Hi nanabee,

I'll chime in with a differing opinion regarding Seattle. I liked the city and found it a fascinating contrast to nearby Vancouver. Mind you, I was blessed with some sunny clear sky days with temperatures pleasingly in the low 70s when I went in mid-June a few years back. So I'll admit that a lot of my pleasure stemmed from the fact that I could see Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains, that I could take a boat ride along the Puget Sound followed by a leisurely peaceful stroll along Alki Beach, that I could go jogging in Volunteer Park and cycling on the Burke-Gilman Trail. Even just wandering through charming neighbourhoods like Capitol Hill was likely made pleasant due to the perfect weather. The situation might be overcast, rainy and less pleasant in December. I also live near the east coast, so simply being surrounded by those beautiful tall evergreens influenced my pleasure too. For indoors activity, the only things that really drew me in Seattle were Pike Place Market and the Burke Museum in the "U" district.

Vancouver and Victoria's highlights for me were also the outdoorsy stuff. Cycling, long strolls by the beach, hiking, visiting gardens, so I really can't speak for December in this regard. Indoors in Vancouver I appreciated the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver and the truly-worlds-better-than-anything-I'd-had-on-the-East-Coast sushi. In Victoria, the Royal BC Museum is exceptional.

Have a great trip! Daniel

thanks so much to everyone! everyone's information is extremely helpful.

daniel, We will most likely now have to do Seattle another time - which is doable because our daughter lives in Portland, Ore and we visit her often. It is good to know that the trip might be best put off until spring or summer. Mid winter is probably not optimal! Same with Victoria. Because we don't have too much time - a day trip would mean 6 hours (roundtrip) on a boat. I get pretty seasick too.

Andrew & sludick thanks so much for the bus info. We have a guide that I checked out of the library - and I don't trust transporation info as it could be outdated. So good to have that info.

We are looking forward to the cooler and maybe even snow! That would be exciting. It'd be our first white Christmas!

Your first white Christmas???

Alrighty then, one more link: http://www.grousemountain.com/events...christmas-2012

Needless to say, this is an easy public transportation destination.

sludick! that is really great!! thank you so much!

You will need that information regarding Grouse Mountain, or any of the northshore mountains, as it is very unlikely Vancouver itself will have snow. I believe it's only something like six white Christmas's in over one hundred years.

Nanabee, you might like Emily Carr at Vancouver Art Gallery

http://vanartgallery.bc.ca/the_exhib...e_at_dawn.html

Capilano Suspension Bridge in Lights, there's a shuttle

http://www.capbridge.com/

South Main, interesting hipster neighbourhood, cool shops

http://www.vanmag.com/Real_Estate/South_Main

They are forecasting snow for Sunday or Monday, so you never know....
Be prepared, the damp air feels very cold in the winter, scarves and warm coats.

Have fun!
Oh, welcome to Vancouver!