Day Trips

Pacific Coliseum

By Vancouver Magazine /

 

SHOP | EAT & DRINK | WANDER | GET THERE

 

The storied eastside arena (locals know it as the place the Vancouver Canucks made their best run for the Stanley Cup back in 1994) may be the hardest working venue in the Games, hosting figure skating and short track speed skating events concurrently, and doing many quick changes in between, adjusting the ice layout, thickness, and temperature accordingly. These will be some of the most popular events, too: to help meet demand, VANOC has sold tickets to figure skating training sessions.

Olympic Schedule

Figure Skating and Short Track Speed Skating Pacific Coliseum plays host to medal and non-medal figure skating and short track speed skating. See a schedule of Olympic figure skating events and Olympic short track speed skating here. 

 

 

Download a little bit of Vancouver history at Dayton Boots. The newly redesigned flagship store uses wood salvaged from the windstorm that nearly destroyed Stanley Park in 2006. And the boots? Cult faves. Since 1946 they’ve been sought out by cowboys, firemen, bikers, and every tough kid in between. 2250 E. Hastings St., 604-253-6671. Daytonboots.com

 

 

Perennial winner of the “Best Metro” category in Vancouver magazine’s annual restaurant awards, The Pear Tree is an oasis of understated elegance on a well-worn stretch of East Hastings Street. The menu covers all the bases with seasonal, sustainable, organic fare as refined as the 50-seat room. If it’s on offer, order the rainbow trout served with potato froth and hazelnuts. Outstanding. Reservations recommended. 4120 E. Hastings St., 604-299-2772. Peartreerestaurant.net

Moccia supplies its exceptional dry-cured pork products (pancettas, salami, prosciutto, etc.) to restaurants all over town. Score it all here, plus fresh offerings like chicken breasts stuffed with provolone and proscuitto, and their signature cappone roll—an oven-ready roasting chicken stuffed with house-made sausage and veal. 2276 E. Hastings St., 604-255-2032

At Italia Bakery Vancouver find traditional baked goods like light-as-air sfogliatelle pastries, crunchy biscotti, and several varieties of cookies like lemon moons, baci di dama, and cannoli. On the savoury side, excellent scratch-made pizzas. 2828 E. Hastings St., 604-251-6800

Schokolade Artisan Chocolates & Cafe Schokolade’s pretty, richly flavoured chocolates are made in small batches by hand, with most ingredients sourced locally (the sea salt caramel—our favourite—is distinctly West Coast). There are also pre-bagged chocolate-dipped nuts and, at the counter, decadent muffins, flans, and pies—most laced with chocolate, of course. Closed Sundays and Mondays. 2263 E. Hastings St., 604-253-9411. Schokoladecafe.com

Cioffi’s Meat Market, Gourmet Kitchen, and Delicatessen offer one-stop shopping for impromptu Olympic gatherings. At the meat market, fine meats (triple-A prime beef, 15 different types of house-made sausages) and incredibly priced dinner-ready entrees like eggplant or veal Parmesan (three large cutlets for $8.99?!). On Wednesdays, freshly made lasagnas are prepared—and sell out by midday. Two shops down, the deli side of the business stocks imports of all major Italian groceries, breads from Calabria Bakery, and very reasonably priced meats and cheeses. Soon they’ll open a café and sandwich shop at the back. Expect Lavazza espresso, piled-high focaccias—and massive lineups. 4156 and 4142 E. Hastings St., 604-291-9373

 

 

Event delay? Venture outdoors to the scenic Trans Canada Trail, which winds east along the shoreline, under the deck of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and up into the Vancouver Heights neighbourhood of Burnaby. Best place to connect to it from Pacific Coliseum is directly north of the exhibition grounds at New Brighton Park. For trail maps, click here.

 

 

From Renfrew SkyTrain station hop on the Northbound Renfrew bus  or the Games Express Bus, which leads you to the venue’s doorstop. Another option: take the Eastbound 135 bus from outside the Burrard SkyTrain station or along Hastings Street and debark at Renfrew Street.