Apparently, this waterfront green space east of downtown Vancouver began as Portside Park (fitting given its location), but has been renamed CRAB Park to memorialize its early supporters. Their cause was admirable - and successful: Create a Real Accessible Beach. But naming a beach with an acronym seems more like a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers thing to do!
You find this place by walking through Gastown, continuing on to Main Street, then looping up and over the tracks and down to the water. It is sort of hard to find, but what a nice little gem amidst the industry and rail yards and legacy of East Vancouver.
AERIAL VIEW
This pocket beach faces north across Burrard Inlet. The beachface was sandy at the east end, more gravelly at the west, with a fairly abrupt transition. Maybe this represents some manipulation (recently added material?), but I'm guessing it's a natural shift reflecting an asymmetry resulting from waves that approach more from the northwest than the northeast. I think this is consistent with some erosion of the bank behind the western end of the beach.
This was an awfully gray evening. Note to self: come back early on a clear morning, when the sun is shining on downtown and there are blue skies to the west.
