The Global Liveability Rankings report is part of the EIU's Worldwide Cost of Living Survey. The survey rates cities on 40 criteria giving them a score of 0 to 100% (the lower the score, the more attractive the destination). Vancouver's overall score was 1.3%. Following Vancouver in the rankings were Melbourne (1.8%), Vienna (2.3%), Perth (2.5%), and Toronto and Adelaide (both with 3%). The survey was last released in 2005 with Vancouver also topping the list.
www.eiu.com

• The Gastown neighbourhood is undergoing a relentless restaurant boom, and So.Cial at Le Magasin is one of the finest new entries. Chef Sean Cousin's menu offers contemporary Canadian regional cuisine using local and organic ingredients whenever possible. The restaurant is located in a beautiful 1911 heritage building, complete with a pressed tin veiling and Murano glass chandeliers. In addition to the main dining room, there's an oyster bar downstairs and a butcher shop and deli in an adjoining space.
  Sample dish: Sablefish with roasted foraged mushrooms, squash dumpling and seaweed broth
  www.socialatlemagasin.com
• Taking up a beautifully restored corner of the Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver, The Transcontinental is a grand space in the tradition of railway dining rooms. The restaurant offers classic dishes with a modern twist, a club car menu for casual diners and an extensive wine list.
  Sample dish: Fraser Valley chicken breast with Northern BC fire morels
  www.thetranscontinental.com
• Developed by the same team responsible for hip Vancouver restaurants like Sanafir, Coast and Glowbal Grill, Italian Kitchen is sure to become one of the hottest spots in town. The restaurant offers a multi-regional modern Italian menu, focusing on letting the freshest seasonal ingredients speak for themselves. On the street level, the restaurant offers a casual and bustling bar area, while upstairs offers an elegant and sophisticated alternative.
  Sample dish: Chicken saltimbocca with prosciutto and sage, served with panzanella salad
  www.theitaliankitchen.ca

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Announces 07/08 Season
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) has launched the 07/08 season with a strong line-up of guest artists mixing the next generation of stars with long-established virtuosos. The following are some highlights.
www.vancouversymphony.ca

• "VSO Pops" features music from across the eras including jazz, big band, swing and Broadway
• Matinée traditions continue to see audience growth every year with "Symphony Sundays"
• "Tea & Trumpets" features light classics mixed with narration by Christopher Gaze
• "Tiny Tots" is for the little ones (toddlers to age four or five) and "Kids' Koncerts" feature the full orchestra and are aimed at older children (four to 11)
• The "Raymond James Beethoven Festival" features all nine symphonies performed in chronological order over eleven days
• "A Big Band Christmas" with Colin James and the VSO
• A classical mystery tour of Beatles music as the VSO takes listeners through "Beatlemania"

Eastside Culture Crawl
November 16 - 18
The Eastside Culture Crawl is an annual three-day show involving over 200 artists who live on the Eastside of Vancouver. The crawl officially began in 1997 with 45 artists in three Strathcona studios. Now it has grown to a record 38 buildings. Painters, jewelers, sculptors, furniture makers, musicians, weavers, potters, writers, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers…you get the idea. This is a great opportunity to meet the artists and view their creations in the studios where they work.
www.culturecrawl.bc.ca

Vancouver Stages
Fall is here and Vancouver's theatres are bringing fun, quick-witted and poignant productions to the stage. The following are just a sample, so be sure to visit the websites listed below for full details. All tickets are available through Tickets Tonight and many can be purchased for half price on the day of the show at the Tickets Tonight booth in the downtown Touristinfo Centre.
www.ticketstonight.ca

Arts Club Theatre Company - Granville Island Stage
www.artsclub.com

• His Greatness (October 11 to November 10) - Inspired by a potentially true story about two days in the last year of the life of Tennessee Williams
• It's a Wonderful Life (November 29 to December 29) - The classic holiday favourite
• The Black Rider (January 16 to February 9) - Music legend Tom Waits, literary icon William S. Burroughs and avant-garde theatre artist Robert Wilson join forces to create "The Black Rider", an expressionist display of doom and bliss based on a German folktale

