Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Prince Rupert, British Columbia

July 16, 2008 Wednesday

We are now in Prince Rupert, British Columbia: a small port town along Canada’s west coast. We arrived via ferry late last night and slept in a parking lot (in the van of course) across from the “i” center. Upon awakening we realized we slept in the middle of tourist central and across from a memorial park.

Visiting here 5 years ago the town seemed practically deserted: no leisurely coffee shops, no tourist shops or nice eateries. Today is a different story. In 2004 a dock was built for cruise ships and has revitalized the town. There are many shops open, the museum is of top quality, downtown proper is alive and well….at least for the summer. We spoke with a couple of First Nation locals and they said a superport was built to regain jobs from a local mill closing but did not produce the number of jobs expected. Tourism seems to be the main source of income for the town.







I asked about totem pole making and was told they are only made if commissioned by someone. It is an extensive undertaking and one pole can take eight months. The cost: $1000/foot.







Places of interest:

  • Cowpuccino’s (sounds like Al Pacino) Coffee shop had the best Americano and hot chocolate and free IN service in an earthy setting. I could sit here all day.

  • Visitor Information Center, aka the “i”. The Canadian VICs are well equipped for tourists (big improvement over the last five years) a plethora of local information, a restroom, free IN and well-placed smack dab on the wharf.

  • La Cucina is an eclectic eatery. From tortilla soup to club sandwiches and wood-oven pizza this is a great place to eat.


  • Baker Boy Bakery an inconspicuous bakery (not street facing display windows) in downtown proper (near La Cucina). The best deserts, donuts, cookies and bread all made daily.

  • The Civic Center has an aquatic playground for kids, a small gym, and glorious showers. For 2.50CAN you can get a nice, hot, comfortable shower and for 4.68CAN, you can swim, workout then have a shower.

  • Sunken Garden is behind a government building, see photo above.



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