ROOTS stores are all over Canada. You can find a ROOTS store in most major Canadian cities, and they always have a shop in major ski areas like Whistler or Banff. A few have started to spring up in the U.S.A., like in Aspen, Park City, Sun Valley, and, of course, Beverly Hills.

The Vancouver store is located in the middle of Robson Street. The 1001 address only carries men's and women's, while a seperate store about a block away carries only kid's. The stores are clean, hip, and fun. They are fashion forward, but not overly trendy. Their look is more active, the kind of clothing people who enjoy the outdoors wear. At first glance, you may feel they are more expensive than places like the GAP or Old Navy, but there is no comparison to the quality of the merchandise. I have had ROOTS products for years and years. They never seem to wear out.

After each Olympics, they are allowed to reproduce the uniforms they made for the athletes. This is always a favorite time, as people love these uniforms, and, when they hit the stores, they sell like hot cakes.

I was lucky during the time we went because the trend was wrapping up. It was just enough time after the Olympics for the leftover merchandise to be marked down. I got each kid a warm-up suit that the Canadian divers and gymnasts wore in Greece. They were bright red with the Candian maple leaf and the Olympic rings in full view. However, best of all, they were 30% off!

ROOTS is a great company with a unique look. It makes a wonderful gift for a loved one. I don't usually buy clothing out of the country, as with the world shrinking, there are so few unique clothing products. However, ROOTS keeps its quality and its look Canadian.

Arthur Erickson, one of the most noted Canadian architects of his generation, played a major part behind the design of this development. The square incorporates the Provincial Government Offices (1978) and the Law Courts (1979), brooding buildings, designed by Erickson, of concrete and glass. A series of water cascades add a bit of much-needed spirit to this portion of the outdoor plaza. The Robson Square campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) contributes some local life to the sometime deadening atmosphere. Students can be found here skateboarding, studying, and otherwise cavorting even in some of the darker underpasses of the multi-tiered spaces. During the winter there is an outdoor skating rink, and I can imagine a livelier atmosphere here in January than during my visit in September.

This is an urban landscape of concrete to be sure, no matter how the plantings and the waterfalls may psychologically soften the effect. Some of the monumental stair runs are marred by code-mandated ramps for the physically handicapped. These ramps are necessary for wheelchairs, but its awkward zigzag layout, reminiscent of the narrow switchback roads atop steep Machu Picchu, must be dismaying for unfortunate wheelchair users. These slashing paths also forcibly create irregularly shaped semi-stairs that can cause otherwise fit persons to stumble. Stairs seem to take up half of the site, and unintentionally create a monumentally oppressive environment not unlike those from the mind of Escher.

The most visible part of the square is the Vancouver Art Gallery, a neoclassical complex that was formerly the city courthouse designed by architect Francis Rattenbury in 1911. Its interiors were deftly redesigned by Erickson in 1983 as exhibition spaces for art. Various colorful modern sculptures are sprinkled throughout the levels of the park. There are even a few peculiar ship models perched atop the roof at each corner of the main building. The galleries contain the most thorough collection of works by Victoria artist Emily Carr, one of most notable Canadian artists, although virtually anonymous elsewhere. Carr is sort of a Canadian version of Georgia O’Keeffe.

The north part of the square has perhaps its most crowd-pleasing aesthetic public feature. The sculptural fountain with colorful glazed tiles is surrounded by bright red-rose gardens and marks the front (or is it the back?) monumental entrance to the Vancouver Art Gallery. The fountain would not be out of place in Barcelona, and its dancing streams of water may even overshadow the fact that there is a horrendous and ungainly department store eyesore to the east. Frankly, it was a relief to encounter this fountain after the cool, gray atmosphere of the rest of Robson Square.

Robsonstrasse is on Robson street and reflects the European influence on the city. There are a large offering of European luxury shops, designer outlets, and the "in-crowd" coffee stores. The heart of Robsonstrasse is about six square block, bounded by Burrard, Haro, Jervis, and Alberni streets. Stores for the rich and famous are well-presented here, for you will find name like Armani, Saatchi and to some extend Club Monaco and Benetton. However, the unique and quirky are also well-presented here, as little specialty shops selling hancrafted jewelry, clog shoes, Belgian chocolate and art glass also proliferate here in Robsonstrasse.

In addition, Robson Fashion Park at 1131 Robson Street has a number of boutiques selling high fashion. There are also souvenir stores along this stretch.