Readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine have again voted Vancouver "Best City in the Americas" at their annual Readers' Choice Awards. Vancouver won the top spot over Buenos Aires and Quebec City.

The poll divides cities into six specific geographical divisions including the Americas, which covers Canada, Central America and South America. Cities are scored on ambience, friendliness, culture and sites, restaurants, lodging, and shopping, to give a final ranking. This award is at the top of a long list of accolades that Vancouver has received in recent years. Vancouver was previously named "Best City in the Americas" by Condé Nast Traveler readers in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Click here to read the full news release, and here to see Vancouver's full list of accolades.
   

Move over sports; culture will be taking over Vancouver leading up to, and during, the 2010 Winter Games. Cultural Olympiad 2010 is a multidisciplinary festival showcasing the best in Canadian and international arts and pop culture. The 60-day festival (January 22 to March 21) features an extensive program including more than 600 ticketed and free performances with exhibitions in 60 venues across Metro Vancouver and the Sea to Sky corridor. Wondering what the hot tickets are? Here are our top five music, dance and theatre picks. Cultural Olympiad tickets are available through www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad.

Music
1. Feist (Canada) -- February 17, Orpheum Theatre
Canadian singer-songwriter famous for her "One, two, three, four" song.

2. Stars (Canada) -- February 19, Orpheum Theatre
Atmospheric, literary pop music in advance of the release of their new record this spring.

3. Steve Earle and Joel Plaskett (USA, Canada) -- January 23, Orpheum Theatre
Collaboration between the "saviour of country music" Steve Earle and genre-bending showman Joel Plaskett.

4. Kid Koala (Canada) -- February 12, Great Northern Way Campus
Vancouver-born DJ who has opened for the likes of Radiohead and Bjork.

5. Hal Willner's Neil Young Project (Canada) -- February 18, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
All-star band, led by members of Broken Social Scene, celebrate Canadian rock icon Neil Young.

Dance
1. Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and the Drum (Canada) -- January 22 to 24, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Alberta Ballet performs to music by Joni Mitchell in a dazzling ballet performance.

2. Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (Taiwan) -- February 5 & 6, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Innovative and fluid dance performance called "a meditation" by the New York Times.

3. Mascall Dance: White Spider (Canada) -- March 12 & 13, Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre
An innovative blend of dance and mountain climbing athletics.

4. Dance Marathon (Canada) -- February 9 to 13, Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre
A participatory show inspired by the genuine American dance marathons of the 1930s.

5. Poetics: a ballet brut (USA) -- February 27 to 30, Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre
Performers with a complete lack of formal dance training present do-it-yourself theatre at its most mischievous.

Theatre/Opera
1. Robert Lepage: The Blue Dragon (Canada) -- various dates in February, Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre at SFU Woodward's
Directed by Robert Lepage, the play is set in the paradox that is modern China.

2. Nixon in China (Canada) -- March 13, 16, 18, 20, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Vancouver Opera tells the story of Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972.

3. BASH'd: A Gay Rap Opera (Canada) -- February 16 to 20, Historic Theatre at The Cultch
Irreverent rapping troubadours skewer stereotypes with swaggering comedic flair.

4. NEVERMORE: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allen Poe (Canada) -- Various dates between January 21 and February 6, Arts Club - Granville Island Stage
A revealing psychology of the man whose haunting comic writings continue to resonate.

5. Fear of Flight (Canada) -- February 9 to 14, Historic Theatre at The Cultch
A movement and musical spectacle that tracks 14 nervous passengers on a bumpy transcontinental flight.

Over the past couple of years, Vancouver has seen a number of new hotels pop up around the city, and even more properties that have undergone extensive renovations and upgrades. And there's still more to come! In the 100 days before the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the city will see two new hotels open in the heart of downtown.

• The Fairmont Pacific Rim, located opposite the new West Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre, will officially open in January 2010, with 400 guestrooms. The rooftop swimming pool has a private outdoor terrace with meditation pods, hot tubs, fire pits and cabanas. The "Bucket List" Chairman's Suite, nicknamed the Rock Star suite for its private elevator and elegant entertaining options includes a custom 8'-long Swarovski crystal chandelier that cascades over the two-storey salon, with a private exercise area and outdoor patio with space for 60 people. 

• The Coast Coal Harbour Hotel, located just blocks from the waterfront between the Vancouver Convention Centre and Stanley Park, is slated to open in winter 2010, prior to the 2010 Winter Games, with 220 rooms. The hotel will feature a landscaped roof deck with an outdoor lap pool and hot tub.