VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- With its multicultural sophistication and population of 2 million representing all parts of the globe, this city on the far west coast of North America is an ideal spot to host next month's 2010 Winter Olympics.

But there's much more to do and see in Vancouver beyond what the Olympics will bring. It's a youthful city with many Asian and Indian storefronts and more bicycles than automobiles. Trendy neighborhoods offer adventuresome shopping and excellent people-watching from the many sidewalk cafes. A 5.5-mile recreational trail ringing its famous Stanley Park offers breathtaking views of the waterfront. History abounds, with displays dedicated to British Columbia's native people, and in museums, ethnic neighborhoods and a classical Chinese garden. Just a few miles out of the city there are mountain tram rides, recreational sports and encounters with wildlife.

Downtown, the Olympic clock in the square outside the Vancouver Art Gallery has been counting down the seconds to the 2010 Games, which kick off Feb. 12. The city is poised for the big event. Hot spots such as Canada Place, the convention center, with its distinctive five-sail roof line, and BC Place, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, are scattered throughout the city.

On our trip here last summer we talked with a lot of locals, and when they heard we were from Pittsburgh their immediate comment was "Sidney Crosby." He is well known in this hockey-centric city and will be playing for Team Canada in the Olympic Games.

Rounding the peninsula at English Bay, we were startled by our first glimpse of the Inukshuk, a large, rugged stone cairn along the water's edge. This monument was constructed for Vancouver's Expo 86 but is based on the ancient tradition of the Inuit people of the Arctic who stack rocks as guideposts in the vast tundra. There is another inukshuk on Whistler Mountain that resembles a human figure with outstretched arms. The symbol has received a contemporary graphic interpretation and is the emblem for the Vancouver Olympic games. It is called Ilanaaq, which is the Inuktitut word for "friend."

After arriving in Vancouver, our first order of business was to rent a bicycle from one of the many vendors along Denman Street to explore the 1,000-acre Stanley Park. The park opened to the public in 1888 and is named after Canada's first governor general, Lord Frederick Stanley -- the very Lord Stanley who lent his name to the cup the Penguins brought home last year. A statue of Lord Stanley stands in the park.

The park is the backyard and playground for a city dense with skyscrapers and high-rise apartments. Visitors can walk, bike or inline skate along the scenic seawall outlining the bay and the rainforest of towering Douglas fir, hemlock and cedar. Traffic -- separated in pedestrian and bike/skating lanes -- moves counterclockwise along the seawall, which is wise: The sharp, blind curves can lead to collisions without this courtesy. Along the way you can view the totem poles from First Nations people, a statue of the Girl in the Wet Suit created by Elek Imredy (not quite Copenhagen's Little Mermaid), and Vancouver Aquarium.

I was particularly intrigued by the many small temporary cairns constructed along the shore by visitors, no doubt inspired by the inukshuk. Many statues and memorials dot the trail, and the Lion's Gate Bridge soars overhead connecting Vancouver to the ski and mountain territory to the north.

In the city's bustling Chinatown, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden offers a quiet, tranquil sanctuary. Named for the first president of the Republic of China, it is the first full-scale classical garden constructed outside of China.

A team of artisans and gardeners from the Chinese city of Sozhou spent a year constructing the garden using materials, tools and techniques from centuries past. All of the architectural materials were shipped from China, from the roof tiles to the woodwork, the limestone rocks and even the courtyard pebbles.

The garden reflects the philosophy of yin and yang. Light is balanced by dark straight lines contrasting with curved -- opposite, yet essential to the whole.

The garden had several magnificent examples of penjing. A forerunner to bonsai, penjing is an art form that involves not only the gnarled, artfully pruned branches and leaves of miniature trees, but also the use of rock to create a landscape in a container.

Our guide commented that while Japanese gardens aim for perfection, Chinese gardens strive for balance, and the evidence was in every plant, rock and courtyard stone. Koi responded to a gong gently rung over the jade green waterways for a feeding that was gentle and respectful -- as was everything about this exquisite garden.

In our travels, we always look for a museum and a market. In Vancouver, the market has to be the Granville Island Public Market. Located on a peninsula under the Granville Bridge, the market clusters vendors together in a wonderful bevy of produce, fish, cheeses, baked goods and restaurants. An international crowd gathers for lunch and a view of the small aqua buses that shuttle visitors across False Creek. We had an inventive meal of clam and corn chowder, served up in ceramic soup tureens with a puff pastry topper. Gift shops and galleries abound with First Nations crafts. Several modern craftsmen were using power tools to carve elaborate totem poles.

The breathtaking Museum of Anthropology on the campus of the University of British Columbia was a jewel on a misty, cool Vancouver morning, and the highlight of our trip.

Here are the artifacts of the coastal First Nations people -- totem poles, dugout canoes, carvings and ceremonial dishes -- housed in a magnificent post-and-beam, glass-enclosed Great Hall designed by noted Canadian architect Arthur Erickson. Work by Haida artist Bill Reid, especially the stunning "The Raven and the First Men" crafted from a 41/2-ton block of cedar, is a must-see. The massive carving depicts the Haida story of the origins of man. The wise and powerful but tricky Raven has discovered the first humans in a clam shell on the beach and is coaxing them out of it with the promise of a prosperous life.

Outside the museum, two Haida houses have been re-created, including a longhouse and 10 totem poles.

The completion of the museum's multimillion-dollar renewal project will be celebrated Jan. 23-25. New facilities and exhibits have expanded the museum's global collection and research as well as its extensive collection of artifacts from the northwest coast of British Columbia.

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PG Map

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Locator map of the Vancouver area

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One of the most visited sites outside the city is the Capilano Suspension Bridge, but is it a tourist trap or marvel? The 450-foot-long bridge gently sways across the Capilano River in North Vancouver.

The first bridge was built of hemp rope and cedar in 1889 and was called the "laughing bridge" by First Nations people because of the sound made by the wind that whistled through its planks. In 1903, it was replaced by a wire bridge, known as the "nervous bridge," which became a destination for turn-of-the-century thrill seekers.

The current bridge is anchored with wire cables and concrete, and the tourists arrive in droves, despite the stiff ($26.95 adult) fee to cross it. But there is more to the park than the bridge. The fee includes the award-winning Treetops Adventure that allows visitors to walk from fir to giant fir, high above the forest floor, on scaffolding and small suspension bridges. There is also a First Nations totem pole collection and carving center.

Just 15 minutes from the city is the Grouse Mountain Skyride, the largest aerial tram system in North America. On a clear day, the tram, climbing 3,700 feet, offers a peerless view of the city, Pacific Ocean, bays and inlets. At the top you'll find the Refuge for Endangered Wildlife, home to a couple of grizzly bears and other animals. In warm weather, there are also ziplining, chairlift rides, helicopter rides, paragliding and much more.

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