We dine that evening in the style to which we've become accustomed in Vancouver -- i.e., fine restaurants at reasonable prices, given the exchange rate -- and head to TheaterSports League, a venue for improvisational theater. Perhaps you have to be young to enjoy it properly. Luckily, the crowd is young and seems to appreciate the humor of actors who use props like ill-fitting wigs and wooden rifles.
We have yet another hotel to try and drop our bags the next morning at the Wedgewood. If led there blindfolded, I would have sworn I was in a posh London hotel. The small lobby is paneled with carved mahogany and lighted by a chandelier and roaring fireplace. Afternoon tea is served.
Soon after settling in, we hop a trolley for the grand tour of the city, getting the big picture for two hours before jumping off at Chinatown (Vancouver claims the third-largest Chinatown in North America). We track down Floata's, which was recommended for its great dim sum. The main dining area is about the size of Madison Square Garden. Dozens of varieties of dim sum wheel by, and we stop every cart.
Waddling back to the trolley stop, we board for Science World, which was among the attractions we'd passed earlier. If you don't have a kid in tow, the Omnimax theater offers an excuse to stop anyway. Then on your way in or out of the theater, you can sidle up to cool math and science exhibits.
Unfortunately, as we head back to the hotel, my daughter notices that the Wedgewood is only a short skate away from the sea wall promenade in Stanley Park. So off we blade until dinnertime.
On our final day, we've planned to head a short distance out of town to Capilano Park and Grouse Mountain. The plan is to walk across a high, swinging suspension bridge over a gorge, visit a salmon hatchery and take a tram across the mountains.
But we're enjoying the city too much to want to leave. We grab a cab to return to Chinatown to stroll the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden. You need a guide to explain the yin-yang principal that creates the garden's "harmony through opposition" -- dark next to light, swaying bamboo beside rock, water flowing softly over stones.
We take our feeling of harmony with us to Granville Island, where a giant farmer's market offers the makings of a picnic along the water. We poke around the small specialty shops and handicraft galleries on the island that is part of the city proper, and are left with just enough time to fit in a short sail on English Bay.
We return toward shore near dusk, as the city lights begin to twinkle on, and the sun sinks below the horizon, beneath the mountains and the sea.
Cindy Loose will be online to discuss this story Monday at 2 p.m. during the Travel section's regular weekly chat.
Details: Vancouver
GETTING THERE: Northwest, Air Canada, United and American, to name a few, offer connecting flights from at least one of the three D.C. area airports. Discount fares begin at about $450 and can drop to about $370 round trip. Proof of U.S. citizenship is required when visiting Canada.
WHERE TO STAY: Vancouver has a wealth of options, including choices on the waterfront, which we didn't get a chance to try. For Old World charm, luxury and a good downtown location near Stanley Park, consider the Wedgewood (845 Hornby St., 800-663-0666, www.wedgewoodhotel.com). Spring rates begin at $99 a night for a double. For hip and modern, the obvious choice is the Opus Hotel (322 Davie St., 866-642-6787, www.opus hotel.com). Doubles in this new boutique hotel are also a deal, beginning at $117. We also liked the Pacific Palisades (1277 Robson St., 800-663-1815, www.pacificpalisades hotel.com) for its pool, central location in the shopping district and price, with doubles beginning at $85.
