thevancouverguide: Ruth is a travel journalist, writing instructor and editor/publisher of an online travel 'zine www.travelthruhistory.com You can read her travel blogs at http://travelthroughhistory.blogspot.com She's a member of the B.C. Association of Travel Writers and The Federation of B.C. Writers. Follow her on Twitter @travelthruhist
Family Fun At British Columbia’s Sun Peaks Resort
Ski Lifts
You don’t have to be a skier or snowboarder to enjoy yourself at Sun Peaks Resort. There’s fun for the whole family, from grandparents to little tots. Sun Peaks is the third largest ski resort in Canada. You’ll find oodles of fun at this family friendly alpine village, located a 45 minute scenic drive from Kamloops, nestled at the foot of three mountains: Mt.Morrisey, Mt. Tod, and Sundance. There are 122 runs for skiers and boarders of all skill levels as well as cross-country...
February 25th, 2011 | Ski & Snowboard, Vancouver | Read More
Celebrate Jewish Culture at the Chutzpah! Festival
The Chutzpah! Festival of dance, theatre and music celebrates contemporary Jewish culture with shows and performers in venues around Vancouver until Sunday, February 27.
The main venue is the Norman Rothstein Theatre, but there are also performances at the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Presentation House Theatre Venue nightclub, and the Commodore Ballroom This years festival includes an artist residency program that brings together dancers and choreographers from Israel and Canada.
Kibbutz
A newcomer...
February 15th, 2011 | Vancouver | Read More
Music and Memorabalia at the Prophouse Cafe
Tucked away off the corner of Commercial Drive on Venables Street in Vancouver’s East End, there’s a small, intimate cafe chock full of fabulous memorabilia. The Prophouse Cafehas been around for the last two years and is probably one of the East End’s best kept secrets. I only recently discovered it after a musician friend told me how she’d gone in for a coffee out of curiosity, saw the 1957 Heinzman piano, a showpiece in the cafe, and sat down to play it. The cafe is full of curious,...
February 5th, 2011 | Vancouver | Read More
Celebrate Chinese New Years in Vancouver
Gung Hay Fat Choy! It’s the Chinese Year of the Rabbit so on February 6, hop on down to Vancouver’s Chinatown and join in the celebrations. Vancouver has one of the largest Chinese communities in North America and every year this spectacular parade attracts over 50,000 spectators.
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the year of the Rabbit actually begins on February 3, but the parade will be held on Sunday, February 6 starting at noon at the Millennium Gate in Chinatown (map)...
January 27th, 2011 | Vancouver | Read More
Vancouver Gets Ready to Party!
On Saturday, February 12, one year since Vancouverites partied in the streets to celebrate the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, once again the city is preparing for a gala celebration. And this will just be a warm-up. Because in April,Vancouver’ has an even bigger party planned to celebrate the city’s 125th anniversary.
We all had so much fun during the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games with all the street entertainment, street games and other fun, festive events, that Mayor Gregor...
January 26th, 2011 | Vancouver | Read More
El Barrio Restaurante Latino: A Touch of Mexico Closer to Home
It’s always exciting to find a really cool new venue right in your own neighbourhood. I’ve passed by El Barrio Restaurante Latino dozens of times, but it wasn’t until a recent evening that I paid a visit to this Latino bistro in Vancouver’s East End.
The main attraction that night was one of my favorite jazz combos, but it was a delightful surprise to find a tantalizing menu of Mexican/Salvadoran food and a large room full of enthusiastic patrons as well. El Barrio’s...
January 22nd, 2011 | Vancouver | Read More
The 7th Annual International PuSh Festival of the Performing Arts
"100% Vancouver"
The annual PuSh International Performing Arts Festival kicks off this week at various venues around Vancouver. This year is Vancouver’s 125 year birthday and PuSh celebrates it’s 7th birthday as part of the celebration. Lots of exciting performances and events have been planned, with an eclectic mix of music, dance, theatre and other events. And for the first time, visual artists who exhibit or publish their work will be included.
Linking performance and...
January 17th, 2011 | Vancouver | Read More
Enjoy Vancouver’s Winter Sports
When you’re visiting Vancouver you don’t have to go far to participate in a variety of winter sports. Right in the heart of the city, at Robson Square (map), there’s a free public skating rink, with skate rentals until February 28. And just a short drive across to the North Shore, you’ll find the mountain winter sports resorts at Cypress, Grouse and Seymour Mountains where there’s been perfect snow conditions so far this season.
All the local mountains have been...
January 11th, 2011 | Vancouver | Read More
National Nikkei Museum: The Art of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani
Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitami is a survivor. The Japanese-American artist was born in Sacramento California in 1920 but raised in Hiroshima, later returning to the States to pursue his art career. His art reflects his past with memories of picnics in Hiroshima, the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the years of internment at the Tule Lake internment camp. After the war he moved to New York and tried to revive his art career but ended up homeless, living on the street near the World Trade Center, making...
January 6th, 2011 | Vancouver | Read More
Winter Walks in Vancouver
The first day of the New Year, and I decided to begin it with one of my resolutions, physical fitness. There are many choices for walking in Vancouver, rain or shine, and this was a brisk, sunny day, perfect for long walk. What better way to clear your head and exercise those muscles? So I set off on one of my most favorite destinations: the Stanley Park Seawall. (map)
Coal Harbour marina
I took the bus to the park entrance and walked along Coal Harbour where by the marina, and...
January 3rd, 2011 | Vancouver | Read More
The Annual Polar Bear Swim: English Bay, Vancouver
Hey! Do you fancy going for a dip on New Years Day? Are you brave enough? Because, if you do, you won’t be alone! Every year thousands of Vancouverites descend on English Bay to take a frigid dip in the water. And guess what? Every year the attendance is broken!
