Vancouver tops list of Canada's most gay friendly destinations

I have only been to Vancouver once. That was back in 2004 traveling with my son following his graduation from high school, But my impression of Vancouver was one of a remarkable, friendly, and cosmopolitan city where a diverse population seems to get along pretty well, all things considered. It will be a cold day in Hell before you see gay flags flying along a street in Norfolk as they do on parts of Davie Street in Vancouver. Moreover, the scenery surrounding the city is utterly spectacular. I did NOT want to leave. Neither did my son.

In addition, my impression of Canada was/is that it is now the land of personal freedom and liberty that once was associated by many with the USA. The increased domestic spying and God knows what kind of secret record keeping on U. S. citizens that the Chimperator's regime has ushered in are more reminiscent of Nazi Germany or the former Soviet Union. Certainly not the USA I once knew. In short, Canada seems to be a nation that values all of its citizens, unlike this country, where if one is not white, wealthy, Protestant (or affluent white Catholic), English speaking, and straight, the powers that be - especially within the GOP - would prefer that you simply disappear.

Were I able to, I'd move to Vancouver in a heart beat, although after the divorce war I might not meet the financial criteria to immigrate unless I married a Canadian citizen (surely, there must be some nice Vancouver blogger who might consider having me. Hint, hint). This article from PageOneQ (http://pageoneq.com/news/2007/Vancouver_Tops_List_of_Canadas_Most_Gay_Friendly_Des_1029.html)

shows that I am not alone in my view of Vancouver:

Apparently, no city in Canada does it better for America’s gay and lesbian travelers than Vancouver, which, for the second year in a row, has been recognized as the no.1 gay leisure travel destination in Canada in a new Community Marketing Inc. survey. With a value of somewhere between $55 billion and $65 billion annually in the U.S. alone more and more destinations have invested in attracting the pink dollar in recent years and Vancouver has been at the forefront of the movement. According to the Vancouver Sun, Tourism Vancouver consumer marketing manager, Candice Gibson, said the gay travel market is a lucrative and loyal sector that has responded very positively to Vancouver in recent years.

Gay and lesbian tourism in Vancouver has also grown significantly since same-sex marriage became legal in the province back in July 2003, a factor that has both enhanced the gay-friendly image of the destination while simultaneously enticing hundreds of couples to exchange vows in its picturesque environs. Overall Vancouver was the fourth most visited international destination for U.S. gay and lesbian travelers, trailing London, Puerto Vallarta and Paris according to the results of the Community Marketing Inc. survey. Meanwhile, Montreal and Toronto ranked fifth and sixth.