Vancouver

Stanley Park seawall - rent a bike at dawn

Vancouver sits between mountains and ocean in a way that makes every other city feel geographically compromised. You can ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon, and the city has organised itself around that fact.

Stanley Park is an old-growth forest at the edge of downtown. Granville Island is a working market that has not been destroyed by its own success. The food reflects the city's position on the Pacific Rim in every direction.