Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
A Fun-Filled Day in Vancouver's Chinatown
This week marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year. You may have been to Chinatown before, but in honour of the Year of the Monkey, head back for a fresh look (and some good food).
1. Start at International Village, the awkwardly awesome mall at the corner of Abbott and Pender. Highlights include:
-Cineplex Odeon. It is Oscar season, after all.
-The Ayden Gallery, probably the coolest art gallery in a mall you will ever see.
-If you like cats with your coffee (??), visit Vancouver’s first Catfe.
2. Next stop, The Sam Kee Building at 8 West Pender, which is only 1.8 metres wide. According to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, when the city expanded Pender Street in 1913, the building’s owner, Chang Toy, refused to sell the land and had a narrow building designed for him along with public saunas in the basement. Look down at the coloured glass blocks on the sidewalk beside the building. They were originally intended to allow more natural light into the saunas.
3. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park - It’s beautiful and free to visit the park. Enter from Pender and just feel the calm. Different and amazing in every season.
4. Look across the street at the building, Ming Wo’s Kitchen Store, 23 E Pender, which opened in 1917. Now cross the street and step inside. Beautiful.
5. Lim Sai Hor Benevolent Association at 525-531 Carrall St. This is one of the only original buildings left in Shanghai Alley. We got lucky and ran into Laura Sun, Sing Tao Daily reporter, as she was heading in to teach a Mandarin class on Saturday morning. She brought us upstairs to meet Orville Lim who gave us a short history of the Association, including their plan to restore the building to its original glory in the near future. (More on this later!)
6. Tea! It may not be old, but The Chinese Tea Shop at 101 East Pender is steeped in tea history. The store is gorgeous and the tea a connoisseur’s delight.
7. Hungry yet? Pop into New Town Bakery at 148 E Pender. It’s famous (for good reason), and you’ve probably been there, but grab a number and feast on the apple tarts and sweet and savory buns.
8. At Dollar Meat Store at 266 Pender Street East, you can grab a delicious BBQ duck or salted chicken to take home. When people line up out the door at a butcher shop, you know it’s good.
9. Turn right on Gore Street and walk to Keefer. On your right you will see another meat store and a fresh seafood store packed with shoppers. Seriously.
10. At 232 Keefer, you’ll find one of the best food deals in the city at Kent’s Kitchen. For $6.95 you’ll get a veritable mountain of food - rice with two HEAPING veg, fish, or meat toppings. If you had too many buns, one plate can feed two for sure.
11. If you just want bakeries and dim sum. there are plenty of places scattered around the stretches of Pender, Keefer, and Georgia between Carrall and Gore. They may not be as famous as New Town, but they’re all good.
12. After your meal at Kent’s, turn left on Main and walk up and down Georgia to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. You’ll need something to go with your roast duck or chicken tonight.
13. For a little more art to accompany your walk, check out Semi-Public, Vancouver Especially, by Ken Lum, at 221 E Georgia Street, There is only one week left! See a physical representation of just how much housing prices have increased in our lovely city.
14. Finally, if you aren’t full or didn’t feel like eating at Kent’s, check out Goldstone Restaurant and Bakery at 139 Keefer. Settle into a big booth in this Chinese diner and go nuts. Staff are friendly, the bakery is good and the man at the table next to us said they had the best baked pork chop on rice in the whole world, even better than in Hong Kong.
1. Start at International Village, the awkwardly awesome mall at the corner of Abbott and Pender. Highlights include:
-Cineplex Odeon. It is Oscar season, after all.
-The Ayden Gallery, probably the coolest art gallery in a mall you will ever see.
-If you like cats with your coffee (??), visit Vancouver’s first Catfe.
2. Next stop, The Sam Kee Building at 8 West Pender, which is only 1.8 metres wide. According to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, when the city expanded Pender Street in 1913, the building’s owner, Chang Toy, refused to sell the land and had a narrow building designed for him along with public saunas in the basement. Look down at the coloured glass blocks on the sidewalk beside the building. They were originally intended to allow more natural light into the saunas.
3. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park - It’s beautiful and free to visit the park. Enter from Pender and just feel the calm. Different and amazing in every season.
4. Look across the street at the building, Ming Wo’s Kitchen Store, 23 E Pender, which opened in 1917. Now cross the street and step inside. Beautiful.
