On Vancouver and B.C.

My goal is to try and lure foreign students to Vancouver, because it is a really unique and a beautiful place. Vancouver is a young city - it obtained its status in 1886, when its population was less than 7 thousand; only two newspapers were being published then, and the settlement consisted of just a couple of blocks. However, by the end of the 19th century its residents counted 30 thousand already.  
 
How many people live in Vancouver now? Nowadays the population of the Greater Vancouver is more than 2 million habitants. You may say: "Ye, well, it's just a huge village!" And many people do say so. My counter question is: "By what parameters do you measure?" Certainly, we are not London, New York, Tokyo or even Moscow. I will ask you: "Do you think, you'll be able to sightsee a city with the population of ten million people in one month?" As for Vancouver, you just can't see all of it in a one-month time. Some of you may also make a remark like "there are so few ancient places and buildings there! " Yet, do you know that 80 % of architectural buildings in any city are being renewed every 50-70 years? Really ancient buildings and constructions in the world are few, and those that are claimed to be old in fact had been restored many a time.
 
To begin with, please have a look at photo albums and panoramas we composed for you and try to answer the questions: "does this place appeal to you and do you like it?" Well, read about our downtown - it is a unique combination of high-rise office buildings and apartment complexes along with numerous restaurants and cafes, cathedrals and cinemas. And it differs from downtowns in the United States. However, is there anything special in Vancouver you can't find at other cities and towns? Well, I'm pretty sure that museums, exhibitions or theatres may not intrigue you very much. But nevertheless... 
 
They say that the exhibition of the well-known artist Andy Warhol is extremely popular not only in North America but in Europe as well. And the "Maritime Museum" is also one of the best of the kind in North America. To the north of the city there is "The Mining Museum" - they let you sit in a tiny train and ride through the mine; the guide demonstrates all those hammers, which were in use until the mine closed. Or, the newly opened museum/theatre Storyeum is really unique in entire America! In nine episodes the actors perform life skits from the history of British Columbia, and the show lasts 75 minutes; it is accompanied by lots of multimedia effects. Well, as you can see, we have quite a variety of big, medium and small museums, etc. And what about the famous circus "Du Soleil", which comes to Vancouver on a tour every other summer?  
 
Would you like a tour on a boat or yacht in Burrard Inlet? From the water you'll be able to see all of downtown, North Vancouver and much more! Or, at least walk around the Stanley Park, which is located just next door to downtown. I was in New York, went for a stroll in Central Park, and please apologise me if I say that it smelled urine there… On the contrary, Stanley Park is naturally preserved and with its forest and numerous paths and trails is a very nice place to spend time. There is asphalt coating for those who love roller blades or a bicycle. By the way, roller-blades and bicycles one can rent right at the spot, and the prices are reasonable. Do you want to go aboard an airplane, which takes off from the sea - go ahead, but unfortunately the flight lasts for half an hour? Yet the view is gorgeous.  
 
Is it not enough? I go on... Why don't you go to the outskirts and countryside? There you'll find all really interesting things like rafting in mountain rivers, - you may even flip over (but isn't it exciting!); do canoeing and/or kayaking in the lake or in the bay. Or, just go on a picnic and barbeque, while taking a look at the beautiful mountains, lakes or and ocean. And all this is located within one-hour ride from the centre of the city - no traffic jams. Is there anything else you can do in the countryside? Sure thing: you may visit the zoo and have a ride on a tiny locomotive train. However, what I love most of all is swimming in mountain lakes. There are three of them nearby; moreover, the water sometimes gets very warm - almost 25 degrees. And what beautiful views! Unfortunately, there are few places where you can swim in the ocean, and it is not that hot, about 18 degrees only, yet -- is the sea near London warmer? Oh, and there is a nudist beach, right under the University of British Columbia, if we go down the hill. And you may want to take a bicycle and go to one of the numerous trails in a forest or park, or at least go on hiking to a mountain somewhere close to waterfalls, which are also numerous near Vancouver. I forgot to mention: next to the city there are two excellent suspension bridges on top of canyons, and there are several parks on the ocean shore with a view on lighthouses. Do not forget to sightsee the fort of Langley - the oldest settlement next door to Vancouver.  
 
