We came for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy which we don't plan on returning, but the real highlights were the theatres at Firehall Arts Centre for the musical "Urinetown" and Storyeum.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

E-mail reservations@dufferinhotel.com

Best Western Sands by the Sea, located on the west end, has a modest lobby. Upon checking in, ask for your Wifi access code for your laptop, and if you don't have a Wifi access card, the hotel will loan one to you during your stay. Local calls are free up to 29 minutes, or else a $2.50 charge applies. Access from the lobby elevator is by the hotel card or hotel staff. Ask for a room with a street view, which also is the ocean view. We originally booked with a view on the other side, one king-size bed, and a larger desk. We asked for a room change with two beds and street view, though the desk is considerably smaller. The street view at night also has a few people making noise late at night.

The room is quite comfortable. Our bed was on the soft side, with good support. We had a good first night's sleep. Our room has a mini coffeemaker, hair dryer, radio, and TV.

There is fitness and sauna room access by hotel card from 6am to 10pm, and the Laundromat is open from 6:30 to 10pm. Both are located on the first floor, or leave your laundry at the front desk with the form properly filled out and it will be returned to your room by 6pm. Ice machines are on odd-numbered floors and soda machines are on every floor. It is pet friendly, and there are a limited amount of small safety boxes at the front desk for a nominal fee. Check-out is noon. The hotel staff and new assistant are helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly.

A 24-hour Mac's convenience store is up the block on the next corner on Davie Street and Bidwell should you need a late-night snack or something.

Cherckers Bar & Grill and Bay Side Lounge, 12pm to 2am, are both next door, or go down the corner on Denmon Street, which has a lot of ethnic restaurants to select from.

Trip Planning or Bus no. 6

Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, located near the entrance to Granville Island, serves some excellent-tasting food prepared by students in an elegant licensed dining room.

You may dine for lunch, brunch, or dinner, or visit their cafe to dine in or takeaway breads, pastries, cakes, lunches, or dinners. On the day we went, we didn't have any reservations and just showed up to ask if they had any seating available just before they opened. Fortunately, there was space available. You may hang your coat up at the front entrance prior to seating. There was a 2-for-1 promotional lunch or dinner Monday to Thursday when we went if you ordered the three-course menu and had only one bill per table. A 15% service charge is added to the bill. A vegetarian menu is available upon request.

The atmosphere is elegant and the service is good, but our server didn't know if an ingredient in a dish could be left out and had to consult with the chef/kitchen staff and neglected to ask if we wanted coffee at the end of our meal.

The appetizer Gourmand Salad with Garlic Tiger Prawns, Campari Tomatoes, Smoked Salmon, Sweet Miso & Soy Dressing was really excellent.

The Raspberry Glazed Oven Roasted Pork Chops with Sour Cherry, Honey Gastrique Red Beet Root & Spinach Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus Bundle, Roated Japanese Eggplant very good.

The Apple Strudel with Creme Anglaise & Cinnamon Ice Cream good but too sweet. The Black Forst Cake with Sour Cherry Compote looked more like a space atom display.

Lunch is Monday-Friday 11:30am-2pm $22

Brunch is Saturday 11am-2pm $25

Dinner Monday-Friday 6pm-9pm $34 Saturday 6pm-9pm $36

Bakeshop & Cafe Monday-Saturday 8am-7pm

Credit cards accepted, parking available.

Gain Wah is the only Chinese restaurant we were able to find open after 10pm, if you should find yourself in Chinatown and in the mood for Chinese food late at night. There is fluorescent lighting and linoleum flooring, nothing fancy nor romantic. We ordered fried pork dumplings (10 pieces) for $4.95 off the red board on the wall, which were a little small but tasty enough. We asked for item no. 32, steamed rock cod, but they were out of steamed rock cod or steamed flounder. Our waiter then suggested the steamed sea bass, $10.95, which was good. With item no. 19, BBQ roast duck with vegetable soup $7 (small), the soup base was only warm, but the duck in it was good. With item no. 59, sauteed Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce, $8.50, the garlic sauce tasted good but was too salty. Steamed white rice for $1 (one small rice bowl to share was enough) rounded off our meal for two. That was a lot of food for us, but we managed to finish it all off.

