Vancouver

The aftermath of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics are now finally starting to set in. From our new rapid transit system that runs from the international airport to downtown to the interesting public art displays, the renewed sense of home city pride brought on by the successful games is still palpable. Even the previously doomed Olympic Village which housed the athletes is turning into a neighbourhood hotspot with interesting restaurants, boutique liquor stores, art installations, and weekly markets moving in. Hot shot Vancouver chefs are making a scene on the international culinary world participating in competitions and popping up on reality cooking shows. Our very own Kits beach was recently named one of the 10 sexiest beaches in the world by Forbes Traveler Magazine. Sexy, young, and vibrant is what Vancouver is all about and there is always something new happening in our city.

Vancouverites love to eat and it shows in our abundance of restaurants, café’s, and markets. Many things had to go right in order to produce such a lush and expansive growing location and Vancouver is fortunate to have hit the jackpot. Close to the ocean? Check. Year round harvest season with temperate weather? Check. Neighbours with a lush farming valley fed by a silt-filled river? Check again. From insanely fresh seafood to organic greens, Vancouver has taken the term “local eating” to a new level. We have turned asphalt parking lots into edible gardens, developed vertical urban farming, and have embraced the environmentally friendly wine on tap movement. This is what makes Vancouver’s dining scene not only delicious but forward-thinking.

If you visit Vancouver and don’t do at least one outdoor activity or adventure, consider your trip wasted. And I don’t mean extreme downhill skiing or paragliding off a mountain, although those are definitely options. I mean getting outside and visiting the places that make Vancouver special. Take a walk along one of the many beaches and coastlines that are teeming with ocean wildlife and Pacific kelp. Immerse yourself in our rainforests and really breathe in the fresh air of those cedars and pines. Take your book into one of our parks and just watch the many birds, squirrels, and occasional deer go by. All of these activities and more are so close to the city and so easy to get to that you would be crazy to miss them. You can swim, bike, hike, and climb your way through our nature and I promise it will show you a side of British Columbia you will never forget.