Vancouver has loosened up a great deal in recent years. A bare 5 years back, would-be drinkers at many a Vancouver establishment had to swear on their life that they would indeed be eating something later on, just please give me a bottle now. (Patrons in a restaurant could only drink if they were eating or -- here's the Kafkaesque kicker -- had the intention of eating.) Nowadays, Vancouver drinkers can stand tall and order that beer, with no fear of being forced to purchase a token cookie or French fry. Even better, bars can now regularly stay open till 2am, and as late as 4am in peak summer months.

That said, officialdom in the city still doesn't love the late-night crowd. They seem to look on drinkers and revelers as an unfortunate by-product of urbanism, and bars as a necessary evil. City policy has been to concentrate the city's pubs and clubs and discos into two ghettos -- er, entertainment zones -- one along Granville Street and the other along Water and Pender streets in Gastown. There are pubs and clubs in other places to be sure, and many are listed below, but if you just want to wander out for a serendipitous pub crawl, the Granville or Water street strips make fine destinations. Speaking generally, Granville Street tends more to Top-40 discos and upscale lounges, while down in Gastown, it's dark cellars spinning hip-hop and house.

Bars Masquerading as Restaurants--One holdover from the bad old days of the liquor license drought is the relatively large number of restaurants that look suspiciously like pubs. You can order food in these places. Indeed, it used to be a condition of drinking (wink, wink). But most patrons stick to a liquid diet.

Bars With Views--If you're in Vancouver, odds are you're here for the views. Everybody else is. The entire population could go make more money living in a dull flat place like Toronto, but we stay because we're addicted to the scenery. As long as that's your raison d'être, you may as well do it in style at one of the places listed.

Brewpubs--In this category, don't forget The Dockside Brewing Company (1253 Johnson St.; tel: 604/685-7070), in the Granville Island Hotel.