Cash only, daily 10am-midnight.

Monday, BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Tuesday, Beef Stroganoff with rice or pasta and vegetables.

Wednesday, Chicken Cacciatore with pasta tossed in garlic butter, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.

Thursday, Breaded Pork Cutlet pan-fried and topped with shallot semi-glazed, vegetables, and mashed potatoes.

Friday, Fresh Seafood Lunch.

Saturday, Fish-and-Chips.

Our server, Sara, is very nice and gave good service. They use freshly ground quality coffee for each carafe. The kitchen is open daily till 1am.

Credit cards accepted.

Bus nos. 5 or 6.

Floata Seafood Restaurant, based out of Hong Kong, is Canada's largest Chinese restaurant, with 1,000-person seating capacity with secured parking in Chinatown. Dim sum, dinner, and banquets are offered. We arrived here for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy, 10-course banquet. We went upstairs on the elevator to the restaurant. The food quality of entrees such as crab with ginger and scallions, sticky fried rice, and vegetarian moo shoo was good but not great.

7:30am-10pm.

E-mail: info@floata.com

Tantra Waterfront Lounge & Grill is a SeaBus ride away from downtown Vancouver. There's an outdoor heated patio, but the people smoking would not be acceptable for enjoyment. We waited for a table by a glass window to look out to the downtown Vancouver skyline, but the reflections of the lights from inside also detracted, as did the metal bar running along the length detracted, from fully enjoying the view in the evening when it got dark, try coming here during a nice day to avoid the reflection problems at night and to enjoy the view better. There are large TV monitors and fireplaces.

We opted for the temporary promotion, a three-course $15 dinner. For starters the choices were crab and cream cheese stuffed mushroom caps, flash-fried calamari, or spinach salad tossed in a mango vinaigrette dressing. The main-course choices were Mediterranean chicken, grilled coho salmon, or chicken pesto linguine. For desserts, there's banana caramel cheesecake, mocha madness ice cream pie, or pecan caramel fudge cake.

We had the crab and spinach salad for the appetizers, salmon and chicken pesto linguine for the main courses, banana cheesecake and mocha ice cream pie for desserts.

We were asked for drink starters and then the hot fresh-baked bread with butter arrived. Our three-course meals started to come one at a time. We asked for more bread, but our server forgot it till our main course was finished. The mocha ice cream pie looked more like a cake slice than a pie slice. The banana dessert didn't taste like we thought it might. The atmosphere is pleasant enough, service is acceptable, and the food is good.

Sushi plates are placed on conveyor belts, and you pick up the ones that appeal to you, plus you order off a menu list of items. Some items are limited in the quantity you may order. You may reuse the menu list to resubmit multiple requests. Tea or ice water are provided without an additional charge. Two dessert items may be selected per person. The coffee jello has a very strong coffee taste, as does the green tea ice cream with a strong taste of green tea and a little gritty.

Lunch Monday-Friday 11:30am-3pm $10.95, weekends & holidays $14.95

Dinner Monday-Thursday 4:30pm-9pm $17.95, Friday-Sunday and holidays $19.95, deluxe $21.95

Discount for seniors with valid I.D., and young children 4-9 are less.

Rooster's Quarters serves Montreal-style chicken and ribs. This cozy place wasn't busy, so we were able to get window seating; otherwise, it's quite dark inside. We ordered a Montreal smoked meat sandwich on rye bread $7.45, tourtere $6.25, poutine $5.95, and a side order of ribs (seven bones) $7.45. The rye bread was too thick on the sandwich to be authentic, according to my partner, who lived in Montreal for a while. Of these foods, I liked the ribs best, though it was sweet. The meat was moist, tender, and almost ready to fall off the bone.

The owner bought these old music CD's, and frankly, I and a lot of other customers before me remarked about it and liked it. Now that's all they play.

Bay View Cafe is a little place to have breakfast, lunch, or a drink, with seating inside or on the patio, weather permitting. The white board caught our eyes with all-day breakfast deals: four bacon pieces, two eggs, and three pancakes for $3.99 or soup and a corned beef sandwich for $4.99. We didn't go for those specials, but it let us know that this place will do breakfast all day. We ordered and paid at the counter, and then our food was brought to our table. The person who prepared our order wasn't very friendly, our eggs were burnt on the bottom, and no jam was provided until I asked for some.

Daily 8:30am-6pm.

Membership: three day membership $3, one month membership $5, one year membership $10; one year renewal membership $5 with expired card.

Rates for locker or room varies depending on day and time: locker $10-$15, room $15-$30.

Various discounts are offered:

Student rate: Mon-Thurs after 7pm; 28 & under Mondays (excludes holidays) 6pm-4am with valid government ID $5 off.

Buddy night (Tuesday): Bring another person and get a locker/room at half price (excludes deluxe room)

Gym night (Wednesday): 6pm-2am with any valid gym membership $5 off.

Dip & Dash Mondays-Fridays (excludes holidays on Mondays): 11am-3pm 2-hour locker for $5.

Email Telephone: 604/689-9719.

We bought some frozen haggis, took it back to Vancouver, and asked the restaurant staff in our hotel to keep it in the freezer for a few days. We got it back before crossing the border back into the US and later cooked and consumed it.

Eric McLean is quite a character. If you go to Nanaimo, please make an effort to stop by.

Monday-Friday, 9:30am-5:30pm; Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday, 11am-4pm

Telephone: (250) 754-0100, Fax: (250) 754-0161

Email thebigcheese@mcleansfoods.com

Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm

Tel: (604) 684-2787

Email: info@ticketstonight.ca

New Balance is a retailer of athletic shoes, especially for people with wide feet. I went in, walked right up to the cashier desk, and asked if they offer a waterproof shoe in 4E width. Another person helped me, showing me the two models in their store fitting my criteria, with a $10 price difference between the two choices. The model MW976BG, item #9639, for $179.98 was what I chose after trying them on. The staff was helpful and professional. I was able to get help, make my purchase, and be out of there within 15 minutes.

Monday-Thursday, Saturday 10am-6pm, Friday 10am-9pm, Sunday 11am-5pm

Phone: (604) 685-2281, toll-free in Canada: (888) 501-1333

Email: info@newbalancevancouver.ca

M2M is a 24-hour steam bath in the basement level for men with a taste for leather, jocks, Levi's, and bears. Large steam room, showers, sling, different room sizes (private and public), and lockers. It's a place to go if you like bears.

Membership: 3-day $3, month $5, year $10. Renewal of a 1-year membership upon presentation of card $5.

Rates: Lockers $18, room $18, deluxe room $25.

Dip & Dash Monday-Friday 11am-3pm Locker $5 for 2 hours.

Rates are good for 8 hours.

Phone: (604) 684-6011.

Email steamy@f212.com.

Firehall Arts Centre is busy offering 300 performances each year. We went to see the musical "Urinetown," which has a very good cast and performances, with a notable performance by Spencer Kayden playing the role Little Sally.

Advanced ticket can be purchased Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 5pm or at the door 1 hour before the performance. Doors open 30 minutes before the start of the performance for seating. Doors lock promptly at 8pm. There is a licensed alcohol bar and light snacks are available.

Box Office: (604) 689-0926

Email: firehall@firehallartscentre.ca

The Oasis Pub, a piano bar in Davie Village, provides entertainers performing on a baby grand piano Wednesday to Saturday from 9pm until about an hour before closing. It's a cozy feeling on the second floor, with a mixed crowd, lounge, and food. The rooftop patio was done in Santa Fe decor. There is a happy hour daily till 6:30pm, martinis are their specialty, and there are also bar foods, like coconut prawns $10 and an oasis burger $12.

