Necromancer

Hi James -- welcome to Vancouver! I feel bad as I was going to reply to your thread but have been really swamped. We're blessed with having lots of visitors like yourself, so this question gets asked every now and then on NASIOC ... I was going to post some links for you but the search is down for a while. It should be back up next week, though, so just try searching for "visiting AND Vancouver" or "things to do AND Vancouver" here: http://forums.n a s i o c.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=30 (remove spaces from URL)

Without knowing much about what you and g/f like, it's a bit hard to recommend stuff, but since you asked about coffee shops I would recommend checking out Don't Show the Elephant in Yaletown for a late-night drink. It's modern, Asian, and has a trippy bathroom, funky teas, and a tube amp stereo -- very Vancouver. 1201 Hamilton St. in Yaletown

On the other hand, if you're more into the hippie-esque thing, check out the area around Main St. just south of King Edward. Lots of interesting cafes and dives around there, and more authentic than Kitsilano which has long since gone yuppie.

Subeez Cafe downtown is also a nice little place for a late-night bite. A bit on the goth side, nice atmosphere and decent food.

Anyway, like I said, if you tell us a little more about yourself and your g/f's interests, whether you'll have a car, etc., then we can maybe help out more...

Necromancer

Oh, and if you're here for a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night, don't miss the Richmond Night Market at Knight St. and Bridgeport just south of the city. It's a little bit of Hong Kong, again very Vancouver. Ask your hotel clerk for directions or just follow any lowered Honda or BMW.