Vancouver is a world class city, and is perennially ranked among the world’s “most liveable” cities by various publications and organizations (though it should be noted that it is also rated as a very expensive city). Once one has seen the city’s distinctive glass skyline, it is hard to forget. It is large enough to be home to everything that comes along with metropolis status — a plethora of cultural institutions, thriving culinary and art scenes, a variety of distinct neighborhoods, and several professional sports teams — yet the rugged British Columbia wilderness is literally just over the mountain, with several provincial parks and ski resorts found within a half hour drive. Its location on the Pacific coast means the weather here is mild; Vancouver winters are cool and rainy, but snow is a less frequent visitor here than even a few miles inland. Interestingly, Vancouver is a tremendous melting pot of culture and ethnic groups. There is no ethnic majority here (nearly thirty percent of the city’s population is of Chinese descent, with robust Filipino and South Asian populations as well), and you will find not only the second largest Chinatown in North America, but Greektown, Punjabi Market, Japantown, and Little Italy as well.

It rained literally every day we were visiting Vancouver, so our photo numbers are a bit lower than usual. Nonetheless, here is a slidehow of our favorite photos from our time there: