One of the most common times people engage with public space is during their lunch break. It can be relaxing – not to mention good for your health – to get out of the work environment for a much needed interlude. But finding a no or low-cost alternative to the office or shop kitchen or crowded school cafeteria can sometimes be a frustrating task. Luckily, there are many excellent public spaces that provide the perfect spot for a mid-day escape.

There are a few common elements that make a public space an ideal place for lunch: shelter, seating, tables or ledges and other amenities help to ensure comfort, while proximity to offices, commercial areas, and schools ensure easy access. Takeout locations or grocery stores provide the necessary ingredients for those who may not have brought their lunch with them. And lastly, there’s the setting itself – which can include places of quiet respite, views, good people-watching, or the melody of a busker, among other things.

As we head into some nicer weather, we wanted to take an opportunity to highlight some popular and some less well known locations to break for a bite in the downtown Central Business District.

Art Gallery Steps / Robson Square

The south steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery have long been a favourite gathering place for downtown residents and workers. The steps receive unobstructed sunlight and provide seating, while the nearby food trucks parked along Howe Street offer a variety of options. With the 800 block of Robson Street closed to motorized traffic, there’s plenty of space to gather and sit away from the noise of the street. For an even quieter location, the elevated areas south of Robson (lead photo – above the Law Courts) feature ample greenery, plenty of benches, and an oasis-like feeling that feels quite removed from the the steps.

Vancouver Convention Centre

The seawall path wrapping around both the Vancouver Convention Centre and Canada Place offers one of the very best views in all of downtown. Close to many office towers and cafes, the Convention Centre is a convenient location to eat while taking in the North Shore mountains. Jack Poole Plaza (at the foot of Thurlow Street) presents one good option, while a short stroll west west leads to Harbour Green Park (pictured) where grass and trees help to break up the surrounding forest of high rise towers.

Bill Reid Gallery Courtyard

Tucked between the Bill Reid Gallery and Cathedral Place Building is a small and quiet public space. Despite being only steps away from the busy intersection of Howe and Georgia, this space is usually empty. Designed in the manor of a medieval close, this little green space comes as a real surprise for first time visitors to the space. As a bonus, the nearby Smokehouse Sandwich Co. in Cathedral Place features fantastic sandwiches. (Access the space by taking the steps on Howe Street, just north of Georgia; or, follow the narrow path to on the west side of the Cathedral Place building).

Lot 19

Lot 19 is a small park at the north end of Hornby Street where it terminates at Hastings Street. Once the site of the original Vancouver Club building, this open space features a mix of paving and grass – along with some interesting public art. The park receives direct sunlight through the towers in the summer and is set back far enough from the street to create a relaxing and enjoyable environment. In the last couple of years, the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association has helped to transform the space into an excellent lunch spot by putting out tables and chairs, as well as programming events in the summer. Music and games are available during weekday peak hours.

Indoor Public Spaces

In a rainy city like Vancouver, it’s often not feasible to eat outside. Most indoor eating areas are restricted to paying customers, so where can you go if you brought lunch to work but want to get out of the office? Here’s a couple of ideas.

The Sinclair Centre at 757 West Hastings Street provides a large atrium open to the public with tables and chairs covered with a glass roof. Despite only having one café in the building, many people enjoy this spot to eat their own lunch from home or from nearby take out. The historic building also features a large historic clock built in 1909 that rings on the hour.

The atrium of the downtown Central Public Library is open to the public and provides seating and tables under cover. There’s also a nice selection of cafes and take out options that line the northern side – and many more just outside on Robson Street. And if you have a few moments after finishing your lunch, you can always explore the library – which offers a limitless breadth of knowledge and entertainment! (Also to note: in good weather, the southwest plaza (facing Robson) is also a popular and sunny gathering spot).

Andrew Burns is a local writer and fan of public space who spends his lunchtime exploring the city.

What’s your favourite lunchtime public space? Where’s the best park or plaza to chow down on a sandwich? Drop us a line and let us know!

The following details are reposted from the City of Vancouver’s webpage.

Generation to Generation Ceremony and lighting of the cauldron

8:30am on Tuesday, November 11
Jack Poole Plaza, Vancouver Convention Centre

As the cauldron comes to life, a senior veteran will hand over Canada’s flag to a member of the next generation of veterans, acknowledging the continuing service and loyalty of Canadians from generation to generation. The cauldron will stay lit until 11:00am.

Ceremony and parade at Victory Square

9:45am on Tuesday, November 11
Victory Square, West Hastings St between Cambie and Hamilton

The program begins with a 15 minute performance by the Vancouver Bach Youth Choir and Sarabande starting at 9:45am.

At 10:00am veterans, military marching units and bands will be led to Victory Square by the Vancouver Flag Party. The cenotaph ceremony starts at 10:30am. A combined performance of “Sands of Kuwait” by the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service Band and the Pipes and Drums of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada will be featured.

