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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – After skiing down Whistler Mountain’s 5,280 feet of vertical fun, I glanced at the summit and wondered why this massive, snow-topped peak had been rejected as a Winter Olympics host at least three times since the 1960s.
Always a bridesmaid … but wait.
But Whistler teamed up with the city of Vancouver, 85 miles away, and the International Olympic Committee gave the mountain and its neighboring city the nod to host the 21st Winter Olympics and Paralympics from Feb. 12 to 28.
The quality of the skiing and snowboarding on Whistler, a resort that nearly every ski and snowboarding magazine in North America ranked among the world’s best, is not an issue, and my schussing experience tells me those accolades are well deserved.
But you don’t have to be a powder hound to delight in Whistler and Vancouver. Whether you watch the Games from your couch or visit British Columbia, this Canadian tag team can delight foodies, joggers, tree-huggers, shopaholics, animal lovers and clean freaks, who will find the streets of Vancouver, a city of 2 million, so spotless they’ll think Mr. Clean is the mayor.
You sense you’re in Canada because of the authentic Cuban cigars and the glut of televised hockey highlights, but otherwise, it’s not always clear, thanks to Starbucks outlets, McDonald’s franchises, Eddie Bauer stores, overpriced souvenir shops and “Seinfeld” reruns.
But you will need a guide because the Great White North has much to offer. Here are some of the gems I gleaned on two visits this year (one winter, one fall) to Vancouver and Whistler.
You have to love that new-transit smell, which permeated the rail line I rode from Vancouver International Airport to downtown Vancouver, once a saw milling settlement.
The new Canada Line that opened in August was representative of the public transit system in Vancouver and Whistler: efficient, economical and easy to use.
No need for a rental car in Whistler or Vancouver. At Whistler, pedestrians can easily navigate the faux European village at the base of the mountain along a red brick walkway. Downtown Vancouver, meanwhile, is about 68 square miles and rich in transportation options.
The transit choices were on display on my first day of sightseeing. From the rail line’s waterfront station, I jumped on a “hop on, hop off” trolley ($35 for a day pass) to the southern tip of Stanley Park, where I rented a bicycle (about $20 for half a day). I followed the smooth, flat sea-wall bike path for several miles to the Hornby Street pier and caught a cute, multicolored aquabus ($3) across False Creek to Granville Island.
By taking public transit, you can pick up local insight from your driver. Bob Hunt, a trolley bus driver, told me where to get a great brewery tour (Granville Island Brewing) and where to spot the Olympic rings (on a barge in the middle of Coal Harbour) and see traditional First Nation totem poles (Brockton Point on the east end of Stanley Park).
To reach Whistler from Vancouver, you take the Sea-to-Sky Highway, a twisting, scenic, 85-mile stretch of road that was once known as the “death highway” before it was repaved and widened to accommodate Olympic traffic. It is still a harrowing drive.
I recommend jumping on one of several charter buses so you can enjoy the views of Howe Sound, Anvil Island and the Stawamus Chief, the massive granite dome with the profile of an Indian chief, bordering the highway. During the Olympics, the road will be closed to everyone except fans with tickets and residents.
The display cases at the Granville Island public market pop with color, like a verdant rose garden. If you are visiting with children, the market needs to be stop No. 1 on your visit. Stock up on picnic food at the market and take a bus to Stanley Park, the well-manicured 1,000-acre playground that’s home to several flower gardens and a grove of totem poles, each with a different story to tell.
While in Stanley Park, stop by the Vancouver Aquarium, where you’ll see two young ghostly white beluga whales that seem to float like spirits across the dark blue waters.
For a bit of an education about the region’s native people, check out the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia on the western tip of Vancouver. The accordion-shaped building is undergoing a $55.5 million upgrade that is expected to be completed in time for the Olympics. Step into the 122,000-square-foot building to examine towering totem poles, First Nation statues, colorful paintings and hand-woven rugs.
If I had to recommend a neighborhood for dining, it would be Yaletown, a former warehouse district that has been remade as a haven for loft-dwelling yuppies and upscale eateries, like Blue Water Cafe, Bacchus at the Wedgewood Hotel and Goldfish Pacific Kitchen. But if you want to save money and dine with the locals, check out Hon’s Wun-Tun House on Robson Street, a noisy, crowded eatery where you can munch on a plate of pot stickers for about $4.
For night life, Granville Street from Nelson Street to Robson Street throbs every weekend night with young, rowdy partygoers, bouncing from nightclub to nightclub. One of the longest lines on the street snaked out of the Tonic Nightclub.
After eating pot stickers at Hon’s Wun-Tun House, I tried to work off the calories on a bicycle ride along what locals call the sea wall, a smooth, flat bike and jogging path that encircles most of downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park. My ride was frequently interrupted by great photo opportunities: the towering Lions Gate Bridge, the statue of “Girl in a Wetsuit” along the shore of Vancouver Harbour and the inukshuk at English Bay Beach, the massive stone landmark that has been adopted as the symbol of the Olympics.
If you make the two-hour trek between Vancouver and Whistler, be sure to check out two of nature’s most spectacular attractions. About 35 miles north of Vancouver, along Highway 99, visit the 1,100-foot white-water cascade of Shannon Falls, the world’s fifth-highest waterfall.
A few miles north of the falls, make another stop at Brackendale, one of the largest gathering spots of eagles in North America. In 1994, the town set the world record for most eagles in one spot: 3,769. America’s national symbols gather along the Squamish River to feast on spawning salmon between mid-November and mid-February.
Conde Nast Traveler, Outside and Skiing magazines have ranked Whistler Mountain among the best in North America.
