January 29, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Richmond, Festivals & Events
As a Chinese Canadian, I am always searching for events where I can experience my Asian heritage and enjoy the day with my family! Mom's are hard to please and Chinese New Year can be a delicate balancing act of finding a Grand Dragon and Lion Dance ceremony and an excellent place to eat in close proximity without causing me to go crazy! Well, I have to say since discovering all the Chinese New Year events and restaurants in Richmond, my life is much easier. This year I have an action plan in place, and all I have to do is coordinate my family and friends. This is no easy task since there are aunties, cousins, cousins-in-law, children and friends involved -12 - 16 people in total. The numbers fluctuate from year to year depending on who is in town and schedules. On Chinese New Year's Eve, February 17th, we will meet for dim sum at Fisherman's Terrace in Aberdeen Centre. After gorging ourselves on little dumplings and other delicacies, we will stroll the flower market in Aberdeen then head over to Yaohan Centre to see their flower market - mom likes to compare before buying. Only the freshest will do! My mom loves flowers.
January 29, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Richmond, Dining
Find more information about Richmond - Dining
What to do for Valentine’s Day has always been a quandary for me? When I am single, it’s easy! Girls Night – an evening of good food, good wine and good friends at home! However, when I am part of a couple, I am faced with thousands of questions of what to do for Valentine’s Day! I start off with one simple question - do we want to go out or stay in? Which leads to many more questions, like where should we go if we go out, do we want to go to dinner only or dinner and dancing, do we exchange gifts and finally who is going to do the planning and make the reservations?
In the quest to help the Valentine’s planner here are some lovely options in Richmond, BC for an evening of romance.
Take a lovely stroll in Steveston Village and stop by Bare Basics to pick up a little something for your sweetie. Or enjoy London Farms "Chocolate Valentine Tea" service then head off to Garry Point to check out the beautiful sunset.
Enjoy a romantic dinner by the water, several of restaurants in Steveston Village are offering special Valentine's Day dinner menus - Reflections Gastronomie, Shady Island Seafood Bar & Grill, Steveston Seafood House, Tapenade Mediteranean Bistro and Sockeye City Grill are just a few places to dine in Steveston.
http://www.reflectionsgastronomie.com/http://www.shadyislandseafoodbarandgrill.com/
http://www.stevestonseafoodhouse.com/http://www.tapenade.ca/index.html/http://sockeyecity.com/In the heart of Richmond, you can enjoy a lovely Valentine's dinner at the Wayfaring Tree then sneak off for you night's stay at the Best Western Richmond Hotel.
http://www.richmondinn.com/dining.htmlTee off at Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club in the afternoon then enjoy a romantic event at the Lakeside Grill Restaurant.
January 29, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Gardens
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Stanley Park is a spectacular 40 hectare park in downtown Vancouver. It is Canada's largest park and one of British Columbia's top attractions. It is to us Vancouverites what Central Park is to New Yorkers. You may have heard that Stanley Park has recently been hit by violent winter storms, with over 3,000 trees being toppled and parts of the world-famous seawall getting shut down (I saw this morning that news reports have hit France media even!). As devastating as the storms have been, there is still so much beauty within the park, and many reasons to visit. Much of the seawall is still open, as it many of the park's attractions, including the incomparable
Vancouver Aquarium, and great restaurants like the
Sequoia Grill. You should still set aside an afternoon to visit the park while in Vancouver.
British Columbia Magazine is launching a special issue of the magazine,
Stanley Park - After the Storm, to celebrate the park's timeless beauty and capture this point in the park's history.
Stanley Park - After the Storm makes a great memento of a visit to B.C. and helps contribute to the park's restoration.
January 29, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Whistler, Backcountry Skiing
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I just got back from a long weekend at Whistler, honing my mountain skills with a refresher skiing lesson and an avalanche safety course in preparation for backcountry touring. One thing that struck me, during the approximately 30 hours of instruction I received over the course of the weekend, was that I was being taught by the best of the best. All three of my instructors had well over 10 years experience in their field of expertise, mostly approaching more like 20 years, and this experience gave me the absolute best instruction I could possibly use. In addition, they were all active and longtime Whistler residents who were intimately familiar with the mountains and were able to share thier knowledge with me. The experience reminded me that Whistler is one of the world's biggest and best resorts, and as such attracts many very highly qualified people to be a part of the experience. So for visitors, this means not only skiing incredible runs, but also being able to take advantage of some of the world-class instructors and professionals who call Whistler home.
January 25, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Port Alberni, Hiking
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December windstorms caused severe damage along the West Coast Trail. Approximately 2,000 trees have toppled, cable cars at Carmanah and Klanawa have come down, the suspension bridge over Logan Creek has disappeared and there is a sizeable mudslide 12 kilometers from the Pachena trailhead. Parks Canada staff are still assessing the damage.
