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Hello from New York City (5) - A Local Expert Takes Us Through Queens Yesterday was a pretty interesting day, the weather was cool and overcast, with rain coming in during the latter part of the afternoon. A few weeks ago I had booked a meeting with one of the Big Apple Greeters, an organization of local NYC volunteers that ...
Thinking Of Traveling To Alaska? Today Norm Goldman, Editor of www.Sketchandtravel.com and www.Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as a guest, writer and travel book author, Nancy Thalia Reynolds. Nancys principal area of expertise is Alaska, British Colombia, and the Yukon ...
Travel To Russia - Baikal Lake One of the most spectacular and unspoiled places on earth, which attracts tourists worldwide, is lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world. This lake is considered to have the purest and most tasteful water known to man. The water in the lake is so clean ...
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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.
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