Online - May 27, 2006

Travel: North Star

DailyCandy Goes to Vancouver

Phenomenally beautiful and fabulously metropolitan, Vancouver is where real nature meets a real city. Prepare to fall in love with crashing waves, snow-capped peaks, and more restaurants than you can shake a piece of driftwood at.

GPS
Navigating is a cinch: Mountains lie north; downtown and Stanley Park are south. Main Street is hipster headquarters, Gastown has the edgy boutiques, and Yaletown is where up-and-comers live and play.

Nest
Nine out of ten visiting rock stars can’t be wrong: They stay at the luxe Opus Hotel (322 Davie Street; 604-642-6787). Want to save a few loonies? The ivy-covered Sylvia Hotel (1154 Gilford Street; 604-681-9321) sits across from the beach.

Invest
The design scene is concentrated in two areas: Main Street (new kids) and Gastown (old guard).

Main Street from East 8th to East 22nd Avenues is a swarm of cool shops. Start at Lark (152 East 8th Avenue; 604-879-5275) for locally made leather bags by Bronsino and hand-knit scarves by Brian Kwan. Then head to Eugene Choo (3683 Main Street; 604-873-8874), the place for Canadian design stars like Comrags and Picnic; and The Regional Assembly of Text (3934 Main Street; 604-877-2247), a monumentally cool stationery shop.

In Gastown, Dream (311 West Cordova Street; 604-683-7326), the grandmama of local fashion, carries local must-know designers like Dust and Allison Wonderland. Hit One of a Few (354 Water Street; 604-605-0685) for graceful feminine looks and The Block (350 West Cordova Street; 604-685-8885) for preppier stuff. Revive in Euro-hippie surroundings and marvel at Canada’s notoriously lax pot laws at The New Amsterdam Cafe (301 West Hastings Street; 604-682-8955). You have to bring your own smoke — not that you would or anything.

Ingest
Vij’s (1480 West 11th Street; 604-736-6664) serves mind-blowing, upscale Indian. Nu (1661 Granville Street; 604-646-4668) has a great water view and superior fried oysters. Chambar (562 Beatty Street; 604-879-7119) serves excellent Belgian fare and cocktails good enough to call dinner.

There’s a fantastic cacophony of Asian food on Robson Street near Denman Street, but standouts include Hapa Izakaya (1479 Robson Street; 604-689-4272) for Japanese pub food, Guu with Garlic (1698 Robson Street; 604-685-8678) and Gyoza King (1508 Robson Street; 604-669-8278) if you’re on a budget. Yoshi on Denman (689 Denman Street; 604-738-8226; now closed) has incredible sushi.

Ready to dance it all off? Get your glow on in the back room at Shine (364 Water Street; 604-408-4321). Dress lightly. It gets hot in there. The cityscape is a knockout at Lift (333 Menchions Mews; 604-689-5438), but stick to the lounge; the restaurant isn’t as worth it. Upstairs, Lucy Mae Brown (862 Richards Street; 604-899-9119) is an elegant dining room; downstairs, it’s an after-hours that used to hide an opium den. There’s no official dance floor. It just sort of happens.

The Rest
Feed your gypsy soul with a mountain-and-forest stroll around Stanley Park’s seawall. Cab to Davie and Denman, hit the beach, head west, and turn back when you’re almost tired. This stunning 11K loop has waves lapping against jagged rocks, misty islands, and towering hemlocks.