5. Lim Sai Hor Benevolent Association at 525-531 Carrall St. This is one of the only original buildings left in Shanghai Alley. We got lucky and ran into Laura Sun, Sing Tao Daily reporter, as she was heading in to teach a Mandarin class on Saturday morning. She brought us upstairs to meet Orville Lim who gave us a short history of the Association, including their plan to restore the building to its original glory in the near future. (More on this later!)
6. Tea! It may not be old, but The Chinese Tea Shop at 101 East Pender is steeped in tea history. The store is gorgeous and the tea a connoisseur’s delight.
7. Hungry yet? Pop into New Town Bakery at 148 E Pender. It’s famous (for good reason), and you’ve probably been there, but grab a number and feast on the apple tarts and sweet and savory buns.
8. At Dollar Meat Store at 266 Pender Street East, you can grab a delicious BBQ duck or salted chicken to take home. When people line up out the door at a butcher shop, you know it’s good.
9. Turn right on Gore Street and walk to Keefer. On your right you will see another meat store and a fresh seafood store packed with shoppers. Seriously.
10. At 232 Keefer, you’ll find one of the best food deals in the city at Kent’s Kitchen. For $6.95 you’ll get a veritable mountain of food - rice with two HEAPING veg, fish, or meat toppings. If you had too many buns, one plate can feed two for sure.
11. If you just want bakeries and dim sum. there are plenty of places scattered around the stretches of Pender, Keefer, and Georgia between Carrall and Gore. They may not be as famous as New Town, but they’re all good.
12. After your meal at Kent’s, turn left on Main and walk up and down Georgia to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. You’ll need something to go with your roast duck or chicken tonight.
13. For a little more art to accompany your walk, check out Semi-Public, Vancouver Especially, by Ken Lum, at 221 E Georgia Street, There is only one week left! See a physical representation of just how much housing prices have increased in our lovely city.
14. Finally, if you aren’t full or didn’t feel like eating at Kent’s, check out Goldstone Restaurant and Bakery at 139 Keefer. Settle into a big booth in this Chinese diner and go nuts. Staff are friendly, the bakery is good and the man at the table next to us said they had the best baked pork chop on rice in the whole world, even better than in Hong Kong.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Sunday, June 12, 2016
A little letter to the TTC
Dear TTC,
Last night there was a delay on the Bloor line because, apparently, someone had gone down on the tracks. Part of the line was understandably shut down.
The collector at Main Station told us that we could catch a westbound train at Broadview, so we decided to walk there and continue home. When we arrived, there were already many people outside trying to figure out what to do. THREE different people warned us about the 'crabby lady in there' who 'doesn't want to answer anyone's questions'.
We walked into the station to be greeted by the woman in the collection booth yelling at about five people, "Don't come in! It's closed. There's no power." One man asked her about Westbound trains because, like me, he had been told that westbound trains would be running. She very angrily yelled at him that she had 'told him already and there was nothing she could do. Just go'.
Now I just need to point out a few things. I am a fan of the TTC. I have even written several things defending the union that represents TTC workers. But, let's be honest now, fare collectors have a relatively stress free job. They are locked in a booth, so any aggressive customers can't really bother them. When you see them, boredom and sleep appear to be their biggest enemies. Despite that, some manage to be angry and rude.
Given this relatively stress-free job, it's particularly disappointing that the woman last night could not handle the stress of answering people's questions about what was happening. Of course she couldn't fix the problem, but the least she could do was calmly respond to people's questions about how to get home late at night. Instead she was belligerent. Let's ignore the fact that she was belligerently telling people to leave while the man outside was telling people that shuttle service would be from INSIDE the station.
I went outside and asked another TTC representative in a vest about shuttle buses, and he was a beacon of calm in the storm. He apologetically said that he did not know exactly when they would arrive but that they were en route. I asked where they would leave from and he said inside the station. He was doing what he had to do in a difficult situation and recognized that it was most difficult for the people stuck at Broadview (not him). We went back inside the station and immediately heard that there was westbound service. No, it was not the woman in the booth. She was still busy yelling at customers that she didn't know when service was going to be returned.
In the end, this is one complaint about someone who could not handle the stress of doing anything more than collecting fares and a compliment about someone who could.
Last night there was a delay on the Bloor line because, apparently, someone had gone down on the tracks. Part of the line was understandably shut down.
