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Spring is clearly on its way to our beautiful city, and it’s time to celebrate its arrival. To make the most of the season, there’s almost nothing better than to take a long walk along the seawall, catch the spring flowers, and enjoy some delicious ice cream before heading back home.
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To make this a loop, we suggest you start and finish at the Granville bridge (if you are feeling even more energetic, start at the Burrard bridge). After you cross the Granville bridge, head down to the Granville Island galleries, markets, shops and restaurants for a bit. We love the Wickaninnish Gallery because it has such a huge selection of beautiful things and because it’s aboriginally owned and operated.
While many visitors head to the breweries and bars on Granville Island, we prefer to stop by the Artisan SakeMaker tasting room. Sake tasting runs from 11:30 am to 6 pm every day and costs $2 for one taste or $5 for a flight of three.
Of course you have to go to the market and buy something to eat, either for fuel to continue the walk or to take home. The fruits and vegetables are fresh, the cheeses, breads and soups are beautifully displayed (and delicious) and Lee’s Donuts could tempt even the most strong-willed to buy something.
Another fun place to stop as you walk towards Olympic Village is the False Creek Community Center. You can rent kayaks, take pottery lessons, use the washrooms(!) and just take a walk around the grounds, which are always full of community members of all ages relaxing, learning and playing.
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The seawall is one of Vancouver’s biggest treasures, but this time of year offers some additional pleasures. Aside from the usual sea stars and herons, you’ll pass gorgeous patches of flowers reminding us all of the changing seasons. Patches of lawn, bushes, and trees are ablaze with the crazy colours of the season. If you brought your bike, this is the section where you might as well dismount and walk so that you can really take your time and enjoy the parks, the public sculptures, the little ponds and benches and the life along the way.
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The Creekside Community Centre, which you will reach just before the Science Centre, rents kayaks and you can get involved in rowing and dragon boat paddling there as well. The walk from the Granville Bridge to the Science Center is about 2 kilometers.
Once you’ve passed the Science Centre, you may feel some irresistible force drawing you towards Quebec Avenue (1829 Quebec St. to be exact). Give in and turn right to walk the few extra blocks to Earnest Ice Cream. The biggest problem you’ll have here is deciding what to get. Earnest gets extra points in the celebration of spring category because everything they make is served in edible or reusable containers. Feel good about indulging.
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After a quick snack at Earnest, you can head back to Main Station and the Skytrain, or continue walking along the seawall to Yaletown before going home. There is nothing like Vancouver in spring...mild days on the seawall with snow covered mountains every time you look north. It’s one of those undeniably gorgeous moments that appears on postcards of Vancouver (and it's one of the cheapest outings in the city).
