Vancouver: Eating and shopping at the Shangri-La
I just got back from a holiday, and somehow while I was away, it seems that a 61-storey skyscraper popped up out of nowhere into Vancouver’s skyline. Of course I’m joking—the new Living Shangri-La (1128 W. Georgia St., 604-689-1120, shangri-la.com) has been a long time coming. Vancouverites have slowly watched the building climb higher and higher over the last few months, becoming the tallest building our fair city has to offer.
The Hong Kong–based hotel group’s first foray into North America had its grand opening on January 24 and the best news of all for Vancouver residents is the upscale businesses that are colonizing the building. Fashionable foodies know that the place to shop for designer delicacies is specialty grocer Urban Fare (1133 Alberni St., 604-648-2716), who has a new location in the mix. If you prefer to leave the cooking to someone else, who better than Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten? Market by Jean-Georges (1128 W. Georgia St., 3rd floor, 604-689-1120), his first restaurant in this country, is confirming Vancouver as Canada’s culinary capital.
Following the “first Canadian location” trend at the Shangri-La is the brand new Burberry store (1101 Alberni St., 604 974-1110) that also opened on the ground floor and has over 3000 square feet of Burberry Prorsum, Burberry London and the brands luxe line of handbags, shoes, jewellery, fragrance and eyewear.
Craig David Long is a Renaissance man with a post-modern sensibility. His interests in the arts, culture, fashion and design have collided over the years, shaping his thoughtful and observational writing style. Prior to becoming the regional winner of FASHION Magazine's 2008 Reporter Search contest for Vancouver, Craig had dabbled in the world of public relations, working with clients such as the Law Commission of Canada, Vancouver Magazine, Starbucks and Warner Bros. Pictures. He had also founded Vancouver's popular street-style blog, The Commodified (thecommodified.blogspot.com). Craig retired the site after two years, when he assumed his current role as the Assistant Editor of Vancouver's new regional lifestyle quarterly, Montecristo Magazine.