Richmond sits on a flat island between the north and south arms of the Fraser River, about 14 kilometres south of downtown Vancouver. It is home to Vancouver International Airport and, more interestingly for visitors, one of the best concentrations of Chinese and East Asian food in North America.
The "food courts" in the malls along No. 3 Road — Richmond Centre, Aberdeen Centre, Yaohan Centre — are destinations in their own right, with Cantonese roast meats, Shanghainese soup dumplings, Japanese ramen, Taiwanese bubble tea, and dim sum that rivals anything in Hong Kong. The Richmond Night Market, running summer weekends, adds street food stalls and carnival atmosphere.
The dike trails that ring the island are popular with cyclists and walkers, offering flat, easy riding with views of the river and mountains. Steveston Village at the southern tip is a former fishing village with a boardwalk, fish-and-chips shops, and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site. The Richmond Olympic Oval, built for the 2010 Winter Games with a roof made from beetle-killed pine, is now a public sports facility on the riverfront.