Vancouver. What can I say? It was marvelous. True, I realize that most of the year it’s foggy or hazy and a little damp. But when we visited there were clear blue skies and moderate temperatures. The kinds of days we see here in Sacto during the spring and fall—and this summer in between the 100 degree spurts.

The harbor view was taken from our hotel balcony on the 35th floor. The play of light as it made its way from east to west was glorious on the hills across the harbor. We were on Robson Street, which by all accounts is the place to be. There certainly was a constant stream of young people—mid-20s to mid-30s at a guess—who were parading up and down Robson.

One of the more unusual downtown sites is of all things the public library. It's built to resemble the Roman Coliseum. Across from the library's main entrance is a row of shops and eateries in a building that looks like the ruins of the Coliseum walls. The library itself is very modern with computer terminals dotting areas on all six floors. As public libraries go, Vancouver's is one to be remembered.

Vancouver’s Old Town is like old towns everywhere. Souvenir shops are interspersed with ethnic restaurants and chi-chi bars. Vancouver, however, has one attraction that is totally different than anything you can see anywhere else: a steam clock. That’s right. At a cost of $42,000 and weighing over 2 tons, the clock was designed and constructed to work using live steam running under the roadway. Every quarter hour chimes are rung, and every hour a steam whistle is heard. In the photo you can see the steam that rises from the top of the clock.

Vancouver also is home to a large Chinese population, with (as one brochure put it) the “second largest Chinatown after New York and San Francisco.” Hey, it’s their math, not mine! One of the prettiest and most restful features of Chinatown (which is smaller and less hustle-bustle than its U.S. counterparts) is a philosopher’s garden dedicated to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen.