We'll be in Vancouver for a few days over Christmas and I would appreciate advice/ recommendations on the following: <BR>1. outstanding dim sum; <BR>2. downtown hotels (a couple plus a partially mobile Mother-in-law); <BR>3. anything special going on in the city that time of year? <BR>4. any drives out and about that will likely be passable and safe with a typical rental sedan (i.e., no snow tires)?

Well i'll choose door#4-a drive up the Sea to Sky Highway to Squamish if the weather is at all good,some of the views are outstanding. <BR>There's a chance you'll be in time to see some of the 3,000+ Bald Eagles feeding along the Squamish&Cheakamus Rivers at that time too.

Hi Jessie, <BR> <BR>I already wrote you an e-mail, but I'll mentioned <BR> <BR>1. For dim sum, people will suggest Chinatown. I'd personally suggest Richmond, which is a suburb just south of Vancouver. A good portion of Richmond has been renovated and turned into what I call "new Chinatown". Many wealthy Hong Kong immigrants turned a good portion of the city into a miniature Hong Kong. Aberdeen Center, Yaohan Place, Parker Place, and basically many shops along No.3 Rd and Cambie Street in Richmond have dozens upon dozens of dim sum and Chinese restaurants. Yaohan, Aberdeen and Parker are all Asian malls. You'll feel like you're in Hong Kong. <BR> <BR>4. A drive out to Squamish would be good. Luckily because Vancouver's on the coast, it's warm enough that we don't experience much snow, if any. Most Vancouverites don't even have snow tires, so we know what it's like. I'd personally suggest a drive out to Steveston, the south-west corner of Richmond. It's a historic fishing town with shops, great seafood restaurants, a fisherman's wharf and cute little cafes. There's a lot of history in this area, and it's where the south arm of the Fraser River meets the Georgia Straight. Garry Point Park is probably the most panoramic. On a sunny day you could see the North Shore mountains, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Gulf & San Juan Islands, the Cascades and Washington's Mount Baker in the distance. <BR> <BR>Another nice drive would be the short drive from downtown to Horseshoe Bay. When at Horseshoe bay, make the short drive to Whytecliff Park. The view is amazing.

I agree with Robyn re: outstanding dim sum -- check out Richmond. My mother (we're Chinese) visits friends in Vancouver frequently and they always go for dim sum in Richmond instead of downtown Chinatown. Sorry I can't recommend a particular restaurant.

We are coming up to Vancouver from Seattle this weekend. Can anyone give us basic driving directions from the border to the Richmond area with all the dim sum restaurants, the 3rd and Cambie street. Yum! <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR> <BR>Jeanne

Jeanne, <BR> <BR>From the Peace Arch border crossing, I5 turns into Hwy 99. Keep along Hwy 99 like you would to get into Vancouver. In about 20 minutes after driving through farmland, you'll pass by the "Town & Country Inn" flashing billboard, and then you'll drive under a tunnel. <BR> <BR>Once out from under the tunnel, you're technically in Richmond. Take the Westminster Hwy exit and keep left. You will be turning left from the off-ramp onto Westminster Hwy (west-bound). <BR> <BR>Drive westbound on Westminster Hwy, and you'll slowly enter Richmond's city center. Westminster Hwy intersects with No. 3 Rd. When you get that intersection, turn right (northbound) onto No.3 Rd. From there, you'll start to notice the large amounts of signs written in Chinese and the many restaurants. Cambie Street intersects with No. 3 Rd and is only 2 blocks north of Westminster Hwy. Within these 2 blocks (and beyond) are a lot of dim sum restaurants. <BR> <BR>There's a good road map of Richmond right here that will probably help: <BR>http://www.city.richmond.bc.ca/discover/roadmap.htm <BR> <BR>Here's an illustrated aerial map of Richmond: <BR>http://www.city.richmond.bc.ca/disco...over_index.htm <BR> <BR>Here's some info on each Asian mall in Richmond: <BR>http://www.virtualvancouver.com/shopping6.html <BR> <BR>And finally, if you go to http://www.mybc.com, you can search up almost any restaurant in Greater Vancouver. If you click on "Maps", you can enter the address of where you want to go, and it can tell you step by step how to get there.

A few more links to articles on dim-sum/Asian restaurants in Richmond: <BR> <BR>http://www.vanmag.com/9708/secrets_food.html <BR> <BR>http://www.langara.bc.ca/prm/2000/Food/Food.html <BR> <BR>