Mount Pleasant & Main Street

Today we are continuing our photographic tour of Vancouver by visiting the East Side. East Vancouver is pretty vast, with many smaller neighborhoods that collectively make up this side of town. Stretching from Main Street (well, technically Ontario Street) all the way to Burnaby, this is where many of the trendy and more livable parts of town are located. There are many faces to this area, and it’s hard to group them all together into one post, but that’s exactly what we’re going to attempt this afternoon.

Throughout the summer, we’ve been spending a lot of our time exploring the different neighbourhoods of the city through the eyes of a tourist. From Hastings-Sunrise to Commercial Drive, there are many different flavours to sample during a trip to East Vancouver. Most of our focus for this post will be around Mount Pleasant. This was once home; Rob lived just off Main Street for almost 10 years, so this side of town has a bit of added sentimental value to it.

Mount Pleasant is the centerpiece of this neighbourhood, located around the intersections of Main Street, Kingsway and Broadway. This was once part of the expanding city core which originated in Gastown and Chinatown, two neighbourhoods we explored a few weeks ago, and is now one of the most livable places in the city where many trendy coffee shops, restaurants and have revitalized this part of town.

If you’re a fan of Craft Breweries, this is one of the most walkable areas for beer enthusiasts, as there are close to 10 breweries located between Main and Cambie Streets. Good luck trying to visit them all in one day. This is also where the Vancouver Mural Festival was born, so while you’re exploring the breweries and coffee shops, there are plenty of great pieces of street art to seek out.

If you need a place to just kick back and relax, one of the most unique parks in the city is located on this side of town; Dude Chilling Park is one of the must see attractions here. It is/was named Guelph Park, but after a sculpture was installed here that resembled a dude chilling, locals renamed the park. The sign for Guelph Park was replaced by a second installation that was so popular, eventually the city gave up and accepted the new name.

Vancouver is a unique city, which has many different faces to it, and the ever-evolving city is growing at a torrid pace. The variety of different neighbourhoods makes Vancouver what it is today, a collection of small centers, each of which is different than the rest. East Vancouver is the traditional core of the people, where most of the artists, students and young families move to. When you decide to visit Vancouver, make sure you take some time out of your busy schedule to visit this side of the city. You will not be disappointed.

Mount Pleasant & Main Street

East Vancouver. 2018.

Heritage Hall on Main Street. 2012.