Vancouver/Commercial Dr-Hastings Park

Commercial Drive-Hastings Park makes up part of "East Vancouver" (or East Van). Its main draw is Commercial Drive (known locally as The Drive), which is one of the most interesting areas of Vancouver in terms of ethnic and culinary diversity. There is also a strong artistic and activist community located in the Commercial Drive area. For the purposes of this guide, the district covers everything from Gore St in the west to Burnaby in the east, and everything from the Burrard Inlet in the north to King Edward Ave/25th Ave in the south.

Understand
East Van is traditionally the more working-class area of Vancouver. However, the area has become more gentrified as the Vancouver housing market develops.

Get in
See Vancouver for options to get in the Vancouver area by plane, by bus, and by train, and by boat.

By car
Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) passes through East Vancouver heading east from West Vancouver via North Vancouver, and heading west from Surrey via Burnaby.

By public transit
Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel.Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.

By SkyTrain
SkyTrain has a number of stations within the district. The main stop is Broadway/Commercial Drive station, which is close to the heart of Commercial Drive and has connections to bus routes. Broadway/Commercial Drive station serves SkyTrain's Expo Line and Millenium Line. The Expo Line connects to Vancouver's downtown, Gastown-Chinatown and Yaletown-False Creek, and beyond Vancouver to Burnaby, New Westminster, and Surrey. The Millenium Line connects to Burnaby, Coquitlam, and Port Moody.

By bus
There are a large number of bus routes servicing Commercial Drive-Hastings Park. The following are some of the most useful ones for getting in and around the district:


 * #9 runs the length of Broadway, connecting to UBC.
 * #14 & #16 share the same route along Granville Street then on Hastings Street. Both of these busses can be taken from Downtown Vancouver to the PNE.
 * #20 starts in the central business district and runs along Commercial Drive.
 * #135 travels between Burrard SkyTrain Station and Simon Fraser University. While in Vancouver, the 135 is an express bus and can be used to go to the PNE.
 * #99 B-Line is the express version of route #9.

By car
Driving is certainly doable, and likely faster than public transit, but it can be slow with the traffic and lights (remember, there are no expressways). Coming from the City Centre or Gastown-Chinatown, both Hastings St and Georgia St intersect with Main St, with Hastings continuing on to cross the district from east to west in the north end. Broadway or 12 Ave/Grandview Highway are good connectors if driving from Kitsilano or Mt Pleasant.

By bike
The Adanac bikeway (along Union St then Adanac St) goes from Downtown to the district, and connects to Burnaby's bike routes.

Do

 * Parade of Lost Souls takes place around Halloween in the Commercial Drive area. It is free to go, and features live music, fire dancers, lots of costumed revellers. Under-advertised, but one of the biggest yearly festivals in Vancouver.
 * Parade of Lost Souls takes place around Halloween in the Commercial Drive area. It is free to go, and features live music, fire dancers, lots of costumed revellers. Under-advertised, but one of the biggest yearly festivals in Vancouver.
 * Parade of Lost Souls takes place around Halloween in the Commercial Drive area. It is free to go, and features live music, fire dancers, lots of costumed revellers. Under-advertised, but one of the biggest yearly festivals in Vancouver.

Learn

 * VCC Broadway Campus Building.jpg

Buy
East Van has a wide variety of multicultural shopping districts.
 * A funky shopping area is Commercial Drive (also known by locals as "The Drive"), which was once was the city's Italian neighbourhood but which is now amazingly multicultural. Buskers, dogs, babies, pierced people, office workers, grocery shoppers share the Drive. The shops are relatively inexpensive and eclectic -- lots of coffee shops, tie-dye, toys, trinkets, and organic groceries. It's a great neighbourhood to live in because you can go out on foot and do all your shopping -- produce, cheese, sausage, stationery, pet food, hardware -- within just a few blocks. Commercial drive spans along Commercial Drive from approximately East 12th Avenue at the south end to Venables Street at the north end.   (SkyTrain Expo Line and Millennium Line) is located near the southern end of this shopping area.
 * There are a few farmers markets that occur in Vancouver, but this is the first, and probably the best. It is only open on Saturday mornings and only in the summer and the last market day of the year is around Canadian Thanksgiving (early Oct).
 * There are a few farmers markets that occur in Vancouver, but this is the first, and probably the best. It is only open on Saturday mornings and only in the summer and the last market day of the year is around Canadian Thanksgiving (early Oct).

Eat
The Commercial Drive area is blessed with a huge number of different restaurants, many of them drawn from cuisines all over the world and very reasonably priced. Walk a couple of kilometres along The Drive north from Broadway to Venables, and you will doubtlessly find something to match your taste and your wallet before you get to the end.

Breweries
East Van now has several microbreweries to choose from. Many have tasting rooms and offer growler fills. There's even a tourist map available for free at some of them.

Sleep
For such a large area, there isn't much accommodation in East Van. It is mostly older and in the budget to mid-level price range. The biggest concentration of motels/hotels is along Kingsway.