Melburnian puts world's most liveable city to the test

[Dean]

World's most liveable city put to the test
October 27, 2009 The AGE - Melbourne, Australia


Liveable ... the view from Granville Island towards downtown Vancouver.


Craig Platt heads to Vancouver to see if the city lives up to its reputation.

Sitting in the sun at the Granville Island market, enjoying a hot chocolate and watching boats and the occasional kayak make their way up False Creek, it's easy to believe that, yes, Vancouver is indeed the world's most liveable city.

It's a title that gets bandied about every few months when a new survey announces that such and such a country is the best in the world if you're looking for somewhere to call home.

However, only a handful of these surveys are generally respected and one of them, The Economist's, has been topped by the same city for the past seven years running. No, not Melbourne (despite what some would have you believe). It's Vancouver.

Melbourne's up there (number three this year, behind Vienna) and so is Perth (No. 5), but in the eyes of The Economist's Intelligence Unit (using data from the Mercer consulting group, who also put out their own list) Vancouver remains number one.

While it's difficult for a tourist to put some things to the test (such as the education system or employment conditions), it is possible, in a few days, to get the feel and flavour of a Vancouver lifestyle. And so I endeavoured to find out what made the city so damn liveable.

Firstly there's the weather. Sitting, as it does, on Canada's south-west coast, Vancouver offers the most temperate climate of any Canadian city, which means that it doesn't get too cold in winter, at least, not by Canadian standards (temperatures average between 0 and 5 degrees, which locals consider 'mild'). In summer, the temperature sits comfortably in the mid-20s, though for the majority of my stay the skies are overcast and the temperature languishes in the high teens.

Culture

Vancouver is a multicultural city - more so than many other North American cities – and a stroll down shopping strip Robson Street in the centre of town confirms it. All colours and creeds can be seen on the streets, and you are unlikely to walk a block without hearing at least one non-English language being spoken (35 per cent of the population is foreign-born).

As far as cultural entertainment goes, it is a city of contrasts. One night, I wander passed several rowdy bars heaving with sports fans. Is it football that has them so excited? Basketball? Or that Canadian favourite, ice hockey? No, it's the Ultimate Fighting Championship on pay-per-view, direct from Las Vegas, and probably the most violent legal sport in the world (“mixed martial arts” is how it's described, but essentially it's an almost-no-holds-barred fighting competition). Like WWE wrestling, but real. A Canadian is going for the world title and the sports bars are heaving with his supporters. But, not particularly in the mood to join a bunch of beer-swilling ultra-violent-sport fans for the evening, I decide to give it a miss.

The next evening, the contrast could not be more stark as the locals pack into a marquee by the bay for the annual 'Bard by the Beach' Shakespeare production. I take in a quirky, fun adaptation of The Comedy of Errors with a crowd that's just as enthusiastic, if less rowdy, than the Ultimate Fighting fans.

But if any further evidence of the multicultural nature of Vancouver is needed, look no further than Stanley Park on the weekend, where you'll see Canadians in their whites, playing cricket. Yes, cricket! While by no means one of the city's most popular sports, it seems that there's room for all interests in this town.

Dining

A restaurant is recommended to me in the newly gentrified Gastown district, an area once considered one of Vancouver's roughest neighbourhoods, but now home to some of its hottest restaurants and bars. The restaurant, Salt Tasting Room, is located in the dubiously titled Blood Alley.

Never fear, I think, we Melburnians are quite used to wandering down dark alleyways to find the best restaurants and bars. I'm sure that, despite the name, Blood Alley will be overrun with dining spots and hip young things.

Not quite. Vancouver is yet to reclaim its alleys and laneways in the way Melbourne has (and Sydney has attempted to). Salt, I'm told, is one of the only restaurants to be found in a Vancouver laneway. And one certainly gets that feeling walking down a slightly intimidating narrow lane, populated by several dubious-looking characters, to find the restaurant. Once there, however, it's almost like being back in Melbourne as one is immediately surrounded by cool-looking young Vancouverites on the bench seating. Salt specialises in cheese, wine and preserves, making it a prime spot for a light meal or entree before moving on to the main event.

This could be somewhere like L'Altro Buca, a fine restaurant sitting underneath an a apartment block in the strangely suburban-like Haro Street (in reality, it is just one block back from bustling Robson Street), or Chambar - a Belgian restaurant that's one of the hottest joints in town, both for food and cocktails.

