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

Takis’ Taverna: A Taste of Cyprus

Because I’ve visited and lived in Greece for so many years, I’m fairly discerning about Greek restaurants and have a couple marked as my favorites. But I always like to try new ones to see what they have to offer that might be authentic and perhaps a bit different. Takis’ Taverna on Davie Street is a small, quiet taverna that has the ambiance of Greece: the decor and Greek music that I always look for. My friends and I stopped in there for lunch one afternoon after finding...

May 27th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

A Quiet Retreat on Mayne Island: The Blue Vista Resort

The quiet beauty of Mayne Island, located in the Strait of Georgia on Active Pass, has always been a great attraction to my writer’s group, the Scribblers, and last weekend, after a couple of years absence, we eagerly returned to the island and the resort where we have always stayed. With the warm welcome we received from the new owners, it was a real ‘homecoming’. The Blue Vista Resort is situated among towering firs with a glimpse of the ocean. Deer often come to visit. ...

May 26th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Summer’s Coming! Outdoor Swimming Pools Open

Vancouver has several excellent outdoor swimming pools gracing the shores of the beaches and from May 22 on it’s officially ‘summer’ as the pools open for business. All the pools are accessible for people with disabilities and safe, supervised swimming places for children. Second Beach Pool, Stanley Park. At Kitsilano Beach, the Kitsilano Pool is the only salt water pool in Vancouver and one of the few in the world. It’s heated and has easy access “beach entry”...

May 23rd, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Yeehaw! It’s Rodeo Time in Cloverdale.

Beginning with a parade on Saturday May 22 at noon, featuring over 80 entries, the annual Cloverdale Rodeo kicks off for the May long weekend with an exciting list of events. Top ranked pro rodeo contenders will compete in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding and ladies barrel racing. Organizers are anticipating even more exciting action than usual in the rodeo arena, as each rodeo contestant will compete twice in their rodeo performance pool. It’s a double chance to see...

May 22nd, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Fun for Kids at the International Children’s Festival

Clowns, acrobats, puppets, music, theatre, dance and storytellers: They’re all there under the big white tents at Vanier Park from May 17 – 24 for the Vancouver International Children’s Festival. Since 1977 this has been a yearly highlight for families embodying the spirit of children around the world. A program of Canadian and International stars perform as well as all the hands-on activities such as painting and pottery classes for kids. Take your pick from this exciting...

May 19th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Get in Touch With Your Inner Vampire at the Twilight Convention

Are you a ‘Twi-hard’? That’s a fan of the Twilight books and movies. And if you are, this weekend you’ll get a chance to get in touch with your inner vampire at the first official Twilight Convention, May 14 – 16 at the Sheraton Wall Centre. The event actually started in San Francisco a year ago but this is the first time it has been here in Vancouver. Lots of fans of the Twilight series will attend, including moms and daughters and mainly teens the same age of the...

May 14th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Authentic Peruvian Menu Comes to Burnaby

The Mar & Tierra (Sea and Land) restaurant in North Burnaby launches a new concept this weekend with Peruvian seafood. Ivan’s Cebicheria and Seafood Bistro will take over the restaurant space on weekends, offering up a menu that includes authentic Peruvian dishes. Seafood chef, Ivan Loyola Chef Ivan Loyola is a marine biologist, so he knows his seafood. All dishes will be prepared in authentic Peruvian styles, using recipes and preparation techniques that he learned from his father,...

May 13th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Celebrate Craft Beer Week

From May 10 – 16, Vancouver will showcase 27 local micro breweries with a Vancouver Craft Beer Week celebration. Local restaurateurs, bar owners and brewers will host this inaugural fest with tastings and events at restaurants around the city. It’s the first of its kind in Canada, paying tribute to the many micro breweries that produce fine beers using products like whole grains, creating an excellent tasting brew without the added flavors of rice and corn used by macro breweries...

May 11th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Vancouver Loses a Familiar Landmark

On Tuesday, May 4, a familiar landmark on the Vancouver skyline was taken down. The world’s largest air-supported dome that made BC Place Stadium so distinctive, was deflated like a giant souffle marking the end of an era and leaving an enormous gap in the Vancouver skyline. The deflation was the first step in a $563 million retrofit that will replace the old white dome with a cable-supported retractable roof and will extend the life of BC Place Stadium by 40 years. BC Place Stadium Huge...

May 7th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Tapas & Sangria: A Touch of Spain at La Bodega

When you step inside La Bodega Restaurante & Tapa Bar, you will feel just as if you’re in a little grotto restaurant in Spain. The brick and wood decor, the mounted toro’s (bull’s) head on the wall by the bar, the checkered table cloths and Spanish music give this place a cozy Mediterranean atmosphere. La Bodega’s owners, Jose and Paco, opened the restaurant in 1971 and have kept to their tradition of serving the best Spanish tapas and sangria in town. With its warm,...