Parks Canada has many National Parks and National Historic Sites in remote areas and has contingency funding available for events such as this. Parks Canada is making every effort to ensure that visitors can have a west coast trail experience this summer. Although this had a major impact on the forest, it was a natural phenomenon. The landscape along the West Coast Trail has changed considerably. Parks Canada will continue to keep the public informed of progress.
For more information please visit the
Pacific Rim website.
January 24, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Art Galleries & Artists
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A rainy Sunday in January is the perfect time to take the kids to Super Sunday at the
Vancouver Art Gallery. Every third Sunday of the month, the VAG holds this hands on event to expose kids to art of all kinds. We took my 6 year old and a buddy (things are always more fun if you bring a friend). To complement the current B.C. Binning exhibit, kids were provided a sheet with clues to find different paintings, and then provided space and materials to do sketches and watercolors inspired by the exhibit. Other stations are set up throughout the gallery, featuring different media and themes. We were not the only ones with this idea, so it was fairly busy, but everyone seems to go with the flow. Make sure you use the coatcheck, and get your hand stamped for re-entry as no snacks are allowed in the gallery. It is a good idea to take a break and crash on the couches in the foyer between projects. Kids are free with an adult admission; donation encouraged to cover the cost of materials. The best part? They clean up the mess left behind!
January 23, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Campbell River, Fishing
Find more information about Campbell River - Fishing
The sun came out Saturday, January 20th and my son Braydon wanted to go fishing. It would have too cold on the waterfront so I thought to myself lets go the the Discovery Fishing Pier downtown (which I guess is waterfront as well but there are covered areas, picnic tables and benches)and see what that is like. It's funny that I've lived in Campbell River for 27 years and grew up fishing with my Dad in a 16 foot Lund, fished lakes and rivers but I never thought about the Pier. Visitors come from all over the world to try their luck and yes they catch some really big fish. I remember one day this past summer there were two Tyee's caught in a 2 hour period. In case you aren't familiar with the term Tyee; it means a Chinook Salmon over 30 pounds. Imagine reeling one of those to pier. Anyways back to fishing at the Pier. We weren't alone which I guess surprised me a little but like I said earlier the sun was shining and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. We stood at the south end of the pier, claimed a bench, sat down and prepared for the first cast. While the boys cast their fishing rods me and my daughter sat on one of the benches. It was wonderful, I closed my eyes and took in all the sounds associated with the ocean, Seagulls, boats and waves hitting the rocks. The sun actually had some heat to it so it was very relaxing. My son was so excited when people stopped and asked him if he was catching anything or if he ever had caught anything on the pier. He took real pride in explaining what he was doing and was kind of lures he was using. He spoke to visitors from Saskatchewan, Ontario and Alberta. After a few casts and jigs, my daughter and I went strolling to the north end of the pier. They have posters up in a couple of places that show what marine wildlife you might see, which is an interesting look. When we arrived at the end we noticed a seabird of some kind (sorry I don't know my seabirds that well) had a herring in his mouth and was trying
January 21, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Bird Watching
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A few days ago, I stopped in
Goldstream Provincial Park for a quick look for eagles. I wanted to compare this
Vancouver Island location to the
Brackendale experience I had last weekend (below). Overall, I have to admit I prefer Goldstream. The stream, for which I assume the park takes its name, is smaller than the Squamish River in Brackendale so I was able to count eagle feathers without a telescope. But then, I could smell the pungent spawned-out salmon in a bit more detail as well. Also, the eagles perch in an old-growth temperate rain forest, which creates an ambiance that mentally takes you to the middle of nowhere - just you and eagles (if you are able to ignore the traffic on the highway behind you). Which leads me to the final reason why I like Goldstream better - fewer people. Instead of standing in an exposed bird watching lineup, I sat like a mist enshrouded stump, naturally enclosed with the shrieks of eagles and sounds of the living forest. Goldstream Provincial Park is a short 20 minute drive north from
Victoria.
January 14, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Squamish, Bird Watching
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My toes and fingers are still frigid from standing along the Squamish River as I tried to pick out eagles hiding in
Brackendale Eagle Provincial Park across the water. I heard there were approximately 1,700 of them, but I could only count about 50 from where I stood. There were four in particular worth watching, as they bantered at the river shoreline, looking for food and doing what eagles do. A younger one flew across the river, right over my head, and down the path where the other eagle viewers were watching. It was perfect, except for the cold, but I already mentioned that, and as long as I stood in the sun it wasn't too bad. Almost. My camera didn't even begin to have the strength to zoom across the water and capture the eagles antics, but that didn't really matter as there were telescopes for everyone to share. Margaret's weekly radio segment from January 5 also gives you more information on the Annual Eagle Festival & Count, see below.
January 05, 2007 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Dining
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I just read a great list of things to do for
Valentines Day in
Vancouver. My additional recommendations:
Harrison Hot Springs - hit the adults-only pool late at night.
Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel - just for the luxurious rooms.
Parkside Restaurant - romantic, West End location.
Miraj Hamman Spa - can be reserved for just the two of you. Nick's Spaghetti House - noisy, Italian joint, a first date classic!