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YALETOWN
As I mentioned earlier, the Opus Hotel is located in Yaletown. Just eight years ago, this industrial area was filled with warehouses and a railway terminal but now it’s one of the most happening parts of the city. It also boasts the distinction of having the city’s densest concentration of fine restaurants. Here you’ll find plenty of spas, fashion boutiques and bars. After dinner at Elixir, my friends and I went to visit another friend, Pat. He owns George, a popular restaurant and bar, the third restaurant to open in Yaletown; now there are 35 eateries. After Pat showed me around, he had his Australian bartender make me one of the best drinks. Because of his chemist-like precision and passion for mixing drinks, he reminded me of my boy Colin Field from the Paris Ritz. Colin’s the most famous bartender in the world, at least according to Forbes magazine. George, 1137 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, (604) 628-5555.

HOLIDAY INN DOWNTOWN
OK, so let’s say you’re not a rock star, you can’t put a night at the Opus on your company expense report, or you’re traveling with kids ... a good alternative for accommodations is the Holiday Inn. It’s right downtown in a handy, central location. It features a sleek new lobby, marble floors and a friendly staff. There are 245 guestrooms that all (supposedly) have complimentary high-speed Internet access, though mine didn’t work. I spent an hour with the hotel’s IT guy trying to fix it. Internet access did, however, work in the lobby. The Holiday Inn has a 24-hour indoor pool, health club, sauna, and an activity center for kids. Plus, all children under the age of 12 eat for free when accompanied by an adult in the hotel restaurants. Pets are also welcome but only in specially designated rooms. Though the rooms are spacious, they do need an upgrade. First of all, the rooms still have germ-infested bedspreads instead of duvets (the covers of which can be washed). If ever your hotel bed has a bedspread, be sure to rip that bad boy off the bed immediately, stick it in a corner somewhere, then go wash your hands. The bed was comfortable but seriously ... they need duvets. The best part about staying here is definitely the price and the unbeatable location. Rates begin at $110CDN. Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Vancouver Downtown, 1110 Howe Street, Vancouver, (604) 684-2151 or (800) 663-9151.

LEO LAPORTE
Leo Laporte is a leader in the field of technology. He’s known throughout the world through his television and radio shows and Podcasts. He even does guest segments for the big guys like Regis and Kelly and CNBC. I got lucky when, about four or five years ago, I started doing travel tech segments on his first show called Call For Help on TechTV. The studio was in San Francisco, which made it a quick and easy jaunt for me. But the channel was bought out and its name changed to the G4 network. The studio for Leo’s show was moved to Toronto and once that happened, I only visited two or three times. Coming from Los Angeles, Toronto is a little out of the way. Well, the good news (for me, anyway) is that just a few months ago, the show relocated again, this time to Vancouver. The show’s name was also changed. It’s now called The Lab with Leo Laporte and it airs nationally on G4 TechTV in Canada and the How To Channel in Australia. It’s also available for download via Google Video worldwide.

THE LAB WITH LEO LAPORTE
The studio was about a 10-minute ride from the hotel and I ended up spending a lot longer than I had intended. It was one of their first tapings in their new studio so naturally they had some technical difficulties. I didn’t care because everyone on staff, the guests and especially Leo, were great to hang out with. They kept apologizing but the truth is, I was much happier spending my time hanging out with them and working in their green room, than being in my hotel room. I taped two shows (episodes #19 and #22). The former is entitled Travel Websites That Will Have You Saving Time and Money on Your Next Trip and the latter is entitled Travel Websites That Will Ensure a Smooth and Fun Trip. Each of my segments was about eight minutes long and I have them loaded both on YouTube and on my server. These links will only let you see the segments I taped, so if you want the channel to watch the show, be sure to log on to Google Video and ask your cable provider if they’ll pick up the show. Here’s episode #19 and episode #22.

CINCIN
Being on TV takes a lot of energy out of you! When I finally made it back to my hotel room, I was so tired I collapsed on my bed and took a 90-minute power nap. I don’t know how Leo and the crew do it ... I just did two shows and they sometimes tape five in a day. Unreal. I was supposed to go to dinner with them but I wasn’t surprised (actually, I was expecting it) when they called to take a rain check on dinner. Since I was wide awake and my stomach rumbling, I decided to keep my reservation at one of the city’s best Italian restaurants; CinCin (pronounced "chin–chin" as a toast to good health in Italiano.) It’s been around since 1990 and is located on Robson Street, just four blocks from the Holiday Inn and, incidentally, world-famous for its shopping. Robson Street is actually not known for having great restaurants but CinCin is its lone exception. Most of the restaurants on the street seem to be large chains. I haven’t eaten alone at a fancy restaurant in a long time so I decided to eat at the bar. I brought a magazine to keep me busy, and so I wouldn’t look like a loner or a psycho by staring at other diners. I was so glad I didn’t cancel; I ended up having a marvelous, relaxing night eating by myself. The staff was very friendly and treated me like I was a regular, even calling me by my first name and bringing me sample plates to try. The first was a taste of prosciutto with soaked olives and a dab of 12-year-old vinaigrette. For my starter I had bufala di mozzarella salad, which was divine. Then came another tasting: green pea risotto with a touch of mint, which was seriously insane. Next time, I’m just ordering that. For my entrée, I had chicken cooked in a brick oven and served with pancetta ravioli, spinach and leeks. It was tasty but the risotto was exceptional. Since I was sitting in front of the desserts, I just couldn’t pass up my favorite course even though I really had no room for more. And I’m not lying. But everything looked so good; I had to at least try something. Of course, I made the mistake of saying, "Surprise me!" to my new waiter friend; she brought out a sampling of three of their most popular choices: a shot of hot chocolate, tiramisu and chocolate coffee cake that was so moist, I think they might actually have soaked it in coffee. CinCin is not to be missed. CinCin, 1154 Robson Street Vancouver, (604) 688-7338.

VIDEO
Here's a short Johnny Jet video of my trip to Vancouver. It's also on YouTube, so it only takes a few seconds to load (though the quality is not as crisp). We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on their servers.

NEXT WEEK
Next week we travel back to Los Angeles but get this ... I never leave the airport. It’s the first time I’ve ever landed in my home airport and not actually gone home. Instead, I jumped on another plane to ... I’ll give you a hint: It’s a destination that’s famous for hot air ballooning. The big question is: will Mr. Scaredy Cat (I’m terrified of heights!) get on one of these bad boys? You’ll find out next week.

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Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet

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All information presented here is accurate at the time of publication but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Please confirm all information before making any travel arrangements.

Note: This trip was sponsored by Johnny Jet Inc, the Opus Hotel, Holiday Inn Vancouver Downtown, and CinCin.



Copyright 2007 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.