May 6th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Celebrate May with Burlesque, Bhangra and Mariachi

In the way of unique entertainment, there’s some interesting happenings in Vancouver over the next week. Burlesque, Bhangra and Mariachi will provide provocative comedy acts, lively dance and folkloric music that is guaranteed to entertain. MARIACHI MUSIC & FOLKLORIC DANCE May 4 – 9 Experience the sweet, vivid sounds of mariachi at the 3rd Canada International Mariachi Festival, to May 9 in various cities and locations in BC. Mariachi Gala, Friday May 7 at the Chan Centre...

May 6th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Vancouver’s Pot Culture

A couple of weeks ago thousands of marijuana enthusiasts gathered on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery for the annual 420 stoner celebration. The 420 celebration originated in 1970 in San Rafael, California when a group of high school students gathered at 4.20 pm every day to smoke marijuana. April 20 has now become a social, political and cultural event. This weekend there was another rally at the VAG, part of a cross-country and world demonstration to legalize marijuana. As the pungent...

May 2nd, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Playland Celebrates 100 Years of Midway Fun!

When I was a teenager, during the summer months the most poplar place for my friends and I to hang out was the amusement park at Renfrew and Hastings Street. Back then it was known as “Happy Land” until a big wooden rollercoast was built in 1958 and the park became known as “Playland”. The amusement park had been operating since 1910 when the east end of Vancouver was little more than wilderness with a campsite nearby so that folks could make the trip and spend the weekend. I...

April 29th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Some Really Fun BC Road Trips

When you’re planning your spring and summer road trips around BC there are plenty of choices — everything from rodeos to winery tours; camping to ranch stays. You can join tours or make your own itinerary. Here’s a few suggestions: Kelowna-based travel guide “Trailhead” Ed Kruger, has 100 mountain bikes in his fleet and he’ll take you cycling on restored rail trestles high above Myra Canyon with a stop for lunch at a winery. He runs Monashee Adventure Toursand...

April 28th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Monemvasia, Greece: A Medieval Treasure

On a recent quest to find Venetian castles in the Peloponnese, Greece, I discovered the amazing medieval town of Monemvasia. At first it seemed not much more than a quiet little port, dominated by a steep rock connected to the shore by a long causeway. Boats crowd the little harbour, which is lined with small shops and tavernas. What a surprise it was to find that tucked away on the sea side of that rock, is the remains of a former Byzantine settlement. The towering rock of Monamvasia, known...

April 27th, 2010 | On The Road | Read More

Dine Out Vancouver: A Celebration of Food

Tourism Vancouver’s annual Dine Out Vancouver 2010 begins April 26 to May 6. Presented by VISA , this is your opportunity to sample three-course dinner menus at 207 of Vancouver’s restaurants at the appealing prices of $18, $28 or $38 (exclusive of taxes, alcohol and gratuity). This smorgasbord of Vancouver restaurants is a great way to sample the many varieties of restaurants meals that are available in this multi-cultural city. BC wine pairings are available with the meals in recognition...

April 27th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Enjoy Jazz and Good Vibes at The Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club

If you’re a jazz lover there’s one place in Vancouver that you shouldn’t miss, and that’s The Cellar, Restaurant and Jazz Club, West Broadway at Alma Street. This is where you’ll hear the best of local jazz musicians as well as many major names on the international jazz scene. Since he bought The Cellar in 2000, owner Cory Weeds has made it into the top jazz venue in Vancouver and also one of the top jazz venues in the world, promoting local jazz talent as well...

April 26th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Music, Fun and Fashion at Whistler BC

There’s a lot more to do at Whistler (map)this week besides skiing and snowboarding. The Telus 2010 World Ski & Snowboard Festival takes place from this weekend until Sunday April 25. There’ll be music, slope-side competitions, art and fashion shows and lots of parties for the next 10 days. This is the 15th year for this festival, the longest running free outdoor concert series in North America. e be more than 40 bands playing the Outdoor Concert Series and the Kokanee...

April 24th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Celebrate the 40th Annual Earth Day in Vancouver

What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day on April 22? There are several celebrations being held around the Lower Mainland with everything from taking A Walk on the Wild Side out in Mission (Friday 9am – 5 pm) which includes a tree-planting expedition (a fundraiser for at-risk youth) to special events around town and in the suburbs. Scrap Art Music, a show guaranteed to energize your passion for creative solutions, presents a concert at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, 2750 Granville...

April 20th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More

Cycling Around Vancouver

I have to admit I’m not as an a ardent cyclist as I used to be, but I still enjoy the occasional spin around the Sea-wall or along False Creek and Coal Harbour. There are lots of safe cycling paths in Vancouver, if you aren’t (like me) inclined to enjoy riding in traffic. During the 2010 Olympics people were asked to consider taking their bikes, walking or using public transit instead of bringing their cars into the city. The suggestion was well received, and many people discovered the...

April 18th, 2010 | Vancouver | Read More