Destination Vancouver Building
The lobby of the Waterfront Centre is where you can find the elevators to the Destination Vancouver office on the second floor. One of the popular places in the Waterfront Centre is the food court which is one of the closest places around Canada Place to grab a quick and inexpensive bite to eat. To get down to the food court there are stairs straight ahead or for those with mobility issues there is an elevator down the hall to the left of the large opening. The elevator at the end of the hall can provide access to the food court by pressing level R. In the food court there are many options for breakfast and lunch, a Rexall (drugstore) as well as a couple of ATMs. The Rexall sells Canada only stamps which are quite popular with tourists. Past the Rexall there is an entrance to the Expo line, this route can also take you to the Canada Line however, the Waterfront Station is preferred.On the other side of the food court just past the McDonalds is where you can find the closest washrooms and an underground connection to the East Convention Centre. In this passage there are many impressive historical photos of the city. Proceed through the underground passage and take the escalator to the lobby of the East Convention Centre for the next stop.
East Convention Centre - Information Desk
The East Convention Centre is home to our Information Desk which operates year-round. Right behind our desk is the Pan Pacific Hotel lobby and an Ascent Car Rental office. From late Spring (May) until Mid-Fall (October) there are a lot of questions about Cruise Ships. If visitors, ask about how to get down to the Cruise Terminal and either have large suitcases or have mobility issues there is an elevator that can take them down from the lobby which is located around the corner from our desk.
Canada Place - Plaza
Canada Place is a very popular location for city host shifts. In the main courtyard, there is the Canada Place Welcome Centre which is operated by Westcoast Sightseeing and sells various tour tickets. There is also a ticket booth for FlyOver which is directly behind the Canada Place Welcome Centre. To access FlyOver, you can head down the Canadian Trail to the right of the FlyOver ticket booth. Down the Canadian Trail you can find access to the Coal Harbour Café which offers a discount to volunteers on shift as well as an elevator to the Cruise Ship Terminal, and the entrance to FlyOver.
Canadian Trail - Hall C
Start to walk down the Canadian Trail and halfway down there will be a glass elevator on the right. This elevator can take visitors down to the Cruise Ship Terminal Level. Continue down the trail and stop in front of Hall C. Visitors embarking on a cruise should be directed either to Hall C or down the ramp, during the daily briefing a team member will let you know where to send visitors. There are two ways to get to Hall C. One is to go through the East Convention Centre and the other is to go outside on the Canadian Trail.
The Ramp - Cruise Ship Terminal
The ramp is another great location for city hosts to help visitors. Between the ramp and the Canada Place courtyard there is a Starbucks and right beside it is the World Trade Centre. Across the street is the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel which has an elevator that can take you down to the food court which is a typical question that is asked in this volunteer location. The ramp itself has some signage now however on the left-side there is a pedestrian path which is where embarking visitors can head down to the Cruise Terminal. Visitors must go down the ramp and not the stairs. It is strongly recommended to head down the ramp into the Cruise Terminal on a later shift to orient yourself.
Howe and Cordova
On rainy days the corner of Howe and Cordova is a great City Host location as most of it is covered. There is a Transit entrance on Howe that says “Waterfront Station” and is recommended only for the Expo line. The Canada line is best accessed through Waterfront Station. At this corner there is a small convenience store called the INS Market which accommodates luggage storage for a fee and sells SIM cards.
Waterfront Station
Outside of Waterfront Station tends to be a high traffic area during the Summer for City Hosts. As you were walking to Waterfront Station you might’ve seen a staircase before the crosswalk in front of the parking lot. This staircase is one of the ways to get to 200 Granville Street Plaza where the Vancouver Sign can be found as well as the Junction Public Container Market in the Summer. The Parking lot underneath 200 Granville Street Plaza is where the parking for EVO and MODO can be found. In front of the A&W is where visitors can find the bus stop for bus #44 to UBC and a little further East is the bus stop for bus #50 to Granville Island.
Gastown
Gastown is one of Vancouver’s most historic neighbourhoods and is typically very popular with visitors in the Summer. Around the corner from the Steamworks Brewpub is the start of Gastown. The closest liquor store and dollar store are in the Harbour Centre across the street. The Harbour Centre’s food court has the closest washroom which is open every day except Sunday. Down Water Street on the left hand-side visitors can find the Steam Clock which is one of Gastown’s most visited attractions.
Vancouver Lookout and the Corner of Pender and Howe
The entrance to the Vancouver Lookout is on Seymour Street inside the Harbour Centre. The Vancouver Lookout offers a 360-degree view of the city and provides exceptional views of the mountains. During the Summer the Vancouver Lookout is open from 10am - 6pm daily. The Vancouver Lookout is also home to the Revolving Restaurant which is a great choice for a unique dining experience. Nearby, at Seymour and Hastings Street there is also a car rental counter that can help accommodate visitors looking to rent a car while in Vancouver. Now walk up Seymour Street until you reach Pender Street and then head West until you are at the corner of Pender and Howe, then play the next audio.
Jack Poole Plaza
Jack Poole Plaza is an amazing place for visitors to visit, it has incredible views of the North Shore mountains, Stanley Park, and is home to the Olympic Cauldron as well as the Digital Orca. There are also two patios which are quite popular in the Summer; Cactus Club and Tap & Barrel. Just below Jack Poole Plaza, on the Seawall is where visitors can find the access to the Seaplane and Hullo ferry terminals as well as various restaurants and a seasonal bike rental (April – September). At the bottom of the stairs from Jack Poole Plaza there is access to public washrooms as well. Head to the stairs at the end of Jack Poole Plaza and take them down to the Seawall and play the next audio.
