Beautiful, Progressive Vancouver By Andrew
Collins
In Vancouver, one of the world's most stunning cities, you can kayak in
English Bay in the morning before skiing down Grouse Mountain later that
afternoon - indeed, few cities offer better access to the great
outdoors. The city's glimmering, postmodern city center anchors a
peninsula jutting into the rippling Strait of Georgia, its shoreline
sculpted by bays and inlets. From just about anywhere on this peninsula,
you're within walking distance of two beaches, leafy Stanley Park, the
ultra-gay Davie Village district, and several similarly diverting
neighborhoods. It's for all these reasons that Vancouver - which is also
in a country that has legalized same-sex marriage - has emerged as one
of the most wonderful gay destinations in the world.
For Americans, visiting Vancouver is quite easy. The city is just a
three-hour drive north of Seattle, and it also has direct flights from
numerous U.S. cities. Just keep in mind that in a couple of years, you
will be required to show a valid passport when crossing the border
(right now, technically, you can get by with a driver's license, but if
you don't have a passport, you're likely to be pulled aside and
questioned thoroughly). Also keep in mind that the U.S. dollar has
become increasingly weak against the Canadian dollar in recent years
(US$1 equaled CAN$1.11 as of mid-September 2006), so traveling to
Vancouver isn't quite the bargain it was a couple of years ago. Still,
overall, it's less expensive than New York, San Francisco, London, and
many other places of comparable popularity.
Vancouver is a highly progressive place - feminists, lesbians, and gays
play a prominent role in local politics, have helped rejuvenate several
flagging neighborhoods, and support a compact but potent restaurant and
club scene. The West End, which abuts Downtown and was a
prostitution-ridden eyesore in the 1980s, is the city's main gay
commercial and residential sector. You'll find most of the gay nightlife
and social scene along a roughly eight-block stretch of Davie Street
known as Davie Village. Farther north, Davie intersects with another
lively strip of cool shops and restaurants, Denman Street. At this
intersection, you're just steps from sparkling English Bay Beach, a fine
spot to catch a few rays on a warm afternoon.
Davie Village is a terrific neighborhood for eating and bar-hopping. Bin
941 exemplifies the growing popularity of tapas-style restaurants in
Vancouver. Try the mussels steamed with habanero chiles, kafir-lime
leaf, and cypress-honey lager, and enjoy a local vintage from the
fabulous wine list. The campy and affordable Cafe Luxy serves humongous
portions of pasta, and nearby Hamburger Mary's is a fun, late-night bet
for burgers, fries, and diner fare. Near where Davie meets Denman, you
can sample inventive Pacific Northwestern cuisine at the Raincity Grill,
where dishes like grilled bison strip loin with lentil-and-braised-rib
ragout await you. Grab an espresso nearby at gay-popular Delany's or up
the street at Melriches, which is just around the corner from the
acclaimed queer book and gift shop, Little Sisters. Continue to page
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