GOOD SOURCES in VANCOUVER BC ---- rewarding the good -------- I don't know these businesses personally, but suggest them as standing out from the crowd. (In a few cases they caught my eye as providing something out of the ordinary but I have not checked them out - in which case I say so.) I include some activities of special interest, often due to their uniqueness - but positive. Information in this list may not be up to date. CAUTION: Vancouver has a problem with theft from or of cars. Cars with out of province license plates or rental identification are attractive targets because they tend to have more belongings and valuables in them. AUTOMOTIVE The price of gasoline may be higher in Richmond because the city does not allow self- serve pumps. A small but good general auto wreckers is at 34252 Industrial Way, in the Sumas area. 852-1150. Helpful, organized, good people. ACCOMMODATION I recommend against the Hyatt Regency hotel on Burrard because they do not have proper accoustics in rooms rented for presentations. All the wood panelling in the world doesn't trump function for real people. BOOKSTORES Lawrence's at West 41st and Dunbar in Vancouver has a large stock. A bit crowded, and someday it will disapear in re-development. Hours reduced to 1:30-5:30 pm six days a week last I noticed. There are a few small bookstores on Dunbar north of that location, and a few on West 10th Ave to the west of [Dunbar] and on West Broadway between [Dunbar and McDonald]. Characters bookstore on south Granville opposite the Bank of Montreal is paired with a cafe. It is an adequate book store - badly needs roadmaps to the section locations, and apparently does not have a real philosophy section. Book Town on the main street through New Westminster is quite well organized with a medium philosophy section - signage I've seen above average. They have recently moved and reorganized, perhaps with less space but more accessible. They are near the waterfront not far from the Army & Navy department store, accessible from the parkade (entrance north of the casino one - look for the dance studio sign low down). Booktown staff are probably quite knowledgeable about books, especially collectibles, but like many book sellers are a poor combination of individual contrariness and static attitude that seems to come from too much exposure to neo-marxists. Rennaisance Books at 804 12th St. in New Westminster has a medium stock of books but has "bookstore rot" - piles on floor, books out of order, and sections lacking signs to identify what they contain. Pity. (They do have an expresso bar with food. And they do have books if you want to spend the time digging - you may be just the person who wants the parts manual for a Caterpillar No. 12 road grader.) Note - they may have moved down the street. Speaking of businesses in the area, the Buy and Sell Press is an excellent classified ad newspaper, emphasizing private sellers of used goods. Widely available in the lower main- land. The Bookworm, tucked away at the back of a lot on the south bypass of Langley (20473 Douglas Crescent), is well organized with a large stock of paperback fiction and religious books, little else. For aviation, Aviation Training Products at Vancouver International Airport, south terminal area opposite the ATC centre, has an excellent selection of flying, technical and history books and magazines. They make sure they support pilot training, and also sell through their web site, www.aerotraining.com. (They started out as Bomber Joe's - as in the water bombers used in B.C. - but I have not seen even remnans of that name for some time.) Say hello to Riley, if he isn't off programming (see their web site for those services). Wilkinson's Automobilia just off Broadway on [Quebec] street has a wall of manuals. (You'll pay more for the convenience of a great selection.) Look for their web site instead of visiting, to minimize the need to search for parking. (But they have neat models and new books - so try. :-) Chapters in Richmond is fairly large and reasonably well laid out with signage. (I did not see a roadmap however.) Good customer service on my one visit recently. And a terminal that customers can use to look up books. Recognize that policies and quality may change as it merges with Indigo who took it over - and profitability was a problem. Media articles suggest that MagPie Magazine service is a serious magazine store, with a good perspective on the business. CLOTHING Any store offering wide shoes is worth checking out, for some of us anyway. :-) I noticed a storefront "Carol's Wide Shoes" in Richmond but did not stop. Friends recommend Pierre Paris Orthotics at 1615 W 4th Ave in Vancouver for orthotics and modification of shoes for orthopedic and related purposes (for example, building up sole to compensate for unequal leg length resulting from messy fracture case). Any store selling ballroom dancing shoes is worth mentionning as there are few. According to their sign, Rino's shoes on West Broadway in Vancouvers sells specialty shoes incl ballroom. There is a ballroom dancing store on Main Street, between 12th and 41st, IIRC on east side. They used to be in New Westminster. ENTERTAINMENT Summer brings Shakespeare to the sand - Bard on the Beach is presented