Hike the trail at Helliwell Provincial park. Free admission, easy trail (5kms). Recommend doing it in clock-wise direction for best view of cliffs . Allow time for photos along the way. Lots of great views, including old growth forest, spectacular coastline, seals, flowers. hint: take binoculars if you have them for watching the seals and sea lions. Hornby Island Blues Society puts on several events throughout the year, including a Blues workshop in May featuring several renowned Canadian blues musicians as instructors. hornby-blues.bc.ca/concerts/ Enjoy a great dinner at the Sea Breeze Restaurant. They also have great housekeeping cabins and a […]

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I was cycling in Vancouver on a busy hot summer day with a young lad who was new to his larger bicycle. We wanted a ride that would be challenging at this level but not overwhelming. Another consideration was to stay away from vehicle traffic as much as possible. So we thought of going around the world, Science World, that is. We started in the Kitsilano area right near Museum of Vancouver and Vancouver Academy of Music. The objective was to take the road down to where the Coast Guard Station is and then turn right to sneak underneath the […]

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Kits Beach, which is located in Vancouver, on the south side of English Bay, across from the West End neighbourhood can be full of surprises. Yesterday morning at around 11 AM, I took a stroll to pick up a coffee from the Starbucks at Cornwall and Arbutus and then walked across the street, headed to the water and this was my view. Walking about 10 metres down the path I discovered that Volleyball BC was having a tournament. There was seating in the bleachers and I have never seen beach volleyball up close so I sat to enjoy my coffee. […]

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BC Ferries is a funny entity. My view has been if you offer reservations, it should be for most of the boat. I was travelling on a July Saturday and knew it was busy because I could not reserve from their online system. I wanted the 9 AM sailing and so I planned to be out the door by 7 AM, assuming a 45-minute drive to Tsawwassen where the ferry terminal to Victoria is. Traffic was light so I made in in 40 minutes and I subsequently was loading onto the 8 AM sailing. This was a surprise considering a […]

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You might be forgiven if you thought Oak Bay were in Victoria BC. On a bad day it’s 10 minutes from downtown Victoria, but despite its modest size, it has its own police department. Given that Oak Bay is 10.5 sq km and Victoria is 19.5 to sq km, it seems odd. I suspect that this jurisdictional isolation has allowed Oak Bay to retain its character and not be subsumed into the larger municipalities. Oak Bay is also home to The Uplands, a very swishy neighbourhood to the north-east. If you walk high street (i.e Oak Bay Ave) there are […]

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For context I’m on a ultra low sugar and refined carbohydrate diet that allows one cheat day per week. Now, if you’re going to cheat, you ought to do it correctly, so I chose Chocolate Arts on West 3rd Ave in Vancouver. They had a special ice cream sandwich with macarons for $4.50. As you can see from the teeth marks below, this confection did not last long! They also have a choose-your-own-chocolate for making hot chocolate. Despite being a chocolate freak, I don’t enjoy the regular hot chocolates you can have elsewhere. This one is like nothing else. And […]

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Pretend that you wake up and have a person who’s having a tough day, or it’s a rainy day, and you need a good proper hot chocolate to cheer yourself up. Chocolate Arts is for you. Located near Granville Island (1620 West 3rd Avenue) they make their chocolate treats in the back and serve them up front. In addition to chocolates by the piece, they have creative chocolate gifts. But of course, you wonder about the hot chocolate. This Rocky Road one pictured below is extremely tasty. The one thing with children however, is that it may be too rich […]

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The annual Stanley Park Hallowe’en Ghost Train and Attractions in is one of my favourite places because I like the spooky feel of Stanley Park in the Fall, especially when the Park does its spooky presentations. For me I’m not into the freaky scary stuff with chainsaws and gory zombies jumping out at you. The Stanley Park presentation is family friendly. It’s just eerie enough to thrill the elementary school aged children without parents dealing with sobbing wrecks. This year was a Mexican Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) theme, which is much more cheerful, believe it or not, […]

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Love Christmas Markets? Vancouver has two amazing events you should know about. One of the best and most well known Christmas Markets is the Circle Craft Market. It’s the 43rd annual market this year, and like those before, it’s bound to be amazing. It runs November 9th through to the 13th with over 300 artisans coming from all over Canada. Like always, the Circle Craft Market is located in the Vancouver Convention Centre West, 1055 Canada Place. This market is known for fantastic wood crafts and carvings,made by talented artists across Canada. Check out the many amazing stalls featuring glass […]

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Dim Sum is not something I have a chance to enjoy very often, but I recently had a chance to organize a lunch for 12 at Victoria Chinese Restaurant. It’s located in the Royal Centre on the Melville Street side near West Georgia and Burrard in downtown Vancouver. It’s been in that location for a number of years but there was a fire a while back and it was out of commission for over a year. But it’s back and in my opinion a great place for Dim Sum. However, if you were expecting delivery via trolleys, they don’t do […]

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