From Wikitravel

East Vancouver is that portion of Vancouver east of Ontario Street, a minor street just west of Main Street, the demarcation line where street addresses change from "east" to "west". East Van used to be the more working-class area of Vancouver, but because you can't buy a house for less than about $300,000 anywhere in the city, these days working-class people are tending to move to less expensive areas, like Surrey and Abbotsford, and all of Vancouver is very mixed culturally and economically. East Van does have a higher crime rate than the more affluent west side, but it has some very happening areas. Commercial Drive, known locally as The Drive is one of the most interesting areas of Vancouver.

[edit][add listing] See

• Hastings Park Racetrack Horse racing on most weekends.
• Pacific National Exibition/ Playland Playland is an amusement park best noted for it's wooden roller coaster which is a good ride and well regarded among enthusiasts of such things. The Pacific National Exhibition is fairtime and is quite crowded, there are lots of things to see. Be noted parking will not come cheap and there is no parking along any neighbouring streets that have houses fronting onto them.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Lime, 1130 Commercial Drive, ☎ +1-604-215-1130, [1]. Live music and entertainment every night of the week. Also known as "Rime". cover $5-$15.  edit

• Playland & Pacific National Exhibition is Vancouver's amusement park in Hastings Park. Open full-time through the summer and spring months (April-September), Playland wraps up with a two-week grand finale Pacific National Exhibition. Playland is a medium-sized amusement park, like something you may find at a U.S. county fair, and activities include a wooden rollercoaster, games, shows for kids and perhaps 20 or so other rides that spin, throw and hurl in various ways. During the two weeks of the P.N.E., the fair adds extra rides, and has a daily itinerary of extra events. Through the remaining months, Playland is usually closed, since the rainy Vancouver weather is not conducive to amusement park activities. Sometimes, the Playland grounds are open for special events, like Halloween.
• Trout Lake Lantern Festival is an annual event held in mid July. This includes many fantastic performers, and a parade of lanterns with (unnecessary ... gilding the lily) fireworks at the end of the night.
• Candy Bar, 2066 Kingsway, ☎ +1-604-877-1066. Wed - Sat 9:00pm - 3:00am. Live rock music dance club, featuring schochu. about $5 cover.  edit

• Vancouver Canadians Baseball The single A team that plays at the Nat Bailey Stadium [2]

[edit][add listing] Buy

• WaaZuBee Cafe and Bar, 1622 Commercial Drive (1st and Commercial), ☎ 604 253 5299, [3]. 10am to 1am. This 17 year icon on "the drive" is the place to go to for wine and a huge cocktail list. Their resident wine guy has 40+plus wines by the glass, wine flights, and BC's biggest gin selection. Food is varied from small bites to organic meat and seafood dishes. Skype waazubee $8 to$22.  edit

• Another funky shopping area is Commercial Drive, which was once was the city's Italian neighbourhood but which is now amazingly multicultural. Buskers, dogs, babies, pierced people, office workers, grocery shoppers share the Drive. The shops are relatively inexpensive and eclectic -- lots of coffee shops, tie-dye, toys, trinkets, and organic groceries. It's a great neighbourhood to live in because you can go out on foot and do all your shopping -- produce, cheese, sausage, stationery, pet food, hardware -- within just a few blocks.
• South Main (sometimes called "SoMa," the parts of Main Street south of 2nd Avenue or so) is rapidly becoming the new Bohemian neighborhood of designer boutiques, Asian religious item stores, and coffee shops. Many local designers have boutiques on Main between Broadway (the equivalent of 9th Ave.) south to about 29th Ave. where you can buy cutting-edge and handmade clothing for reasonable prices. Between King Edward Ave. (the equivalent of 25th) and 29th is a cluster of antique stores, some of which are expensive and not very good, but you can find treasures there if you search.
• Punjabi Market, sometimes called Little India, is the area along Main Street around East 49th Avenue (literally, 48th to 51st). There are a number of Indian food stores, restaurants, and stores selling Indian style clothes and materials.
• Farmers' Market at Trout Lake there are a few farmers markets that occur in Vancouver http://www.eatlocal.org/, but this is the first, and probably the best. It is only open on Saturday mornings and only in the summer and the last market day of the year is around Canadian Thanksgiving (early Oct.)...
• Outdoor Row Between Cambie & Main Street, Broadway is where Vancouverites go to shop for clothing, outdoor sporting goods, camping equipment & information regarding outdoor recreation & hiking. Centered around Mountain Equipment Co-Op (the largest store on the strip) there are a multitude of clothing, camping & sports stores.

