When compared to the price of trips to Toronto, Montreal, or any large American or European city, Vancouver and Victoria still remain travel bargains. Since press time, however, the value of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar has continued to climb. The two currencies have not reached parity, as some economists predicted would happen. At the time of this writing, US$1=C.87¢. For the most up-to-date currency conversions, log-on to www.xe.com.
Planning Your Trip
The U.S.-Canada border-crossing issue has resulted in lots of confusion about entry documents. Unless some last-minute legislation gets passed, U.S. visitors arriving in Canada by sea or air as of January 1, 2007, will be required to have a U.S. passport. The following year, on January 1, 2008, U.S. visitors who are driving into Canada will also be required to have a passport. If you're driving up in 2007, you must have a valid and secure piece of I.D. and some supporting document such as a birth certificate.
Note: In October 2006, the U.S. State Department proposed a new card-format passport for travel between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. The proposal was part of the so-called Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to strengthen border security. According to the U.S. State Department, the card itself would not contain any personal information, but would use radio technology to link the card to a government database containing biographical data and a photograph. No further U.S./Canada entry document news has been reported since then. For more information, go to the U.S. State Department website, www.travel.state.gov.
Where to Dine
You might not think that winter is the best time to visit Vancouver, but it's actually the best time to experience the city's outstanding food and wine scene. During Dine Out Vancouver 2007, held between January 19 and February 4, 2007, visitors can enjoy special three-course dinners at some of Vancouver's hottest restaurants for C$15, C$25 or C$35 (US$12, US$20, US$28) per person, complemented by fabulous British Columbian wine pairing suggestions. The list of participating restaurants and menus is posted online atwww.tourismvancouver.com.
Everyone knows Vancouver runs on coffee, but now drinking tea has become the latest craze. The quality of tea depends on its growing region, soil, weather, harvesting season, and ways of processing. You can see (and taste) the difference at T, a tasting boutique located downtown at 1568 West Broadway (between Granville and Fir; tel. 604/730-8390; www.tealeaves.com), where over 100 varieties and blends of tea from the four corners of the world are available. Customers can sample whole leaf, premium leaf iced and whole leaf pyramid teabags. The boutique also offers spa kits including the popular Jetlag AM and PM packs. Moonstruck Tea House, 1590 Coal Harbour Quay (tel. 504/602-6609; www.moonstruckteahouse.com), located across from the Westin Bayshore Resort right on the water, also offers a vast selection of teas, edible flowers and herbs direct from the best tea farms in China. Moonstruck also offers Chinese tea ceremonies for two to four people.
Whistler
In preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99) is being given a complete overhaul and work will continue right up until 2009. To find out about potential delays due to construction, you can call tel. 877/474-3399 (toll-free in Canada) or 604/660-1008, or visit www.seatoskyimprovements.ca.