Living in Victoria as I do, a two-hour ferry ride or a 20-minute flight across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver, it is logical to presume that I visit BC's largest city often. Not so.

About every five years when I do check out what is annually rated as one of the world's best cities in which to visit and live, there are invariably fresh attractions, new restaurants and neighborhoods being revitalized. I rediscover Vancouver as though I have just touched down from London or Bangkok.

Megayachts make their own grand entry by sailing under the elegant Lions Gate Bridge into Vancouver's working harbor. Currently, Coal Harbour Marina (coalharbourmarina.com) is the city's only full-service facility for large recreational yachts, set on the downtown shoreline. This puts yacht visitors close to most short-stay highlights, ranging from dining and shopping to sporting events, festivals and night clubs.

The marina's concierge desk is a first stop for advice on both local and out-of-town activities and for making bookings for sightseeing tours, restaurants, wilderness adventures or car rentals. Concierge staff also advise visitors where it is safe to go and where to take precautions.

"Large yachts visit Vancouver both ways on their Pacific voyages along the Inside Passage," said Steve Varley, Coal Harbour Marina's general manager. "We're full to excess from May through October, making early booking a necessity.” The marina has 23 berths for transient yachts up to 330 feet.

Nine out of 10 visiting vessels of that size are motor yachts, with most being European and North American. Many return year after year.

Though surrounded by 20 other municipalities comprising a Metro Vancouver of 2 million people, Vancouver itself is the creative playground most visitors choose to explore. A big plus is being able to walk easily and safely to the majority of what there is to see, eat and do, or to get there with a 10-minute taxi ride.

Four distinctive neighborhoods that serve as magnets for visitors are Gastown, Chinatown, the West End and Granville Island. It is tempting to spend a day in any one of them, especially when special events and festivals are added to the timetable. Chinatown's night markets enliven every weekend from May to September, accompanied by Cantonese and Mandarin street nibbles and Canto-pop or traditional Chinese Opera.

West End's four-day international fireworks competition lights up the skies over English Bay in late July as one of the city's best known festivals. The Wooden Boat Festival around Granville Island in August, an international Dragon Boat Festival in June, and a dozen different music, dance and theater festivals liven the streets and entertainment venues between April and October.

During a city visit earlier this year, I dropped into O'Doul's Restaurant & Bar to get my fix of live jazz and fine dining, both guaranteed nightly year round. Thankfully, some things don't change.

Unhesitatingly added to my culinary favorites list this visit were Raincity Grill, Central Bistro and Le Gavroche, all small and carefully camouflaged in residential streets of the West End, but powerhouses with their creative menus. Fresh and organic are obsessions across the board, and sea food is naturally a specialty.

Another new culinary adventure I approached by taxi was Campagnolo on Main Street in the latest downtown neighborhood to be revitalized, though not quite ready for evening strollers yet. Already popular with Vancouverites, Campagnolo specializes in northern Italian cuisine, Sicilian wines and organic everything.

With a knowledgeable and entertaining guide from Urban Adventures called “Blaise Sack,” I took a two-hour walking tour of Chinatown and Gastown and stepped into the colorful lives of locals, past and present, tasted ethnic food, and sampled locally brewed beers and herbal teas. There were some startling encounters with sea cucumbers, dried geckos and desiccated snake that would be illusive while strolling the streets on your own.

West Coast native culture makes a dramatic contribution to Vancouver's signature attractions. Striking totem poles are sprinkled across the cityscape, but it is the museums and galleries that demonstrate the richness of the First Nations (native) heritage. The Museum of Anthropology has a stunning collection of native masks, totem poles, carvings and jewelry. Having spent four months on the team of 10 who unpacked and installed 20,000 artifacts before it opened in 1976, I count the museum as an old friend and always visit.

The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art highlights the varied skills of Canada's most revered aboriginal artist. And a shopping spree at the venerable Hill's Native Art in Gastown offers a two-storey, ceiling-to-floor collection of contemporary masks, jewelry, carvings and paintings. You may even commission a tree-sized totem to ship home.

Located on the waterfront of False Creek, Granville Island’s gritty industrial past has morphed into a people-first gathering place, attracting more than 10 million people a year. Colorful mini-ferry boats zip across inlets and under bridges to the island's waterfront, which is the best car-free approach to this quirky treasure.

The island’s diverse tenants include a prestigious art university, dozens of specialty shops and restaurants, live theatres, art and craft galleries, and great micro-brew pubs.

Internationally recognized museums specialize in model trains, model ships and sport fishing. Theme festivals, public workshops and special events tumble from one week into the next, making Granville Island a destination in itself.

Among many accolades from the global community in the past decade, Condé Nast Traveler in its annual Readers' Choice Awards named Vancouver the "Best City in the Americas" for five of the past seven years. Its multi-cultural diversity, creative boldness and perpetual energy have made it a city in a league of its own.