Transport

Vancouver may boast that it is home to the world's largest automated rail network, but that doesn't mean it has transport sorted out. The rail network, while reliable, is far from extensive, leaving most Vancouverites reliant on their cars or buses for transport. With a population of 2.1 million, this results in peak-hour traffic congestion.

However, cycling is a popular option for inner-city workers and the mayor is encouraging this – during my visit, the front page of the Vancouver Sun was dominated by the mayor's decision to make one lane of traffic on Burrard Bridge, one of the main bridges into the CBD, a bicycle-only affair.

The real geniuses of the Vancouver commute, however, are the islanders (see Island Life below) who live on small patches of land in the waterways surrounding the city. Some, such as those living on the Bowen Island, can live in beautiful, heavily forested surrounds while only 30 minutes from the CBD by water taxi.

Recreation

The residents seem to love cycling, whether to work or just for fun. Stanley Park, an island just on the edge of the downtown area, features a 8.8-kilometre (one-way) bike path around its circumference and is popular with locals and tourists alike (bike rental stores can be found near the entrance to the park). It's the perfect way to see one of North America's largest urban parks. While most of the visitors stick to the water's edge, it's worth walking or cycling into the island's interior to enjoy the peace and quiet and marvel at the enormous fir and cedar trees.

Given the amount of water surrounding the city, it's not surprising to see that water sports are popular (though, given the temperature of the water, many of them involve the participants not actually getting wet). Kayakers can be seen gliding through the water along False Creek, adjacent to the CBD, while others sail boats out into deeper water.

In winter, locals can flock to Whistler Blackcomb for snow sports, just 115 kilometres away. The famed ski resort is hosting alpine skiing events for the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February next year.

Crime

Well, I didn't get mugged or beaten up (not even in Blood Alley), and crime levels are a key factor in the Economist's rankings, so Vancouver seems to be doing OK in that department. That said, no tourist from Australia could fail to be struck by the obvious problems Vancouver faces with homelessness.

Walking down a single block on Robson Street on a Saturday afternoon, you are likely to be asked for change three or four times before reaching the next cross street. It's all the more striking considering the Winter Olympics are approaching rapidly and the Games are usually an impetus for governments to take strong action to deal with homelessness. Recently, the provincial government proposed a bill to force the homeless into shelters during extreme weather, which some critics labelled an underhand way of sweeping the homeless under the carpet during the Games.

Island life

What's interesting about the islands surrounding Vancouver is how rural they seem, despite often being only half an hour from the city by water taxi.

Early one morning I take a trip out to Bowen Island, a 30-minute boat ride from Grenville Island. In the time it takes many inner dwellers to reach the city, I'm in a tiny island community, surrounded by thick forest and locals living an idyllic, rustic lifestyle.

While the island has its tourist attractions (a golf course, kayaking, nice cafes and a fantastic chocolate shop), it retains a village-like feel. Indeed, many Vancouverites seem to be unaware of its existence, or at least have never made the trip out to visit.

This seems to suit the locals just fine, who comfortably live out a Nothern Exposure-style existence on the edge of a bustling metropolis.

My plans to kayak around the island look dubious as clouds roll in and the wind picks up. As it turns out, however, one side of Bowen remains sheltered so I am able to take to the water, with a guide, and explore the beaches and outcrops of the island – occasionally spotting seals relaxing on the shore.

Back in town, I chat to some of the Bowen Island locals. It's the sort of place where everyone knows everyone else and the only drawback, according to some of the younger residents, is the lack of nightlife (the last water taxi leaves Granville Island at 9.30pm on Friday and Saturday nights, meaning an overnight stay for those wanting to enjoy the city nightlife).

Still, the island looks like one of the most liveable parts of the world's most liveable city.

Verdict

Yes, Vancouver seems like a good place to live. But would I emigrate? Not in the foreseeable future. Yes, it might have more consistent weather than our southern capitals – but it's consistently worse. And I'll take Melbourne's ACDC lane over Blood Alley any time.

So, no, I wouldn't want to live there – but it's a nice place to visit.

Craig Platt travelled as a guest of the Canadian Tourism Commission and Tourism British Columbia.

[Nouvellecosse]

Seems like a good article other than when he called Stanley Park an island. And it's true; it would be crazy for anyone already living in one of the livibility "top 5" to go through the bother of moving to try and get higher on the list. The benefits just wouldn't be enough.

