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Granville Island Market


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Kayaksoup: thanks for your perspective. you raise some good points.

The idea of being open later is designed for those people who are in transit from work and can only make it after 6:00. The quiet time before six is to be expected as most of the afternoon shoppers who can make it are at home preparing dinner. It would definitely be an experiment as one of the hardest things to do is to change customer flow patterns in an existing business.

It would take more than just a change of hours but some new elements in the mix with a lot of advertising to get people to drive in after 6:00. For instance ready to go things like really good spit roasted chickens and..... I haven't been for awhile but there was a place in Lonsdale Quay that cooked your seafood to order. (something like that would attract shoppers in to buy things for dinner as well as their purchases for the rest of the week.)

On the other hand it is difficult for small business' to staff appropriately and still maintain a quality of life. It is really tough to find staff as it is without extending the hours. It seems like everywhere you go there are help wanted signs.

G.I. has done a good job of bringing in the tourists but unfortunately at the expense of the locals who've jumped to the competition. I'm not quite sure what the bus loads of tourists do for the bottom line as they seem to take lots of pictures but that's about it. I'm just glad I'm within walking distance.

Thank goodness Go Fish is outside the market otherwise the lineups would be worse then they already are.

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What are the examples of the "tourist tat and worse" that you mention?

ROTFLMAO!!!!

God Almighty man are you drunk??? :wacko:

Not yet.

But once again, and beyond your duck-in-a-barrel potshots about the island, Sam, what would you do to improve the Granville Island Market?

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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Kayaksoup: thanks for your perspective. you raise some good points.

The idea of being open later is designed for those people who are in transit from work and can only make it after 6:00. The quiet time before six is to be expected as most of the afternoon shoppers who can make it are at home preparing dinner. It would definitely be an experiment as one of the hardest things to do is to change customer flow patterns in an existing business.

It would take more than just a change of hours but some new elements in the mix with a lot of advertising to get people to drive in after 6:00. For instance ready to go things like really good spit roasted chickens and..... I haven't been for awhile but there was a place in Lonsdale Quay that cooked your seafood to order. (something like that would attract shoppers in to buy things for dinner as well as their purchases for the rest of the week.)

On the other hand it is difficult for small business' to staff appropriately and still maintain a quality of life. It is really tough to find staff as it is without extending the hours. It seems like everywhere you go there are help wanted signs.

G.I. has done a good job of bringing in the tourists but unfortunately at the expense of the locals who've jumped to the competition. I'm not quite sure what the bus loads of tourists do for the bottom line as they seem to take lots of pictures but that's about it. I'm just glad I'm within walking distance.

Thank goodness Go Fish is outside the market otherwise the lineups would be worse  then they already are.

Very interesting to hear kayaksoup's literal insights (from what I think is still the top-grossing space on the Island on a psf basis, if not in all of Canada) and yours too eatrustic. I agree, as I mentioned at length above, that the Island Trust and management need to create more access for locals, especially by asserting the 'Best of BC', i.e. the satellite ops of top-drawer provisioners all available under one roof. More accessible hours might assist.

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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One idea that's been bandied about is banning tour buses altogether-anyone who wanted to visit GI could do so in the same fashion residents do.As mentioned by Kayaksoup the average 'tour bus bound' market visitor seems to contribute little but carbon dioxide.

Again my personal history with the Island is such that I remember the promises made when it opened-that it wouldn't be covered with stores selling mass produced goods for the tourist trade.

Well it isn't covered but they are there and it appears there are more of them every year.As well I've seen the mix of goods in long time stores change-not for the better.

When was the last time you spent an hour walking the Island without going in the Market Jamie?

Returning to the Market I too have noted the absence of some long time day vendors-people who had quality hand made goods who are now nowhere to be found.

I also note that on Travel Boards across the net-notably Fodors-the first complaints of GI being 'too touristy' are starting to appear.Not a lot of them and No I didn't put them up.Someone somewhere should be alarmed though.

The proof that they aren't alarmed is contained in the frustrated almost angry tone in the post by the redoubtable Daddy-A.Once customers like him have been 'put off they ain't a comin' back-no way no how.

I'll always be around on my bike-I could have stopped this aft in fact.But the money that I used to spend in GIM now rests in tills in Chinatown and W. Broadway and will for the foreseeable future.

