Vancouver, Canada, is beautiful city to visit or to live. The city nestles into its location surrounded by spectacular mountains, the Strait of Georgia, fiord-like inlets, the three arms if the mighty Fraser River, and lush, green farmland. There is no shortage of scenic places to visit in this Pacific coastal jewel. In this part of the world September is a month in which summer eases towards being just a fond memory and autumn begins to sneak into one's awareness. This poignant change of season led me to ponder just how I would spend my time on September 1st - a Sunday on a holiday weekend. We ended up relaxing at Locarno Beach where we had free parking, a beach beside which we ate our dinner, and a view worth millions - all for the price of some take-out fish and chips. We took in this vista along with other beach goers. There were folks sitting and relaxing, children were playing in the sand, joggers and cyclists passed us by, and families enjoyed their picnics. As we ate our 'end of summer beach meal' in the setting sun, we could see lights beginning to twinkle on the north shore mountains and in the downtown core across the water. Ships were in the harbour awaiting their turn to unload and a lighthouse blinked in the distance. It was very easy to forget that we were in the middle of an urban environment as we enjoyed the solace of this lovely evening in this livable, loveable city.