• The Glass Menagerie (October 25 to November 25) - A semi-autobiographical masterpiece by Tennessee Williams
• Beauty and the Beast (December 6 to January 6) - The classic fairytale musical
• Glorious! (January 24 to February 24) - The true story of Florence Foster Jenkins (a.k.a. the worst singer in the world)

• Living Shadows - A Story of Mary Pickford (October 24 to November 4) - Mary Pickford was an Oscar-winning Canadian motion picture star and this is a story of her determination, survival and success in the silent film era
• The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (November 17 to December 8) - The tragic and moving story of Rita Joe, a Canadian First Nations (Mi'kmaq) poet and songwriter
• Banana Boys (January 17 to February 9) - A tale of five university friends who try to balance the joys of video games and beer with the frustrations of feeling caught between two cultures

• The Wars (October 13 to November 3) - The story of a young man coming of age during the brutality of World War I
• Oliver! (November 17 to December 15) - An unforgettable tale of a young orphan searching for a place to belong
• The Blonde, The Brunette and The Vengeful Redhead (January 12 to February 2) - This one-woman show examines the fateful events of a single day from seven different perspectives

• Tideline (November 8 to 24) - The story follows a young bi-cultural North American man's journey to bury his father in his native land
• How it Works (February 28 to March 9) - A play that looks at parenting and how we can re-create the idea of family in the modern world

Once you're at the base of Cypress, take the Eagle Express chairlift up to 3,940 feet where you experience stunning views of the city of Vancouver, the Pacific Ocean and the Coast Mountain range. If you turn right and ski down Fork (blue) you'll be riding the route of the ski and snowboard cross (a new sport for the 2010 Olympics where many athletes race simultaneously on the same slope). If you're more adventurous, turn left at the top of Eagle Express Chair and bump your way down Trumpeter (a black diamond), which runs down what will become the snowboard parallel and giant slalom venue. After your day on the mountain, stop for a burger at Black Mountain Lodge. It's directly across the parking lot from what will be the new Olympic moguls and aerials venue.
www.cypressmountain.com

1. Tell us about yourself.
I came to Canada from Germany 12 years ago. Coming to Canada was my childhood dream. We started twelve years ago with a little lodge in Chilliwack and a small boat.

2. Describe the lodge.
The lodge is just 80-minutes outside of Vancouver, but you'll think you are in Alaska. All you see in front of you is river, mountains, bald eagles and bison (the lodge has its own private herd). The lodge faces the 7,000 foot Mount Cheam and is located on the Fraser River - considered the best salmon and sturgeon fishing river in the world (guests frequently pull six-foot sturgeon out of the river).

3. What kind of experience do you offer?
Many people just come to read, relax and do a bit of fishing. We offer communal, five-course meals every night featuring local and organic products (including bison from the herd). We've also got a gym, licensed bar and internet access. Most of the guests you meet are professionals, but you never know who you'll meet here. We've had Supreme Court judges, US governors and we once had the man who built the astronaut masks for the first moon landing! But it's very casual. One of our guests said it perfectly - it's a beautiful place without any pretension.

4. What type of special things do you offer for groups?
Service and flexibility are what we offer. We specialize in unique client events, corporate retreats, meetings and weddings. We once had a group of executives come that really loved to play poker and smoke Cuban cigars. Because law prohibits smoking indoors, we built them an outdoor poker and smoking tent (it's been so popular we've left it there). If you want to drive a race car, we can make that happen. If you want to experience BC's First Nations culture, we can organize First Nations drumming, a traditional salmon barbeque and totem pole carving. Then we can arrange to have the totem shipped to you anywhere in the world. We can accommodate groups from two to 200.

5. What makes the Fraser River Fishing Lodge unique?
We try to become better every year. This year I believe we have the best staff of any lodge in BC. Our guides are with us an average of seven years and we're a really strong team. Everyone plays an equal role - from the lodge hands, to the guides, chef and maids. It's a great group.

The Fraser River Fishing Lodge is open year-round in Agassiz, British Columbia. For more information on Frank Staiger or the lodge, please contact Amber Sessions at asessions@tourismvancouver.com.