Vancouver & Whistler

VANCOUVER
TOP 10 PICKS

1. Get a bird’s-eye, panoramic view of the city from the revolving observation deck atop the Harbour Centre Tower. www.vancouverlookout.com

2. Catch a ride on a rainbow-colored Aquabus, which regularly ferry folks to-and-from destinations along False Creek for a small fee. www.theaquabus.com

VANCOUVER
TOP 10 PICKS

1. Get a bird's-eye, panoramic view of the city from the revolving observation deck atop the Harbour Centre Tower. www.vancouverlookout.com

2. Catch a ride on a rainbow-colored Aquabus, which regularly ferry folks to-and-from destinations along False Creek for a small fee. www.theaquabus.com

3. Munch a Terimayo, a Japanese-style hot dog with Japanese mayo, nori, teriyaki sauce, and fried onions, from a downtown Japa Dog cart (there's one in front of the Sutton Place Hotel). www.japadog.com

4. Wander the harbor waterfront. Ogle the architecturally striking Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre (www.vancouverconventioncentre.com) and catch an IMAX film at Canada Place (www.canadaplace.ca).

5. Visit Vancouver's Chinatown, where colorful street stalls overflow with culinary treats and shops house everything from herbal remedies to fine porcelain. www.vancouverchinatown.ca

6. Stop in one of several Urban Fare foodstores, which offer upscale groceries and specialty foods, as well as gourmet restaurant dining and a coffee bar. www.urbanfare.com

7. Play tourist. Visit the Vancouver Art Gallery (www.vanartgallery.bc.ca), Science World BC (www.scienceworld.ca), the Vancouver Aquarium (www.vanaqua.org), the Museum of Vancouver (www.museumofvancouver.ca) and the BC Sports Hall of Fame Museum (www.bcsportshalloffame.com).

8. Stroll through historic Gastown, which is filled with shops, galleries, ethnic restaurants, antiques stores and more, set in restored heritage buildings. www.gastown.org

9. Grab lunch at Go Fish!, a casual Fisherman's Wharf seafood shack serving up fresh Pacific catch like beer-battered salmon 'n chips and oyster Po' Boys. 604-730-5040

10. Make tracks to Whistler Blackcomb, Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. www.whistlerblackcomb.com

WHISTLER
TOP 10 PICKS

1. Ninety percent of the trails at Whistler Blackcomb will be open to skiers and boarders during the Games. Don't miss the chance to experience some of the greatest slopes in North America (and glacier skiing, too). www.whistlerblackcomb.com

2. Check out the action at Whistler Medals Plaza, which will host Olympic medal ceremonies and be the place for live competition broadcasts, concerts and more. www.whistler.com/olympics

3. Cross-country ski around Lost Lake during the day (or under the lights in the evening), or over 28km of additional trails, from easy to expert. www.whistlerblackcomb.com

4. The new 20,000-square-foot Le Scandinave Spa Whistler at the edge of Lost Lake Park offers gold medal-worthy spa treatments. Try the Norwegian steam bath and have a healthy bite at the bistro. www.scandinavewhistler.com

5. After hours, check out the dance tracks at Garfinkel's (www.garfswhistler.com), comedy nights at Buffalo Bills (www.buffalobills.ca), or the upstairs cigar room and downstairs dance floor at The Savage Beagle (www.savagebeagle.com).

6. Shop at two of Canada's hottest shops: lululemon (www.lululemon.com) for yoga and activewear and Roots (www.roots.com) for handcrafted leather goods, sweats, watches and more.

7. Bundle up and go for an Alaskan huskies dogsled ride through the backcountry. The dogs love to run. You'll howl. www.whistlerdogsledding.com

8. Head for some après-ski action at many rockin' spots, including Dusty's Bar & Grill (604-905-2171), Garibaldi Lift Co. (604-905-2220) and Merlins (604-938-7700).

9. Make tracks to Vancouver, the Host City of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. www.tourismvancouver.com

10. From January 22 to March 21, the 2010 Cultural Olympiad will bring an international lineup of music, theatre, visual arts, dance, and digital programming to Metro Vancouver, the Sea to Sky Corridor and Whistler Blackcomb. In addition to interactive public projects, highlights include: Hal Willner's Neil Young Project (February 18); Robert Lepage: The Blue Dragon (February 2-28); and Quantum Bhangra with singer Harbhajan Mann (February 27).