If you want to dine where the stars dine, definitely visit Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House. Ask about their Seafood Tower for a show-stopping appetizer.

If you’re a shopper, visit the boutiques along Robeson Street and adjoining streets, including lots of underground shopping.

Ice Cream lovers shouldn’t miss Cows for delicious ice cream—and ice cream souvenirs.

Bargain at Vancouver’s vast Chinatown, and then relax in the beauty of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.

Board the AquaBus across False Creek to Granville Island for an outstanding public market, arts and crafts, museums, lots of restaurants—one in The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts—and even a market for kids.

Into nature? Don’t miss Vancouver Aquarium, especially the feeding performance of a two loveable otters and Stanley Park, where you can jog, picnic, Rollerblade and soak up the sunshine.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

The SeaBus is practical and fun. It is the only integrated land-marine urban bus system in the world. Vancouver's two SeaBuses operated just like a bus and are part of the transit system. They are small ferries for passengers on foot that quickly take you across the water.

The Sky Train is fun too. It's Vancouver's automated, light rapid transit system, most of which is elevated. All 20 stops are linked to the bus system.

For more information about Vancouver's transit information, visit www.translink.bc.ca

To get around the city--and learn a lot in the process, take the trolley of the Vancouver Trolley company. It has 16 stops at major attractions and shopping areas, and lets you hop on and off as you please. It's a terrific and economical way to get around the city--especially to the outer areas such as beautiful Stanley Park. For operating times, schedules and more information, call 1-888-451-5581 or visit www.vancouvertrolley.com

At the Wedgewood on fashionable Robeson Square. In this individually owned boutique hotel, you experience Old World charm in a setting that is stylish, yet has a comfort that truly pampers. It has a warm, homey feeling that makes you feel as if you are rich.

After you receive warm, friendly greetings from the staff, you notice that the lobby has a stylish personality of its own. There are no artificial decorations here. That’s because owner Eleni Skalbania personally supervised the decorating, incorporating many of her own items, into the design. Her taste is exquisite; you look forward to your room. And you make notes as to how you might want to adapt some of her ideas in your own home.

Upstairs, you are not disappointed. In one of the Wedgewood’s spacious and sumptuous one-bedroom suites for example, you enjoy a decor that’s truly comfortable, texturally rich and restful, with soft earth tones of brown, gold and subdued greens. Throughout the hotel, the faint aroma of potpourri, lends a homey warmth to your stay—and friendly room attendants are eager to please.

And, remember, the exchange rate for U.S. citizens is very friendly.

The Wedgewood is Vancouver in miniature—elegant, yet easy going, upscale, yet homey. Sophisticated, yet friendly. Don’t miss staying here.

For more information, visit www.wedgewoodhotel.com.

In this all-suites hotel, you’ll experience style and flair that makes traveling so much more pleasant. All suites feature spacious bathrooms with luxurious soaker tubs, bathrobes and hair dryers, a work desk with easy access to power, dataport and two phones and two phone lines, two televisions, and numerous other feature. It's enough to make you want to stay in your room all the time.

The Westin Grand in Vancouver is the first hotel in Canada to offer guests high speed Internet access in all of its 207 guest suites and meeting rooms. Guests can also print e-mails and other documents through a dedicated printer near the hotel’s front desk.

With the @Hotel.PC service, you don’t even have to travel with your laptop. The service, for a flat fee of Cdn. $12.95 a day, combines business and entertainment services in one convenient, user-friendly package, with the TV serving as the PC. Rates, as of this writing, are C$289 to C$399 (approx US$197 tp US$273), with seasonal promotional rates at $C149 or US$100. Call or e-mail for current rates. All rates are Canadian, with a great exchange rate for U.S. currency.

For more information about the Westin Grand, call 1-888-680-9393, or visit their web site at westingrandvancouver.com.

Walk into this elegantly appointed restaurant, just off the lobby of the boutique Wedgewood Hotel, and you’ll be transported to a relaxing, restful ambiance where you are pampered with outstanding service.

The striking visual beauty of fresh florals, the subtle aroma of fragrant potpourri, light from the soft, subdued votive candles, and the warming glow from the fireplace create a soft, romantic atmosphere, while plush wing chairs and cozy banquettes and generously spaced tables invite you to sit back and relax. Dark wood paneling, and rich paintings add an old-world charm to the setting, while the soft, soothing live piano adds even more romantic ambiance. I wonder how many proposals have been made in this ultra-romatic setting?

