Oh Dan if I could retroactively love you back in 2007 I would, and every day thereafter, because this piece is exquisite.

Well that beats the taown. I loved it.

I lived in Seattle 0-4 and 7-8, in the '50s and 1960-61. After all these years the place is still in my blood, and I'm not talking about the mountains, which are beautiful. There's a unique about Seattle, which--even now that it's busting its seams--that I still feel when I go back...

But that's beside the point. This is just a great story!

Lovely piece. And I'm a slope-hating bicyclist.

Aha! So *this* is what makes Vancouver the best place on earth!

Oh sure, Whistler is a hundred miles away. But *we* have public transit *right* to Grouse Mountain. Coincidentally, only about one or two other cities in the world can boast this. It's the perfect combination of scenery (the mountains are *close* man!), and easy accessibility to both kick-ass bars and museums and the great outdoors.

After 13 years of living here, we only just bought a car this March. I've been up Grouse's gondola at least 5 times (I learned to ski as a kid, but my wife couldn't be dragged into it for love or money), and twice with my almost-7-year-old, who I've actually been taking "to play in the snow" for his birthday every year since he was 4.

But cycling is more my thing. And we have lots of that around here too!

By the way, if you claim to be a cyclist and you cry about widdle-iddy-biddy hills, I call Rule #5 (ref: http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#5), you delicate little flower.