Downtown Vancouver Visitors' Perceptions

[Yume-sama]

If the kids want crappy food just go to White Spot. It's not like we have a shortage.

[SpikePhanta]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

If the kids want crappy food just go to White Spot. It's not like we have a shortage.

Hey the Pirate Pack is not crappy!

Whats so bad about whitespot? I like the legendary burger.

[nova9]

or the awesome monty mushroom burger!

[Yume-sama]

Well, I meant for breakfast. White Spot isn't terrible. I suppose it may be a bit high class for the Denny's crowd.

But Canadian Denny's are not as cheap (by far!) as American Denny's! How disappointing

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

But Canadian Denny's are not as cheap (by far!) as American Denny's! How disappointing

A diner for 1 at an American Dennys is a dinner for 4 at a Canadian one.

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

I think there are now like 8 near eachother.
including the three u said, there are also locations at seymour & dunsmuir, Howe & robson, Bentall Centre, Sinclair Centre, Pacific Centre.

I personally hate these fast food outlets, and when you tally up the cost of a grease burger, oil fried potatoes and a cup of sugar-water, the price is very similar to a "quality" lunch special at most of the south Asian restaurants.

[entheosfog]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Knight & Day is a 24-hour restaurant, and serves more interesting fare than Denny's. As I recall, they are licenced, too. What about courting one of those for a central location?

There's one on Denman although it's not the diner/restaurant style like the others.

I, too love White Spot (they have great veggie options) but for breakfast fare, there's way better around town.

[SpikePhanta]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Well, I meant for breakfast. White Spot isn't terrible. I suppose it may be a bit high class for the Denny's crowd.

But Canadian Denny's are not as cheap (by far!) as American Denny's! How disappointing

IMO the only thing going for Dennys is the breakfast, othe4r than that I only go there if its like Christmas before catching a movie at scotiabank because it was the only thing open. Too bad spence diamonds replaced the place

Originally Posted by TwoFace

I personally hate these fast food outlets, and when you tally up the cost of a grease burger, oil fried potatoes and a cup of sugar-water, the price is very similar to a "quality" lunch special at most of the south Asian restaurants.

A&W is one of the pricier ones i would guess.
I order most of the time the mozza or teen burger, but i probably loose some value from it because i ask for no bacon.
But for like what 5 $ u get more bang for your buck getting lunch at a place like T&T

[Zassk]

More to the point, visitors don't know White Spot.

[SpongeG]

my point is any chain restaurant that more than likely USA'ers are familiar with would be something - there comes a point when you are travelling that you just want something crappy and familiar - Vancouver doesn't have that many family restaurants downtown really, theres a few spread out and if you don't know where to look they are hard to just come across

[delboy]

Originally Posted by mrjauk

I love Washington, DC! It's one of my favourite cities, although the summer heat and humidity can be brutal.

What Washington (and almost every other great city in the world) has that Vancouver doesn't is history and the beautiful, historical buildings that that implies. If Vancouver were 100 years older, it would be much more interesting architecturally. But, it isn't.

I find it tedious when people bang on about the lack of historical buildings here, as if it is something we had control over. It also speaks to lack of understanding of world events that stymied development and periods of development.

Vancouver, given its age, has/had a remarkable number of buildings built in a very short period of time (between about 1890 through to the beginning of the WWI). However, the war, then the depression and then WWII resulted in very little development during those periods. Following the war, with the world economy in tatters, skilled workers gone and a need for cheaply mass produced buildings resulted in questionable buildings forms centered largely centered around functionality. There are some notable exceptions such as the Marine Building and the RBC building, but not many.

Sadly the 1970's saw many buildings leveled when there seemed to be a desire to turn the world into a shopping mall and house people in symmetrically sterile structures.

There are historical buildings here. Wander around west hastings, pender and into Gastown and the DTES. Not the same caliber as London or Prague, but there none the less.

There is much more to a place then the nature of its buildings, as impressive as they may be.

As noted, Vancouver is very impressive for a small to medium sized city and breaks the boring predictability of similar sized cities.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

my point is any chain restaurant that more than likely USA'ers are familiar with would be something - there comes a point when you are travelling that you just want something crappy and familiar - Vancouver doesn't have that many family restaurants downtown really, theres a few spread out and if you don't know where to look they are hard to just come across

Thank goodness. No chain restaurants thank you.

BTW, what are downtown's 24 hour restaurants?