When we went, there was CD music playing, but it didn't blend with the theme of being a piano bar. The entertainer for the evening, Perry Dickinson, performed and made the evening for us.

Specials

Sunday Prime Rib $16.95
Monday Tacos $0.99
Tuesday Wings $0.45 each
Wednesday Steak & Crab Dinner $14.95
Thursday Peel & Eat Shrimp $0.35 each

Sunday-Thursday 3:30pm-12am, Friday-Saturday 3:30pm-1am

Phone: (604) 685-1724

Email: info@theoasispub.com

May 1-June 14, September, 10am-6pm

June 15-August 31, 9:30am-7pm

October 1-April 30, 10am-4:30pm

Phone: (604) 662-3207

Email: sunyatsen@telus.net

Sunday-Thursday 11am-12am, Friday-Saturday 11am-1am, Brunch Weekends & Holidays 11am-2pm

Phone +1 604 687 2222, + 1 604 687 2303 fax

Bus #5 or 6

T&T Supermarket is a Chinese supermarket chain with locations across Canada. This is their original location, offering food products from Asia, including an Asian deli, sushi, cakes, and fruit baskets in a bright, clean, spacious environment to lure the shopper to come in and buy. Daily 9am to 9:30pm.

Phone: (604) 436-4881

SkyTrain Metrotown station

Gung Haggis Fat Choy is promoted by founder Todd Wong as an annual banquet in celebration of Chinese New Year and Robert Burns Day, with poetry readings written by the author, entertainment with video, singing, and musical instruments, including a bagpipe and a nose flute. The 2006 banquet was held at Floata Restaurant, with the reception at 5:30pm and dinner/show at 6pm. The organizers didn't have the no-host bar ready for people to buy drinks during reception, and there was heavy promotion to buy raffle tickets for prizes and door prize tickets for just coming. There were politicians here during the event. Recognizing the people for their work was done throughout the dinner instead of crediting them before the dinner started. There were pleas for funding of various needs. The dinner itself had a couple of highlighted items, including crab with ginger and scallions, deep-fried wonton made with haggis, and haggis made from a sheep's stomach to serve as the bag holding the sheep's internal organs (liver, heart, windpipe, and lung), oatmeal, suet, stock, onions spices all mashed up. It is high in fat and salt and the national dish of Scotland, but not everyone liked it. The dish was paraded around the banquet to bagpipe music before it was brought to our tables.

It was something different to come to do but was not well organized. We don't recommend it nor plan to come to another one of these.

Storyeum has two parts, one is live theatre, the other is on your own display of the dinosaurs. The live theatre presents the history of British Columbia in a unique underground multistage setting, educating and entertaining, having the audience descend to the underground, moving the audience from stage to stage, and then ascending back up with a multimedia show. It's a good performances from the many actors. Rates vary depending on whether you wish to do both the show and dinosaurs or one or the other. We went for just the underground show, which is worth seeing.

Hours 10am-6pm, doors open 9:30am, and last show 5pm.

Harbour Centre, on the ground level, consists of a food court and Simon Fraser University and, towards the top, a rotating restaurant (closed 3 to 5pm) and observation deck.

There's no admission to go to the restaurant, or else viewing times and admission rates are $10 for adult and hours vary for the season, the shortest times being 9am to 9pm during the winter. There are discounts available from free tourist guides. The admission is good for the day, so you may come back again to view the skyline at twilight. Come here on a clear day if your stay is long enough so that you may take full advantage of the view, as the cashier Vincent suggested. Take a quick 40-second glass elevator ride up to the top for a 360-degree view of the city, and a cafe is there for drinks and snacks. Fatport Wi-fi is available.

