JOSEPH KULA
Province
So, how do you think Vancouver rated in Lonely Planet’s massive The Cities Book — A Journey Through the Best Cities in the World (Raincoast)?
Very nicely, thank you, placing 15th out of 200 cities around the globe. We even beat out rivals such as Rio de Janiero (17), our sister city of Montréal (20), Florence (27), Krakow (30), Athens (38), Venice (40) and Los Angeles (49).
The other Canadian cities that made the list are Toronto (31) and Quebec City (95).
And No. 200? It’s Ashgabat (The City of Love, in Arabic). Haven’t heard of it? Neither have I, but this city in Turkmenistan is described as one of the oddest.
Each city gets a two-page spread and, refreshingly, the photos used aren’t your predictable picture-postcard variety.
The text also is not the usual pablum dished up by guidebooks. Instead, we get the following gems (here we use Vancouver as an example):
Typical Vancouverite: “With the knowledge that they live in an all-round ‘top foreign city’ known for its ‘best quality of life,’ have a laid-back mind-set, happy to be part of a pioneering Pacific Rim city where marijuana is tolerated and the foodie scene has exploded.”
Strengths (among others): Vancouver Art Gallery, Wreck Beach, Stanley Park, Museum of Anthropology and Coal Harbour seawalk.
Weaknesses: The rain — 170 days a year; house prices; blocked-off streets for film sets.
Gold star: Granville Island (need we say more).
Cityspeak (a little bit of editorializing): “Safe-injection sites — controlling drug use or promoting drug abuse.”
Starring role in . . .
(somewhat dated): The X Files, Double Jeopardy, Douglas Coupland novels.
Import: Hong Kong/ Chinese citizens and money; Hollywood productions.
Export: Greenpeace, Generation X, k.d. lang, Michael J. Fox, Pamela Anderson — you get the picture.
All in all, it fairly profiles the character of our city, albeit in simplistic terms.
So, which city is No. 1 in Lonely Planet’s eyes? You guessed it. It’s Paris, the City of Light.
It’s not surprising, considering that Paris draws more tourists than any other city in the world and that France is the No. 1 country for tourism.
If you want to see how your favourite city rates, be prepared to shell out $65 for the privilege.
It’s the cheapest tour of the world’s finest cities you’ll ever find.