Tag: Restaurants

In order to save my wife’s sanity, I took the kids away for a couple of nights.  Sustained effort on any aspect of life, from cleaning to accounting, is next to impossible with a 2-year-old around. So on a truly autumnal late October we decided that Harrison Hot Springs was the ticket.  I convinced the kids that we were going to look for Sasquatches and to have some fun.  Harrison Hot Springs has the feel of being a long way from Vancouver, but if taking a risk like I was, a two hour drive has the kids back before any […]

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Here are the Nanaimo, Duncan and Saltspring Island eateries I always go to and wouldn’t hesitate recommending: 1. Aladdin’s Caf

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I travel a lot around the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands for business.  Here’s a list of places I love to go to and, after 18 years on living on the Sunshine Coast, I can confirm that they are good eateries, reasonable prices and good service. The order is not meant to show favourtism, it’s just the order that came into my head. 1. Nagomi Sushi Bar 446 Marine DrGibsons, BC604 886-2562 Small little, mom & pop operation right by the Harbour in lower Gibsons. Vancouver quality but Sunshine Coast prices, meaning it’s a real deal. A […]

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Twice now I’ve eaten at Lefty’s (101 – 280 East Island Highway) in Parksville.  It’s got a mix of casual dining with funky booths and decor but the kitchen actually has some imagination.  We had an 8 and 2 year old in tow and there were other families and they had a diverse kids’ menu. I ate a bison burger with bacon and cheese and it was a really nice change from the generic beef. And I actually ate their side salad.  I never eat side salads.  My wife had a curry vegetable bowl with noodles.  She’s a vegetarian and […]

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I have had the opportunity to travel back and forth from Vancouver Island many times, but I mostly found myself in the heart of Victoria. There are many smaller towns which have absolutely charming attributes, and nooks and crannies waiting to be discovered. My parents took me to Tofino many times as a child, and as I venture back there as an adult, the outward appearance may have changed a little, but the spiritual heart of the town never escaped me. Tofino is an absolutely picturesque, healing and calming place. It is located on the tip of Vancouver Island, and […]

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I had house guests this past weekend. They arrived late Friday afternoon, and flew out Monday morning. One is my cousin, whom I don’t see very often, but grew up with and have always been close to. The other is one of her girlfriends. They live in a small city in Alberta and had both been to Vancouver once, as children, and didn’t really remember any details. They came for a “Girl’s Weekend Get-away”, leaving their partners and children behind. It was my birthday last week and I had planned a night out on Friday, to celebrate with several of […]

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As I was reading through the Spring 2010 issue of British Columbia Magazine, I found an article on my home-community, Kitsilano in Vancouver. This article was well written, and amusing to say the least, but it brought up a few points in my head about truths about this neighbourhood. I’d like to explore three select topics that every tourist will be invested in: Food, Shopping and Things to Do. The article shows a large colour picture of people lined up for the Naam restaurant, at 4th Ave. and Macdonald. While I have always really enjoyed the Naam, I would have […]

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I got in trouble for my last entry on grumpy Vancouverites, so I thought I’d give some practical suggestions for visitors.   I imagine someone involved in the Winter Olympics might only have a day or so to play in the city.  So I tried to think of my five favourite things that Vancouver has to offer. 1.  Walk the Stanley Park Sea Wall.  It’ll take a couple of hours, but even in the rain, the vistas of both nature and man-made facilities are unique. 2.  Go to Hamilton Street Grill for a steak.  It’s at 1009 Hamilton Street in […]

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Fun and Colourful Davie Village One of the most interesting areas of the West End of Vancouver is Davie Street. It’s known as the gay village and has shops and restaurants of all types. There is a high concentration of LGBT people and businesses catering to this group, but the neighborhood is also very family-friendly. Shopping-Strolling The stretch of Davie Street between Burrard Street, all the way down to Denman Street at English Bay, is a great place to stroll, stop in some unique shops, people watch (some very colourful people in this ‘hood!) and take in the amazing scenery. […]

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Vancouver has lots of, pardon the expression, tourist attractions.  For those who prefer to explore where the natives go, Yaletown, a neighborhood near downtown, has lots of possibilities.  What it also has is the potential for elasticizing its boundaries beyond what is, to begin with, a rather amorphous set of metes and bounds. Furthermore it has something for many different tastes: Walking.  The Sea Wall along False Creek that lies at the southern edge of Yaletown that itself lies on the southern edge of downtown. To the east this can lead to Edgewater Casino with slot machines, poker tables and […]

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