[trofirhen]

.... this should have been called the "24-hour restaurant and burger" thread. Little else is being discussed.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by delboy

I find it tedious when people bang on about the lack of historical buildings here, as if it is something we had control over. It also speaks to lack of understanding of world events that stymied development and periods of development.

Vancouver, given its age, has/had a remarkable number of buildings built in a very short period of time (between about 1890 through to the beginning of the WWI). However, the war, then the depression and then WWII resulted in very little development during those periods. Following the war, with the world economy in tatters, skilled workers gone and a need for cheaply mass produced buildings resulted in questionable buildings forms centered largely centered around functionality. There are some notable exceptions such as the Marine Building and the RBC building, but not many.

Sadly the 1970's saw many buildings leveled when there seemed to be a desire to turn the world into a shopping mall and house people in symmetrically sterile structures.

There are historical buildings here. Wander around west hastings, pender and into Gastown and the DTES. Not the same caliber as London or Prague, but there none the less.

There is much more to a place then the nature of its buildings, as impressive as they may be.

As noted, Vancouver is very impressive for a small to medium sized city and breaks the boring predictability of similar sized cities.

^Good observation, delboy (and, I would have thought, rather obvious to most). We can't build heritage buildings, or bring the lost ones back, but we can, and are (for the most part) TRYING to build handsome new buildings, such as Jameson House, which most people seem to like. There are, and will be, other great buildings and city amenities, too.

[TwoFace]

I always wondered if the cruise ship passengers are told to only go so far east of Gastown, or given a map outlining "recommended" walking areas.

Being an avid photographer I often venture into the DTES to get documentary stock and come across lost tourists clenching their purses and bags with a look of outmost horror on their faces trying to find their way out of the ghetto.

For those people, I’m sure Vancouver is not a place they would recommend to others, and their impression is less favourable than if they turned "right" towards coal harbour and Stanley Park.

[SpikePhanta]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

my point is any chain restaurant that more than likely USA'ers are familiar with would be something - there comes a point when you are travelling that you just want something crappy and familiar - Vancouver doesn't have that many family restaurants downtown really, theres a few spread out and if you don't know where to look they are hard to just come across

They can go to Red Robins, I'm sure that is popular in the states...

But who would go on vacation and eat at a chain restaurant?
If it was something like chains only in canada that makes sense.
Its like tourist that go to time square then eat at a mcdonalds.

[ozonemania]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

Its like tourist that go to time square then eat at a mcdonalds.

There are plenty of those kinds of tourists. I think it's rather a shame, but alot of tourists seek out things they are familiar with when in a strange place.

Plus I think that downtown is a bigger draw for 'local tourists' too. What I mean is especially after the Olympics, people are figuring that downtown is a nice place to go, rather than say hanging out at a mall somewhere in the suburbs. If these family chain restaurants recognize this, they would be well-advised to look for opportunities in the downtown core.

[Yume-sama]

I had McDonald's in Times Square. It was the best McDonald's I've ever had in North America. The burger tasted like real meat.

Then I went back the next day, and it didn't taste like meat. So, I think they got the wrong shipment the day before.

Quite honestly I don't find the majority of food in New York to be very good. Or in America in general. So McDonald's seems like an OK choice!

Also one of the McD's in Times Square serves fresh made mini donuts!

[TwoFace]

I can see the need for fast food in the city core where people are in a rush and time is of essence.

But strangely enough, even in tourist destinations like Mexico you will find a McDonalds, Burger King and others with line ups.
For the same money you can have authentic seafood spread at the local beach restaurant… go figure?


Mind you I’m in the minority here, as I’ve only been to Starbucks twice in my life and haven’t been to any fast food franchise in over a decade.

[ckkelley]

Originally Posted by TwoFace

I always wondered if the cruise ship passengers are told to only go so far east of Gastown, or given a map outlining "recommended" walking areas.

Being an avid photographer I often venture into the DTES to get documentary stock and come across lost tourists clenching their purses and bags with a look of outmost horror on their faces trying to find their way out of the ghetto.

For those people, I’m sure Vancouver is not a place they would recommend to others, and their impression is less favourable than if they turned "right" towards coal harbour and Stanley Park.

I doubt it. I'm sure most of those tourists come from cities that have homeless issues as well. Homeless people are not an uncommon sight in any major North American city. Further, I'm sure they would take their experiences of Vancouver as a whole rather than being turned-off exclusively by the quagmire that is the DTES.