"Sexiest Man Alive" - just another Vancouver attraction.

When People magazine recently picked Vancouver-born and raised Ryan Reynolds as "the sexiest man alive", many Vancouverites were not at all surprised that a BC boy is turning heads and also enjoys a rep as a fun, friendly guy. While most admirers of the male form must wait to see Ryan's abs on the big screen, Vancouver is said by many locals and visitors to be a treasure trove of fine male specimens.

Vancouver is first and foremost a West Coast city - all about the great outdoors and choosing the optimal lifestyle. According to official government statistics, Vancouverites live longer than in the rest of the country. Nice to know that staying active, living well... and looking good while doing it... has great results. Vancouver is the place that Canadians choose to move to. Foreigners do too. In present day Vancouver, there is both a rich multicultural mix and the traditional Canadian Mounties/lumberjack kind of guy. Someone for everyone. You have doubts? Did you know that Ryan's dad is a retired RCMP officer?

So if you would like to check out Vancouver's athletic men for yourself, here is a heads up! Mark two events on your calendar, get planning and book early. First up is WinterPride - the most famous gay ski week of them all. Jan. 30 to Feb. 6, 2011 is coming fast! It's your chance to combine brawn and beauty up at Whistler's Olympic facilities, just an hour and a half's spectacular drive from the city. Then, during the very peak of next summer's tourism season, Vancouver will host the North American Outgames from July 25 to 31st. That party is timed to culminate with Vancouver's annual Pride celebrations and amazing fireworks festival.

Yes - these are both very big, gay events. Sorry girls, Ryan is taken(Mr. Scarlett Johansson). But you can take my word for it, when it comes to Vancouver's men, Ryan did not break the mold.

Welcome World !

Vancouver is ready. I am ready. Only hours to go before the Opening Ceremonies and the Olympic Torch Relay is winding it's way towards the stadium through cheering crowds on Vancouver's streets.

Last night, I joined thousands of people at one of the LiveCity public plazas to see the torch finally arrive in Vancouver. And incidentally, the runner who passed us with a huge, happy grin on his face was Vancouver's own, Michael Buble. It was Day 105 on the longest torch run in Olympic history. Over 45,000 kms. from sea to sea to sea. The torch has been passed through the loving and excited hands of more than 12,000 runners. I actually got to hold one in my own hands.

Wandering the streets afterwards, it was impossible not to be thrilled at the international flavor of the crowds - the athletes are from over 80 nations - and the sounds of celebration everywhere. New and dramatic art installations literally light the night sky. Twenty 10,000 watt searchlights, mounted along several downtown shorelines, are controlled by people logging onto the internet at Vectorial Vancouver and suggesting where the lights should shine.

We came to a stone inukshuk that originally stood before the Northwest Territories Pavilion at Vancouver's other world party, Expo '86. Despite considerable local controversy, a stylized inukshuk was chosen almost seven years ago as the logo for Vancouver's Oympic Games. Some people didn't think that it was West Coast enough. The organizers replied that the Inuit people stack rocks in human form as a symbol of hope and friendship. The organizers said that they wanted these to be Canada's Games.

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Along the way, millions of Canadians embraced the Olympic torch and fell in love with one piece of Olympic merchandising - red mittens - like your grandma might have knitted. Well, last night, we saw that someone unofficial has added grandma's mittens to a stone creature that used to look kind of forbidding.

The Vancouver Olympics have coined several successful catchphrases. They have used "with glowing hearts", some evocative words from our national anthem. TV ads have been asking Canadians for months "Do you believe?" My own feeling is Yes, maybe belatedly, we do believe.

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The newest slogan features celebrity British Columbians like Michael J. Fox, Sarah McLaughlin and Ryan Reynolds telling the world - "You just gotta be here."

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I hope you will be - maybe now on your living room TV and someday soon on your next vacation. You really should see this beautiful place for yourself.

Welcome World !