Vancouver

Coal Harbour Area Info

The interesting thing about Coal Harbour is the serenity it offers to its residents while being so close to the Downtown core. You do have the heavy traffic on the main roads and you do have the nicely allocated commercial areas that blend in with the residential neighborhoods, but there’s always something nice about having a view of something nice to look at every which way you turn.

Vancouver

Kitsilano Area Info

Kitsilano is a high-end community in the Vancouver West area, located to the south of Downtown Vancouver. The southern shores of English Bay borders the north end of the community, 16th Avenue West bounds the south end, Alma Street to the west and Burrard Street is the border to the east.

Vancouver

Yaletown Area Info

Yaletown is one of Vancouver’s most newer, urban and hip neighborhoods. The community lies within a seven block area bound by Nelson, Homer, Drake, Pacific, Hamilton and back to Homer, and is located right on False Creek and faces southeast, resting on the southern edge of the core of Vancouver. Several highrise residential buildings have been developed consistently in this area and many of them have views of the city and False Creek.

The community was named after the town of Yale in the Frazier River Canyon, where the Canadian Pacific Railroad originally kept their repair facilities and rail yards. When the CPR moved their facilities and yards to the north shore of False Creek, they named the community Yaletown. Since then Yaletown has undergone major development, and since the World’s Fair held in 1986, it has been transformed into one of the most densely populated communities in Vancouver and is notorious for being one of the most significant urban regeneration projects in North America.

Yaletown residents have all the amenities they can think of at an arm’s reach. Yes, you can walk to the Downtown shopping district, but the community itself has everything one needs in daily life, and within walking distance, too. Many of Vancouver’s best restaurants, both fancy and casual can be found, and an organic quality super

market also lies in a central location. And let’s face it, it’s Yaletown…you know you’re going to find more than a few boutiques, galleries, spas, interior design studios, and other classy, high-end retail stores, attracting the fashionistas;

there are also some dotcom companies that call Yaletown home, so we have the young techs mixed in the crowd. What a combination! At night Yaletown lights right up, with hopping clubs, bars and restaurants making the

community one of the best go-to spots on the weekends.

Vancouver

Commercial Drive Area Info

Commercial Drive is one of the Vancouver Eastside’s main shopping/restaurant strips and consists of 21 blocks (starting at Venables Street to the north and ending at 13th Avenue to the south), which is over a mile long. Still commonly known as being the “Little Italy” of Vancouver, historically the area was where Italian immigrants built their community when they first arrived in Vancouver;  there still are a large number of Italian restaurants, cafes and specialty stores on what locals might call “The Drive”.

Today the area is more mixed, with artists, students, writers and other Bohemian-types occupying the area, and is commonly known as Vancouver’s Greenwich Village. Unlike the more generic shopping strips such as Robson in Downtown or West 4th in Vancouver West, most businesses on the Drive (there are an upwards of 400+ businesses) are single-owner operated and most of them only have a single location. Businesses in the area include European-style cafes, bars, several restaurants that offer different cuisines from sushi to Italian to Mexican, ethnic specialty stores and entertainment venues.

The area around Commercial Drive consists of quiet, tree-lined streets filled with circa 1900′s Victorian and Edwardian homes on narrow, long lots that back up to side streets where the garages to the homes are usually located (in the inner-city neighborhoods, it’s not often that you find garages that are actually attached to the homes). These homes were originally built to house the workers at the Canadian Pacific Railway. Along with the heritage homes are the heritage commercial buildings on and around the Drive; there are so many, in fact, that the inventory of the buildings in this area comprise the second largest in the city. There has been some movement toward the rejuvenating of the buildings while retaining their original character.

The combination of cafes, stores and restaurants that make the Drive an always entertaining spot to spend the day or grab lunch, and the bars and restaurants that make it a comfortable hangout spot for the evenings make Commercial Drive one of the most organic, well known and popular shopping strips in Vancouver. The neighborhood receives an award by the Georgia Straight Reader’s Choice Award for being the best neighborhood in the city repeatedly…not only that but it has also been ranked as one of the 10 hippest neighborhoods in North America by Utne Reader.

Commercial Drive is also the host of the annual Halloween “Parade of Lost Souls”. Families and friends gather at the Drive with costumes and candy. The event is always held on the Saturday closest to Halloween. Gay-friendly Vancouver also hosts the “Dyke March & Parade” in August, on the Saturday before the “Pride Parade” to support- and celebrate- gay pride.