At 11:00am the Last Post will be sounded. There will be two minutes of silence, during which a 21-gun salute by the 15th Field Artillery Regiment will be heard from Portside Park. Rouse and Lament will follow. The Royal Canadian Air Force will conduct a fly-past moments later, weather permitting. The enduring “In Flanders Fields” will then be sung by the Bach Youth Choir and Sarabande followed by the traditional placing of wreaths at the cenotaph.

Parade route

At 11:30am the Remembrance Day parade of veterans, brass bands, pipes and drums, Canadian Forces units and Cadets, will begin marching west on Hastings and take the salute while passing the reviewing stand. Veterans will continue on Hastings and disperse. The remainder of the parade turns north on Richards, east on Cordova, and south on Cambie and salute the Cenotaph while passing Victory Square.

Additional ceremonies throughout Vancouver

Remembrance Day observances will also take place in different communities throughout the city on November 11.

• Memorial South Park Cenotaph – 41st Avenue and Windsor Street @ 10:30am
• CRAB Park at Portside @ 10:30am
• Japanese Canadian War Memorial in Stanley Park – 10:40am
• Grandview Park, 1657 Charles Street at Commercial Drive – 10:45am
• Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, 3811 Point Grey Road (can be viewed from Hastings Mill Park) – 11:00am
• Chinatown Memorial, Keefer at Columbia streets – 12:30pm

 The City of Vancouver will host the following ceremonies to recognize the contribution our Veterans have made and to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of Canada.

As it has for the past three years, the Generation to Generation ceremony will begin the day with the lighting of the cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza:

When: 8 am Monday, November 11, 2013
Where: Jack Poole Plaza, Vancouver Convention Centre

As the cauldron comes to life, a senior veteran will handover Canada’s flag to a member of the next generation of veterans, acknowledging the continuing service and loyalty of Canadians from generation to generation.

Regimental units taking part in this year’s ceremony include 50 members of the 39 Canadian Brigade and HMCS Discovery. RCMP officers will stand as sentries while the all-Cadet Vancouver Flag Party marches in.

Flt. Sergeant Tony Zhao of the Pegasus Air Cadet Sqn. 111 will sound the Last Post and Reveille. Pipe Major Alistair Pattison of the BC Regiment Pipes and Drums will pipe the Lament. The cauldron will be extinguished at 11 am, coinciding with Two Minutes of Silence at Victory Square.

At Victory Square, Vancouver’s main Remembrance Day Ceremony and Parade will begin:

When: 10 am Monday, November 11, 2013
Where: Cenotaph at Victory Square
West Hastings Street, between Cambie and Hamilton

The program begins with a performance by the Vancouver Bach Youth Choir and Sarabande starting at 10 am. Led by the Vancouver Flag Party, the parade of veterans, military marching units and bands will arrive at Victory Square before the ceremony begins at 10:30 am. At 11 am the Last Post will be sounded. There will be Two Minutes of Silence, during which a 21-gun salute by the 15^th Field Artillery Regiment will be heard from Portside Park. Rouse and Lament will follow. The RCAF will conduct a fly-past moments later, weather permitting. The enduring In Flanders Fields will then be sung by the Bach Youth Choir and Sarabande and wreaths will be placed at the Cenotaph.

The combined bands of the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service and the Regimental Pipes and Drums of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada will perform, after which the parade march-off begins. The parade proceeds west along Hastings Street, turning right at Richards Street, east on Cordova, then south on Cambie and marching past the reviewing stand at Victory Square.

In addition to the above ceremonies, Remembrance Day observances will take place in different communities throughout the city including:

• South Memorial Park – Ceremony commences at 10:30 am at Memorial Park Cenotaph, 41st Avenue and Windsor Street
• Japanese Canadian War Memorial in Stanley Park – Ceremony commences at 10:40 am at the Japanese Canadian Cenotaph in Stanley Park
• Grandview Park – Ceremony commences at 10:45 am at Grandview Park,1657 Charles Street at Commercial Drive
• Royal Vancouver Yacht Club – Ceremony commences at 11 am at The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, 3811 Point Grey Road, and can be viewed by the public from Hastings Mill Park
• CRAB Park at Portside – Ceremony commences at 10:30 am
• Chinatown Memorial – Ceremony commences at 12:30 pm at the Chinatown Memorial Square, Keefer at Columbia

Aboriginal Veterans will hold a ceremony at the Victory Square Cenotaph on November 8, National Aboriginal Veterans Day. A march will get underway at the Carnegie Centre at 10:15 am and proceed to Victory Square. The official ceremony begins at 10:45 am.

The Remembrance Day Service at Victory Square event is organized by the Vancouver Remembrance Day Committee, a volunteer group established by the City in the 1940s with the mandate to conduct the November 11 ceremony on behalf of its citizens.