Thus, after eight weeks I’ve spent on the island near Sechelt, I finally arrived in the infamous and mysterious Vancouver. I am pleased that my primary and first goal was Montreal. Unlike Vancouver, you can fly to Montreal cheaply. If you book a flight from Poland, “party in Vancouver” will cost you at least one thousand bucks return. At this point, so near Seattle, I could follow the road of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Vedder, Layne Staley and others. However, once I arrived in Vancouver I had already lived a year of amazing adventures in Canada, and I didn’t regret my US visa was denied. After all, there will still be time to discover America at some point.
If I would be to live in Canada, I don’t think I would visit Vancouver that often to be honest. The mountain range that extends around the city and the proximity of the ocean does not make this city to stand out from other Canadian metropolises. There is a lot of stuff going on but still a few times less than let’s say in Montreal or Victoria. Rent and various service prices rank Vancouver at the top of the list of most expensive cities to live in Canada. My local friends also confirmed that there aren’t too many artsy stuff in Vancouver. I stayed in Vancouver a couple of days and couldn’t find even one open mic. I even asked for recommendations in the music shops but didn’t get any. Perhaps, Vancouver lacks good source of reliable information about stuff happening in town?
Before coming here, my assumption was that Vancouver will offer plenty of rock’n’roll mysteries to be discovered. A short distance to Seattle and the overall reputation of the city certainly gives such a promise. Standing at the door of Jimi Hendrix Shrine on Union Street, I realized that quite the opposite was the truth. Sure, you can find landmarks of the rock and roll history in Vancouver but, as journalist Steve Burgess said, a circuit of Vancouver musical landmarks would produce fewer good photos than a bus tour of last year’s lightning strikes. Jimi Hendrix Shrine is one of them. Open from June to September, Hendrix’s little museum is where Jimi spent longs months as a kid, under care of his grandmother who worked here as a cook. This place many years ago served as a good restaurant where Nat King Cole or Louis Armstrong would come to satisfy their hunger after their shows.
Jimi Hendrix Shrine
Elvis Presley fans may take a deep breath in front of the entrance to Georgia Hotel. Today known as Rosewood Suite, back then the room 1226 served as the temporary digs of Elvis during his stay in the city. After the concert at the Empire Stadium in 1957, Room 1226 was completely trashed after radio reporter Red Robison made a mistake of spilling the beans on air about Presley’s lodging. Marble Arch is what remains of a gentleman’s club where guests were more than willing to give away their hard earned money to some flexible dancers. It is also where Girls, Girls, Girls – Motley Crue music video was shot. The YMCA on Burrard Street was the inspiration for Victor Willis of Village People to write the famous single YMCA.
In search of the most famous music venues in Vancouver I head towards Grenville Street. A major street of Vancouver with dozens of cafes, restaurants, pubs, cinemas and theaters. Back in the day, Grenville Street was known for being a Theater Row, thus forming the main entertainment district in the city. Luckily, many of the old institutions are still running, representing a good piece of the city’s musical history.
First thing you will see heading from the city centre along the Grenville Street is the Commodore Ballroom’s neon. Running continuously for 80 years, it definitely stands out on Grenville Street, same as it did throughout its history. The origins of its greatness go back to the moment when Drew Burns took over. Excellent management and venues growing reputation attracted artists of every sort and initiated a string of performances by the likes of Patti Smith, The Police, Devo, The Clash and Tom Petty. For the next three decades it was a host to endless music feasts and sealed the reputation of the venue. However, all stars must fade and the show business is a cruel one to keep on shining in. Despite all the success it all came down hard for Commodore Ballroom too. It all seemed to work well but until the place shut down in 1996 because of obvious reasons.
Unfortunately, you can’t pay bills with monopoly cash and the place looked to be doomed. The mourning after the closure was long and bitter, proving how much Commodore Ballroom meant for the city. Finally, after a long renovation worth $3.5 million, club rose from the ashes in 1999. Since then, the venue has won even more awards and has been acclaimed the most recognizable concert hall in Canada and holds a spot in the top 10 of the most important venues in North America. Commodore built in art deco style is a must on any tourist ‘to see’ list.
Leaving the Commodore Ballroom right to the left, I catch a glimpse of yet another huge neon. It’s the Orpheum, an exclusive theater and concert hall almost as old as Commodore Ballroom. At the time of its opening, with three thousand seats, it was the largest theater in Canada. It is also home to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Listed on the National Historic Sites of Canada same as the Vogue Theater it is the last of its kind on Grenville and the what remains of the former Theater Row. The venue acts as a concert hall, theater and cinema and, like the previous two entries, has been also been listed.
Here my Vancouver adventure ends. Vancouver has its charm and magic. Many stories have their beginnings here and many concluded in this metropolis. There are some places that tell the musical history of the city, but for me it would not be enough to be enchanted and certainly not enough for me to put my roots there.
Leaving Vancouver, I was excited for my last adventure in Canada. So I packed my backpack for the penultimate time and with a single tear in my eye, I took a ferry to Victoria – my last stop in Canada.
Georgia Hotel
Marble Arch
Jimi Henrix Shrine
Commodore Ballroom
Orpheum
The Vogue Theatre