Vancouver is the city on the coast, only in this case, I would need to add West Coast. There are some wonderful events which are about to happen in the near future and now that make Vancouver a wonderful city to live in. There are some controversies, but the air quality is good, the weather is nice, and the views are to be admired.

Olympics in 2010:

Vancouver and the surrounding area is gearing up for a huge event, the winter Olympics. For those who live in Vancouver this seems a bit odd. The winters in Vancouver are mild in comparison to the rest of Canada. The city itself will host the opening and closing ceremonies, and the ice hockey and some other sporting events. In the mountains close by Whistler, will play host to the skiing events and bobsledding.

The one thing which mars this is the protesters who seem to crop up around each event. It seems that their mission in life to make people feel that the community doesn't care about the Olympics. While this may or may not be the case, it doesn't allow for vandalism.

Still on the whole the Olympics have brought some excellent infrastructure to the area, as long promised transportation changes were made, and this allows for faster communities. As Vancouver is connected to smaller communities by bridges, these newer faster methods of transport have helped.

This will most likely be the biggest legacy of the Olympics. I reserve judgment about the actual event until later. If it helps the economy and the area, then it is worth it, if not it won't be. Simple I know, but I shall see what happens.

Stanley Park:

I can't write about Vancouver and not mention about Stanley Park. It is a major tourist attraction, and local resident will travel to it on weekends. It's a great place to simply walk or jog.

There is also an aquarium which helps people learn about the large body surrounding their city, water and the life within it. It's great to see children there taking an interest in the environment around them

Telus World of Science:

Built for Expo 1986, this is now used for Science information and other events. It's a great place for people of all ages to learn and enjoy science in their own backyard. it is close to other attractions and the day can be spent there learning more about science.

What Else?:

I've written about three of the main themes in the area that make Vancouver a great place ot live, but I'll touch on the rest now. The climate here is great, hardly any snow, and I can usually tell my friend on the east coast that the flowers are coming up in mid February while they are still buried under snow.

There is great hiking and biking trails. For ski lovers the mountains are close by and offer some great views to make up for a drive that can be slow at times. For the beach lovers, there is several sandy beaches right on their doorstep in Stanley Park and other parts of the city.

The views of the city are awesome and you can get some great views in almost every part of Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth park and other places are great to see some new views of the downtown core.  There is also Grandville Island market a must see for any traveller and anyone else who loves the atmosphere in that area.

For sports lovers, there is the Vancouver Canucks Hockey Team, the Vancouver Giants Hockey Team, the BC Lions Football Team, The Vancouver Canadians baseball Team, and of course the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer Team. All of them are involved in the community.

There are lots of things to do which make this city so great to live in. I also enjoy the climate. What I most enjoy is the diversity this city has to offer. There is something for everyone and there is a lot more the city has to offer.