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As mentioned by Kayaksoup the average 'tour bus bound' market visitor seems to contribute little but carbon dioxide.
... and, while I worked there, many hours of entertainment as I spun tall tales at their expense :laugh:
The proof that they aren't alarmed is contained in the frustrated almost angry tone in the post by the redoubtable Daddy-A.Once customers like him have been 'put off they ain't a comin' back-no way no how.

Redoubtlable? Moi? (I had to look the word up before I replied :rolleyes: ) Oh, I go to GI Sam. I'll even take visitors there. You just have to know what to expect. If you want to go shopping, go early or go late. If you want to go an people watch ... pick your poison.

I'll stop going to GI about the same time I stop going to Stanley Park.

A.

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EDITED

One idea that's been bandied about is banning tour buses altogether-anyone who wanted to visit GI could do so in the same fashion residents do.As mentioned by Kayaksoup the average 'tour bus bound' market visitor seems to contribute little but carbon dioxide.

When was the last time you spent an hour walking the Island without going in the Market Jamie?

Returning to the Market I too have noted the absence of some long time day vendors-people who had quality hand made goods who are now nowhere to be found.

I also note that on Travel Boards across the net-notably Fodors-the first complaints of GI being 'too touristy' are starting to appear.Not a lot of them and No I didn't put them up.Someone somewhere should be alarmed though.

The proof that they aren't alarmed is contained in the frustrated almost angry tone in the post by the redoubtable Daddy-A.Once customers like him have been 'put off they ain't a comin' back-no way no how.

I don't disgree that the tour bus traffic can be overwhelming--the merchants who benefit are not typically selling produce or fish.

And I should probably declare myself Sam as I was intimately involved in the evolution of the Island for many years when my wife, Andrea Maw, and best friend, Angus Stewart, were Island Trustees for almost a decade. (I also drove my concrete mixer truck out of the Granville Island depot for quite a while, but that's another story). I also financed the development of the Kids' Only Market. So I've actually spent a fair amount of time considering the options for the Island, its limited land area, and the continuously evolving tenant mix. I think that Ron Basford's, John Keith King's and many others' vision for the Island has been well-fulfilled, but equally I think it's always healthy to reexamine how public facilities can best accomodate growing and changing needs. Needless to say, the relocation of the Emily Carr School of Art to the island was a superb mix of uses.

I also recollect with amusement your comment from last year regarding a self-professed aversion to tourists in general. I'm afraid that the Island, and especially the Market, will continue to be strong tourist draws and that local residents legitimately interested in the Island's livelihood will continue to find ways to co-exist.

Mine, by the way, is to go early but to help people with maps.

I should probably also declare that I was a director of and ultimately chairman of Canada Place from 1984 through Expo to 1993, and subsequently a director of YVR during its privatization and expansion. Turns out we get the odd tourist in those facilities too. Like Granville Island they were explicitly designed to be accessible, competitively-priced and interesting public facilities for locals and visitors alike.

I hope that you continue to enjoy them all.

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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On the other hand it is difficult for small business' to staff appropriately and still maintain a quality of life. It is really tough to find staff as it is without extending the hours. It seems like everywhere you go there are help wanted signs.

Very interesting to hear kayaksoup's literal insights (from what I think is still the top-grossing space on the Island on a psf basis, if not in all of Canada) and yours too eatrustic. I agree, as I mentioned at length above, that the Island Trust and management need to create more access for locals, especially by asserting the 'Best of BC', i.e. the satellite ops of top-drawer provisioners all available under one roof. More accessible hours might assist.

I believe you are right about the top-grossing, although in all of Canada might be a stretch...

But as eatrustic mentioned, staffing levels are a real struggle for us and other places inside the market. And that is with the current hours of operation. As it is, I will be working 6 days a week for the next three weeks, due to staff shortages.

I know I said I wish there weren't so many tourists, but they are our major source of income in the summer, as locals disappear until September. But they don't contribute that much to the grocery type businesses - butchers, produce merchants etc.

Some of us who work there are also leery as we had extended hours for Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, with little to no advertising and we had 1 customer between 4 and 6 on Christmas Eve.

I will admit that my opinion is a lot softer than the owners of my store, but I could get shot for expressing the possibility that extended hours might just work :raz:

< Linda >

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Yes I agree that JKK's vision of the Island has been lived out. As one who was part of lease negotiations for a family business (Pacific Spar) I can say all his dreams have come true.

