Things to see and do in Vancouver during the 2010 Ion Channel Retreat
2010 Ion Channel Retreat Dinner Cruise
During the retreat on Tuesday, June 29th, you are invited to bring yourself and your family/friends along for the 2010 Ion Channel Retreat Dinner Cruise. This special networking event is sponsored by Millipore. Family and friends are welcomed and encouraged. Your registration fee includes this activity. For guests there will be a small fee for adults. Children aged 4 to 12 are half-price. Children 3 and under will be free. Please RSVP by June 20.
2010 Canada Day Celebrations
July 1 (the day after the retreat) is Canada Day – a celebration of our national birthday. The main center of action will be at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver. This will be a short walk from your hotel. Visit Website.
Other Stuff to See & Do
One of the jewels of downtown Vancouver is Stanley Park. This 1,000 acre park features beautiful views of the inlet, an aquarium, many kilometers of seawall and several beautiful gardens. There are also several fine dining opportunities. Visit Website and Visit Website will provide a good place to start. You can either walk along the seawall from your hotel or take a bus or taxi into the park.
For other interesting viewing I would also recommend a visit to the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese garden in the middle of Chinatown in the heart of the city. Visit Website
For boutique shopping there is of course the renowned Robson Street strip or you could venture over to Granville Island (a man-made “island” in False Creek). Visit Website. This is easily accessible from your hotel by either public transit or taxi. The retreat coincides with the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. For information and tickets: Visit Website. There will also be a theatre company performing their newest dance production. Visit Website
For the scientific minded destinations (especially good for those with children, but also should appeal to most curious adults) on the east side of False Creek is Science World - Visit Website.
If you are up for more adventurous activities or have a few days to sightsee planned in your itinerary, please consider heading up into the North Shore mountains for some day hiking or some general sight-seeing. The Capilano Suspension bridge (Visit Website), Grouse Mountain Visit Website) all provide a multitude of opportunities for both full day hikes, local dining, and easy sight-seeing. For a full day or two out of the city you may also wish to consider catching the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to visit either Bowen Island (Visit Website) or Vancouver Island. Ferry information is available here: Visit Website. Local public transit information is available here: Visit Website. There are also numerous taxi companies that will be very happy to take you wherever you wish to go and will also provide a rich source of knowledge regarding local attractions. Visit Website
Other attractions that may appeal to you are the Museum of Anthropology (Visit Website) which is located on the University of BC endowment lands. This approximately 45 minutes by bus from downtown Vancouver. I spent several hours there recently and didn’t even see half of their collection! Additionally, if you make the trip to UBC, there are also several gardens to visit (Visit Website) and (Visit Website). Finally, the VanDusen Botanical Garden (Visit Website) provides a beautiful spot to tour a multitude of gardens. You can almost forget you are in the middle of the city. This is approximately 15 minutes by car from downtown Vancouver.
There are many other historical sites that will be great to visit. South of Vancouver in the suburb of Richmond (where the airport is located) is the fishing community of Steveston. You can enjoy quaint sea-side dinners of fish & chips or visit the ‘Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site’. To the east of Vancouver, there are several nice parks and other shopping attractions in the city of Burnaby. If you feel like touring further than just within the local, easily accessible city of Vancouver & North Shore, please email me and I can direct you to some other websites.
Once again I look forward to meeting you.
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