in tents. The plan for a new drive-in theatre on the Fraser Highway failed. A lot at 260th St., north side of Fraser Highway, has structure that supported the screen at the old Hillcrest Theatre and a number of speaker posts (which aren't used anymore anyway - audio is broadcast into car antennas). But a For Lease/Sale sign is on the property. (It was to be called the Twilight Drive-Inn theatre, complete with Sunday Flea Market, 515-2200, flexible selling hours.) The primary local car racing facility is in Mission, well to the east. Drag racing, sports car racing, perhaps more. See my Activities page for a link to SCCBC. There is a stock car racing track near Aggissiz/Kent in the upper Fraser Valley. See www.kentraceways.com. (Aggissiz is a pleasant town not far from Harrison. There is a bridge across the big river to get to it from the freeway to Hope, otherwise turn off the highway that goes along the north side of the river from Mission to Hope. While in Aggissiz you might stop at the best Chevron station convenience store I've seen in a long time - independently run, it has better selection than most of a poor lot in SW BC.) Vancouver's fireworks displays are famous, but have been cut back by government interference with advertisers/sponsors. The former fishing village of Steveston, in the southwest corner of Richmond, has some historical exhibits covering canneries and fishing. One is at the south end of Railway avenue, another on the west side of downtown near the hotel. In the History sub-category, TRAMS operate two "inter-urban" street cars from the early 1900s, from Science World (Main street SkyTrain station) to near the entrance to Granville Island. At least one of the units has flip-over seats so you can face forward even if they only reverse direction instead of turning around at the end of the line. These are really old-style cars, but fully enclosed. EXCERCISE There is a gravel path on top of the dyke that rings Richmond. I think you can walk or cycle from the little swing bridge on the way to the airport (Moray channel?) around the west side of Richmond and east to Number 5 Road. Stopping in Steveston for fish and chips, of course. :-) As well, there is a new bicycle path along Westminster highway, approximately from 6 Rd to 7 Rd. Its construction has provided a shoulder for the eastbound lane, something usually lacking along Richmond's roads (move two feet off pavement and you may be in a watery ditch). I do not know what it connects to for bicyclists - but it is impressive (wide, paved, segregated from the road by a gravel strip. Used sporting goods are available at the Cheapskates family of consignment stores clustered near Dunbar and West 16th. Last I looked, the original skate & sport one was just west on 16th while others were up Dunbar mostly on the east side. Look for "Cheapskates 2", Cheapskates Fore (as in the golfer's warning cry), and Cheapskates 19 (I have no idea why "19"). The Grand Ballroom in east Richmond seems a well run facility. I've also noted a sign for a smaller "Crystal Ballroom" on SW Marine Drive in Vancouver. And Federico's Supper Club on Commercial Drive is said to have a band and sizable dance floor throughout the week (too crowded on weekends). FOOD The Vancouver area, especially Richmond, is flooded with oriental restaurants. Some are very fancy, many are small and economical. In that category, the small place on Granville Street in Vancouver, just south of 70th on the east side, is worthwhile. My friends like the nicer Oi-Tai on Alexandria, a side street north of the Lansdowne Mall in Richmond - it's good but I like vegetables and many of the modern oriental restaurants don't emphasize them (unlike the now traditional Canadian version of "Chinese" food). We do agree on the Yoro chain restaurant a few blocks west on Alexandria . (That street is full of oriental restaurants.) While there are Mandarin style restaurants in the Vancouver area, note that the Cantonese language is by far the most common dialect in Richmond. I understand that Cantonese cooking uses rice whereas SZechuan uses wheat and is quite spicy, but I do not know what Mandarin is like - the "Chinese" cooking Canadians became accustomed to in the past uses rice and is not spicy, but spicy food is more common in Canada today. (Those who've heard of the economical "Vancouver Chinese Smorgasbord" restaurants may find they have faded away. Hey, they had honest "multiculturalism" before it was PC, and small town Chinese restaurants had "fusion food" before it was a hotly debated trendy concept. :=) Over in the centre of Richmond, the now crowded area around Number 3 Road and Westminster Highway, the Jan Sushi cafe is good - small, much takeout business. Stand outside the Westminster Highway entrance to the Bay store and note Jan Sushi on the right out by the Highway. The New Maple Restaurant on Main Street in Vancouver is a good lunch place, serving mostly the now traditional Canadian version of "Chinese" food. There's enough English on the menu and in senior staff's experience to get what you want. It's between 25th and 33rd avenues, on the east side of Main. (They and many other local businesses would be illegal in Quebec - but in Vancouver businesses have had signage in several