The air is warm, but a shiver runs up your spine as you dip your toe into the cool Pacific water. Scampering back to the giant log you've annexed as your own, you wrap yourself in a warm beach blanket and an even warmer friend. All along the nearby Seawall, the hip and the healthy dance in and out of each other's paths – managing to never once get in each other's way. Across the bay, the snow-capped peaks of the coastal mountains hold the entire scene in their impressive embrace.

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch the graceful approach of a blue heron coming in for a perfect landing, its latest catch dangling in its beak. Fresh fish. He must have read your mind. You open your picnic basket, unpack a pair of chopsticks, and sink your teeth into the finest piece of sushi this side of Tokyo. Vancouver is one of the most remarkable cities you'll ever visit, where your every urban need is satisfied in style and contact with nature is never more than a few steps away.