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

Circle Craft Christmas Market for One-of-a-Kind Gifts

If you’re looking for something special for Christmas gifts this year, be sure to check out the annual Circle Craft Christmas Market at the new Vancouver Convention Centre, from November 17 – 21. This is the 37th year for this event and it has moved from its usual spot in Canada Pace to accommodate their new expansion. You’ll find everything from original jewelry, glassware, leather work and other home crafted items featuring 275 artisans. There are stages for workshops and demonstration...

November 14th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

A Walk Through History at the Old Santa Barbara Mission

Santa Barbara, California (travel guide) is a city of white-washed Spanish style buildings with red tile roofs tucked between the mountains and sea. The palm-lined streets and long stretch of white sandy beach give it an exotic allure. There were no trees here when the Spanish came; no palms lining the beaches and boulevards, no wooded hillsides. It was simply a barren swath of coastline occupied by the Chumash Indian people who were hunters and gatherers oriented to the sea. The Old Mission Santa...

November 8th, 2010 | family travel, Santa Barbara | Read More

A Blend of Singapore and Japan at Kam’s Place

When it comes to dining out in Vancouver’s West End, there’s no end of choices to tempt your taste buds: everything from fast foods to every type of ethnic restaurant you can think of. I wanted something different for lunch, so this day I chose dine at Kam’s Place Singaporean Cuisine, 1043 Davie Street, which offers Japanese and Singaporean Cuisine. The lunch menu was reasonably priced, from $6.25 to $6.95 with a choice of chicken and beef dishes including soup and salad and...

November 4th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Driving Vancouver: New Rules of the Road

Conde Nast recently named Vancouver as one of the world’s top places to visit, the fifth time the city has won the title since 2004. Tourism is a major contribution to Vancouver’s economy and visitors here marvel at its beautiful natural setting with the mountains as a backdrop. We’ve plenty of amazing and interesting places to visit including the parks and beaches. And Vancouver’s hotels and restaurants are some of the best in Canada with a variety of choices in this multicultural city....

October 30th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Heart and Home: Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival

Focusing on the rich and diverse communities of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, the seventh Annual Downtown Eastside ‘Heart of the City Festival’ takes place until Sunday, November 7 at a variety of venues in the East End. Featuring 12 days of music, cultural events, outdoor entertainment, films, theatre, dance, parades and spoken word, the festival promotes and profiles the arts and artists in this community. The Downtown Eastside is one of Vancouver’s least understood communities and...

October 30th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Hayrides and Pumpkins: Halloween Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

A great place to take your kids this time of year is out to the Pumpkin Patch at Richmond Country Farms. There’s plenty of entertainment and fun for the whole family. You’ll meet comical characters like Polly Pumpkin, Strawberry Shortcake and Korny Corn. There’s music by the farm Band and lots of other entertainers. Perhaps you’d like to go on a hay ride on a trip past duck ponds, waterfalls, corn fields and spooky buildings. There’ll be a sing-along while you travel on the hay...

October 25th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Scary Halloween Adventures in Vancouver

It is a full moon night as I walk into the dark, dark forest. I can hear the spooky sounds of shrieks and screams. Ahead of me is a gate marked: Nightmareland. I enter into the big courtyard full of multicoloured lights and a host of ghouls and goblins,big and small. Making my way cautiously through the excited crowd I purchase my train ticket. I’m in Stanley Park and my destination is a train trip to “Alice in Nightmareland”. As I wait in line with the other brave souls,...

October 23rd, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Festival and Conference Events for Readers and Writers

This coming week in Vancouver there will be plenty of entertainment for readers and writers. The Vancouver International Writer’s Festival opens October 19 until October 24 on Granville Island and co-ordinates with the annual Surrey International Writer’s Conference, October 21 to October 24 at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, in Surrey. Some of the writers, such as B.C. author Ivan E. Coyote, will appear at both events. David Mitchell The Festival is for both readers and writers...

October 16th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Exploring the Britannia Mine Museum

Britannia mine 1948 “Be sure and wear a hard hat, and be careful where you step when you’re walking inside the tunnel,” the mining guide warns as I board with little train that will carry me and another group of tourists into the deep tunnel under the mountain. I’m on my way in one of the tunnels at the Britannia Mine Museum, site of one of British Columbia’s historic landmarks. How many hundreds of times have I passed the site on trips up the Sea to Sky Highway on my way to Squamish...

October 15th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Coastal Jazz: The Great Classical Joint Reunion

The Classical Joint rhythm section at the reunion It was a sold-out show. The Ironworks Studios at 235 Alexander Street was packed and jumping with jazz fans celebrating a long-awaited reunion of performers from the fabled Classical Joint, an intimate little cafe in Gastown popular as a jazz venue from the late ’70′s to 1990. Any jazz lover who has visited Vancouver in the past would remember this funky restaurant where some of the best of today’s local jazz stars got...

