January 30, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Breweries, Distilleries & Cideries
Find more information about Vancouver - Breweries, Distilleries & Cideries
I know that
Vancouver may not be Prague, and British Columbia may not be Ireland, but we do have plenty of great local beers, and places to drink them, just the same. I recently picked up a copy of the
Passport to Beer guide book which highlights all these great beers, and watering holes. It cost $20 and includes $500 worth of coupons for free beer tours (e.g., Vancouver Island Brewery, Gulf Islands Brewery), 2 for 1 admission (Granville Island Brewing Tours, False Creek Ferries), 2 for 1 appies at local restaurants and even a few merchandise and accommodation discounts.
Might be worthwhile if you are planning on hanging out for a while, or just plan to hit all the best brew spots during your stay. 2 for 1 tapas at Stella’s – let’s go!!
January 27, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vernon, Skiing & Snowboarding
Find more information about Vernon - Skiing & Snowboarding
Just got back from
Big White &
Silver Star, and the skiing was phenomenal! Both the resorts have an impressive base and as a bonus we woke up to fresh powder every day. In fact, one morning at Silver Star there was a dump of a foot and a half overnight - we were in snow heaven!! One of the locals suggested getting to the lifts 10-15 minutes before they open in the morning to get ‘first tracks’. They start lining up early after a dump like that – it was fantastic!
Some other fun things we did were tubing and skating at Big White. I especially enjoyed the tubing (the fast side). It’s fun to get some friends together and hold on to each other and spin. The outdoor skating rink is enormous!
Another highlight of the trip was having a gun barrel coffee upstairs at Snowshoe Sams (Big White) where they actually pour flaming liquid (coffee and liqueurs) down the barrel of a gun into a glass. Also the snow-cat dinner tour to Paradise Camp at Silver Star was really fabulous. The trip to and from was fun and the cuisine, service and wines were first-class.
For dining recommendations at Big White I suggest the Kettle Valley Steakhouse in Happy Valley (lower area) and the Soup Stone Café which has a wonderful selection of soups, homemade daily (near main village). For Silver Star, I’d recommend Clementine’s Restaurant for fine dining, Long John’s Pub for delicious pub fare (and a fun atmosphere), and Francucinnos for yummy croissants and cinnamon buns.
It’s an ideal time to visit right now so get up while the snow lasts!atmosphere), and Francucinnos for yummy croissants and cinnamon buns. It's an ideal time to visit right now so get up while the snow lasts!
January 27, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Sun Peaks Resort, Skiing & Snowboarding
Find more information about Sun Peaks Resort - Skiing & Snowboarding
I spent last weekend at
Sun Peaks with some friends. I skied at Sun Peaks for the first time last winter, but didn't get a great impression as the weather was cold and the slopes were icy. This time was completely different though as we were lucky to get fresh powder and sunshine one day. I'd always heard about the dry Interior powder (often marketed as champagne powder in the Rockies), but you have to experience it to really appreciate the difference! We found some incredible untracked powder off the West Bowl t-bar, which led to an epic run through the trees. I don't always enjoy big powder days at Whistler as the snow can be heavy, but it's way more fun when the snow is light and fluffy. I was also impressed with the village, which is located at the base of two of the mountains (the resort actually spreads across 3 mountains). The village is fairly small and carries off the faux European look well. There are several ski in/ski out hotels & condos and rates are affordable. It definitely lacks the scale of Whistler, but that's part of its charm. There's something nice about being able to ski into the village for a coffee or a piece of pizza rather than paying too much for mediocre food at a resort cafeteria. Besides the skiing, the big attraction was the
Ice Wine festival, which is held at Sun Peaks each January. Fifteen BC wineries participated this year and the tasting areas were spread around the village. There's something satisfying about walking around a ski resort with wine glass in hand (not normally tolerated under our archaic liquor laws). It's difficult to drink alot of ice wine because it's intense and sweet, so the wineries were also pouring whites and reds. In summary, I'd recommend Sun Peaks if you're looking for a smaller scale resort, with a range of accommodation and amenities, a good mix
January 26, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Whistler, Festivals & Events
Okay, really now, any week in
Whistler is an entertaining week - especially the après-ski part of the week! That being said, Whistler has sent me a notice about two upcoming weeks that sound a bit more exuberant than the normal amount of high-spirited fun.
First, from February 6 to 12, Gay Ski Week will be in full swing. The headlining acts are the guided tours and a “fabulous” martini party. And, as my favourite CBC radio Stepping Out host Fred Lee says, “How much fun will that be! Xciting with a Capital X.”
