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By Melanie Votaw
Yaletown is the most youthful and hip area in the already youthful and hip city of Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s not only where the trendsetters go when they want an evening out, it’s where many of them live.
I loved the neighborhood, which reminded me of New York’s Soho and Tribeca. Like these New York districts, Yaletown is a historical area with galleries, day spas, and small, expensive boutiques. In fact, there’s a delightful absence of chain stores. An example is Hélène Bourget Designs (helenebourgetdesigns.com), a jewelry boutique on Seymour Street that creates handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gold and silver designs by appointment only. Even the grocery stores are chic. Urban Fare (urbanfare.com) flies in fresh bread from Paris daily and charges about $100 per loaf.
These upscale businesses are housed in renovated warehouse lofts dating back to the 1800’s when the Canadian Pacific Railroad used Yaletown to repair trains. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that the neighborhood was refurbished and slowly became one of Vancouver’s most popular areas. Luckily, Yaletown has been protected, so businesses aren’t allowed to change the exteriors of buildings. I was happy to learn that its village atmosphere will remain intact.
 The numerous restaurants have outdoor patios in summer, many with cozy couches, and some of them are raised from the street on what used to be brick loading docks. My first night in town, I had dinner at one of Yaletown’s best restaurants – Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar (glowbalgrill.com) on Mainland Street – where actor David Strathairn (of The Bourne Ultimatum and Good Night and Good Luck) sat at the table next to mine.
Glowbal is a restaurant that somehow manages to be upscale and cozy all at the same time. Its menu, cooked in an open kitchen, consists of comfort food with a gourmet twist. The meticulous attention to detail was everywhere from exquisitely printed menus to the superior quality butter to the plates that were square or rectangular. The nutty-crusted bread, which is made especially for the restaurant every day by a local bakery, was accompanied by a plate with three sections  containing oil and balsamic vinegar, a red pepper spread, and that terrific butter.
I tried a delicious traditional dish of roasted free range chicken breast with herbed carrots, tomatoes, and asparagus spears in a black peppercorn sauce for a reasonable $24 Canadian. The pommes frites, which arrived in a white box à la Chinese takeout, could stand up against any “frites” in Paris. If you prefer the satay platter, it’s just $23.
The menu is changed in spring and fall, and the restaurant tries to use local seasonal ingredients as much as possible, including halibut three months per year and the superior beef from Alberta that you’ve probably heard about. They even have a bison hunter who occasionally delivers fresh bison meat to the restaurant.
Glowbal maintains a sexy 50-seat lounge called Afterglow in the back behind the main dining room with bright red cushioned couches. It’s a great date spot, where you can try one of the 20 wines on their wine list or one of several specialty martinis.
Of course, Vancouver is famous for its seafood, and one of Yaletown’s best restaurants is Coast, another eatery owned by the same company as Glowbal. The inspired entrées, which average $30 Canadian, include Miso-Honey Glazed Sablefish with vegetables in kaffir lime-lemongrass butter or Alaskan King Crab Gnocchi with asparagus and lobster essence.
For a less fancy evening, the Yaletown Brewing Co. is one of the neighborhood’s most popular hangouts. In fact, it’s packed almost every night with locals and tourists who want to sample its seven house beers that are made on the premises.  There’s also a pub-style restaurant on the premises with burgers and pizza.
I stayed at the Opus Hotel (opushotel.com/opus.html) on Davie Street, and it was one of the most pleasurable hotel experiences I have ever had. First of all, I loved the ultra modern exterior and interior design. The front façade of the hotel is mostly glass with wave-shaped canopies. My deluxe king room, though small, was decorated in dark blues with a widescreen television in the wall and a curtained spa bathroom. Other rooms are decorated in equally vibrant colors like reds, golds, or deep greens.
The best thing about the Opus, however, is the service. I didn’t at all mind that all of the bellmen were young and good looking, and everyone went out of their way to take excellent care of me. In fact, I felt downright royal. When I had some difficulty connecting to the Internet with my laptop, the staff made sure the problem was rectified right away. Naturally, I wasn’t at all surprised to learn that the Opus has been listed on several lists of the world’s best hotels. From what I  was told, I might well have run into celebrities there, as they often stay at the Opus while in Vancouver shooting a film.
The hotel’s 96 rooms vary in price from about $250-$600, depending upon the room you choose and the time of year of your stay. The deluxe courtyard rooms, which overlook a garden, for example, are nearly 325 square feet with a gas fireplace, deep soaker tub, and separate walk-in shower. There are two penthouse suites with a large living room, wet bar, jetted soaker tub, fireplace, and panoramic exterior window.
The Opus also offers a BMW car service in the downtown area, a fitness center, business center, restaurant, bar, and special packages including a Bed and Breakfast special for you and your dog complete with doggie treats, toys, and a plush bed for your pooch.
A fast walk from the Opus is Yaletown’s waterfront, where you can drool over the yachts and take the Aquabus ferry service to Vancouver’s famed Granville Island market. Yaletown is simply a perfect area for both daytime and nighttime strolls, especially in summer. It’s centrally located in the southeastern portion of downtown Vancouver, so you can easily walk, take public transportation, or taxis to other portions of downtown or the neighborhood of Gastown. So, rather than stay in one of the more commercial areas of downtown, Yaletown gave me the opportunity to stay in a convenient location with a village-like ambience and rub elbows with the locals. Walking along the seawall or among the brick facades, I didn’t feel like a tourist at all.
© October 2007 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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