Old Meets New The tale of two Chinatowns is one of "old" meets "new". Vancouver's Chinatown being old and Richmond's Asian "Golden Village" being new. While we would not recommend visiting Vancouver's Chinatown for either Chinese dining other than Wild Rice, a fabulous restaurant on Chinatown's outskirts, an evening destination, or a contemporary shopping spree, if you appreciate architecture, traditional Chinese culture, and history, then it's certainly worth a look. For Chinese dining and shopping, head out to Richmond on the Canada Line to the Aberdeen Mall, Parker Place or Yaohan Centre on No. 3 Road in Richmond, or make a special trip to eat at one of the many fine Chinese restaurants in Vancouver and Richmond. History of Vancouver's Chinatown Vancouver, just 124 years old, is a city of immigrants from all over the world. ... read more

Vancouver's History Comes Alive The Hudson's Bay Company set up Fort Langley in 1827 as part of its network of fur-trading posts across Canada. Today, visitors to Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada can walk in the footsteps of British Columbia's pioneers. The Travelling Canucks recommend a visit since we enjoy the interactive exhibits and talks with knowledgeable costumed interpreters. Nestled in an agricultural setting, the village of Fort Langley offers historical charm and two museums in addition to the Fort Langley National Historic Site. It's well worth a visit! Europeans first settled in the Colony of British Columbia in the late 1850s because of the Fraser and Cariboo Gold Rushes. In 1871, British Columbia joined Confederation on the promise of the railway. Settlement expanded rapidly in the 1880s following the arrival of the transcontinental ... read more

Sensational Stanley Park Stanley Park, a National Historic Site named after Lord Stanley, Governor General of Canada in 1888 when the park was officially opened, is the crown jewel of the city's 200 parks. Eight million visitors per year to North America's third largest urban core park (400 hectares/ 1,000 acres) makes Stanley Park one of Vancouver's top attractions. The cool, lush, evergreen second and third growth forest of Douglas Firs, Western Red Cedars, Western Hemlocks, and Sitka Spruce trees gives the park a more naturalistic look than most urban parks. Three windstorms - one in the 1930s, one in 1960s and the last one in 2006 have resulted in large swathes of the park being deforested. On December 15, 2006, after two short hours of gale-force winds reaching 115 kilometers/71 miles per hour, over 60% ... read more

THE DRIVE For Vancouverites born and raised on the Westside, we enjoy "visiting" the freewheeling, artsy-folksy-funky and offbeat eastside neighborhood every summer on Vancouver's Commercial Drive, aka The Drive. Admittedly, we look and feel a little out of place, but nevertheless, it's fun venturing on the wild side once in a while since it's where divas, dykes and "addicts" roam the streets. For this reason alone, it's fun to go to The Drive and just watch the people stroll by. This summer was no different when we headed down to The Drive, except this year we brought our cameras and captured the vibe digitally! Once known as Vancouver's Little Italy, Italian immigrants first opened up shops here, with immigrants from around the world, artists and the countercultural moving in. It's a peculiar place where old-world bakery ... read more

Why Visit Gastown? Gastown is a mix of "hip" contemporary fashion and interior furnishing boutiques, art galleries, coffee shops, restaurants, and nightclubs located in one of Canada's national historic sites. While Gastown is one of Vancouver's tourist attractions, residents in social and newly upscale housing, workers in professional offices and internet businesses, and students attending acting and film schools call Gastown home. Like most tourist attractions, it has its share of souvenir shops too! Located at the northeast end of the Downtown, adjacent to the infamous Downtown Eastside, Gastown is easily accessible since Waterfront Station, Vancouver's main transportation hub, is on its western tip. However, due to its proximity to one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada and the open drug scene that plagues the Downtown Eastside, street people and drug-ad... read more