Granville Island Market has become a victim of it's own succces. It is no longer a place for serious food shoppers. Unless you can get there early you stand little chance of fighting your way through the tourists to make your purchases. In my opinion a lot of them are just there to have a good laugh at us anyways. It seems like they are there to say things like, "What the Hell is That?" or "You're going to eat wild mushrooms?" "Where are the free samples?"

Next time you go count how many people actually buy something. Even fewer are the people with bags of food for home preperation. Is this a problem? I think it is because without retail customers actually buying the stuff there is no reason for the market to exist. Soon the tour buses full of voyeurs will go elsewhere.

My suggestion is to have an area where each merchant can give out samples of their food away from the serious shoppers. The walls could be covered with shiney objects and the rest of us could shop safely.

David Cooper

"I'm no friggin genius". Rob Dibble

http://www.starlinebyirion.com/

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I think Granville Island is a wonderful place, but…

- Provide a free shuttle bus!

That way grocery shoppers who are not in walking distance can take their car but don't have to take it onto the island and visitors with small children and elderly people can go to the Island without cars (as no busses go right onto the Island)

- Totally separate the gift booths from the food booths so the market does not get so crowed with tourists (except for those interested in the food stalls)

- Have general foods/dry goods shop so you really can do all your shopping. I often shop at GI for my fruit, veg and meat but have to go elsewhere for flour, sugar, puff pastry etc.

- Lower the prices of the booths for the food merchants, I am going to guess that is why it is so much more expensive to shop there then on West Broadway (as surely they get their vegetables from the same place!)

- Lower the price of the groceries, it's quite expensive to shop at the market and the prices have been creeping up year after year. It' s much cheaper to shop on West Broadway (for exactly the same products) and way, way cheaper to shop on Commercial Drive.

The restaurateurs got a 10% discount, maybe they should get more then that so they use the market more.

Regular locals shoppers should be able to purchase a discount card (like a co-op card) for $5.00 or so and also get e-mail news and updates about special events, specials etc.

Have a good host program for merchants, they can often be quite unfriendly, particularly (and please don't take any kind of ethnic offence from this) the Asian vegetable and fruit merchants (who seem to run every one of the regular fruit and veg stalls and often speak poor English)

Have more organic produce available year round, not just during the truck market

Have a bigger wine shop

Perhaps have food/grocery market only stay open until 7:00 pm

Be able to drink a glass of wine in the food market

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You know,

while I think all the criticisms above are apt, I still think it is a little early to write the market off.

I grew up in False Creek and live there now. My dad was an original Trust member, and I literally have been cavorting through the market since before it is open. My little league team was even sponsored by the Granville Island merchants!

I also worked "on Island" for several years, though not in the market itself. I didn't willingly spend my free time there then!

It is not perfect. The tourists are out of hand in the summer, and I wouldn't even think of taking a car down there.

Touristy shops have encroached somewhat, with the accompanying heinous airbrushed wolf emblazoned sweatshirts, and there are politics.

But lets give it some credit.

I think one of the reasons that Vancouver has become such a serious food city is due in part to the market and its introduction to what was a new shopping concept to many urbanites.

It paved the way for other, more direct farmers markets, and was a large force in educating the public about how they eat.

It has historically and continues to give local artists and craftsmen access to the public (including tourists) that they would be hard pressed to achieve elsewhere.

I think there is also public pressure for the Island to try to maintain its integrity- hence the outcry when A&W threatened to move in next to the Kid's Only.

I still do some of my shopping there; like-I suspect- most of you, I tend to find my food all over the city. I would love to see later hours and some other improvements, and the rapid and painful demise of Sammy J. Peppers.

But I couldn't walk away from Oyama, Duso's, The Lobsterman, the mushroom guy, the Stock Market and the familiar faces behind all those counters) that guy who makes paper mache animals, the bulk foods place where you can buy 1/4 cup of cornflour, the Wood Co-op, Circle Craft, the jewelers, glassblowers and pottery makers, the singing Russian man, Knotty Toys, Emily Carr.

I think a lot of cities would kill for a Granville Island. Maybe we just take it for granted because we have in Vancouver- an embarrassment of riches for Gully type folk.