Second, from March 5 to 11, Women’s Week features women-only clinics, seminars and what I might call “gear for grrls” specials offer. “I am women. Hear me roar. And Watch me Ski!”
January 21, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Dining
Find more information about Vancouver - Dining
I took Susan's advice and did a "
Dine Out" in Vancouver last night. I was staying at the Marriott Residence Inn on Hornby Street by myself and couldn't bear the thought of take-out so braved the stares of a woman eating alone and went down to the hotel restaurant Mi Bar and Grill. It was the first night of Tourism Vancouver's promotional campaign featuring a wide variety of restaurants, set menus and wine parings and as its a very popular promotion, the restaurant had a full list of reservations. The maitre de was very welcoming however, and invited me to sit at the bar and enjoy my dinner. For $15 dollars I had a choice of 2 appetizers, 3 entres and 2 deserts. I chose
Dungeness Crab Cakes, Beef Short Ribs with Black Bean Cake and Corn Salsa, and White and Dark Chocolate Mousse for desert. The meal was delicious, the crab fresh and light, the short ribs, albeit a bit on the fatty side, tender and tasty, and the desert, heavenly! I enjoyed a lovely glass of recommended Penfolds Semillion Chardonnay that was smooth and light, a great addition to my meal. Not only did I have a great meal for a fabulous price, the service at Mi Bar and Grill was tremendous. The staff obviously like working there and the restaurant is small enough to give them time to attend to each and every guest. Hope you get a chance to try some new restaurants and some new dishes over the next few weeks. And if you have to go by yourself, trust me, its much better than take out!
January 16, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Chemainus, Diving
Find more information about Chemainus - Diving
For me, SCUBA diving is like flying under water. So you can imagine how excited I am to be able to "fly" over and around a plane underwater! It has taken years for the out of service Boeing 737 to finally find a home as an artificial reef in
Chemainus on
Vancouver Island. It was finally sunk this weekend and my dive buddies and I can't wait to drop down the 70 feet to blow bubbles (or not - for those with rebreathers) and "fly" around the plane peeking into portholes. As the plane sits 15 feet above the ocean floor you can even swim under the belly. The new dive site has been called Xihuw Reef, the Hul'qumi'num name for red sea urchins. Check out the
Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia for more information.
January 06, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Squamish, Biking
Find more information about Squamish - Biking
January 1 is more than a day off to recover from New Year's festivities for local mountain bikers - it's also Test of Metal registration day
http://www.testofmetal.com. For those of you not familiar with the Test, it's an epic cross country mountain bike race held in Squamish each June. You may wonder what defines "epic" - think of a 67km course, with 1200 metres of climbing, sections named Bonk Hill and the 9 Mile Climb and you get the idea of what it's like! It's also a mass start, so professional athletes like Alison Sydor (Olympic silver medalist) and Trevor Linden of the Vancouver Canucks line up to start with 800 slightly less fit weekend warriors. The race has become very popular over the last few years, with all 800 places being snapped up in 6 days in 2005. I've done the race previously (2002-2004) and after nearly sweating to death in 32 degree heat in 2004, swore to take a few years off. Well, I wisely missed last year (it was a horrible wet day), but got "convinced" to sign up this year. My mountain biking friends were speculating that the race would sell out quickly this year - little did I know how quickly! A friend called me 3 hours after registration opened to tell me there were less than 200 places left. I registered right then (secretly hoping that the magical 800th slot was gone!), but I am happy to report I am racer #701. Let the training begin!! If you happen to be in
Squamish on June 17-18, I'd highly recommend checking out the festivities, which last all weekend. The Test itself starts at 11am on Saturday, June 17. The race starts and ends in town and people are out in droves cheering on the riders. The fastest riders will be done in just under 3 hours. Personally, I'll be looking to better my 2004 time of 5 hours 29 minutes!
January 04, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Art Galleries & Artists
Find more information about Vancouver - Art Galleries & Artists
The
Vancouver Art Gallery has changed the night that admission is by donation. Previously on Thursdays, now you need to go on Tuesday nights from 5 to 9 pm to get the deal.
January 04, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Dining
Find more information about Vancouver - Dining
You better read this quick so you can make a few reservations asap!
Dine Out Vancouver is back in town and I have been told that some restaurants are already selling out on key nights. I am desperately trying to get into Cassis on opening night and, since I have had to email my reservation request to the restaurant directly, I am biting my nails waiting for a response. This is worse than waiting for Christmas morning!! If you plan to be in
Vancouver between January 20 and February 4 this is a great way to experience the top restaurants at extremely affordable prices - $15, $25, or $35 per person.