Warm climate, warm people, and a beautifully composed skyline. Frank McDonald recommends a holiday in the western Canadian city
If there is a kinder, gentler city than Vancouver anywhere in the world, then I have yet to find it. The setting is beautiful, reminiscent of Sydney in its relationship with the ocean, and the people are so nice, in the way we used to be before prosperity made us selfish, uncaring and rude. Bartenders, waiters, taxi drivers and shop assistants are all genuinely friendly, not in the faked American "have a nice day" smiley face sort of way which you know is only put on to win a bigger tip. In Vancouver, when you say "thanks" and they respond "you're welcome", you can sense that they mean it.
Even the beggars on the streets are polite. Yes, the city does have its Skid Row, around Abbott Street, between Chinatown and Gastown. There's often more than a whiff of marijuana in the air, but most of the "derelicts" look as if they're strung out on harder stuff.
It's surprising to find that there are so many homeless people sleeping in the streets, until you remember that Vancouver is the only city in Canada with a temperate climate. Instead of sleeping out in Ottawa, Montreal or Toronto and running the risk of frostbite, homeless Canadians have migrated west.Stanley Park, largest of many parks in Vancouver, even has old-growth rainforest.
The downtown area is peppered with high-rise buildings, yet somehow its skyline seems composed. Most of the newer blocks are apartment towers, which may account for a proud local boast that the centre of Vancouver is the most densely-populated urban area in North America after Manhattan.
Early "skyscrapers" include the clock-towered Vancouver Block (1910), which was briefly the tallest building in the British Empire, and the sumptuous art deco Marine Building (1930) at the foot of Burrard Street, by the waterfront. All are set against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains to the north.
Whistler, the most popular ski resort in North America, is less than two hours away. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held here, and the Canadians, who are big into research on fuel cells, plan to transport all the athletes, media pack and some two million spectators to the site in hydrogen-powered buses.
Some 30 per cent of the metropolitan area's population of two million is Asian, mainly Chinese. Immigration from China goes back to the 1870s, when thousands of Chinese came over to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Thousands of people from Hong Kong fled to Vancouver when the British left.
There's a Silk Road route to Chinatown, where all the lamp posts are painted red and hold Chinese-style lanterns. Its star attraction is the Dr Sun Yat-Sen garden, the first authentic full-sized classical Chinese garden built outside China. It claims to offer "refreshment for the heart", and so it does in plenty. This is an enchanting place. Built by Chinese craftsmen sent over from China and made from Chinese materials, its combination of heavy-roofed pavilions, serpentine corridors, intricate carving, Tai Hu limestone rock, jade-coloured water, trees and shrubs evokes an almost heavenly air.
Designed in Ming dynasty style, the garden's extraordinary depth belies its restricted site of less than half an acre. It is also imbued with yin and yang symbolism, so a guide (free with the admission price) is essential; otherwise the meaning of each element will be missed - and much of the amazing detail too.
In nearby Gastown, a prettified remnant of old Vancouver, the centrepiece is a modest version of New York City's triangular Flatiron building, with a similarly top-heavy cornice. The area also has a steam clock, which performs every hour, and several good pubs, including the Irish Heather.The profit on pints of stout enabled the Guinness family to buy land in North Vancouver, across Burrard Inlet from the city's downtown area, and then unlock its development potential by building the slim and elegant Lion's Gate suspension bridge in 1938. It soon became a symbol of Vancouver.
Sea bus services still run across the inlet from the old Canadian Pacific terminal on Water Street. The city also has a limited metro system, called Skytrain, which is being extended for the 2010 Winter Olympics. It's all very civilised; buses for Stanley Park even have bicycle racks clipped on their fronts.
There are other subtle signs that this is Canada, and not the US. Bars sell Cuban rum and tourist shops stock Havana cigars as well as red RCMP (Mountie) T-shirts and Canadian flags. The country's emblematic red mapleleaf flag is also flown all over the city, just to show that it's different to, say, Seattle. Vancouver is also much cleaner than most US (and Irish) cities. The streets are remarkably litter-free, there's very little graffiti and they're out hosing down office plazas, even on Sundays. Canadians are a gentler people, with none of the brashness so common south of the 49th parallel.
EAT The Templeton Diner on Granville Street is a must; it has been serving up juicy hamburgers since 1934. The local cuisine is described as West Coast, which we would know as Pacific Rim, and it's nearly as succulent and varied as Sydney's, especially for fish.
DRINK Few people know it, but British Columbia – everyone calls it "BC" – produces its own wine, including some good Merlot and Pinot Gris.
STAY The Victorian Hotel on Homer Street was one of the first guesthouses in the city. Rates start at the equivalent of just €40 per night. (00-1-604-681-6369), www.victorian-hotel.com
SEE Massive Change: The Future of Global Design exhibition runs from October 2nd to January 3rd at Vancouver Art Gallery.