Phone: (604) 689-0421

Top Revolving Restaurant, Phone: (604) 669-2220

Email: info@vancouverlookout.com

Urban Fare offers local foods, organic foods, and foods flown from France, including Poilâne bread. Their own bakery items are presented in a visually appealing display.

Phone: (604) 975-7550

Phone 604.899.8836

SkyTrain Chinatown station

The seating at this place was kind of tight, and the seating seemed to slope slightly forward, making it a bit uncomfortable. I tried moving to another seat, and it felt the same, but my body adjusted to it. The one notable positive feature here as I also noticed in some independent theatres, is that the film is sharply focused and checked on as each reel starts its play, as it used to be done, unlike the big movie theatre chains, where it's just slightly off-focus.

Champs Sports has a large selection of athletic footwear and is located in malls of the US and Canada. My partner's feet were hurting from the shoes he was already wearing, so we stopped by at this place and got the attention of Wayne, who helped him with his needs, selecting and purchasing a pair of shoes.

Return policy: 60 days with receipt for refund or exchange on unworn merchandise. 60 days with receipt for exchange on defective worn merchandise.

Phone: (604) 439-9839

For a donation, anyone can vaporize in the lounge with their own stuff they bring. There are educational materials on marijuana, hemp clothing products, bongs, rollers, vaporizers (really the only healthy way to go,) glass pipes, grow books, mushroom kits, hash bubblebags, urban shaman available.

They are politically aware of the marijuana laws in other places such as Alaska besides BC.

Vancouver Art Gallery, founded in 1931, is the largest gallery in western Canada, with more than 7,900 works worth over $100 million, with featured artist Emily Carr. Enter from Hornby Street or Robson Street Plaza (adjacent to Howe Street). We saw works of artists Takao Tanabe and Emily Carr.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday-Sunday/Holidays 10am-5:30pm, Tuesday 10am-9pm, Thursday 10am-9pm, fourth Friday of each month 10am-11pm, FUSE 6pm-11pm

Adult $15, Senior (65+) $11, Student (with valid ID) $10, Children (5 - 12) $6, Children (4 and under) Free, Family (maximum 2 parents and 2 children) $40

Admission is by donation on Tuesday evenings, 5 to 9pm.

From late January to the beginning of February, you may elect a three-course dinner at 144 of Vancouver's restaurants for $15, $25, or $35 per person during Tourism Vancouver's Dine Out Vancouver™ promotion.

We happen to come across one such promotion at Tantra Waterfront Grill & Lounge.

PumpJack Pub is a gay, bears, and leather bar, if you like that type of crowd. It is a dark, large open tavern with pool tables, pinball in the back, and a friendly atmosphere.
Sunday 1pm-1am, Monday-Thursday 1pm-12am, and Friday-Saturday 1pm-3am

Phone: (604) 685-3417

Email: info@pumpjackpub.com

The Dufferin Pub, part of the hotel, is a low-key large open area with a pool table. It's rundown, mostly with men. There's karaoke in the tavern nightly, Tuesday--Tickle Me Tuesday (drag), Thursday--Mz Adrien & Friends (drag), Fridays--Strippers, Saturdays--Paige Turner's Variety Night and Community Events.

Phone: (604) 683-4251

In one of the pavilions, we were all of a sudden surrounded by secret service agents as a prelude to the U.S. Vice President making an unannounced visit.

The most outstanding pavilion I remember was the Japan pavilion, where they laid down a track to demonstrate magni-lift technology (where there's no physical contact between the train and tracks) with a 5- to 10-minute train ride. It was virtually smooth and quiet.

The other memorable pavilion was from Spain, with a train simulator as the engineer running the engine. The nighttime view of the Expo was beautiful, with lights along the waterfront.

The international terminal has departures at Gate D, and US-bound flights depart from Gate E. The Business Centre offers fax, photocopying, laser printing, mobile phone rental, secretarial services, computer workstations, data ports, laptop recharging points, and Internet ports.

