Kitsilano, or 'Kits' as locals know it, used to be the Vancouver version of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. Nowadays, it is still a fascinating area to visit and worth a day of anyone's time. Defining the exact area of Kitsilano is not an easy thing to do. The boundaries are roughly from Blenheim Street in the west to Main Street north of 33rd Avenue in the east. What Kits certainly does contain is excellent beaches, an ample green space called Vanier Park, some impressive museums and excellent shopping opportunities.
Kitsilano Beach has a heated outdoor saltwater swimming pool overlooking English Bay. Most of Kits Beach faces due west, so it makes a beautiful location to watch the sunset. Beach volleyball is a very popular pastime at this beach. The Kitsilano Showboat is an open-air theatre by the beach, where during the summer months dance and martial arts performances take place. Vanier Park is probably the best place in Vancouver to fly kites or watch them being flown.
West 4th Avenue between Burrard and MacDonald, and West Broadway between MacDonald and Blenheim have enough stores to stall the most stalwart shopper. Fourth Avenue is close to both GranvilleIsland and Kitsilano Beach, and contains coffee shops, clothing stores and such Kitsilano institutions as Capers and Sophie's Cosmic Café. Since being opened in 1990, Sophie's has enjoyed a great reputation for fine food that still holds true, if the line-ups for breakfast on most weekends are anything to go by. West Broadway shopping opportunities include Greek food specialty stores, a kid's only bookstore, the Bon Ton bakery, and a Lens and Shutter, where visitors can buy all their film and video supplies.
Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734
