June 21, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Sechelt, Dining
Find more information about Sechelt - Dining
View a larger image on flickr.com
Combine spectacular coastal scenery, first class accommodations and unforgettable cuisine and you get the
Painted Boat Resort & Marina which I was lucky enough to spend a short time at recently. While the villas are comfortable and elegant, the infinity pool relaxing at any hour and the spa (which I did not enjoy on this trip) inviting, I was particularly impressed with the food at the Resort's cove-view restaurant. As it turns out, the Painted Boat Restaurant (open year round) has the ambitious but achievable goal of creating a "culinary trail" for the Sunshine Coast along with a number of other fine eating establishments that string the Coast from Gibsons to Lund. These restaurants focus on creative regional cuisine and they purchase most of their fish, fruits, vegetables, seafood, coffee and honey from local farms either on the Coast or off the nearby Gulf Islands. The Queen Charlotte Islands halibut we enjoyed for dinner was of the melt-in-your mouth variety and, when paired with the organic greens salad and white wine from BC, I was in heaven. If you plan on heading up to Madeira Park and the Painted Boat Resort, make sure you meander off the main highway from time to time to enjoy the communities (and the food) along the way - Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Sechelt, Halfmoon Bay & Secret Cove, to name a few. I can't wait for my next trip and my next splendid meal.
June 05, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Festivals & Events
View a larger image on flickr.com
How lucky was I to get to see opening night of the
Bard on the Beach presentation of Othello at Vanier Park. It had been years since I enjoyed one of the company's first class theatrical presentations in the big red and white tents which command such a spectacular presence in behind the Museum of Vancouver and the HR MacMillan Space Centre. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the Othello story line, the fantastic costumes and the unforgettable setting, but I was very taken with the whole tent set up - the boardwalks that lead from the mainstage tent to the snack counter, gift shop and to the wine bar...I loved to that birds flew through the mainstage tent while we were watching the play and that the lighting changed so dramatically as the sun sank into the Georgia Straight. We are so lucky to have Bard on the Beach....and they are celebrating their 20th anniversary. I may just join the many number of regulars that I met last night and come see the company's other summer 2009 performance, A Comedy of Errors. Their season runs until September 26, 2009.
May 26, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Burnaby, Historic & Heritage Sites
Find more information about Burnaby - Historic & Heritage Sites
View a larger image on flickr.com
My 9 year old daughter and I look forward to the re-opening each year of the Burnaby Village Museum and even though we have been through the outdoor museum countless times, we still find new discoveries on each visit. For me, it is browsing at all the implements, food stuffs, tools and toys in the General Store, or imagining what it must have been like to live in the Love Farmhouse where life wasn't quite as simple as it is today. For my daughter, the fun comes through the independence of being able to run and explore this little town moreless on her own. She delights in learning about what school was like in the early 1900s from the period school teacher/interpetter. He explains the school lessons for her age group and mentions too what happened when homework wasn't complete or when children talked back. We also enjoy the beautifully preserved Interurban car in the large barn and interpretive centre - again enjoying the stories as told by the costumed train conductor. As always, our 2 hour visit flies by and we conclude that, yet again, we didn't give ourselves enough time.
May 26, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Merritt, Guest Ranches & Horseback Riding
View a larger image on flickr.com
The
Quilchena Hotel has been welcoming guests on and off since 1908 when it was built due to wild spectulation that the railway would run through the Nicola Valley and the hotelier would become rich. The railway routed elsewhere but the hotel continued on until 1917 when it shut down for more than 40 years. It was reopened in 1958 by the grandson of the original builder. I didn't stay at the hotel but happened by it en route from Merritt to Kamloops via Highway 5A. We enjoyed a delicious lunch in the saloon - one of the best hamburgers I have ever had and no doubt considering the beef is raised and processed right on the ranch. For a history buff, the place was bursting with rich material. The 16 rooms are all unique and, while comfortable, are still reminiscent of the early days. The Saloon is a local favourite with bullet holes in the bar reminding us of the wilder days when outlaw Billy Miner roamed the area. The drive to Quilchena Hotel takes you past Nicola Lake and it was spectacular. I would highly recommend this alternative route if driving to Kamloops!
April 01, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Museums
Find more information about Vancouver - Museums
View a larger image on flickr.com
I had the opportunity to be toured around the
Vancouver Maritime Museum in Vanier Park this morning. I have to admit that it had been awhile since I had been through the museum. I fully expected to be awed by the size and historic significance of the RCMP Arctic Schooner, St. Roch and I knew I would be fondly reminded of the educational richness of the exhibits featuring shipwrecks, fireboats, pirates, deep-sea exploration, the old CP steam liners...and I was....but what I didn't realize is that the current Vancouver Maritime Museum is much more than a look at our maritime past - it is very much about learning from our past as we look forward to our
future. The newest exhibit is called Melt Down and it is a look at how oceans react to global warming. Visitors learn about changing marine ecosystems, the uncertain future of salmon stocks, CO2 emissions, carbon footprints and various concepts about sustainability. I was very impressed and wished I had hours to digest all the great information contained within this fascinating building. The picture in this blog shows the difference in size of the Arctic summer ice in 1997 (all the white bit) and then the Arctic summer ice in 2007 (smaller bit of white outlined).