The domestic terminal’s flights to Canada depart at gates A, B, and C, and the terminal also has a pharmacy, a medical clinic, a dental clinic, and a dry-cleaning centre. The south terminal, served by Pacific Coastal Airlines, has a courtesy shuttle linking the terminals.

Ground transportation includes bus, taxi, and limousine (phone: (604) 273-1331) services. The Airport Bus Service serves central Vancouver hotels, cruise ships, and bus terminals (15 minute intervals). Bus services are available to major hotels and destinations in the city centre, South Surrey, Langley, Aldergrove, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Whistler, Vancouver Island, and Seattle.

From the Airport, take bus # 424, transfer to 98B or N10 for the night bus, then determine which bus you need for your onward Vancouver destination, our 3 zone fare $3.25.

Translink Greater Vancouver Transit Authority provides transit service to this region via bus, rail, or marine services. Fares depend on the region of travel. There are three travel zones during the week and a single system zone fare evenings and weekends good for 90 minutes of travel.

The SkyTrain was put in for the 1986 Expo. Unmanned, automated two-car train service is frequent. Reliable service is great if you travel along its limited route.

The SeaBus These 400-passenger catamaran ferries provide a 12-minute ride between the Waterfront downtown Vancouver and Lonsdale Quay on the North Shore.

The bulk of its aging fleet of buses are well maintained according to a couple of the drivers asked.

A day pass may be worth it, depending on how many times you'll ride that day. It is good for the day of travel and may be purchased at a SkyTrain station, a 7-Eleven, Safeway, and Longs displaying the FareDealer sign.

Trip Planning for assistance getting to your destination.

We were able to plan our journey from the hotel to the airport using three buses for a very early morning arrival to the airport in just less than an hour for $3.25 each.

Granville Island Ferries offers marine transport over the waterways between Granville Island, Maritime Museum, H. R. McMillan Space Centre, Vancouver Museum, Aquatic Centre, Stamps Landing, Science World, and Yaletown. Adult one-way fares, $2.50 to $3.50. Schedules vary.

Tours, cruises, and private charters are available.

Phone: (604) 684-7781

Email: info@granvilleislandferries.bc.ca.

Aquabus offers a commute service over water on these small boats, paying a nominal fee to other points along the waterways.

Phone: (604) 689-5858

Email: jody@theaquabus.com

Vancouver Chinatown welcomes you with the Millennium Gate on Pender and Taylor streets and is busy and bustling with restaurants, shops, and businesses.

Silk Road Route, marked with streetlight banners, start at the town center's Central Library, along Keefer Street, International Village, Millennium Gate on Pender Street, Chinese Cultural Centre, Chinatown Market area, and Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden.

Sam Kee Building, 8 West Pender St., is only 6 feet wide, once a Chinese public bath in the basement.

Chinatown Spring Parade takes place the first Sunday of the Chinese (Lunar) New Year.

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall St.--It's worth seeing the free public area, not the paid private portion.

Chinese Cultural Centre Museum & Archives, 555 Columbia St, the building's exterior is styled in the Ming Dynasty with a modern western interior promotes the history of Chinese Canadians.

Walking Tours are available during the summer, June to September, daily 10am/2pm, at the Chinese Cultural Centre, 50 E. Pender St., or by calling (604) 658-8883. Tours are conducted in English. Cantonese or Mandarin tours by prior special arrangement.

There's a night market from June to September, Friday to Sunday 6:30pm to 11pm, at 200 Keefer St/E Pender St.

Chinatown Festival--promoting business and tourism with Chinese arts and crafts demonstrations, food tasting, booths, a children's playarea, and carriage rides the last weekend of July.

You can browse, shop, take photos, and eat at the many places open. It's visually appealing.

T&T Supermarket, Keefer & Abbott, is right next the SkyTrain Chinatown station.

SkyTrain Chinatown station