San Fransisco or Seattle of Canada - Glorious Vancouver

I spent 2 days in Vancouver - sort of a whirlwind trip considering its all the way on the West coast and there are no direct flights, so it took me all of 11 hours to get there...Vacouver is gorgeous....I stayed on Robson street - a fashionable, people watching place, full of high-end boutiques and gourmet restaurants.

The city is surrounded by mountains and the vistas are absolutely breathtaking. There is a boulevard area in downtown from where you can gaze onto the lake and the mountains for hours...added to that, its Fall here and the red and yellow leaves strewn on the ground created a dreamy walkway and perfect setting for a Bollywood song:-)

There are the usual touristy things to do like Granville Island, Stanley Park, shopping on Robson street, etc. but what is truly amazing about Vancouver is its beauty and how the Canadians excel at enjoying their time in nature. The only way to describe Vancouver natives is that they are laid back..I mean I thought I was lazy, but these folks straddle to work at 10AM and leave at 4PM to roller blade, skate, bike, etc in nature...I guess they really appreciate and are grateful for the fact that they are bestowed with such natural beauty...or maybe as my brother says, "We, in America, just don't know how to have fun"....

Vancouver is gorgeous, and I would tend to agree that it is more the Seattle of Canada - the similarities are striking. However, given a choice between the two, I'd rather make a trip to Vancouver (anyday!)..just the view of the lake and mountains is worth the 11 hour trip...(oh! and also, the amazing variety of excellent Indian and non-Indian restaurants and the shopping!!!)

PS: I forgot to carry a camera (yeah I know, that was pretty stupid), but this pic (thanks to Google images), really brings out what I saw in Vancouver downtown...