Vancouver, British Columbia - Host City of the Winter Olympics Games

Vancouver has been considered by many visitors to be the most beautiful city in Canada. Situated on the ocean and with the range of mountains as a glorious backdrop, comparisons to this city become very difficult. Worldwide it also has the reputation of being a very livable city.

Vancouver has an interesting history. It is named after Captain George Vancouver who visited the area in 1792. Vancouver's beginnings were in the area of what is now called Gastown. Gastown's name has been derived from the name 'Gassy' Jack Deighton who established a tavern in the area in 1870. The tavern became the hub of the flourishing city. Gastown has kept the sense of being old with cobbled streets, Victorian architecture and the old steam clock. There are also boutiques, restaurants and nightclubs in the area making it a popular place both day and evening.

As well as Gastown, there are many other wonderful places to visit when in Vancouver. Stanley Park is home to the Vancouver Aquarium, the popular Stanley Park train ride, children's petting zoo, a lake, the sea wall for walking and cycling, the lagoon, a water park, trails through woodlands and garden areas, and its great beaches. It covers an area of one thousand acres and is considered to be one of the largest urban parks in North America.

Robson Street, popular with visitors and locals alike, with its exclusive boutiques, cafes, coffee shops, bookstores and restaurants is another great place to spend some time. The same is true of Yaletown with its elegant galleries, restaurants, clubs and pubs.

Other attractions are Science World, the Imax Theatre, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Chinatown, Van Duesen Gardens, Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver, the Salmon Hatchery, Lynn Canyon Park, Granville Island, and the Grouse Mountain skyride to name some of the outstanding places to visit. Vancouver also has ballet, the Symphony and many restaurants and theatres. Within a short distance of Vancouver there is golfing, the Greater Vancouver Zoo, and Whistler, a world renowned ski resort.

Many of the buildings in Vancouver are very old dating from the late 1800's and early 1900's. These include Christ Church Cathedral, Holy Rosary Cathedral, St. Andrew's Wesley Church, the Hotel Vancouver, the Provincial Court House, the Marine Building, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Vancouver Public Library, the Orpheum Theatre, and buildings in Gastown and Chinatown as well as many others.

Vancouver is home to approximately two million people. Many visitors from around the world have decided to make it their home and as a result, Vancouver, and British Columbia in general, is very culturally diverse.

Because of all there is to see and do in the city of Vancouver, many who are locals will occasionally play tourist as well. I recently went with my family to the Aquarium at Stanley Park and enjoyed it as much as we always have. We were in awe when we watched the dolphins dance across the water on their tail fins; when we saw the progress of the life of a jellyfish, and were entranced with the occupants of the tropical area.

And on a recent visit to Chinatown, we enjoyed the interesting shops and unique array of merchandise that deserved more time to explore than we had. To really enjoy Vancouver, a whirlwind visit does not do it justice.

Those who come back to visit Vancouver often do so because of all that this city has to offer in the way of entertainment, its moderate climate, and the fact that we have the ocean and mountains so close at hand. There is something here to interest everyone.