February 23, 2006 | Tips from Us >
North Vancouver, Snowshoeing
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A bunch of us went snowshoeing last night at
Grouse Mountain. While the trek beside Blue Grouse Lake and along the side of the ski run was quite easy and relatively short, we quickly learned the best reason to take their Snowshoe Fondue tour had nothing to do with the snow or the shoe - it was the cheese fondue! We ended up in Altitudes Bistro for our dinner complete with 4 different fondues: traditional cheese (yum!), vegetarian bouillon, curry bouillon, and chocolate. Waiting for us were plates of salmon, scallops, prawns, chicken, beef, pork, tofu, potatoes, and an assortment of vegetables. Hands-down, the winner of the evening was the never-ending bread basket. Imagine baguette slices drenched in bubbly warm, melted cheese, which I assumed was french raclette. The other table favourite was the banana bread sloshed in liquid chocolate. However, Jackie prefered to just spoon it down straight. Overall, we all left with in a state of "fondue-pig-out-induced-stupor", as quoted by Mark, and managed to happily wobble our way back to the gondola for our ride down the mountain.
February 14, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Festivals & Events
I was on the bus yesterday and read a poster about
Celebration Week in
Vancouver. If you are a fan of the Olympics, you might want to check out these free events promoted as the “countdown to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”
On Sunday February 26 there is a Street Party at Library Square from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm, complete with a live broadcast of the closing ceremonies in Turin / Turino, live music, Italian food, cake, and sports demos you can try.
On Wednesday March 1 from 5:30 to 6:30 there is a sunset procession of fire twirlers, stilt walkers and drummers to the official lighting of the Inukshuk stone sculpture that stands over English Bay. This sculpture inspired Vancouver's 2010 Olympic emblem. The event starts at Sunset Beach.
February 07, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Gardens
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What a beautiful day! The sun is out, the air is crisp and I walked outside at lunch, along with all the other Vancouverites excited about spring coming. A perfect day to head to the park, I thought. Which reminded me that I wanted to tell you about a great park to visit if you happen to be in
Vancouver on a day not like today, but more like a blustery day in Hundred Acre Woods.
Queen Elizabeth Park is a 52 hectare (130 acre) park at the highest point in the city at 67m (505 ft) above sea level. If you stand above the garden you have a 360 degree view. On bad weather days, when my thoughts head to the Bahamas, I head to the
Bloedel Conservatory at the top of the park. It is a geodesic dome filled with tropical plants, free-flying birds and fish. In fact, I just read on their website that they are the second largest single-structure plant conservatory in North American. A little bit of warmth, rainforest and tranquility; I take off my jacket and stay awhile â?? in fact, I once hung out for a few hours playing cards inside. For less than $5 (depending on age) itâ??s a cool place to get, well, warm!
February 02, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Historic & Heritage Sites
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I have lived near the British Columbia coast most of my life, and although I have seen them from near and far, I have never actually looked at a lighthouse lantern up close and personal – until I was in
Victoria earlier this week.
The cool thing about the Trial Island lantern house (as it is called) is that it is on the street - on the corner of Bastion Square and Langley Street to be exact. It kinda resembles a modern industrial street-art installation – picture a giant red robot helmet with a golf ball and weather vane on top.
The plaque on the lantern base states that it was first installed on Trial Island, 4 miles southeast of Victoria, in 1908. It was a beacon there until it was replaced by an acrylic lens in 1970.
The lenses themselves are enormous. I imagined that if I was an ant I wouldn’t want to get too close to this thing when it was working. Zzaaaap. Two flashes every ten seconds would fry me pretty quickly.
The Trial Island Light is on loan to the
Maritime Museum of British Columbia, just a few steps away.