Teens, as any parent knows are the toughest critics. If they don't like a place, you will know about it. A recent success for us Vancouver, British Columbia. My daughter Alissa, 17 and her friend Molly, 16, liked the city's combination of sophistication, scenic beauty and funkiness. I liked all those things too plus the weather temperate and the price. With the U.S. dollar buying about 35-40% more than the Canadian dollar, we could splurge on such trip extras as nice dinners. Canada is a great destination for cost-conscious families and Vancouver is city so charming that even fussy teens will enjoy themselves.
Tourism Vancouver has a variety of helpful brochures. Call (604) 683-2000.
BEST CITY SITES
Stanley Park is a serene oasis in the city. This 1000-acre park (800 acres of coniferous forest with the rest developed for recreation) sits on a peninsula with a five-and-one-half-mile pathway, perfect for strolling or bicycling. Walking along the water and through thickets of tall hemlock and cedar trees is a peaceful way to enjoy the outdoors.
Vancouver Aquarium. Set among the greenery of Stanley Park, the Vancouver Aquarium, (604) 682-1118, is not a mega-facility, but it has its charms. Although my politically correct daughter grumbled at the site of orca whales captive and performing, the rest of us enjoyed watching these powerful sea creatures swim, and jump in graceful arcs. The clear tank's underwater viewing area allowed us to see these black and white behemoths as they played below the water's surface. Little kids were delighted with the "thunderstorm" in the rain forest as well as the exhibit's floor to ceiling tank filled with such large river fish as the three-foot arapaima, as big as a three-year-old.
The aquarium's newest expansion, the Pacific Canada Pavilion, will feature a demonstration salmon stream running from the shores of Stanley Park to the aquarium. Scheduled to open in the fall of 1999, the stream will have returning salmon by the year 2000.
Register in advance for Animal Encounters, the aquarium's hands-on packages that provide visitors a behind-the-scenes tour from the animal care staff. Among the four animal encounter choices, participants can shake hands with an octopus, feed a shark, or pet a boa constrictor. Call 604-631-2506 for reservations. Tune in to ORCA FM, the world's first all whale radio station, while visiting the aquarium. Developed by aquarium researchers, ORCA FM allows visitors to listen for whales all year round, although most whale activity occurs in the summer and early fall.
Science World British Columbia. Plan to spend at least a half-day at Science World British Columbia, (604)268-6363, where the hands-on fun is for children of all ages. The whimsy starts outside with a giant kinetic sculpture of a balls, bells, whistles, tubes and shoots. At the bone-crushing handshake tester, Molly and Alissa received a thumbs up for grip strength. We listened to each other whisper from across a room with the help of an echo disk; created comic strips with a zoetrope, stood our hair on end with static electricity, and tested our reaction times to light by clapping on cue. A highlight was the music room. In sound booths, we played "Lone Arranger" with a synthesizer, learning how sounds are mixed digitally and we jammed on keyboards and drums. Another favorite for Alissa and Molly was the shadow room, which enables you to "freeze" your shadow so it appears for several minutes on a wall.
The University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology(604) 822-3825. Considered by some to be Vancouver's most spectacular museum, the facility is renown for both its holdings from the First Nations of British Columbia and its setting in an award-winning glass and concrete building with views of the mountains and the water. As soon as we entered the Great Hall lined with towering totem poles, we sensed a special kind of power. Standing in front of the carvings of ravens, bears, killer whales and birds, crafted one on top of another on a tall cedar tree trunk, we felt a spirit greater than ours.
The museum's explanations, however, are minimal, something we found frustrating. Only the tribes and the figures are identified, and not the stories. We would have liked to know the tales these poles tell.
We sat a long time admiring the famous sculpture "The Raven and the First Men," a large 1980 piece by Haida sculptor Bill Reid. The room-size work depicts a raven pecking at a clamshell he finds in the sand after a long flood. By prying open the shell, the raven coaxes the first men into the world.
Alissa's favorite part of the museum was the outside. Framed against a background of mountains and the sea, tall memorial poles stand guard outside a Haida long house. The arrangement gave us a chance to see just how majestic these totems look in the setting for which they were designed.
