Whistler: The City of Olympic Dreams
Thursday August 26, 2004
This past weekend I had the privilege of visiting Whistler with my friend Maida. This is my blog of that trip.
The trip to Whistler from Vancouver is a beautiful one. On route you pass through West Vancouver, Squamish, Horseshoe Bay, Brtiannia Beach, and Brakendale. Each of these have their own highlights. West Vancouver is Canada's richest municipality. Squamish is famous for outdoor recreation and is a very beautiful community. Horseshoe Bay is best known for its ferry terminal, but it also has a very quant downtown with nice shops and cafes. Britannia Beach is an old mining town, which is now home to a large mining museum. The museum features underground train rides through the mines for about $13 Canadian. While we did not stop in Brakendale, the community supposedly is famous for two things; one is art and the other is bald eagles.
On top of this, the area between Whistler and Vancouver also features several parks. These parks range in size from tiny sea shore parks to the giant Garibaldi provincial park. Some of the better known and easier to access parks along the trip include Shannon Falls. This spectacular waterfall plunges out onto smooth cliffs and dives many many feet. Shannon Falls is located just minutes before Squamish. North of Squamish, you will find Alice Lake. Alice Lake is a very well known lake and is a good place to picnic on summer days. The trip also features numerous other roadside lakes. Just minutes outside of Whistler, you will find Brandywine Falls. This beautiful waterfall is amazing -- a quiet flowing stream plunges out in to a free fall where it flows a short distance into a lake.
We had the unique experience of visiting Whistler in summer. Whistler does not die in summer, quite the opposite actually. Whistler is a great summer destination for outdoor enthusiasts, seniors wanting to get away from it all, and young people looking to party. Whistler has grown so big that it now more or less has suburbs. While it is definitely not a metropolitan area yet, it is growing very fast. Major commercial areas of Whistler are the main village, Whistler Creekside and the Upper Village. We had the pleasure of visiting all three. Creekside is a newer part of the village and is still being largely developed. It features several stores, including a 24 hour grocery store. Just minutes away we fiind Whistler village. You could easily spend several days in the village alone. Many places are a bit pricey, but well worth it.
Whistler Village features oodles of stores and one of the longest walking streets in North America. In a format very similar to Europe, the city has been built with city squares where people can congregate. Most of the stores are upscale box stores, although there are definitely exceptions. With lots of hotels and over 93 bars, pubs and clubs licensed to serve alcohol, Whistler Village is definitely the place to find a party or to let loose and have some fun. Whistler provides quick access to both Blackcomb and Whistler ski resorts.
The Upper Village is much more quiet and relaxed. This is definitely the part of Whistler that is meant for the quieter types. It is right by Blackcomb.
Just 20 minutes from Whistler one will find Pemberton. This small village is famous for its lakes and outdoor recreation opportunities.
After visiting Whistler, I must say that I am very impressed. I hope to be back to this area sometime in Winter -- then I will even have to learn how to do some skiing. I could even live in this area for a little while.