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Beautiful Vancouver, City of the Sea & Mountains
Beautiful Vancouver, City of the Sea & Mountains
by Clint Leung
As one flies over Vancouver during the decent into the Canadian
city's airport, the surrounding beautiful natural scenery is
already noticed with mountains on one side and the sea on the
other. Once inside the baggage claim area of the international
airport, visitors are greeted with large Pacific Northwest Coast
Indian art carvings. This adds to the overall flavor of nature
and the environment that makes Vancouver so different from other
major cities. When driving along Granville Street towards the
city center, one can't help but notice that the trees and hedges
in the residential areas are so much larger and taller than the
ones we normally see elsewhere. One of the locals claims that the
superior growth of the area's plant life is due to the huge
amount of rainfall. Vancouver is close to both the ocean and the
mountain range so lots of rain is expected. In fact, the rain
here can actually be a problem as grey skies, especially during
the winter months, are one of the few negatives of living in
Vancouver. Fortunately, there is very little snowfall within the
city so for Vancouverites, it is a trade off of some sort to have
to deal with rain rather than shoveling snow during their
winters. As for tourists, the best time to visit Vancouver is the
least wet season which is during the summer months. I've been
told by another local that September is one of the best months to
visit. When the sun is shining in Vancouver with both the ocean
and mountains as the background, it really doesn't get any
better.
Stanley Park on the west side of downtown Vancouver is the most
visited attraction. A drive around the island will reveal great
photo spots of both the city and the ocean. Vancouver's Aquarium
is also on site in Stanley Park as well as a magnificent
collection of Pacific Northwest Coastal Indian art totem poles.
Of course, one can always marvel at the tall trees which seem to
touch the skies here. The Lion's Gate Suspension Bridge connects
Stanley Park with North Vancouver on the other side of the
harbor. On the north side is Grouse Mountain, the area's closest
ski resort to the city that has turned into an all year round
attraction. During the non-winter months, one can take the
gondola up Grouse mountain for some wonderful hiking and views of
the Vancouver skyline. The Capilano Suspension Bridge which
visitors walk across to a nice nature area is another must see
nearby. One of the cuisine highlights in the British Columbia
province is the salmon and one of the best restaurants to sample
it is the Salmon House in adjacent West Vancouver. Dinner there
with the Pacific Northwest Coast Indian art décor and spectacular
nighttime views of the city is one of the best ways to finish off
a day of sightseeing.
Back in downtown Vancouver, the Gastown district is one of the
top tourist areas for boutique shopping and souvenirs. Don't miss
the steam clock that rings on the hour. Vancouver has one of the
largest Asian communities in North America so the Chinatown
nearby as expected has some of the best dim sum luncheons outside
of Hong Kong. Further boutique shopping can be found in the
Yaletown and Granville Island districts.
If time permits, one of the recommended day trips to do out of
Vancouver is to drive up the Sea & Sky highway to Whistler, one
of North America's largest ski resorts. During the off ski
season, Whistler is all season resort with many activities such
as hiking, biking, festivities and shopping in the village. A
ride up the gondola here will enable visitors to get a bird's eye
view of the majestic Canadian Rockies mountain range. The drive
itself to Whistler, about two and a half hours along the
coastline, offers many wonderful scenic points as well.
Vancouver is a great city to visit as one can really see how a
major city can still be in very scenic surroundings. For those
coming to Vancouver as the departure port of a cruise to either
Hawaii or Alaska, it is highly recommended to allocate at least a
full day before or after the cruise to see what the city has to
offer. As I mentioned before, on a sunny day with the sea on one
side and the mountains on the other, Vancouver is really hard to
beat.
About the Author:
Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery
http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca , an online gallery specializing
in Inuit Eskimo and Northwest Native American art including
carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous
information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and
Native Indian art as well as free eCards.
Learn more...
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