BEST CITY STROLLS and SHOPS
Granville Island: Teens, as any parent knows, can only handle so much quiet. They need to shop, stroll, and people-watch. Vancouver has two great areas. Granville Island, located between the Granville and Burrard bridges, and Robson Street. Granville Island, a rejuvenated industrial island turned recreation center has art galleries, craft shops, bookstores, boutiques, theaters, many restaurants, and the Kids Only Market, a two-floor complex housing scores of child-pleasing toy, clothing and specialty shops. Alongside the Kids Only Market, Alissa found good deals at La Bamba, a used CD store housed in a bright, red caboose.
In Granville's shops we found hand-woven scarves, note paper with Haida designs, funky postcards of scenes from the thirties, whimsical sculptures of cats; delicate, hand-blown glass vases; and beads; custom crafted desks and other out of the ordinary items. In Granville's food market , with its rows upon rows of stalls selling fresh seafood, produce, flowers, cheeses and bread, we bought fresh pastries, hot chocolate and coffee and headed toward the flute music. In a courtyard lined with benches, we came upon an impromptu group of Ecuadorean musicians playing indigenous melodies. Granville Island's that kind of place.
Avoid the city traffic by taking the ferry from downtown.
Robson Street: The other great spot to stroll is along Robson Street, in the heart of downtown. Cafes, chain stores and boutiques as well as a Planet Hollywood and a Virgin Atlantic Record Store provide a mix of diversions. Among the finds: Roots, a Canadian, casual sportswear store; True Value Vintage Clothing, a basement shop crammed with bell bottoms, sequined gowns, rhinestone eye glasses and other fifties and sixties items; and Lush, a cosmetic body boutique known for its scented bath bombs that explode in your tub like giant Alka Seltzers. After a long day of sightseeing, a fragrant soak was just the thing to rejuvenate us for dinner.
BEST CITY TOURS
Movie Sets. Visit famous movie and X-file show filming site with the X-Tour (604-609-2770). See where Brad Pitt starred in Legends of the Fall or where X-files stars Scully andMulder challenged the paranormal.
Native Culture. Discover Vancouver's Native culture with West Coast City and Nature Sightseeing (604-451-1600). Stops include the totem poles in Stanley Park, the Museum of Anthropology, and the First Nations House of Learning.
Kayaking. Paddle around Vancouver's shoreline with Oceans West Expeditions' guided Sunset Paddle tours, offered daily from May through October. Tours depart from the English Bay
Bald Eagles. View one of the world's largest concentrations of bald eagles with the Canadian Outback Adventure Company,(604-921-7250, www.canadianoutback.com) . From November to January the bald eagles can be found along the Squamish River. The two- to three-hour river float trip allow visitors to view hundreds of the eagles as well as spectacular mountain views. Lunch is included.
BEST PLACES TO STAY
Pacific Palisades Hotel, 1277 Robson Street, (604) 688-0461. Well-located on trendy Robson Street, the Pacific Palisades Hotel is an upscale property with a family friendly feel. Each room is a suite; by that the hotel means an extra large bedroom with a dressing area that has a refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave and dishes. The hotel's one bedroom suites with a separate living room are spacious. The property also has a good size indoor pool situated in a bright, glass sided building in a courtyard, a refreshing change from the typical hotel pool buried in a dark basement.
Westin Bayshore, 1601 West George Street, (604) 682-3377/(800) 228-3000, is at the entrance to Stanley Park on the water's edge. The hotel has child-safe rooms with electrical outlet covers, toilet seat locks and other safety devices, a nice touch if your traveling with toddlers.
The more moderately priced Riviera Motor Inn, 1431 Robson Street, (604) 685-1335, is an apartment hotel with 40 studio and one bedroom units, each with fully equipped kitchens and large, cheerful bedrooms.
Candyce H. Stapen's books include the second editions of Great Family Vacations South, and Great Family Vacations Northeast. Published by Globe Pequot, the series continues with the revised Great Family Vacations Mid-West & Rocky Mountains and Great Family Vacations West, which will be available in July. Cruise Vacations With Kids, 2nd edition (Prima Publishing) is at bookstores now
