Vancouver, BC (Canada)

In honor of the 2010 Olympics, I wanted to do a piece on Vancouver, BC. There is something magical and exciting about this city. It is a beautiful mix of culture and has something for everyone. It’s climate makes it available to all kinds of interests, including theater, outdoor recreation, and nightlife.

Vancouver is a coastal city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest city in Western Canada and the third largest city in the country. It’s climate is temperate by Canadian standards and typically considered a Oceanic or Marine climate. During the summer, the weather is dry. Spring and Fall are typically rainy.

Vancouver has one of the most diverse populations in North America and has been called the “city of neighborhoods.” It’s population mainly consists of English, Scottish, and Irish descent and those cultures are still visible today, especially in South Granville and Kerrisdale. With such diversity comes the benefits of great ethnic food, shops, customs and celebrations.

Vancouver is the third largest film hub in North America, after LA and NYC. It has the second largest TV production, after LA. It has been nicknamed Hollywood North. It also has several theatre companies, including The Arts Club Theatre Company, Vancouver TheatreSports League, The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company and Bard on the Beach. Several smaller theatre companies include Touchstone Theatre, Studio 58, Carousel Theatre, and the United Players of Vancouver. There are always theatre productions occurring and during the summer, there are outside productions, one of which occurs at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. Finally, Vancouver hosts The Vancouver International Film Festival, one of the larger film festivals in North America. It occurs for 2 weeks in September and over 350 films are shown. Other companies host smaller film festivals throughout the year.

There are a host of museums in Vancouver, including the Vancouver Maritime Museum, the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre, Science World – which is an interactive museum. Finally there is The Museum of Anthropology the Vancouver Museum, which is the largest civic museum in Canada. Vancouver also a diverse collection of Public Art. The Vancouver Art Gallery has a permanent collection of nearly 10,000 items.

Musical also plays a key role in the diversity of the city. There is the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and The Vancouver Opera. There are also several well known punk rock bands, alternative rock bands, heavy metal, etc. There is always live music in Vancouver. Other popular musical artists who hail from Vancouver are Bryan Adams, Sarah McLaughlin, Heart and Michael Buble. To hold all of these events, Vancouver’s music venues include the GM Place, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, BC Place Stadium, the Pacific Coliseum. Smaller acts are held at the Plaza of Nations, the Commodore Ballroom, the Orpheum Theatre. Also notable are The Vancouver Folk Music Festival and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Sports and recreation also fare well in this city, mainly due to the mild climate and close proximity to the ocean, mountains and a host of rivers and lakes. There are over 3,200 acres of parks, 11 miles of beaches with parks attached that boast a host of entertainment. The coastline boasts provides many types of water sports and boating. Vancouver is also a hot spot for runners. It hosts the Vancouver Marathon in May, the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon in June along with some smaller races like the Vancouver Sun Run in April (6.2 miles).

Less than 30 minutes away are the North Shore Mountains. Not only are there three ski areas (Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, and Mount Seymour) but there are world-renowned trails for mountain biking. Also available at North Shore is white water rafting, hiking and swimming. About 120 km from Vancouver is Wistler, a world renowned winter ski resort and summer playground and also the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Like sports? Well, in 2011, Vancouver is hosting the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League championship game. The Vancouver Titans (International Basketball League) played their first season in 2009. Vancouver is a center for the fast-growing sport of Ultimate. In 2008, Vancouver hosted the World Ultimate Championships.

So, check it out! There is a reason why the Winter Olympics were held there this year!

read comments (0)