Description: Gastown is a neighbourhood in downtown Vancouver. In 1867 the Scot Jack Deighton opened in the center of this neighbourhood a bar called the Deighton House. This bar was next to a sawmill and after a workday many of the workman find their way to the bar. Because of this the bar quickly became the centre of the city. The area quickly developed after a European town. Gastown is still a lively district with many shops, bars and restaurants.

Gastown is very centrally located. From Waterfront station it is just a few minutes. Since Gastown is located in downtown Vancouver, it is also well reachable by buses. The three main streets of the neighbourhood are the Water Street, Powell Street and Carrall Street. All three meet at the old and the new heart of Gastown, the Maple Tree Square.

Since we had driven from the hotel by Seabus to Waterfront Station, we went from the station on our way to Gastown. First we arrived at the Water Street. It is a really nice street with cobblestone streets and many nice shops, cafes and restaurants. The cobblestone streets give the impression of a European town, but was postponed until 1970, when they wanted to give the neighbourhood a little more charm and historic ambience. Around this time the Old Spaghetti Factory opened, a restaurant chain in which it is mostly pasta dishes at very reasonable prices and even taste good, too. But there are still some of the most chic restaurants and designer shops on Water Street. Large main attraction in this street is an old steam clock, the Steam Clock. Every 15 minutes, it evaporated from the Clock and the pipes play God Save the Queen. The clock is five meters high and visually inspired by the Big Ben in London. Happy tourists gather here.

If you follow the Water Street to the east we arrive automatically to the already mentioned Maple Tree Square. Here is the founding father of a bronze statue in honour of Jack. Perched on a whiskey barrel Gassy Jack looks over the square. Another attraction right on the Square is the Flatiron Building of 1908, which houses a hotel and was the first reinforced concrete building in town.

From Maple Tree Square, we turned onto Carral Street, which is a normal road and has no particular charm, I think. Water Street is already the most beautiful street in Gastown. It's amazing how quickly one in this quarter of a nice, smooth road with more expensive shops suddenly changes in roads, which are anything but inviting. After a few minutes we reached the Victory Square, which until the early 20th Century, was the main artery was Vancouver. At this place in the First World War soldiers were recruited, so there is also a memorial for the fallen soldiers. The park around the monument is very well maintained, there is apparently also made sure that the homeless do not use park benches as overnight camps.

You take the road to the place of outgoing Cambie Street, we come back to Water Street. Is worth seeing on the Way to the Blood Alley, the right branches of the Cambie Street. The name comes from the fact that here in the past few slaughterhouses were located, also took place in the street, public executions. Today you can find in the alley restaurants, pubs and night clubs.

So our tour was ended by Gastown, but for a first impression should be enough too, finally got even more on the program. Coming back to Gastown at night, so here you will find a vibrant area with many bars and restaurants.

Gastown is an area of Vancouver, which should not be missed if you're in the city. Not only that, here are some beautiful buildings and you can learn about the history of the city, Gastown is a vibrant area with nice shops and many restaurants and bars. I enjoyed our walk very well and I can only recommend to take a little time to stroll along the streets. Above all, the Water Street I liked. It is a real counterpoint to me, except maybe that one watch a while before the time of day, in which street or road you because not all corners of the neighbourhood looked trustworthy.Close