From the Q&A mailbox:
Question: E. L. McLean writes: We live in Washington State and wish to spend ten days driving in western Canada, with emphasis on the mountains. Please suggest a route.
Answer: (from AAA Washington travel counselor Jeff Howe):  Choosing where to drive in western Canada is about as easy as selecting the best option on a dessert buffet; it’s all beautifully presented and will leave you immensely satisfied at the end, but how to attack it? I've put together a TripTik routing for you, complete with maps, directions and distances between places, click on the map below to see it and here are my observations and advice regarding this route: ... Read More

 
We’re now one month away from the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (Feb. 12, to be exact). Vancouver and Whistler will be in the world spotlight, and winter sports fans are getting ready for plenty of electrifying action. For everyone out there who will be making the trek to British Columbia’s Lower Mainland in February and/or March, here are some last-minute tips.

Whether you live in the Vancouver or Whistler areas or are just visiting, you’ll be affected by major traffic congestion, detours and road and bridge closures, and driving... Read More

Question: Patricia R. asks:  We are taking a cruise from Vancouver and have some time before our departure.  Do you recomend the trolley?  We don’t have enough time to get to Butchart Gardens in Victoria but there seems to be a few gardens in Vancouver to enjoy.  We can walk to Stanley Park from our hotel.  Any neat ideas or tips?

Answer:   Candy Christman, AAA Publishing manager, says:  I’m always a fan of hop-on/hop-off trolley tours.  It’s a quick way to get a feel for a destination when you... Read More

   
     Vancouver has many summertime pleasures. Locally grown blueberries? The fresh markets are full of them. Where to spend the perfect lazy Sunday afternoon? Head to Deep Cove on the North Shore. What to do when the urge to commune with nature strikes? Hiking in Lighthouse Park will take care of that. Definitely one to add to this list is watching the sun set over English Bay. On a balmy summer evening it is the place to be downtown. Sunset watching, in fact, is a ritual here, drawing throngs of people who come to hang out and enjoy the long evening (in June and July darkness... Read More

 
     A city where approximately one-third of the residents are of Asian descent is bound to have a number of Asian restaurants, and Vancouver is no exception to this equation. It brims over with eateries of every description, but you can tell just how many reflect the local population by the number of storefronts with a series of indecipherable characters for a name and a helpful picture menu affixed to the window.

I discovered Hon’s (officially Hon’s Wun-Tun House) quite by accident. My friend and I were having breakfast at Melriches, a friendly urban coffee house and another accidental discovery... Read More

   
 
     What’s the largest international sporting event taking place in British Columbia this year? No, it’s not the 2010 Olympic Winter Games; they begin next February. But if you said “the 2009 World Police & Fire Games,” give yourself a pat on the back—and keep your wallet in your back pocket.

For 10 days this summer (July 31 – August 9), B.C. is definitely the place to be for more than 60 different sporting events—everything from badminton to bench pressing, freshwater angling to curling, darts to a decathlon, field lacrosse to... Read More

        My first visit to Stanley Park was in 2007, and a good portion of the seawall promenade that encircles the park was still closed to visitors due to damage from a severe storm the previous fall. But on the occasion of my second visit, all had been repaired—which meant it was a perfect opportunity for me to take a brisk walk around the entire park.

Stanley Park, of course, is the crown jewel in a city uncommonly blessed with scenic attributes. It’s a hiker’s paradise and a truly delightful retreat that’s all the more... Read More

 
 
The countdown is on! We’re now less than a year away from the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. They signal the start of 17 days of Olympic Games events (Feb. 12-28, 2010) and 10 days of Paralympic Games events (Mar. 12-21, 2010).

Competition venues are spread among four locations on British Columbia’s Lower Mainland: the city of Vancouver, the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, Cypress Mountain in the district of West Vancouver, and the year-round outdoor recreation destination of Whistler. The XXI Winter Games will be taking place in and... Read More

 These featured AAA Drive Trips highlight the Northwest and Southwest. Click on the Drive Trip's name to access the complete printable itinerary.

The 275-mile Turquoise Trail Drive Trip will take travelers to the high country of Santa Fe, formerly an old mining town, and now is a mecca for artisans and craftsmen. The Turquoise Trail received its name from the Cerrillos Hills, south of Santa Fe, where rich deposits of turquoise have been mined by Native Americans for many centuries. From Albequerque to Santa Fe to the offbeat artists' enclave of Taos, on this road trip you'll see everything from ancient Pueblo Indian dwellings to modern art galleries and museums as well as some of the most spectacular scenery in the American Southwest. ... Read More

     The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “tootling” as: to drive or move along in a leisurely manner.  This pretty much describes one of my favourite day-off pastimes and I’d add “with no particular plan or schedule in mind either”. On a recent weekend, my significant other and I headed out from Vancouver for the 90-minute BC Ferries voyage to Victoria on Vancouver Island for several days of tootling around with just the general theme of golf, good eats and relaxation on our to do list. ... Read More