Canadian Railroads > Vancouver dining question

My wife and I fly to Vancouver Tuesday to ride The Canadian and will have a few hours to kill. Can anyone recommend a fine dining restaurant where we can have dinner in the vicinity of the train station?

I don't recall anything within walking distance. But the Skytrain is right next to the station and will take you downtown. You can leave your bags at the station and either have them put into your room or pick them up later. Ride the Skytrain to the end which is underneath the old CP Station. From there,a Morton's Steak House is across the street. I also recommend the new Cactus Club which is located right next to where the Olympic Flame is...just a block behind the Fairmont Waterfront. It has decent food and a great view of the harbor. Have a great trip. You will love the Canadian as long as you don't mind being potentially really late!

My wife and I really enjoyed the Top of Vancouver revolving restaurant at 555 W. Hastings...spectacular views of the city and trains.
An easy Sky Train ride downtown from the VIA station.

As suggested above, you can take the Skytrain just across Main Street from the train station down to the Waterfront station . . all kinds of restaurants in Gastown next door . . . or if the weather is nice, walk west across Main Street from the train station and next to the Science World (dome structure) on the left is the False Creek little water taxis that leave every fifteen minutes and go to Granville Island and eat out on the deck at Bridges restaurant . . . or you can grab something informal from any of the food vendors inside the main food fair and sit outside on watch the water traffic go by.

Craig
http://mcmrailvideos.com/videos.html

You say you are flying into Vancouver? Take the Canada Line Skytrain to Waterfront Sta. from the Airport connecting there onto the VIA Station at Main St/Science World to drop your luggage.

If you are just making a one-way trip there is a $5.00 surcharge for boarding at the airport.......But if you buy a Day-Pass you are exempt from paying the surcharge and the Day-Pass then allows you to get to some of the restaurants suggested above. (You can get a daypass in the domestic terminal at the 7-11 store on the lower level)

http://www.yvr.ca/en/getting-to-from-yvr/public-transportation.aspx

About half the Canada Line Skytrain in from the Airport is underground but now use your Day-pass for a ride on the Expo or Millennium Skytrain Lines which are mostly on elevated structures for some sightseeing and great mountain views. The Day-Pass is also good on the Sea-Bus ferry across the harbour to North Vancouver.

http://www.translink.ca/en/Rider-Info/Canada-Line/Map-and-Travel-Times.aspx

http://infomaps.translink.ca/System_Maps/92/SkyTrainSystemMap.pdf

Vancouver is a foodie heaven on par with any major city its' size. The problem is not where to eat, but what you'll have to miss in making your choice.

All of downtown and as far east as Main street where the station is, is safe and easy walking. Go to the station, dump your bags with Via and head out for the evening.

If you favor Asian food, Vac has every angle on it, on account of a huge Asian populace that immigrated when Hong Kong went to China. Vac has earned the nickname Hongcouver for a reason.

Is a brewpub right by the old CP station on the west end of Gastown, a good place to start if you're wanting to be on a short leash. Most of the Gastown places are over-rated, over-priced, and over-run with tourists. So is Granville street downtown, and the Yaletown area (where CP serviced the Canadian years ago, check out the old CP steamer on dispaly there) has lots of good places to eat, tho is very spendy due to being surrounded by high-end condo towers where units start in the $700k range.

Booze is not cheap in Canada, a beer downtown is easily $6-7, and liquor is worse. Cheapest beer in town is on Granville Island at Granville Island Brewing, pint bottles can be had for $2.50. You could kill the whole day on Granville Island easily with shopping, galleries, and tons of food choices, but you wouldn't see much of Vac as a result.

I would go with something ethnic and flavorful, the food on the train is good but gets a bit predictable after three days.

Best advice: choose a fave cuisine, Google it, and go from there.

The normally super convenient Main Street SkyTrain station mentioned above is being upgraded, which has limited its service.

http://www.translink.ca/en/Plans-and-Projects/Station-and-Exchange-Improvements/Expo-Line-Upgrades/Main-Street-Science-World-Station-Upgrades.aspx

Chinatown starts just north of the combo Amtrak/Via Rail/Greyhound/etc. etc. station. You can easily walk to a Vancouver favorite Phnom Penh.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/phnom-penh-vancouver

Exit the station, walk across the park, turn right on Main Street, continue under the bridge, and then turn right onto Georgia Street to 244 East Georgia Street on the right side.

See this map (Google says 8 minute walk; I say a little less):

https://goo.gl/maps/wH93Z