[Taller, Better]

Hey! If any tourism commission offers me an expense-paid trip to one of the top liveable cities in the world, I too will jump at the chance!
Wonder how many of this freebie trips they give out....

[doogerz]

Interesting article. I always love reading foreigners opinions of Canadian cities, especially when they visit them!

[eastadl]

sorry for the bump. Im not from Melbourne, but South Australia, and I'm visiting in August. Have about 4 full days. Is it worthwhile doing a day trip across to Victoria, caus it looks as if you can get over and back within the day.
Also I ride my bike everywhere, its the best way to see a city. I would say there would be a few bike hire places in Vancouver, do you have a free city bike scheme. And do you guys have any recommendations of where to ride too. Ive heard that Stanley Park is a must. Cant wait to come over. Also, wheres the best area to stay in. Think thats about enough questions

[Yellow Fever]

Victoria is the capital of BC and also the most british city in Canada and therefore definitely worth the one day visit. There should be a bus from downtown Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. Check with the hotel front desk and I'm sure they can give you the informations you need.

Vancouver is a biking friendly city with plenty of bike lanes in the downtown area and you shouldn't have any problem to go anywhere on bike. Stanley Park offers an excellent bike route and views of the city and I believe there is also a place that you can rent the bike. There are a few tourists info centres in downtown and they should be able to give you a map of the bike lanes in the inner city.

Have a nice stay in our beautiful city.

[eastadl]

thanks yellow fever. I just wonder if I'll have a brain fade and start riding down the lefthand side of the street like Im used to. Could be quite amusing

[vanboy2]

Originally Posted by eastadl

thanks yellow fever. I just wonder if I'll have a brain fade and start riding down the lefthand side of the street like Im used to. Could be quite amusing

we have quite a lots of places bike renting at the corner of Denman and Georgia (right next to Stanley Park),as Yellow Fever mentioned that Vancouver is a bike friendly city so we more than welcome bike riding,for a place to stay,if you decided to stay in Downtown,I recommended sandman hotel near English Bay quite close to everything shopping,Stanley Park,Granville Island Market.....

Enjoy your trip and Welcome to Vancouver!

http://www.sandmanhotels.com/hotel/b...ver_citycentre

[spongeg]

you can catch the canada line to richmond bridgeport station where you than catch the bus to the ferry terminal and you can catch the victoria city bus on the other side - you can buy tickets for that bus at the terminal - get a day pass - and than there is an express to downtown victoria which is about 30 mins or you can take the slower one which is about 60 mins and winds through the eastern suburbs on its way down which is quite nice you see a little more than the express

Vancouver is supposed to get BIXI but I haven't heard anything about it if its up and running yet - its like a bike sharing scheme not sure its worth it for a tourist but they may have a tourist package

I'd stay somewhere downtown or anywhere along the canada line but not too far out, since all the nightlife and scene is downtown

[eastadl]

Originally Posted by vanboy2

we have quite a lots of places bike renting at the corner of Denman and Georgia (right next to Stanley Park),as Yellow Fever mentioned that Vancouver is a bike friendly city so we more than welcome bike riding,for a place to stay,if you decided to stay in Downtown,I recommended sandman hotel near English Bay quite close to everything shopping,Stanley Park,Granville Island Market.....

Enjoy your trip and Welcome to Vancouver!

http://www.sandmanhotels.com/hotel/b...ver_citycentre

thanks for that. Was also looking at the 'Tropicana Suite Hotel' at 1361 Robson St (which i belive is slightly west) which is just a touch cheaper than the sandman, or if I want to be a tightarse and do half the cost at the 'Kingston Hotel B&B' at 757 Richards St, Yaletown which has shared bathroom facilities, and no TV in the room. But, I wont go against the recommendation of a local so might book the Sandman. Staying in the city centre (or downtown as you call it) is a must. One difference Ive noticed between us and your cities is our definitive border and designation of what is the city centre (CBD/downtown) and what is an inner suburb. All hotels say they are located in central Vancouver city but are really not anywhere near the heart of the downtown

Originally Posted by spongeg

you can catch the canada line to richmond bridgeport station where you than catch the bus to the ferry terminal and you can catch the victoria city bus on the other side - you can buy tickets for that bus at the terminal - get a day pass - and than there is an express to downtown victoria which is about 30 mins or you can take the slower one which is about 60 mins and winds through the eastern suburbs on its way down which is quite nice you see a little more than the express

ah ok thanks also, the BC ferries page has a link to some Pacific coach page which has $52 return just for the bus to get from the downtowns to the ferry terminals. Sheez. I gather the terminals are quite a distance from the city centres, however do you mean that the skytrain goes near the Tsawwassen terminal