This year marks the 91st annual Vancouver Polar Bear Swim. The Polar Bear Swim Club is one of the largest and oldest Polar Bear Clubs in the world. People have been taking the New Years dip since back in 1920. The...
December 27th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
Festive Lights Around Vancouver
Besides the many extravagantly decorated homes around Vancouver, this Christmas season there are many other colorful sights to see. If you’re visiting here and without a car, you can still get around to many of them by foot in the downtown core, or by public transit. If you have a car, you can enjoy some of the festive lights and decorations out in the suburbs.
This week I took advantage of a clear, mild night to check out one of the fabled Woodwards windows at the TD Bank, part of the...
December 26th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
An Old-Fashioned Christmas at Burnaby Village Museum
It was a cold, rainy afternoon when I visited the Burnaby Village Museum but warm Christmas cheer greeted me and made the visit a pleasant winter’s outing.
From the blazing coloured lights to the Victorian Christmas decorations I was quickly transported into the spirit of the Season. Even though the weather wasn’t pleasant enough for the usual carol singers to perform on the street, there were plenty of other activities indoors to amuse and entertain. I stopped into the little theatre and watched...
December 21st, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
Christmas Lights in Capilano Canyon
For some local families, crossing the Capilano Suspension Bridge when the Christmas lights are illuminated is a yearly ritual. They were among some of the dozens of people who ventured out on the bridge over the pitch black canyon the night the Christmas Canyon lights were officially turned on. It’s a thrill to cross over the swaying planks, your hand clutching the steel cable as you sway across, 230 feet above the canyon floor, your heart beats quickening. But don’t be afraid. Hang on! You...
December 16th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
Experience a Traditional German Christmas Market in Vancouver
In Germany, the history of Christmas Markets goes back to the Middle Ages. One of the oldest Christmas markets is in Dresden dating to 1424. It attracts millions of visitors each year. The Christmas Market ushers in Advent. The markets are known as Weihnachtsmarkt or Christkindelsmarkt. Besides the booths of crafts and traditional foods and sweets, there is usually a Nativity scene and a Nutcracker.
You can enjoy a traditional type German Christmas Market right here in Vancouver this festive...
December 9th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
The Calabash Bistro: Caribbean Food, Art and Music
If you fancy Jamaican jerk and curried food, you’ll enjoy dining at the Calabash Bistro in Vancouver’s downtown east side located near Gastown (map). Named for the calabash, a tropical evergreen tree that bears fruit in the form of large woody gourds, this little restaurant transforms, from the dining area upstairs that offers an exotic Caribbean menu to the gallery space in the downstairs lounge where you can enjoy art, music, food and drink.
My friend and I stopped in for a quick meal before...
December 6th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
A World of Art and Culture at the Museum of Anthropology
I’ve always had an interest in history, archaeology and anthropology, so wherever I travel, visiting museums is a top priority on my ‘to-do’ list. Museums are our link to the past and a connection between the cultures of the world.
The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (MOA) in Vancouver has one of the best collections of material representing not only the First Nations people of coastal B.C., but collections from the South Pacific, Asia, Africa and...
November 30th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
Vancouver Christmas Fun for the Whole Family
It’s winter in the city. The mountains are covered with fresh snow and the ski hills on Grouse and Cypress Mountains are open for business. There’s lots of winter fun awaiting the whole family in Vancouver. So if you are visiting, plan to stop by and enjoy some of these seasonal events.
The Polar Express is a magical 4-D experience at the Vancouver Aquarium, in Stanley Park, that combines high definition 3-D film with exciting sensory affects. Open 9:30 am- 5:00 pm; Admissions Adult...
November 24th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
A Rainy Day Visit to the Royal BC Museum in Victoria B.C.
Royal BC Museum, Victory BC
It was raining when I arrive in Victoria for a day of sightseeing. What to do? It’s the wrong season to visit Butchart Gardens and too wet to wander around Beacon Hill Park or stroll around the historic Ross Bay Cemetery. Definitely too wet to go whale watching. I’ve brought an umbrella and could walk through the downtown shopping area of the city to Chinatown, or explore some of the boutiques and souvenir shops, but somewhere warm and dry appeals to me more.
Victoria...
November 18th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
A Premier Dining Experience at Kirin Restaurant, Richmond
A friend who was visiting from Germany wanted an authentic Chinese dining experience. I knew one of the best places to experience this would be in Richmond where there are dozens of excellent restaurants serving Cantonese or Mandarin food. Three of us decided to go to Kirin’s Seafood Restaurant located on the second floor at 3 West Center just adjacent to the Richmond Center Mall right in the heart of Richmond’s vibrant Chinese community, known as the ‘Golden Village’.
Kirin’s...
November 17th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More
How iStopOver Works
Recent Top Features
-
The United Nations Headquarters in NYC
The New York City Traveler—March 1, 2011
-
5 Great Los Angeles Hikes
The Los Angeles Guide—February 28, 2011
-
A Memorable Visit to the Saguaro National Park
The Phoenix Traveler—February 28, 2011
-
Five Reasons to Get Up and Go With Go City Cards
Rest of the World—February 28, 2011
-
What’s Stonehenge Like in Person?
The London Traveler—February 27, 2011
-
Visit Haunted London
The London Traveler—February 26, 2011
-
A Trip to Limelight Marketplace in NYC
The New York City Traveler—February 25, 2011
-
Family Fun At British Columbia’s Sun Peaks Resort
The Ski & Snowboard Guide—February 25, 2011
-
Where to Eat: Venice, Florida
The Culinary Travel Guide—February 24, 2011
-
The Beatles & More in Liverpool
The London Traveler—February 23, 2011