Celebrity Spotting

Celebrity Hotspots
Before stepping out for a night on the town in Vancouver, consult your hotel concierge, wait staff or friendly bartender. These keen observers of what's hip and happening are your best bet for discovering where the beautiful people are hanging out. Among the city's most popular celebrity hotspots are:

Hotels

  • Absolute Spa at the Century Plaza Hotel (www.absolutespa.com): Sarah Michelle Gellar, Christina Aguilera, Courtney Cox, Courtney Love, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sharon Stone, Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke, Jessica Alba, Will Ferrell
  • Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver (www.fourseasons.com/vancouver): Hilary Swank, Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Ashton Kutcher
  • Metropolitan and Diva at the Met (www.metropolitan.com/vanc): Hilary Swank, Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Janet Jackson, David Arquette, LL Cool J
  • Opus Hotel and Opus Bar (www.opushotel.com): Justin Timberlake, REM, The Rock, Christian Slater, Tara Reid, Reese Witherspoon
  • Pan Pacific Hotel (www.vancouver.panpacific.com): Brad Pitt, Jack Nicholson, 50 Cent, Marlon and Shawn Wayans, Tim Robbins, Uma Thurman
  • Sutton Place Hotel and Gerard Lounge (www.suttonplace.com): Ben Affleck, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kim Cattrall, Robert Pattinson, Dakota Fanning
  • Wedgewood Hotel and Bacchus Lounge (www.wedgewoodhotel.com): REM, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Eddie Vedder, Ben Affleck, Harrison Ford

Restaurants & Bars

  • Bar None (www.barnonenightclub.ca): Vin Diesel, Ice Cube
  • Blue Water Cafe (www.bluewatercafe.net): Alicia Silverstone, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Lee Curtis, Uma Thurman, Ben Stiller
  • Cin Cin Ristorante (www.cincin.net): Ben Affleck, Naomi Watts, Heath Ledger, Laura Dern, Michael Stipe (REM), Macy Gray, Robin Williams, Leslie Nielsen, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Elisha Cuthbert
  • Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill: Jennifer Aniston, Bill Clinton
  • Gotham Steakhouse (www.gothamsteakhouse.com): The Rock, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Uma Thurman, Halle Berry
  • Tojo's (www.tojos.com): William Shatner, Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Robin Williams

Celebrity Quotes on Vancouver

"I've never seen so much coffee in all my life. The whole town is on a caffeine jag, and still nothing gets done any faster." Bette Midler, during a Vancouver concert performance

"It's an amazing city. It's just got a great vibe to it. There's an energy there that I'm really enjoying a great deal." Michael Stipe, REM

"Clean…with lots of coffee." Charlize Theron, while filming Reindeer Games

"It's one of the places that has that perfect, magical combination of mountains and ocean. And tons of trees. It's a vibrant place to be. And the people are really nice. And they love to be outside. They don't take a beautiful day for granted. They celebrate how beautiful it is. I'm always happy to go to Canada in general, but especially Vancouver." Jennifer Garner, interviewed in American Way magazine

"I like Vancouver - the relationship to the water, the calmness of the people. I like that there's less fear there." Wesley Snipes, when asked about his favourite place by the New York Post

Trivia
Celebs with homes in Vancouver are alleged to include Bryan Adams, Goldie Hawn, Gillian Anderson, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Terence Stamp.

Recent Movie Shoots
Some of the recent big movies that have used Vancouver and the Lower Mainland as a backdrop include X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men 3, Good Luck Chuck, Night at the Museum, The Day the Earth Stood Still, I Love You Beth Cooper, Juno and Fantastic Four.

The Twilight Saga has brought much attention to Vancouver recently, as the much hyped sequel New Moon was shot in Vancouver. The international spotlight was cast on Vancouver hotspots where the stars hung out, including the Sutton Place Hotel, Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar, Afterglow, Yaletown Brewing Co., and Blue Water Cafe, where the New Moon wrap party and Eclipse kick-off party took place. The Twilight craze will continue when Eclipse begins shooting in August 2009.

Celebrity Fun Facts

  • Rudyard Kipling visited Vancouver three times, the first in 1892, and even bought land here.
  • When Fred Karno's British entertainment troupe began a week-long engagement in the city in 1911, one of the performers was 22-year-old Charlie Chaplin.
  • One night, following a backstage party at the city's Orpheum Theatre, film star Gary Cooper hitched a ride back to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver on a passing street-cleaning machine.
  • Actress Yvonne de Carlo, a movie star of the 1960s (and the original Lily Munster on The Munsters), was once an usher at the Orpheum Theatre.
  • In 1923, the first U.S. president to visit Canada was Warren Harding, who chose Vancouver as the place to touch down. 50,000 people turned out to hear him speak in Stanley Park.
  • Bing Crosby visited the city often but was once refused a room at the Hotel Vancouver when he walked in very informally dressed and with a few days' growth of beard - the bemused reservation clerk didn't recognize him.
  • Katherine Hepburn periodically rented the penthouse of the low-rise Rosellen Suites, in the city's West End area. It's still available today.
  • Howard Hughes and Errol Flynn both stayed at the Westin Bayshore Resort and Marina - although not at the same time. Both caused quite a stir during their stays, with the reclusive Hughes reserving an entire floor for his giant entourage.
  • When comedian and movie star Robin Williams is filming in town, he often appears unannounced on comedy club stages around the city.

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