Gastown was established in 1867 and is one of the oldest sections of Vancouver-young by other Canadian cities. It offers restaurants (The Steamworks at Cordova & Water is a good bet) and shopping from the tacky tourist variety to First Nations art galleries and local fashion designers. The city of vancouver outlines a walking tour of Gastown at http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/heritage/walks/index.htm Please also see notes about the Downtown East Side if you are planning to visit this area.

Gastown is the original "main "street of the colony of Vancouver. Covered in cobbled brick, it is a 3 block concentration of artists, great restaurants, amazing nightclubs and tourist attractions - most notably the Vancouver "steam" clock, the only clock in the world to run completely on steams from underwater pipes.