British Columbia

British Columbia, Canada

www.hellobc.com

The horse-drawn sleigh glides past bears. We can’t see them, hidden, snow covered, hibernating. It’s an odd feeling, that. Knowing they’re underneath, sleeping in dormancy for three or four months until spring thaw. We’re on Grouse Mountain, the lofty peak overlooking Vancouver. We’re in deep snow in brilliant blue-skied sun. It’s a breathtaking trip up the mountain in the Skyride gondola and a spectacular swoop by helicopter down to the sparkling city below.

Vancouver’s splendid setting with busy harbors and mountain backdrop is but a speck of British Columbia’s glory. Like Oregon and Washington, BC ranges from lush green to arid gold—from Vancouver Island’s Pacific shores and verdant Inland Passage islands, across stunning mountains to Okanagan wine country.

British Columbia will be home to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Fair Warning: Don’t forget your passport! Credit Cards & Money: All major credit cards are accepted in British Columbia; ATM’s and Currency Exchange Services are widely available.

Vancouver

www.tourismvancouver.com
It’s exhilarating. Always. One can’t help but feel energized — big city cosmopolitan flair suffused with Pacific Northwest down-to-basics. Bike or stroll along the waterfront or through the 1,000-acre Stanley Park. Kayak or take water taxis across the inner harbor to Granville Island Public Market and shops where you’ll find hand-crafted items and all the local cheese, bread, meat, fish and organic fruits and vegetables your heart desires. Restaurants! Museums! Italian shoes! Discover neighborhoods like Chinatown, sophisticated Yaletown or historic Gastown and shop 4th, Main, and Granville streets and, of course, the frenetic Robson, where you will hear a cacophony of languages. Try Canadian ice wine (and other wines and champagnes you can’t find in the states) or check out a fabulous scotch & oyster pairing at Blue Water Café. Really.

EAT

Vancouver, OMG! For help: www.foodvancouver.com
or get the iPod food guide here www.foodvancouver.com

Blue Water Café + Raw Bar www.bluewatercafe.net 1095 Hamilton St, Yaletown. 604.688.8078, fabulous oysters & seafood; FigMint www.figmintrestaurant.com 500 W 12th Ave, 604.248.4766, sophisticated chic European cuisine; West www.westrestaurant.com 2881 Granville St, 604.736.6664, inspired cuisine, gracious, classy; Nu www.whatisnu.com 1661 Granville St, 604.646.4668, excellent farm to table cuisine, eclectic, zany, on the waterfront; C Restaurant www.crestaurant.com 2 - 1600 Howe St, 604.681.1164, exceptional fresh, sustainable seafood, dramatic waterfront dining with summer patio; RainCity Grill www.raincitygrill.com 1193 Denman St, West End, 604.685.7337, fresh, excellent romantic dining overlooking English Bay; Diva at the Met www.metropolitan.com 645 Howe St, 604.602.7788, inside the Metropolitan Hotel, fine dining, killer desserts; Sanafir Restaurant www.sanafir.ca 1026 Granville St, 604.678.1049, eclectic, Asian.Mediterranean-Middle Eastern “Silk Road” inspired tapas in trios, dramatic, fantastic Egyptian décor, swoon…; Lumiere http://lumiere.ca 2551 Broadway West, 604.739.8185, premiere French cuisine, prixe fix meals, including vegetarian; Vij’s www.vijs.ca 1480 11th Ave West, 604.736.6664, outstanding Indian fusion; Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge in the Wedgewood Hotel www.wedgewoodhotel.com 800.663.0666, cozy, lovely, luxurious for drinks and innovative food.

STAY

Wedgewood Hotel & Spa www.wedgewoodhotel.com 845 Hornby St, 800.663.0666, from $170 CA, an elegant downtown boutique hotel, a cozy gem near shopping and museums. Unwind with afternoon treats and tea or a glass of wine in front of the fireplace at Bacchus Restaurant. Or stop by for after-hour drinks. Snob extravagance? Not here. It’s all about comfort with first class service that’s attentive, yet subtle and sometimes amusing.

Opus Hotel www.opushotel.com 322 Davie Street, Yaletown, 604.642.6787 / 866.642.6787, from $299CA, chic boutique, friendly fashionable staff, Elixir Bistro & Opus Bar on site.

Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver www.metropolitan.com 645 Howe St, 604.694.0324, from $175CA, stylish luxury, Diva at the Met restaurant on site.

Pan Pacific www.panpacific.com 300-999 Canada Place, 604.662.8111, from $237CA, like being on an ocean liner, dramatic extravagance, waterfront views.

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver www.fairmont.com 900 West Georgia St, from $169CA, gorgeous classic, old world extravagance.

Sylvia Hotel www.sylviahotel.com 1154 Gilford St, 604.681.9321, from $80CA, no fuss comfort, older hotel overlooking English Bay, Sylvia's Restaurant & Lounge on site.

PLAY

www.tourismvancouver.com

Getting there: Drive, Air & Amtrak www.amtrak.com from Portland & Seattle.

See the city: Trolley Tours www.vancouvertrolley.com Take water taxis to Granville Island, hike or bike Stanley Park and English Bay waterfront.

Winter Olympics 2010 www.vancouver2010.com

Victoria

www.tourismvictoria.com Fair Warning: to be updated.

Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off the west coast of British Columbia, Victoria strives to keep its British aura amid modern commercialization. You can still find cobblestone streets, quaint shops and cafes for a “cuppa” tea and Parliament and the grand Empress Hotel are still intact to wow. Don’t miss The Royal British Columbia Museum’s interactive natural and cultural history exhibits, including the splendid First Peoples displays. Walk the Inner Harbor where, besides ships and yachts, you’ll see a variety of marine life. Take a bus or drive to the famous Butchart Gardens or Craigdarrach Castle. Beacon Hill Park and Children’s Farm is just a ten-minute walk from the harbor—100 acres and a petting zoo.

Getting there is part of the fun: ferry or fly from Seattle, or other Washington State ports.
www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries and www.victoriaclipper.com and www.kenmoreair.com

[ARCHIVES: Once Upon a Time In Victoria]

EAT

Teatime at The Fairmont Empress is legendary and drinks and meals in the hotel’s own Bengal Lounge, The Veranda, or dinners at the upscale Empress Room are divine.

STAY

The Fairmont Empress Hotel www.fairmont.com 721 Government St
800.257.7544, from $299CA, Sometimes you just have stay at a grand hotel. Here, you have the elegance of the Edwardian era, steps away from museums and shops, with rooms overlooking the Inner Harbor and the Parliament Building. Fairmont Gold rooms have a private lounge and complimentary deluxe breakfast and cocktail-hour hors d'oeuvres. Love the Bengal Lounge also The Veranda, and Empress Room restaurants on site.

PLAY

www.tourismvictoria.com

Getting there is part of the adventure: Ferry www.wsdot.wa.gov; Victoria Clipper www.victoriaclipper.com; air or floatplane www.kenmoreair.com

Royal British Columbia Museum www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca; Butchart Gardens www.butchartgardens.com; Beacon Hill Park & Children’s Farm www.beaconhillpark.ca

Whistler

www.whistler.com
Wow! We’ve got ski resorts here in the lower northwest, but nothing compares. There are two mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, five lakes and miles of groomed cross-country ski trails. The upper Village has the unrivaled Four Seasons and The Fairmont Chateaux hotels, upscale shops and knock-your-socks off mountain views. The bustling quasi-Bavarian lower Village’s broad pedestrian boulevards serpentine amid hotels and, oh, about 200 shops and 90 or so restaurants ranging from après ski pubs to the gold star Araxi. Even if you don’t ski, snowshoe, snowboard or try the exhilarating gondola or the “zip-line” careening down the mountains, this winter wonderland is invigorating. Don’t like cold or snow? Wait for spring and summer where world-class golf, fishing, hiking, river and lake kayaking and canoeing, and the amazing mountain Bike Park will keep you entertained. 2010 Winter Olympics here should be amazing.

[ARCHIVES: Winterless Whistler (A Culinary Tour) and Spud Valley]

EAT

A ski resort with great food? Stay for days, just to eat!
[Whistler restaurant details in ARCHIVES: Winterless Whistler (A Culinary Tour)]

Araxi Restaurant & Bar www.araxi.com or www.toptable.ca 4222 Village Square, 604.932.4540, inspired NW cuisine & wine, fresh, organic; Bearfoot Bistro & Champagne Bar www.bearfootbistro.com 604.932.3433, 4121 Village Green, creative NW fresh cuisine, champagne by the glass! & oyster bar, extensive wine list; Beet Root Café 4340 Lorimer Road #129, 604.932.1163, organic home cookin’ soups, salads, sandwiches; Elements Urban Tapas Lounge www.wildwoodrestaurants.ca 4359 Main St #102B, 604.932.5569, inventive small plates, excellent breakfasts; Fifty Two 80 Bistro & Bar at Four Seasons Resort www.fourseasons.com 4591 Blackcomb Way, 604.966.5280, creative NW cuisine & fine wines, best hot cocoa; Gone Bakery & Soup Co. 4205 Village Square (behind Armchair Bookstore), 604.938.1957, excellent soups & sans; Mix by Ric’s, 4154 Village Green, 604.932.6499, crazy good tapas, martinis; Rimrock Café www.rimrockwhistler.com 2117 Whistler Road (directly off Hwy 99, 3kms or 2.17 miles south of the main Whistler Village entrance), 604.932.5565, outstanding meat & seafood; Trattoria di Umberto www.umberto.com 4417 Sundial Place, 604.932.5858.

STAY

A wide variety of hotels, condos and chalets are available from the whimsical faux lodge Adara to the splendid Four Seasons or Fairmont ChateauWhistler.

Adara Whistler Hotel www.adarahotel.com 4122 Village Green, 866.502.3272; sophisticated, stylish, playful boutique hotel with “floating” fireplaces, delightful faux rustic details, lush linens and down comforters.

Four Seasons Resort Whistler www.fourseasons.com 4591 Blackcomb Way, 888.935.2460, handsome, gracious luxurious comfort. Fifty Two 80 Bistro & Bar on site.

PLAY

Getting there: From Vancouver drive The Sea to Sky Highway (route 99) from Vancouver to Whistler may experience delays during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Spectacular scenery. Perimeter Whistler Express Bus www.perimeterbus.com (multiple trips daily from Airport & Hotels) 877.317.778