[Talisker]

There's no skytrain all the way to tsawwassen, you can go on the canada line to the end then change to bus 620. That would take about 1 hour. There's definately direct busses from downtown to horseshoe bay (which is much much nicer than tsawwassen). At the weekend or after 6pm I should be just $2.50

The best vancouver island tip I can give is to repeat the trip I made by getting the ferry from tsawwassen to victoria, staying overnight there, then getting the train up to nanaimo before catching the ferry back to horseshoe bay. The scenery between victoria and nanaimo is okay, although mostly obscured by trees along the track. There's some nice towns along the way including chemainus, which was basically rescued by painting murals on the walls of the buildings

[eastadl]

thanks

bugger, I left it too late to finally book the hotel, and in that time the Sandman downtown hotel prices have skyrocketed. So have found a cheapie hotel called the Tropicana at 1361 Robson St, which looks just west of the downtown. Doesn't look anything fancy, but that doesn't matter. How far would that hotel be to the main train station to get the Canadian to Edmonton? walking distance?

[Yellow Fever]

Originally Posted by eastadl

How far would that hotel be to the main train station to get the Canadian to Edmonton? walking distance?

Its about 40 minutes walk from your hotel to the train station. It would be ok if you don't have any big luggages, otherwise using the cab should be the best option.

[spongeg]

you can walk about 10 minutes to the skytrain - burrard station, than catch the train to main street and exit from the far east exit so you don't have to cross the busy main street, and its a few minutes to the station across a park

the hotel you are staying at is very central and its very busy and bustling

[Yellow Fever]

good idea!

[Talisker]

Has anyone taken the train through the rockies? I often thought about it, but opted to greyhound it instead. It was so much cheaper and had much better timings, meaning you could always travel during the day. Greyhounds seem to be fairly quiet between calgary/edmonton and kamloops/kelowna, but then absolutely packed between there and vancouver.

[redbaron_012]

Vancouver aren't we lucky to live somewhere on this planet that's OK : )....watching evening TV World news we don't have much to complain about !

[eastadl]

Originally Posted by Talisker

Has anyone taken the train through the rockies? I often thought about it, but opted to greyhound it instead. It was so much cheaper and had much better timings, meaning you could always travel during the day. Greyhounds seem to be fairly quiet between calgary/edmonton and kamloops/kelowna, but then absolutely packed between there and vancouver.

I'm planning on doing the Canadian train but I havent booked it yet caus it is quite expensive for a sleeper and Im waiting on the internet specials for August to show up on the via rail website. If I cant get a special I will take the economy class seat. Im pretty hopeful of getting a special ticket for the Edmonton-Winnipeg leg

[Talisker]

So you're going from vancouver to edmonton and then winnipeg, but missing out calgary? I'm sure most people here would agree with me in saying calgary is much better than edmonton, especially for a tourist. If I was you, I'd go from vancouver to banff on the greyhound, stay there and then get the greyhound to calgary. It's very cheap that way - less than $60 and the bus stops off at a few towns along the way like golden and revelstoke. You could then go to winnipeg via regina or saskatoon, or if you insist via edmonton. I've travelled quite a bit on the greyhound and via rail in canada. The train is obviously much more comfortable, but it's slow, expensive and doesn't stop long at each stop.

[eastadl]

Originally Posted by Talisker

So you're going from vancouver to edmonton and then winnipeg, but missing out calgary? I'm sure most people here would agree with me in saying calgary is much better than edmonton, especially for a tourist. If I was you, I'd go from vancouver to banff on the greyhound, stay there and then get the greyhound to calgary. It's very cheap that way - less than $60 and the bus stops off at a few towns along the way like golden and revelstoke. You could then go to winnipeg via regina or saskatoon, or if you insist via edmonton. I've travelled quite a bit on the greyhound and via rail in canada. The train is obviously much more comfortable, but it's slow, expensive and doesn't stop long at each stop.

yeah prob would have preferred Calgary but wanted to take the train through the rockies and the expensive tourist train from Vancouver to Calgary is way too expensive. So the Canadian train will do. Have already booked accomm in Edmonton and I wouldn't mind having a look at the city now. If I ever come over again in my life I would come during winter and stay at one of the ski resort towns then