If you want, go on a ride with the sky-train, and therefore you'll enjoy the really picturesque view on the city - tiny and big houses, and of course mountains at the horizon on the northern part. Believe it or not, but I prefer to hop on sky-train when I do go somewhere rather than drive a car - I can read a book and peek out of the window, and the very important thing is - there is always a vacant seat. Yes, we a "huge village", but with the metro/subway/sky-train, and honestly speaking, I don't understand, why a middle-size city is worse than a giant megalopolis. I don't purport that Vancouver is a unique and special place, or that it is better than other cities. Yet, the sheer situation makes me become an advocate of Vancouver, and I'm saying that 'yes', it's one of the best places. Claiming that Vancouver is one of the best cities in the world is not an exaggeration. According to UNESCO Vancouver occupies the 1st or 2nd places in terms of the "life quality". What do I mean? It's not enormous wages or luxurious casinos, and elegant mobsters in limos highlighted by dazzling signboards and squandering dough. No, not a constant emotional tension, stress and strain like it happens in nowadays Russia, Japan or Korea, but something else is a characteristic of life style in British Columbia. And B.C. is really considered beautiful: all vehicle plate numbers carry these words: "Beautiful British Columbia". Perhaps, what I'm saying may sound naïve and propagandistic, yet that's what in fact I mean. Traffic jams are rare in Vancouver, there is a lot of parks and gardens with playgrounds, there are many sport facilities and at moderate rates. For comparison, at the Moscow Transvaal Aquatic Centre that collapsed in 2003, a one-time admission was somewhat CAD 30. Can you imagine that!? Or, here, right in the geographical centre of the Greater Vancouver in Northern Richmond you will find farms with strawberries, raspberries, corn and whatnot. You don't believe me, just come and pick them - one pound (454 grams) is just one dollar. I haven't mentioned one more major thing. It's a trip to the capital of British Columbia - Victoria. Our excursion can be done within one day, and you will see many sights with minimum expenditure! But this is not all. How about a ride to Whistler - the place of coming winter Olympics of 2010? The trip will go through the picturesque road with view on the ocean, on one side, and gorgeous mountains, on another. And it takes only two hours from Vancouver...  
 
But let me return to Vancouver. Do you like playing golf? More than ten excellent grounds are at your disposal, and all of them are within ten/fifteen minutes drive from the centre of the city! Casinos? Lots of them, too! Strip-tease? Ye, - the cheapest one is just eight-ten bucks, can you believe it? Well, and what excellent beer and ale they serve in bars and pubs. You drink and at the same time enjoy a view on the sea! Alas, smoking is not permitted inside the restaurants, cafes and bars, and besides, cigarettes are a way too expensive... However there is an excellent solution. Since you come for just a month or so (maybe three months), bring your own stuff for now. But there is also another superb alternative. They say, 'pot' or marijuana is going to be legalized pretty soon in B.C., so why don't you give a try? Well, and also on the first Sunday of August they hold a big event - the Happy Pride Parade (actually, a gay/homosexual parade), to which, for example, more than 150 thousand spectators came in the year of 2004.  
 
Do you like winter sports, come in wintertime. There are two mountains in Vancouver, where you can ski, and to get to them is just twenty minutes by car or bus. If you want, you may also go to Whistler, - several excellent lifts are there. In winter it is not cold at all: somewhat between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius. There are no piercing or freezing winds as in Toronto or Montreal (other two major cities of Canada), and snowfalls happen only a couple of times a year.  
 
OK, I'd rather stop here and redirect you to our assays and articles about Vancouver, British Columbia, and Canada. Please note, that all of them are written exclusively by Mitch or Yunona, his wife. Look, reead and make your own conclusion. I'm not going to impose my opinion. I want you to come to a proper decision, and given that you'll have real fun in Vancouver, B.C.!