Vancouver

Shaughnessy Area Info

Shaughnessy is one of Vancouver’s “Brand Name” communities, as well as being one of its most affluent communities. Located in Vancouver West, Shaughnessy is bound by the Kitsilano, South Cambie, Arbutus Ridge, Oak Ridge and Kerrisdale communities (street boundaries: Arbutus Street to west, W 41st to south, Oak Street to east and 16th to the north). A delightful place to take a walk or ride a bike, Shaugnessy is dominantly a residential area.

The area was established in the early 1900′s by the Canadian Pacific Railway, which was then the largest real estate developer in Canada, and was named after its president Sir Thomas Shaughnessy. Names of Shaughnessy’s daughter along with names of early members of the board of directors were used to name a number of the streets in Shaugnessy, including Marguerite, Angus, Marpole, and more.

Real estate prices in Shaughnessy certainly reflect the average household income, which ranges from $130,000-$160,000 annually. A modest home of 1200 sqft can cost a million and change, and currently the most expensive home on the market is just shy of $17 million. Several historical mansions sit in Shaughnessy, more than half of which was built during WWII.

The VanDusen Botanical Garden at 37th and Oak calls Shaughnessy home. During the holiday season, the 55-acre garden with an excess of 255,000 plants is lit up for the Festival of Lights held in December, turning it into a true Winter Wonderland, and is one of the local’s favorite places to visit during (and not during) the holidays.

Vancouver

By far the best value for Sushi! Samurai on Davie

Sunday night my boyfriend and I decided to be brave and try out a new Sushi place, since we usually like to stick with familiar scenes.

Since it was on either Robson, Denman or Davie where we were going to eat, we decided to stick with the street where we found the closest parking. Got a spot only a block away from Davie so we hopped on our iPhones (have any of you tried to Urban Spoon or Yelp! app by the way? KILLER.) and found that Samurai got some really great reviews.

It was 5 PM on Sunday and the place was packed, but I think we only waited 15 minutes or so. It was a small place and it looked like they tried to fit in as many tables as they possibly could in there…but it had a really great vibe, and all of the people that worked there were actually Japanese (which is a triple plus in my books). The thing that I was shocked at were the prices…and the quantity…AND the quality! It was amazing. For under $10 I ordered the Salmon-Don, which is basically salmon sashimi on sushi rice, which usually doesn’t happen (the dish usually runs anywhere from $12-15) but not only that the pieces were ginormous. Anthony ordered the special for just over $10 and had a meal that could feed a couple of people easily…I think it came with beef teriyaki, veggie tempura, a shrimp tempura roll, miso soup, and a couple of appetizers.

I’m usually weary of sushi places that offer really cheap prices…but this place was REALLY GOOD. Definitely the best value! Oh yes, and the service was great as well…lightning fast!

We left around 6 PM and there was a line up outside of the restaurant. Enjoy the pics!

Amy Kizaki
Vancouver PowerSearch Team
amy@vancouverpowersearch.com

Vancouver

Last night I got to enjoy a DINE OUT dinner at Joe Forte’s in downtown Vancouver with CEO Glenn Sanford and fellow Vancouver/ Seattle Powersearch team member Amy Kizaki.

Dine Out Vancouver is where numerous food loving locals and tourist dine at participating restaurants featuring three-course menus. This is annually held from Mid- January to the beginning of February. This is one of Vancouver’s premiere restaurant events that showcases some of Vancouver’s top restaurants at very reasonable prices. The three course menus are set at $18, $28 and $38. The menus will be highlighted with a BC VQA wine pairing, that compliments each restaurant’s culinary expertise.

Joe Forte’s has been a institution in downtown Vancouver for almost 25 years and one of its best Oyster bar and grill restaurants. Regularly packed with people waiting, last night was no different.

Forte’s had a $38 three course meal. We all had their famous Oyster’s to start, and then the Surf and Turf (Steak and Prawns) as our main course and Creme Brule for desert.

The food was totally worth it in my books. All three courses were quite delicious.

Recommendation: Food was excellent. Highly recommend it to anyone who likes seafood. Excellent Value. Two thumbs up!

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