Category: Vancouver

VanDusen Botanical Gardens is located at Oak Street and 37th Avenue in Vancouver.  During spring, summer and fall, the gardens have terrific collection of plants, trees and more.  In the winter, they put on a lovely Festival of Lights.  It’s hugely popular and my wife’s choir was singing at the event and it was a first time for me and my children. It literally felt like every single plant, tree or shrub that could handle having a light on it, had a light on it.  The Autumn this year in Vancouver has been quite wet since mid-October and we lucked […]

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You may know that one of Vancouver‘s nicknames is ‘Hollywood North’ because so many Hollywood movies have been made in and around the city in the last couple of decades. It’s not just Vancouver that’s frequently been used as a movie set though; in fact there are countless communities, parks and areas of coastline that have doubled for many other locations around the world, and the small community of Britannia Beach, on the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler, has seen more than its fair share of movie and TV stars. In fact over 50 movies, and numerous […]

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The whole of Vancouver offers a fabulous selection of great restaurants and all manner of cuisines to choose from, so much so that visiting tourists often have a hard time choosing the best place to eat. The number of choices can be overwhelming, but as someone who has visited Vancouver as a tourist on several occasions I have found the best way to choose is to narrow down your choices! Last time I visited the city of mountains and water I opted for dining out in Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood. Gastown Restaurants Focusing on Gastown did narrow down our choices but […]

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When we see Vancouver today it’s hard to imagine what the city looked like 150 years ago; well, the fact is, there was no city! A couple of mills had been opened up in the 1860s and these started Vancouver‘s long love affair with lumber. The mills also attracted workers and where there were workers drinks were required, so the first saloon was built. This signalled the start of the construction of Vancouver’s original downtown, all thanks to one man named Gassy Jack Deighton. Gassy Jack opened the first saloon in 1867 and this neighbourhood of Vancouver was later named […]

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Around the world there are scenic highways that are renowned for their beauty, and that must be driven on at least once in your life; well here in Canada that road is the Sea to Sky Highway, and, on a clear day at least, this is one of the most scenic stretches of road you’ll find anywhere. The Sea to Sky Highway is officially named Highway 99 and this most famous stretch of it runs along the coast from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, and heads 134 kilometres (83 miles) north, passing through Lions Bay, Squamish, Whistler and eventually Pemberton. […]

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If you love skiing you probably think of gliding down on the white stuff when anyone mentions a mountain! For me, who is not a skier by the way, I think of hikes and fabulous views, and Vancouver‘s Grouse Mountain is somewhere that offers these in abundance, plus there is of course an alpine ski area here too! One of the reasons why Vancouver is such a popular place is its setting; surrounded by mountains and water this really is one of the world’s most beautiful cities. You’ll find Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, that is, across the Burrard Inlet […]

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Embarking on a whale watching cruise in search of Orcas, Grey Whales, or Humpback Whales is an excellent way to spend a beautiful day on the water. Let’s take a look at some of the top whale watching experiences British Columbia has to offer. When to Go You’ll find whales in the waters off BC all year long, but the whales are most abundant during the months between May and October; the weather during these warmer months is ideal for enjoying a nautical adventure, too. Where to See Whales In 2010, Travel and Leisure Magazine named the west coast of […]

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It wasn’t until I started working on this piece that the West Ender newspaper in Vancouver renamed itself to WE. I’m not sure where I’ve been … Regardless, WE is a free newspaper that is not mainstream and concentrates on local arts and culture. It’s the kind of paper that I try to find when I’m travelling as the content and ads are more real than mainstream papers. In the February 23-29 issue, WE published its “Best of the City 15th Annual Readers’ Choice 2012” survey results. The survey covers many subjects, not of all of which is of interest […]

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For many Vancouverites on a visit to Jericho Beach, there is a hidden gem of a museum sitting peacefully at the corner of a park with a view onto the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. The Old Hastings Mill Store Museum is located at 1575 Alma Street at Point Grey Road. Many people speeding along Point Grey Road tend to veer left to head south on Alma and never know the museum is there. What makes this 1865 building a true rarity is not just its age, but also the fact it survived The Great Vancouver Fire of 1886, which destroyed […]

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Vancouver‘s Chinatown is a fantastic place to spend the day shopping, sightseeing, and sampling delicious Chinese cuisine. With striking architecture, beautiful gardens, and bustling marketplaces, it features a rich history that dates back to 1890, when early Chinese immigrants to Vancouver settled in Shanghai Alley. By 1898, the area was thriving, and even included the famous 500 seat Sing Kew Chinese Theatre, which was destroyed during a fire in 1947. In 1904, Canton Alley was created, and the convergence of the two created a vibrant area where music could be heard, shopping could be enjoyed, and political and cultural activities […]

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