Our day began with a beautiful "scenic drive" along Highway 99, the Sea to Sky Highway, to Whistler, location of the alpine events during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Whistler is a major ski area because of its proximity to Vancouver. Whistler Village is an adorable collection of shops, restaurants, and lodging places. We strolled along the Main Street and window-shopped. The mountain has become a year-round resort, offering dirt biking and zip Our ride back to Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway, although beautiful, was much longer due to a major traffic jam — a wide-load trailer lost its cargo, effectively closing the highway for about an hour.
When we reached the city limits, we stopped for an hour or so in Stanley Park, the city’s signature "green space." The park is huge, well-designed and popular. We stopped at several places along the perimeter drive, including the totem pole park and Brockton Point. Next we headed for Granville Island, home of the city’s largest and most popular public market. We browsed among the shops for a while and then went to dinner at one of Vancouver’s best restaurants, the Rain City Grille. It is located overlooking picturesque English Bay and one of the city’s most frequented beaches. Dinner was absolutely spectacular, from the local wine to the decadent dessert. It was the first real splurge of our trip, and worth every "loony."
We capped the day off with a walking tour of downtown Vancouver which included highlights of Chinatown, Robson Street, one of the most popular gathering places during the Olympics, and Christ Church Cathedral, one of Vancouver’s stone churches. Again the weather was perfect — hope our luck continues.