to drive be patient and cautious when entering the downtown area. Be willing to waste a eighth of a tank and 30 minutes to find parking. I recommend the bus. Take the Skytrain to Granville station, once out of the station cross the street and catch the 50 Graville Island bus. If you really want to drive get the instructions on how to get there and for more information from the Granville Island Info Centrethe phone number is 666-5784.

rioM sts

6, 1994

Parks provide an urban getaway

by Trent Ernst

Whytcliff Park

There are those days. Yeah... you know those days. Those steaming hot summer days when you have nothing to do, and no place to go. When I run into days like that, I like calling up a few of my friends and carting out to Whytcliff Park. In my mind, there is no nicer location in the Lower mainland. It has a little something for everybody. For the adventurous types, there are a number of ocean front cliffs, perfect for diving off. The tallest of these is around 25, maybe 30 feet high. Which doesn’t sound that high, until you are standing there, looking down.

If bailing off of 30 foot cliffs is not your scene, the area offers a nice, somewhat sheltered bay for swimming. The water is cold, but not unpleasantly so, especially on a hot summer day. It is a pleasant little swim from the cliffs out to the small island that is the most prominent feature of the park.

Once you swim across to the island, you can scramble about on the rocks exploring the little nooks and crannies, or you can find a nice secluded spot to lie down and tan yourself-You can even get to the island on a short land bridge, if swimming there is not your cup of tea. The rocks that form the land bridge just barely stick above the water at high tide, but are easily navigated at low tide. Bring a picnic along and enjoy a nice dinner while you watch the sunset.

For the less water oriented individual, Whytcliff also sports a couple of large grassy fields to tan on, or to toss around a Frisbee. Just down from there is a shaded picnic area. And if you really don’t feel like jumping off the cliff, there are some nice places where you can just sit and watch the ferries go to and from Horseshoe Bay.

Though a popular destination for many, Whytcliff is a large enough park that it never feels crowded. Take a day and spend it out in one of the lower mainland’s nicest waterfront parks.

Lynn Canyon

Of course, there are also those days when it’s not hot enough to want to go down to the waterfront, but it’s too nice to stay inside. Try Lynn Canyon for

a nice place to get away. Capilano has a suspension bridge, but you have to pay to go there. Lynn Canyon has it’s own suspension bridge. Perhaps not quite as grand as the Capilano one, but still enough to put people who are scared of heights on edge. Go over the suspension bridge. Once. There are usually a couple dozen people standing around on the bridge looking down and spitting. Be different. Don’t. Rather, continue on into the woods and beyond. Even on hot days, the forest feels cool. Follow some of the beautiful natural trails up there. Marvel at the size of the stumps, then curse those who cut down the trees in the first place. Explore natures beauty up close and personal. Lynn Canyon is a great place to hike about. There are some nice falls located downstream if you want to listen to the roar of the water. Or, continue past the falls down to where Lynn Creek widens. There are some nice trails that are not too long.

If you want to do some more hiking, head north a bit to Lynn Valley Park. Where as the Canyon is rugged, | and resounds with the rush of waters, Lynn Valley is a more subdued, hushed setting,, a perfect place to spend a day hiking. For the true explorer, there is a trail up to the top of Lynn Peak. Rough in some places, the view from the top is orth the effort, offering a panoramic view of Seymour Valley and Vancouver itself. For those who don’t want to expend so much energy, there is a relatively level trail that follows near the creek bed. There are other trails leading through the forest and past other giant tree stumps. Once more curse the bastards that cut them all down.

But this time, take a moment to contemplate the recovery power of nature. It was less than 50 years ago that all the trees were cut down. Already nature has progressed far down the road to recovery. Consider Lynn Canyon in the face of such modern hot potatoes as Clayquot sound. What Lynn Canyon was, is, and what it could have been.

A-fishin' we will go!

by Chris Ricard

Anyone looking for a great summer-time activity, look no further than your closet or basement and dust off that old fishing pole.

A great area with an abundance of different sorts of fishing is from Squamish to Whistler. This area offers river and lake fishing.

North of Squamish, Brohm Lake offers Rainbow and Cutthroat trout for the lakeshore angler using light gear. Try casting Panther Martens, Mepps, and any other small spinners, or just put a worm on your hook and toss it out there, YUM!

Green Lake is just past Whistler Village and rumor has it that there are some MONSTER Rainbow's and Dollies. So get your canoe or

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PHOTO: Toni Jones

cartoper and troll with some Flatfish, Hotshots, or just a worm and get ready to feast on some fresh fish.

F--0}-F anyone who wants to take a cast at river fishing, the Cheakamus River north of Squamish offers some great salmon and trout fishing. You'll need a bit heavier gear for this sort of fishing but then again your talking about Westcoast Salmon! Spinning lures are favored here such as Kit-A- Mats, & Koho’s. So go ahead and make a cast, just be ready for the ride of your life when you hook that big one.

Make sure to have a fishing license and check the regulations for the area you plan on visiting. Good luck and keep a tight line!

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