This is not your typical open air market. There are little shops where each artist or shop owner has their stuff for sale. There was a garden shop, and also a shop that just sold sea shells. The food ranges from ethnic to classic Italian to American. The Food Market was really interesting.

Granville Island Public Market
Johnston Street on Granville Island
Vancouver, BC
9am to 6pm
www.granville.bc.ca

When I travel, I have to stop by the public market no matter where I am. To me, this is where green grocers get together with the best butchers and the most irresistible bakers, resulting in the most special selection of eateries and cafés. The Granville Island Public Market did not disappoint. At Laurelle's Fine Foods, I bought three kinds of small-serving salads for my lunch: artichoke; celery, fennel, and tomato; and basil with boccioni on beefsteak tomatoes. Delicious. Don't leave the market without stopping by The Stock Market, which sells soups made from scratch. I tried the red snapper broth, and it killed me that I can't get this kind of delicious soup in New York City. It hit the spot. For Vancouver specialty wines, the Okanagan Wine shop carries all kinds of local bottles from the nearby province of Okanagan. Perfect for souvenirs.

To get to Granville Island, you can take the ferry from Burrard Street, down the stairs to the Vancouver Aquatic Center.

Okay, so for years I was hearing about this great farmer's market on Granville Island. It sounded nice, but there was always something else to do or see. I'm not against a good farmer's market, but I come from northern California and we have a ton of them every weekend. How good could this one be?

Well, this trip, I made the ferry ride to see what I had been missing. To call Granville Island Public Market, JUST a farmer's market is like calling the Grand Canyon just a hole. This is the granddaddy of all farmer's markets.

Once you hit the front door, your senses go into overload. There are vendors all over selling all kind of foods. There are butchers, fishmongers, bakers, green grocers, and dairies all setting up shop here, selling their goods. You can walk around and find food stands from all over the world: Indian, sushi, German, Chinese or French Crepes. If you crave it, you can most likely find it here.

I had a great time seeing all the local produce. In September, all the fresh, local blackberries were in season, and they were the biggest berries I have ever seen. I went over and saw the fresh salmon booth. I got a sample of local smoked salmon and it was outrageously good.

I was lucky that I didn't have lunch in Vancouver before! I now had time to explore the stalls and put together my own perfect lunch. I got some fresh summer sausage from Oyama's, I found some local goat cheese from a stall called The Milkman , I found some fresh-baked rolls and got a pint of local, freshly picked blueberries and a homemade ice tea. I could not have asked for a better lunch and the price was less than C$6 for all of these treats! I then took my lunch and headed outside. I sat on the cement steps and looked across at the city of Vancouver; the sun had finally come out. I watched and listened to a few street acts while eating; one guy sang sad French ballads, the other guy was a juggler from Australia.

I had to ask myself - could there be a better lunch anywhere in Vancouver? Here I was munching on some of the freshest local food I could find. Each bite was worth remembering. Here I was sitting outside with a million-dollar view of the water and of the city. Restaurants charge double for a view like this! I even had free (okay, I did tip them), live entertainment. Plus it was downright cheap! I quickly decided this was the BEST lunch stop of all of Vancouver.

The market is open 7 days a week, all year long. Their hours are from 9am until 6pm daily. The ferry from Hornby Street costs C$2 each way. Granville Island's webpage is Granville Island.

I'm not usually a fan of markets, but the Granville Island market (and the island itself) was a lot of fun.

First, there is the food. The market had fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, flowers, bakery items, and lots of other food stuff from local farms and companies. I was like a kid in a candy store . . . or an adult in a candy store. We were looking for picnic items for a cruise on the water (see my boat rental entry). I expected to grab a couple things and be done in about 15 minutes. An hour later, we were still picking things out. By the time we had finished, I had eaten an ice cream cone, a bratwurst, fruit, and rice pudding. Plus, we had enough food for a crew of five. There were so many things that I wanted and the atmosphere was really fun. The market closed around 6pm on the Saturday we visited.

Second, there are the outdoor cafes. We had a couple of drinks outside at Bridges. You can watch the boats go by, people watch and just hang out. The weather was perfect, so it was an ideal day.

Third, there are usually live performers of some sort. We watched and listened to some musicians for about 20 minutes (this was during my ice cream phase of the eating).

Four, there are some fantastic art studios and artisans throughout Granville Island. Go from the market to the studios and you will find every kind of artist you can imagine (i.e. painting, sculpture, silk, baskets, metals, pottery, etc.). The artists are organized into a variety of collectives and you can actually see them working. This makes it much better than going to a fancy studio.

Finally, there a some other fun things to see and do near the markets. You can rent a boat, visit a museum (i.e. the model ship and train museum), go in the children's toy market, buy fish straight off a boat, or just roller blade around.

Where do I begin? Wondering around the Granville Island Public Market is a great way to spend the day. The street performers, specialty shops, fresh produce, fresh sea food, the ice cream, the flowers, I could go on and on. Wear comfortable shoes, because there is alot to see!

If you are planning a trip to see this market, and Vancouver for that matter, I recommend taking an aquabus for a tour around False Creek. This will cost you C$6/person and will take approximately 15-20 minutes. The water bus service is located behind the food market. Once out on the water you will have a great view of the Granville Street bridge, the Burard Street bridge, BC Place, the sea wall (the area that was used for the Vancouver Expo), and Science World. Parking is hard to come by in the market, so if you are driving (and you don't feel like wasting time looking for a spot to park) park along one of the side streets surrounding the market. Also, if you are coming in from downtown Vancouver, check into the aquabus service, because there are pick up spots all along the False Creek area! See this website or this one.