PS. I take my stroller there too, and use it as a battering ram to get through the tourists. Does that make me a bad person : )

Ann

The sea was angry that day my friends... like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.

George Costanza

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I believe you are right about the top-grossing, although in all of Canada might be  a stretch...

I will admit that my opinion is a lot softer than the owners of my store, but I could get shot for expressing the possibility that extended hours might just work :raz:

I have very fond memories of the restaurant where your proprietors started out in Vancouver--Le Chef et sa Femme. It was, as I recall, near 4th and Macdonald. I also admire their reluctance to franchise or expand their Stock Market operation, even if it's a question often asked.

annanstee  I think a lot of cities would kill for a Granville Island. Maybe we just take it for granted because we have in Vancouver- an embarrassment of riches for Gully type folk.

I couldn't agree with you more, Ann. Any look at other urban markets in North America, and many in Europe, allow that GI functions at quite a high level. Frankly I think we're a little spoiled, and as my early morning forays there prove, like you I can find superb local product.

And good on your Dad for his time in the trenches as a Trustee. I know firsthand the long hours and dedication involved, and, conversely, also that the people who bitch the loudest are typically the least likely to do anything about creating positive solutions.

But now, the 'tourist conundrum'. Certainly one solution to the tour bus trainwreck will be somewhat resolved when the Ocean lease expires.

But it raises another question. When I arrive in a city, usually the first place I head to is the local market--it's a great way to read how the locals' food culture describes their broader one. But taking some of this discussion to heart, perhaps I shouldn't go there, because I'm a tourist, after all, and I might confound the locals' ability to stuff their own gaping maws.

Great post.

Jamie

PS--I hope that a few of our friends in other cities (see the excellent post from Philadelphia, above) who have visited Vancouver weigh in on their relative opinions--I think more parochial Vancouverites would be pleasantly surprised to more fully comprehend just how good we've got it.

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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PS. I take my stroller there too, and use it as a battering ram to get through the tourists. Does that make me a bad person : )

Not in my books it does not.

I have said so on this board before as to how frustrating it is to have people walk five abreast, oblivious to the growing line up of people behind them. Other than declaring shopping a full contact sport, what is the solution ?

Just grin and bear it and be thankful we live in such a wonderful and desired city ?

Neil - father of two little kids - Wyles

P.S. I have found that knocking the person with the wheel of the stroller about three times in the Achilles tendon generally gets the message through. That is my little secret to survival on G.I.

Neil Wyles

Hamilton Street Grill

www.hamiltonstreetgrill.com

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PS. I take my stroller there too, and use it as a battering ram to get through the tourists. Does that make me a bad person : )

Not in my books it does not.

I have said so on this board before as to how frustrating it is to have people walk five abreast, oblivious to the growing line up of people behind them. Other than declaring shopping a full contact sport, what is the solution ?

Just grin and bear it and be thankful we live in such a wonderful and desired city ?

Neil - father of two little kids - Wyles

P.S. I have found that knocking the person with the wheel of the stroller about three times in the Achilles tendon generally gets the message through. That is my little secret to survival on G.I.

If that doesn't work Neil, have you considered pieing them with an HSG House Signature Classic Lemon Meringue?

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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I love GI and I hate GI - I love the options, the ability to get a wide variety of fresh everything in one place. But I have to steel myself to go unless I am there at 8 am on Saturday. I can never shop during the week because of work so I only go on the weekends - but if we are entertaining that evening, shopping in the morning means I get a late start in the morning.

What do I hate? What everyone else has also mentioned the tourists and the parking. Arghh.

But, speaking as a tourist currently in London as I write this - where did I go today? Borough Street Market. It is lovely but in some ways not nearly as nice as GI and if you think the parking is bad at GI - you have to see Borough Street Market. Not a parking spot in sight. So markets are a tourist draw and I always seek them out where ever I go.

And the tourists - man oh man oh man. We need a line of dance in the aisles. I try to zig round them and they immediately zag right into my path.

But, unfortunately, I can't think of what can be done to make it better. I can't tell you the number of times I have headed into the Island after 9 am on a weekend only to see a line-up out to Carter Honda and I have done an immediate turnabout and headed to Stongs.

But, if the Island is perhaps heading into a rough patch maybe I ought to brave it and patronize the Island before it's gone.