October 9th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

What To Do When it’s Raining in Vancouver

It’s that time of year again when here in the Pacific Northwest you can expect many rainy days. The Vancouverites have adapted to their climate and are prepared for it. But if you’re planning a West Coast visit this Fall, be sure to pack your weather-proofs and bring an umbrella. Don’t let the weather deter you, though. You’ll see Vancouverites out running, cycling, hiking and walking in all kinds of weather — even in the rain! However, if that doesn’t...

September 29th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Connecting Bonds of the Past at National Nikkei Museum & Heritage CentreThrou

The National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre in Burnaby B.C. is dedicated to preserving and promoting Japanese Canadian history, arts and culture. By presenting exhibits and events they help tell the unique story of the Japanese Canadians’ 133-year legacy in British Columbia. Miyuki Shinkai Through November 27, the National Nikkei Museum present a special exhibit, Kizuna: Connecting through Generations. This new exhibit brings together four contemporary artists of Japanese Canadian ancestry: ...

September 27th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Richmond, BC: An Asian Adventure

There’s a reason Vancouver is nick-named “Hong Kong West”. It’s because we have one of the largest Chinese populations in North America. Ever since the first Chinese workers came to the”Gold Mountain” at the turn of the 20th century, there has been a Chinese community in British Columbia, and since the hand-over of Hong Kong in 1997, the population has increased. You might not be able to afford a trip to Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing, but for the price...

September 26th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Come and Hear Some Words on the Street: Vancouver Public Library

The Vancouver Public Library is hosting its annual Words on the Street Festival this weekend, September 26 from noon til 5 pm. Some of Canada’s best known authors will be present as well as emerging talent. You can meet the Library’s new Writer-In-Residence, Spider Robinson at the Canada Writes tent on Homer Street at 4.30 p.m. Besides the various performance tents, booths and displays, there’s a main stage at Homer Street with a variety of performance including book awards. ...

September 23rd, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

A Retro Breakfast at the Roundel Cafe

There was already a lineup of people waiting for a booth at the door of the Roundel Cafe when I arrived just after the 10 a.m. opening time Sunday morning. I squeezed past and found an empty stool at the counter. The place was a buzz of activity and cheerful voices. Within minutes a steaming cup of coffee was set before me and a server recited that day’s specials. “Vegetable Benny with beets and onions or something sweet: pancakes with syrup and fruit.” She informed...

September 22nd, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Learn About Sea Life on BC Ferries

Do you want to know more about our Coastal waters? This summer when you take a ferry trip on the Vancouver-Victoria, Horseshoe Bay-Nanaimo routes, you’ll be pleasantly entertained by a Coastal Naturalist who will introduce to to life below the waves on the BC Coast. The 2010 Coastal Naturalist program runs until Labour Day, September 6. It’s a great way to entertain the kids while on board and you’ll learn a lot about sea life yourself. The Naturalist will answer your questions, ...

August 18th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

100th Anniversary of the PNE

There’s a big celebration this August as the Pacific National Exhibition celebrates it’s 100th Anniversary. This popular fair, known as the PNE, takes place from Saturday, August 21 to Monday September 6, 2010 and kicks off the a revival of the PNE Parade on Friday, August 20 at 7 pm. The parade route has been changed from past times, and will proceed along picturesque Beach Avenue in English Bay from Stanley Park to Sunset Beach. The organizers say this will be the biggest and best...

August 15th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

A Scenic Drive on the Malahat Highway

A recent trip had me driving along the Malahat Highway (map) on the way to beautiful Bamberton Beach Provincial Park, on the Saanich Inlet north of Victoria. This is one of the west coast’s most scenic highways and it’s worth a trip to the Island just to experience it. The Highway is named after the Malahat First Nations. It’s a rugged mountain road with forest and steep cliffs and viewpoints that provide stunning scenic vistas of Saanich Inlet, the Saanich Peninsula, Saltspring...

August 11th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

A Writer’s Festival on the Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts is one of the most popular summer writer’s festivals held on the West Coast. The Festival takes place on the beautiful Sechelt Peninsula called “the Sunshine Coast“, in the town of Sechelt (map). This year’s festival is August 12 – 15, a weekend of readings and dialogues with well known authors. The festival was first launched by the SunCoast Writers’ Forge in 1983 and several years later it was incorporated into...

August 6th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Sky High Thrills at Canada’s National Airshow: Abbotsford, BC

The Abbotsford International Airshow is one of the west coast’s most popular events, especially for anyone who loves planes. This is Canada’s National Airshow and it is held at the Abbotsford International Airport on August 13,14 and 15. Every morning at 10:30 am there is a pre-show flying with model aircraft, antique aircraft, etc. Then by noon, the main flying program begins lasting until 5:30 pm. You’ll thrill to the Snowbird’s, Canada’s National aerobatic...

August 4th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More