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Budget

• Brittania Sushi, 1016 Commercial 604-251-1155. This might be the best deal on sushi in the city. $4.95 for an 18 piece combo (including yam rolls) with miso soup, or teriyaki box. Decent quality and decor.
• Sweet Lemon Cafe, on the 2500 block of East Hastings. There are a lot of great Vietnamese restaurants in this area, but some argue that the best deal is here. $5-6 tax included will get you a heaping bowl of vermicelli with a generous portion of chicken, beef, pork, or prawns. Great service and tasteful Ikea inspired decor.
• All India Sweets, 6507 Main St (corner of Main and 49th), 604-327-0891. Excellent vegetarian all you can eat Indian food buffet for $9.95. Is under new management and no longer has a large selection on sweets .
• Hawker's Delight, 4127 Main Street, 604-709-8188. At Main and King Edward Hawker's servers up authentic Malaysian/Singaporean dishes at $4-5. Fast-paced atmosphere (as the name would suggest). Good vegetarian options.
• Rhizome, Broadway & Kingsway. Good multicultural food, including a novel 'pay as you like' lentil stew that has no fixed price. Very friendly staff, with a wide variety of vegetarian, vegan and meat sandwiches and stews.
• Samurai Sushi on Fraser, 6428 Fraser Street (at 49th Ave), ☎ +1-604-676-4479, [4]. 11h-21h. Well known for having huge portions for small prices. Take out available. There is another location at 1108 Davie in the City Center, which is open until midnight. $10.  edit

[edit] Mid-range

• Red Sea Cafe, 670 E Broadway, Vancouver, 604-873-3332. Authentic Eritrean and Ethiopian food in a clean, well-run atmosphere. Delicious food and outstanding service from the two wonderful owners. Excellent value.
• Tio Pepe's, 1134 Commercial Dr, 604-254-8999. Used to be a favourite! Until it changed owners, it was a great restaurant and most authentic Mexican place in Vancouver.
• Bo Kong, 3068 Main St. A vegetarian Buddhist Chinese restaurant. Has an incredibly diverse menu. Get the bean curd skin rolls with black bean sauce! It's a good idea to make reservations; it's very popular.
• Nyala, 4148 Main Street (at E King Edward Ave), ☎ +1-(604) 876-9919 (nyala@nyala.com), [5]. lunch 11:30am - 2:30pm; dinner 5 - 11:30 pm Mon - Sun. Ethiopian food, served communally and eaten with the fingers using injera bread. A good selection of vegetarian entrees. The friendly owner, Assefa Kebele, may well be clearing your plates. The pottery he makes is exhibited there. $10-15/person.  edit

• Toshi Sushi is a small sushi restaurant, mostly family-run. Located off of Main street, it serves relatively cheap, good sushi and as a result it is usually packed by 6PM. Avoid the garlic beef, but one must try the tempura. Get there at around 5PM.

[edit] Splurge

• Aurora, 2420 Main St (at 7th Ave). Vancouver's newest bistro, specializing in cheeky Canadian cuisine (sourdough grilled cheese featuring seasonally available locally produced cheeses and thinly sliced pear). $40 - 50 dinner for 2.

A welcome addition to the rapidly developing Mt Pleasant commercial district, a great run of clothing designers, restaurants, and cafe's stretching south on Main from 2nd to 40th Street. Local favourites include Locus (Main @ 25th) and The Reef (Main & 26th).

[edit][add listing] Drink

Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House, at Kingsway and Clark, just off of Knight St. Upstairs is a funky little coffee house with lots of comfy seating, downstairs is a friendly pub, popular with a lot of local sports teams. There is a patio adjoining, with heat lamps for those cooler evenings. Friday nights are almost always packed.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• London Guard Motor Inn, 2227 Kingsway (between Gladstone and Nanaimo Streets), ☎ +1-604-430-4646 (fax: 1-604-736-7912). Toll free phone: 1-888-997-7773.  edit

[edit] Contact

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!