March 13, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Accommodation
View a larger image on flickr.com
I love old houses so imagine my delight when I got to stay a night in Victoria's charming Humboldt House B & B, built in 1893. It is located just a few blocks from Victoria's Inner Harbour and Royal BC Museum and next to one of the City's most pleasant green spaces, the grounds in front of the St. Ann's Academy. Each room is themed differently - I stayed in Edward's Room, named for its Edwardian charm but others would appeal too, such as the Oriental Room and the Celebration room. This place would be perfect for a romantic getaway with its large jacuzzi tubs in each room, wood burning fireplaces, cozy furniture and gourmet champagne breakfasts (which are tucked into a basket and delivered to your room in the morning through a cool two-way pantry). Even though I was in Victoria on business, I felt welcomed and completely 'at home' during my short stay. Little extras like the 'help yourself Sherry' and cookies in the library upon my return from a run in the nearby Fairfield neighbourhood, or the relaxed and pleasant demeanour of the host, David. Did I mention the breakfasts? WOW! I chose shrimp and salmon crepes but I could have easily opted for the other mouth watering choices - which I will save for next time, and there will be a next time!
November 11, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Mission, Bird Watching
View a larger image on flickr.com
It was pouring when we woke up. I questioned whether travelling out to Mission to get on a boat to explore the channels of the Fraser River near Harrison Mills was the best idea for spending the day with my daughter (9). Boy was I glad we did! We took part in a tour offered by
Fraser River Safari, a relatively new player on the tourism scene, to travel with them in their covered, warm and comfortable vessel, to view the wildlife and scenery east of Mission. We saw thousands of bald eagles perched in trees, on logs, flying and swooping. We saw seals lounging on logs and rocks, we saw a black bear forging for food on the shore and, (perhaps the highlight), we witnessed four fishermen struggle to pull in a 6 foot (maybe longer) sturgeon fish. From the very knowledgable guides we learned that sturgeon fishing on the Fraser is a big draw for visitors to our Province and that we have quite a reputation for sturgeon fishing on the world scale. We also learned that the sturgeon is a prehistoric fish and can live out of water for a very long time - in fact, as the story goes, a sturgeon was found alive in the mud banks of what was once the nearby Sumas Lake,
10 years after the lake had been drained. We were impressed to learn more about the "catch and release" laws pertaining to sturgeon fishing too, and felt relieved to know that our 6 foot friend wasn't getting served up for dinner at someone's table. We also learned a great deal about the First Nations of the area, the fur trade, the gold rush and about one of BC's favourite icons, the sasquatch! The trip is 4 hours in total, with a 1 hour stop at the
Kilby Historic Site in Harrison Mills where we enjoyed a fast lunch and a quick tour through the old General Store and Hotel, now a Museum. My daughter fancied the petting zoo and we vowed to return to the Kilby Historic Site when we had more time...in fact, it would be the perfect activity to pair up with a stay in nearby
Harrison Hot Springs. In the end, we were thrilled we ventured out to the Valley despite the weather - sure it rained most of the day but it didn't take away from our adventure at all!
October 14, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Sun Peaks Resort, Skiing & Snowboarding
Find more information about Sun Peaks Resort - Skiing & Snowboarding
View a larger image on flickr.com
The white stuff is beginning to fly at
Sun Peaks as reported by our contacts on the hill today! Time to start doing leg lunges in preparation for another great BC ski season. I hadn't skiied for a number of years following an injury at Whistler Blackcomb, until the fine folks at Tourism Sun Peaks insisted I strap up and head down the hill a beautiful spring day early in 2008. I instantly remembered how wonderful the feeling of whipping down the hill, breeze in hair and all that stuff was. Now I am hooked again! Sun Peaks has lots of varied terrain to offer, and a fair amount of non-ski related activities too, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, apres-ski, tonnes of events...and spa.
October 10, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Art Galleries & Artists
Find more information about Vancouver - Art Galleries & Artists
View a larger image on flickr.com
I had the opportunity to visit a very cool art gallery recently, located smack in the middle of Vancouver's downtown eastside..and it was well worth the visit. Centre A is Vancouver's International Centre for Contemporary Art and is located at the corner of Carrall Street and East Hastings. What is a real treat is that it is housed in one of the City's most important heritage buildings - the old BC Gas building that was where the interurban trains looped around before heading back out to the suburbs - this all many years ago of course. Now the building is home to some pretty edgy and thought-provoking Asian artwork. If you are visiting Gastown or Chinatown, or shopping at nearby Army & Navy, check out what they have to offer. But keep in mind that it is in one of the City's more colourful neighbourhoods. They are open Tuesday through Saturday.
September 28, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Attractions
Find more information about Vancouver - Attractions
View a larger image on flickr.com
The UBC Botanical Garden is one of Vancouver's best kept secrets as a tourist attraction....and it just got even better with the addition of the new Greenheart Canopy Walkway, an eco-adventure for all ages.
The walkway is like a series of hanging suspension bridges or "aerial trails" high above the ground - about 60 feet above the ground in some places. It is a bit of a wobbly workout making your way around the circuit - there are 8 different bridges that form the loop. Its really quite spectacular to be so high up and you get a really great view of the upper layers of the forest canopy. While I just got a kick out of the views, anyone remotely interested in west coast forest ecosystems, the environment, animals and plants will see this new attraction for it scientific merits. The guides that take groups around the walkway are knowledgeable and informative. The makers of the Canopy Walkway is a Vancouver-based company that has created various aerial trails throughout the world. Lucky us that they finally got to build one locally.
Admission is $20 for adults, less for kids and seniors and you get to wander all around the Botanical Gardens for the same price.