There's nothing more Canadian than talking about the weather. And while eastern Canada natters about the white stuff, it's the wet stuff that gets tongues flapping on British Columbia's we(s)t coast. But don't let a little dampness drown your vacation plans -- just grab the Gore-Tex and make like a local with favourite Vancouver-area rainy-day pastimes.

• Visit Hong Kong without a passport on a trip to Richmond's Aberdeen Centre, where the Lower Mainland's sizeable Asian population comes to shop, eat and be entertained (aberdeencentre.com).

• Cloudy skies only heighten the moody "longhouse" atmosphere of the Museum of Anthropology, a celebrated repository of Northwest Coast Aboriginal art at the University of British Columbia (moa.ubc.ca).

• Rain in the city means snow on the nearby North Shore Mountains -- yes! See skivancouver.ca for specially priced ski-and-snowshoe hotel packages.

• Steamy and tropical, the domed Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park blooms with birds, butterflies and lush floral vistas. It's the best place for foolproof photos, too (city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks).

• Indulge your inner culture vulture with last-minute, half-price tickets to Vancouver's primo arts events. Order at Tickets Tonight and wait out the monsoon in a matinée (ticketstonight.ca).

• Rain or shine, the Whistler Mountaineer train between North Vancouver and Whistler is the best way to take in the coastal scenery along the Sea-to-Sky corridor (whistlermountaineer.com).

• When you've exhausted the indoor pleasures of Granville Island Public Market, pick up a stylish Robert Hall fedora at Edie Hats, grab yourself a steaming latte and explore the island's eclectic studios and galleries (granvilleisland.com).

Bowen Island, BC-based travel writer Julie Ovenell-Carter became a Canadian citizen in 1971. She's been penning love letters to her adopted country ever since. Ovenell-Carter has travelled extensively in Canada, and particularly enjoys road trips, train travel, quirky and urban destinations, family travel, spa vacations and anything related to the arts. Contact her at julieoc@telus.net.