Cheers,

Karole

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Thanks for all these replies, it has been really interesting to read the various perspectives. My views are probably most closely aligned with Jamie's and Ann's. But then I have the luxury of taking the ferry over so I don't worry about parking.

I can deal with the traffic, strollers, tourists and the not so great stores (yes, tourist tat Sam S) and restaurants (and even the rats, Merlin) because there's so much of the Island that I like. I know how important the tourists are to the craftspeople and other businesses on the Island. I love the diversity that has been accomplished in that very small space. I know how hard it is to balance all the interests and politics of place like this. And I just like looking at those old wooden beams, chains and hooks overhead in the market and knowing that it wasn't all razed for a new development. Is it perfect - no, but it's still pretty good.

I often head over to the Island early on the ferry, have a little breakfast and read the paper, wander around to see who and what's at the market, check out the craft shows, meander up to South Granville and look at the galleries and shops, eat at Rangoli, meander back via Les Amis du Fromage and pick up groceries on the way home - a great day in my world!

What I wish for most:

Longer hours - even a few evenings a week. I just can't get to Granville Island from work by 6:00 pm, and I work downtown. Surely there is some compromise, flex schedules, optional late openings or something that can appease the vendors and service the customers at the same time.

Better BC wine selection - A better wine store with a fuller selection of BC wines would be great. A chance to actually drink wine with food at the market would be great too, BYOB would be even better. I like Jamie's ideas of a Best of BC concept for tourists. I often hear tourists trying to figure out what to buy to bring back home, BC wine could be part of this concept.

Better food in the market restaurants - Especially fresh fish. I don't eat a lot in the market except breakfast, but I wish there was a Go Fish in the market.

Cheers,

Anne

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I didn't make the point above but G.I., warts and all, is a great market.

Although it's showing it's age a bit and one of it's main attractions/downsides is that it's on the island...it still is light years ahead of just about any other market I've seen (Pike Place excepted).

Just think of the sad mess that was the Robson St. Galleria. Almost all markets that try to pattern themselves after G.I. end up having to rent space to trinket shops to make ends meet. (There was one in downtown Calgary a few years ago that had the same problem.)

Edmonton has a great, year round no nonsense Farmers Market on the South Side which is more like an indoor Trout Lake Market. At least it has year round artisans and small scale producers selling their wares instead of the generic vegetable sellers at G.I.

Critical and jaded though we may be G.I. is still a treasure, just a little tarnished.

......And I can sort of understand the regular strollers even if I'm dumb enough to go on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon but what blows my mind is the double wides with oblivious parents ambling along as if they were walking in the park.

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Better BC wine selection - A better wine store with a fuller selection of BC wines would be great. A chance to actually drink wine with food at the market would be great too, BYOB would be even better. I like Jamie's ideas of a Best of BC concept for tourists. I often hear tourists trying to figure out what to buy to bring back home, BC wine could be part of this concept.

I think that the wine store on the Island is run or party owned by Vincor or Calona Wines. It limits the selection that they bring in as to their own wines. It is the same at the Mark Anthony Store at 25th and Oak but M.A. brings in their whole portfolio, where the G.I. store is limited to B.C. wines only. I recall that this was a limitation on them getting the space - B.C. only ( I think it is their choice to limit it to their own wines ) The result is thay are missing lots of great B.C. wines in favour of some second and third labels of the same company.

I think.

Others might be able to present a clearer picture than this.

Neil

Neil Wyles

Hamilton Street Grill

www.hamiltonstreetgrill.com

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I really have enjoyed reading all the perspectives here. Its interesting to see things from the other side.

My wish list of possible changes:

-more options for getting on and off the island. I know we lost many older customers when the 51 stopped running from Granville and Broadway to the market.

-better management of tour busses. Maybe a lot just offsite?

-Better buskers

-better promotion of events and hours

-more diversity in the crafts sections.

And Jamie, I can't tell you the number of times I have been asked about franchises. And I am proud of the product and the fact that the owners are unwilling to compromise quality in favour of the almighty dollar.

< Linda >

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Noah,

It is definitely owned by either of these- I think it is Calona.

I definitely agree with your view here... what a fantastic opportunity to showcase BC wine that is not being exploited.

Thanks for the tip in re the achilles. My little guy just turned four, but I find the stroller is still invaluable as a restraining device, grocery tote, and of course, parter of the red sea on a Sat morning at G.I.

