Gutom Staff VANCOUVER TRAVEL GUIDE
WALKING TOUR – VANCOUVER GASTOWN
WINTER
SNOW DAY FEBRUARY 13, 2021
GUTOM WALKS Vancouver Gastown. Recorded February 13, 2021. This walk starts at Cordova Street and goes from Water Street to Carrall Street. Walk continues at Cambie, and Hastings. Gastown was the original settlement and first neighbourhood of Vancouver.
Waterfront Station opened in 1914! It was the original train station with trains to Toronto and Montreal. These days the Waterfront Station is used for catching the SeaBus to North Vancouver, the Skytrain, and Westcoast Express.
Waterfront Station is at Cordova Street. Exiting the station you’re facing South, turning left will take you EAST to Water Street, Gastown, and Chinatown. Turning right will take you WEST to Convention Centre and Stanley Park.
There are plans to give Waterfront station a big redevelopment. This parking lot next to Waterfront Station will be the site of a new glass tower development by Cadillac Fairview called The Crystal.
Steamworks Brewpub is a popular pub restaurant with beer, pub grub, and pool tables. Good location right next to the station.
Now on Water Street in Gastown.
Water Street is the historic Gastown strip with restaurants, shops, pubs and restaurants.
Guu with Otokomae aka Guu Gastown is a Japanese restaurant serving authentic Japanese cuisine in a bar restaurant setting. Definitely a highlight of Gastown.
Vancouver’s most popular attraction, the Gastown Steam Clock. Built by Raymond Saunder a clock maker in 1977. The Steam Clock whistles every hour, and every 15 minutes. It has five whistles and shoots steam to attract an audience. Very popular in the summer. Take a photo here!
Abbott Street. The Lamplighter Public House and The Flying Pig. Flying Pig serves West Coast Canadian Cuisine. Lamplighter serves pub grub and is owned by Donnelly Group, a company that owns several pubs in Vancouver.
The Old Spaghetti Factory Gastown. This place is popular for families and tourists. This location is said to be HAUNTED! The Old Spaghetti Factory is a chain of restaurants in the US and Canada. Originally founded in Oregon. You can even dine in a old streetcar / tram.
Maple Tree Square the intersection of Water, Carrall, Alexander and Powell streets. Popular intersection of Gastown used for events in the summer like the Jazz Festival. The city reduced the number of cars by adding a gathering space with benches.
Statue of John Deighton aka Gassy Jack, the founder of Gastown. He was a British bar owner. Take a photo here!
Hotel Europe heritage building built in 1909. These days it’s not a hotel but low income residence. It’s popular for being a narrow building. Take a photo here!
Blood Alley is called Blood Alley for all the past murders in this part of town. There are restaurants accessed through the alley. There are plans to completely redevelop the alley.
The Blarney Stone popular Irish Pub with live music.
Back on Water Street.
Pourhouse is a popular restaurant known for Brunch, Lunch, Dinner and Happy Hour.
Cambie Hostel. The Cambie as locals call it is a hostel and pub. Most people know it as a pub with some beds upstairs. Very popular spot with loud music, mixed crowd. Old building, with arcade machines, nachos, burgers, pitchers.
Victory Square at Hastings and Cambie is where Remembrance Day celebrations take place for military veterans.
The alley behind this building is very popular with film productions.
This is the Woodward’s Building. The Woodward’s Building was built in 1903 for the Woodward’s department store. It was redeveloped in 2006 and completed in 2010 to create a university campus (SFU), condos, and housing. There’s a London Drugs, and Nester’s Market.
Save-On Meats opened in 1957. It used to be a butcher shop with a diner in the back of the shop. It was renovated in 2011 to appeal to a gentrified crowd. It is still a diner but nothing like the original. This is the original neon signage.