languages for decades without fuss. (I've mentionned south Main to many people, in that context, but Punjab is disappearing from shop signs there. A restaurant on Kingsway near Victoria Drive appears to be Vietnamese with little English.) The McDonalds on Grandview Highway at Renfrew keeps its drive-through open 24 hours a day. As I've raved about the Lost in the 50s drive in on the Burnaby-NW border I must now counsel to forget it. High prices for small portions, obviously fading, very slow service due understaffed. I asked another patron about it and the couple said "they don't have many customers any more". No surprise. :-) In North Vancouver, the Orange Cafe at 1440 Lonsdale is a small dining place that seems nice but not pricey. For those doing late shift or whatever, the McDonalds at the east end of Main street (near the Second Narrows bridge) is open 24 hours a day. The fishing village of Steveston is a good place to get fish and chips, from takeaway (on the dock and at Garry Point) to reasonable sit down places. I've noticed Italian, East Indian and the Steveston Seafood Housewhen driving by. The Salmon Festival on the July 1 Canada day weekend should have barbequed salmon. Otherwise Steveston is nice place to visit, a mix of fishing boats and touristy things including some antiques, bookstores and a fishing museum, not crowded, with a large open park on the west side - a good kite flying location. I am advised that the Flamingo House on Cambie Street in Vancouver is a good nice not overly glitzy oriental-food restaurant. Downtown, The Mouse & The Bean is a good Mexican family restaurant The Upper Crust get up early to make their money. At least the deli of that name on Granville street north of the Safeway at 70th, west side, opens at 7am. A Super-Valu store in Burnaby is open 24 hours a day. It's on Kingsway near Hall St. in a small mall. It is a reasonably good store. If driving through Cloverdale on highway 10, the failed mall on the south side is now thriving with many shops, banks, etc. One worth noting is the IGA Marketplace grocery store - quite nice, medium size, but pricey. To see what is in the mall area now you have to poke around via laneways, amongst and behind what you can see from the highway. There is another nice IGA Marketplace store west of Cloverdale going up the hill - except for its completely inadequate signage.) Tswassen now has a choice: a Thrifty's food store has opened, west of 56th street in the main shopping area. It is fancy even for Thrifty's, especially in its deli area. I would not deal with Sno-Pak distributors because their delivery truck driver blocks alleys while sorting out his load - not just making a real delivery. That's very inconsiderate. Seafair Gourmet Meats on Number 1 Rd in Richmond is a real meat store. HARDWARE/BUILDING SUPPLIES/APPLIANCES The large Home Hardware at Gilbert and Alderbridge has good selection and knowledge. Steveston Hardware & Marine was long the place to go. Slowly declining but still worth visiting especially for things favored by boaters, such as stainless steel fasteners - though declining in such serious things. Home Appliances on Main Street in Vancouver have appliances, parts and service - even on Sundays. A good small business. (It seems that in the large city of Vancouver and suburbs the appliance parts industry thinks that appliances don't break down on weekends.) HISTORY The smell of cedar is still in the air on River Road in Delta, near the new bridge and the Sunbury Cedar company. The Trev Deeley motorcycle museum is at 13500 Verdun Place in Richmond. It may be listed under the dealership of that name. SECURITY Provident Security seems to be doing things differently than most security companies. Michael Jagger is the founder. TRANSPORTATION On a rare foray into the jungle of downtown Vancouver, down Burrard/Granville to the harbour, I noticed many parking garages offering a good day rate for entry before 9am (later than in many cities). In the fancy convention center their early bird price would be paid in only two hours at regular rates. Husky Camper is still worth visiting for RV accessories. The store is becoming a jumble, but the clerk knows what they have and probably can find it. (On Westwood, east side, south of the Lougheed Highway.) The transit and roads empire, Trans-Link, produces a cycling guide to the Vancouver region. Some busses can take bikes on an outside rack, and bikes can be taken on the SkyTrain outside of rush hours. There usually is a service to take bikes through the tunnel that takes the freeway under the river in Richmond, but it may vary with season. MISC Near the Cottenwood Mall, which is near the freeway in the farmlands of the Chilliwack area, a Petrocan gasoline station has a coin operated open car wash labelled "Car and Pet Wash". I didn't ask what kind of pets, though it is more horse than cat country. (No, the brand name "Petrocan" does not relate to "pets". :-) But....someone is making a dog wash kiosk http://www.timescolonist.com/Travel/wash+cleans+care/1435071/story.html. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Keith Sketchley 2009.09.16 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BACK in your browser should return you to the page you came here from.