Jamie,

Hmmm, my travels tend to be very food centric. This gives me pause for thought. Is there a post somewhere out there when I am lambasted and excoriated as a visiting barbarian ? :)

I am myself will kind of miss Ocean Cement when it goes. I like the slightly metallic tang of industry that it brings with it- a little whiff of the past. for the same reason, I like the (somethimes rusty) corrugatated siding on the buildings. Having said that, it would certainly help the tourbus problem. I don't think the locals would tolerate having the buses park anywhere just "off Island". They just got rid of the cars going through the neighborhood to the Island- I couldn't drive there now if I wanted to without heading out to 4th.

I think one of the original reasons for the hours was that alot of the vegetable stand owners were driving the produce in every morning themselves. Now it seems that the grocers in the permanent stalls might not have this problem, although some of the guys like the Ralph's apple stand might.

Kudos to the starter of this thread. I am really enjoying following this discussion.

Ann

The sea was angry that day my friends... like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.

George Costanza

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Reading this thread, I was compelled to visit the open Market here in Brighton, England. I was going to post something amusing along the lines of "hey, if you think you've got problems, you should see what we have to put up with!" But after this afternoon's visit I was just too disheartened. You can see my photos on this thread.

I visit markets wherever I go in the world, and while Granville can't match the likes of Les Halles in Lyon or some of the amazing markets I have visited in Malaysia, there's no question that its world class. Borough Market in London was mentioned earlier in this thread; well in my opinion it doesn't come close to Granville.

So there's one of two more tourists than you'd like and a bit more tat than might be ideal. Big deal. If you know of better places to shop, then all that says to me is that Vancouver is spilling over with great produce. Anyhow, what's the fun of being a local if you can't say "oh, don't go there, that's strictly for tourists."

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Reading this thread, I was compelled to visit the open Market here in Brighton, England.  I was going to post something amusing along the lines of "hey, if you think you've got problems, you should see what we have to put up with!" But after this afternoon's visit I was just too disheartened. You can see my photos on this thread.

I visit markets wherever I go in the world, and while Granville can't match the likes of  Les Halles in Lyon or some of the amazing markets I have visited in Malaysia, there's no question that its world class. Borough Market in London was mentioned earlier in this thread; well in my opinion it doesn't come close to Granville.

So there's one of two more tourists than you'd like and a bit more tat than might be ideal. Big deal. If you know of better places to shop, then all that says to me is that Vancouver is spilling over with great produce. Anyhow, what's the fun of being a local if you can't say  "oh, don't go there, that's strictly for tourists."

Ok, you win. I just looked at the pictures of the Brighton Market. No more complaining about Granville Island. We should be thankful for what we have and glory in the diversity and quality that it offers. That fishmonger is so very sad, and look and the butcher - so little to offer. I think a family trip to G.I is in order for Sunday and I will control my achilles tendon ramming habit.

Thanks for those shots Andy, we forget how lucky we are !

Neil Wyles

Hamilton Street Grill

www.hamiltonstreetgrill.com

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Thank you Mr. Lynes for showing us those photos. Perhaps some Vancouverites need to start gratitude journals or leave this city for awhile so when they come back they'll realize how great G.I. is. I was disappointed to hear so much negativity about my favourite shopping area.

It offers FREE parking (and no hassle of having to buy a ticket from a machine either) and one stop food shopping. Not to mention a very diverse food court. I think it caters to the locals and the tourists very well considering the effort involved. And I love how the cement trucks, tour busses, and strollers make people slow down and chill out (not by choice). :smile: And the "Chefs in the Market" events are great except for the time Mr. Feenie didn't show up.

Being close to some of the buskers there I really took offence to Kayaksoup's comment, "better buskers". I hope you didn't mean the ones I know. And what do you mean by "better" since it is for the most part free entertainment? I suggest you go to the lottery they must partake in every day at 10 a.m. to get spots and times so you can meet them and find out who they really are. I'm sure they would also like your suggestions on how to improve.

The only suggestion I have to improve G.I. is: if you don't have your happy face on don't bother visiting there. :angry: (Sorry if my tone is harsh, but this one was too close to my second home.)

"One chocolate truffle is more satisfying than a dozen artificially flavored dessert cakes." Darra Goldstein, Gastronomica Journal, Spring 2005 Edition

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