The settting at Bacchus is a perfect apéritif for a dining experience that will make your taste buds smile. Tonight the Valentine´s Day Menu for Two is a perfect example of how the cuisine matches the elegant ambiance. The Pave of Smoked Salmon, with just a hint of horseradish and capers, was a very delicate beginning. Its subtle flavor sets up the palate for the Consommé Princess with a surprising Quenelle of Chicken Mousseline. The accompanying Chilean, Cabernet Sauvignon had an excellent fruity bouquet and smooth finish. The hearts of butter lettuce, presented in an almost bouquet-like arrangement, was perfectly dressed with just a hint of sweet raspberry vinaigrette.

The Roasted Free-Range Chicken Breast was tender, moist, and the Sauce Supreme of the creamed leeks was subtle enough to let the natural flavor of the free range chicken make its own statement.

The Napa Valley Caymus Conundrum 1998 chosen by Sommelier Fergus O´Halloran to accompany the chicken was a very complex blend with a subtly fruity nose, spicy taste, buttery quality, and very clean, satisfying finish. Similarly, the Angus Beef Fillet let the flavor of outstanding meat speak for itself, but the chef´s accompaniment of eggplant caviar and wild mushroom and Madeira sauce enhanced the flavor without intruding.

The Dessert Platter for two is the perfect romantic finish to a sensuous meal. The Rose Petal Ice Cream truly had the flavor of a June walk in rose garden. The Mile-Feuille of Filo with Raspberries and Fresh Mango Cream and White Chocolate Tart blended into a valentine for the pallet. This is not the time to count calories, folks.

We understand that the cuisine served up by the Bacchus’s present chef, Frank Dodd, is not to be missed. Dodd is part of a new breed of European Chefs that is crossing the Atlantic in search of challenging new environments and ingredients indigenous to the West Coast. His credentials are impressive, and we look forward to tasting his handiwork as well. The fact that he landed a job at Bacchus speaks well for his accomplishments. When you have a setting this outstanding, only the best chef will do.

Don't be surprised if you spot some famous people here. Sports celebrities and movie stars love to hang out here. Experience Joe Fortes yourself, you’ll see why. "Frenchy," the maitre’D, who has taken care of many a celebrity, offers you the same quality service—as do the lively, upbeat servers.

Joe Fortes was voted Vancouver’s Best Oyster Bar. But you don’t have to be an oyster fan to savor the food. Whether it’s the spectacular Seafood Tower, with three levels of a vast selection of seafood, the massive wine selection, or the innovative desserts, it’s difficult to dedide what to order.

Proprietor Bud Kanke named this restaurant after local folk hero Joe Fortes, an 1880’s bartender and lifeguard credited with saving 29 lives. With the restaurant’s lively atmosphere, and its rich mahogany, brass and marble old-time ambiance, you almost expert to see burly old Joe there himself.

But he lives on in spirit. You’ll see what I mean when you visit Joe’s yourself. For more information, call 1-877-669-JOES or visit .

The highlight, for us, was the Granville Public Market, with some 45,000 square feet of space and 50 outlets offering you everything from dramatic floral bouquets and freshly baked bread, to gourmet cheeses, seafood, produce—and just about any other food you could imagine. Treats such as strawberries mounded high in their boxes and home-made candies tempt even the strongest of willpowers.

You can eat at the public market, pick up fixings for a picnic, or wander over to the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, where you can dine with food prepared by up and coming chefs. Other restaurants, such as the Chao Phraya Thai Restaurant, which features a delicious luncheon special for two, offer you even more dining options.

At Granville Island Museums, Inc., you’ll be able to enjoy three museums in one and view the vast collections at the Model Trains, Model Ships, as well as the Sport Fishing Museums.

With the largest free water park in North America, Granville Island is a treasure for children. The Kids Markets offers 20 outlets, playgrounds, and the Arts Umbrella for youth.

Art lovers will enjoy the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, as well as the arts and craft center of Vancouver, with arts and crafts and artists and artisans in over 35 studios and galleries.

There are many more reasons to visit Granville Island—as the eight million visitors each year will bear witness to.

Reach Granville by car (3 hours free parking; pay parking in 4 garages); boat (3 hours free moorage); bus (BC Transit #50 and #51); ferry (two ferry companies) and taxi. Or, you could really give yourself a great workout, as we did, by taking the hefty hike from downtown Vancouver, over the bridge, and onto the Island. (We took the ferry back!) For more information, call 604-666-5784, or visit .