ASK ME WHAT I remember about my trip to Vancouver Island, and I’ll offer up three things: Standing on the beach drinking in a remarkably still Pacific Ocean, an art scene influenced by many cultures and art forms, and amazing Asian food.
An unmistakable energy marks this city of about a million people, where residents live in one of the warmest climates in North America. That energy is young, vibrant, multi-cultural, and its residents just seem happy — but who would not, living in a city that would appear in your dreams.
Vancouver Island is a place where you can be on the water most of the year. At its southern tip await Victoria, British Columbia’s capital, and a boat-lined Inner Harbor replete with English-style gardens. The harbor city called Nanaimo has an Old City Quarter with shops, galleries and restaurants.
The island’s first major settlement was developed by the Hudson Bay Company in 1843, three years after it came under British rule. Named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast between 1791 and 1794, the city easily blends history and modernism.
Surrounded by sights to see and myriad of things to do, you could start your trip at the top of Beacon Hill Park, which is within walking distance to downtown. The park covers more than 200 acres with much to explore. At the very top is what Canadians call the First Nation’s Longhouse. Lovingly built and tendedto by the Lekungen Nation, an indigenous North American Coast Salish people, it offers a glimpse inside the native North American world.
With a thriving indoor and outdoor art scene, Vancouver is home to exhibits such as The Birds at the former site of the 2010 Olympic Village. Right in front of the Convention Center is a giant digital Orca. And you can visit The Human Connection, a collection of 64 steel-cut figures standing over seven meters tall, as you breathe in the expanse of the city’s English Bay and the island’s bustling downtown.
A popular transportation method that many Vancouverites use is hopping into a Beaver. This small, 1950s-era, propeller- powered floatplane flies hunters deep into the British Columbia wilderness and lands on pristine lakes throughout the countryside. The six-seat Beaver is considered by many to be Canada’s plane. And if you want to soar above the city, single-engine Beavers can take you on tours.
Vancouver Island will always be worth the trip.