The collector at Main Station told us that we could catch a westbound train at Broadview, so we decided to walk there and continue home. When we arrived, there were already many people outside trying to figure out what to do. THREE different people warned us about the 'crabby lady in there' who 'doesn't want to answer anyone's questions'.
We walked into the station to be greeted by the woman in the collection booth yelling at about five people, "Don't come in! It's closed. There's no power." One man asked her about Westbound trains because, like me, he had been told that westbound trains would be running. She very angrily yelled at him that she had 'told him already and there was nothing she could do. Just go'.
Now I just need to point out a few things. I am a fan of the TTC. I have even written several things defending the union that represents TTC workers. But, let's be honest now, fare collectors have a relatively stress free job. They are locked in a booth, so any aggressive customers can't really bother them. When you see them, boredom and sleep appear to be their biggest enemies. Despite that, some manage to be angry and rude.
Given this relatively stress-free job, it's particularly disappointing that the woman last night could not handle the stress of answering people's questions about what was happening. Of course she couldn't fix the problem, but the least she could do was calmly respond to people's questions about how to get home late at night. Instead she was belligerent. Let's ignore the fact that she was belligerently telling people to leave while the man outside was telling people that shuttle service would be from INSIDE the station.
I went outside and asked another TTC representative in a vest about shuttle buses, and he was a beacon of calm in the storm. He apologetically said that he did not know exactly when they would arrive but that they were en route. I asked where they would leave from and he said inside the station. He was doing what he had to do in a difficult situation and recognized that it was most difficult for the people stuck at Broadview (not him). We went back inside the station and immediately heard that there was westbound service. No, it was not the woman in the booth. She was still busy yelling at customers that she didn't know when service was going to be returned.
In the end, this is one complaint about someone who could not handle the stress of doing anything more than collecting fares and a compliment about someone who could.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
BC Trail Markers
Why do people in Vancouver do this all the time? They hike with their dog, bag the dog's shit, and leave it by the trail to pick up later? I appreciate that you're picking up, but I don't appreciate your 'trail markers'.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Monday, April 25, 2016
Bangkok brilliant
Bangkok, you are ceaselessly magical. Wondrous combinations of oddities abound here, and I will always thank you for reminding me that the world should be that way.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Books! Jospeh Boyden's Orenda and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
First, Orenda. First because I read it first and first because I think it's one of the most important books written in the last decade or so. Orenda is the Things Fall Apart of the Americas. Just as Chinua Achebe showed the fast deterioration of a world that seemed to be working just fine in Africa, Joseph Boyden showed us what happened through the colonization of North America.
Most importantly, he showed us the nuanced version in which First Nations people were and were not victims. They were powerful, independent and in charge, dealing with the French as equals for a time. Their own choices, because they were actors in their own history and not passive victims, were part of the shifting tides of history. They took French priests into their villages because they thought it would bring them trading advantages, not because they were forced (or worse yet, fools). There was no way to no that disease would follow, that European rivalries would exacerbate their own historical conflicts with the Haudenosaunee.
Yes, the French held racist attitudes, and they acted in their own interests, but Joseph Boyden's fictional account does more to help people understand the complexities of history than just about anything out there. It's brilliant and supremely important.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is not a typical book for me. It is something of a science fiction touchstone apparently and served as the basis for Blade Runner. But it's much less dramatic than Blade Runner yet somehow much more pregnant with meaning. The 'andy' characters are not super-human; they are, more than anything, simply human. And this is what prompts Deckard to struggle with what it means to be alive.
Read both, but if you have to read one, choose Orenda.
Most importantly, he showed us the nuanced version in which First Nations people were and were not victims. They were powerful, independent and in charge, dealing with the French as equals for a time. Their own choices, because they were actors in their own history and not passive victims, were part of the shifting tides of history. They took French priests into their villages because they thought it would bring them trading advantages, not because they were forced (or worse yet, fools). There was no way to no that disease would follow, that European rivalries would exacerbate their own historical conflicts with the Haudenosaunee.
Yes, the French held racist attitudes, and they acted in their own interests, but Joseph Boyden's fictional account does more to help people understand the complexities of history than just about anything out there. It's brilliant and supremely important.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is not a typical book for me. It is something of a science fiction touchstone apparently and served as the basis for Blade Runner. But it's much less dramatic than Blade Runner yet somehow much more pregnant with meaning. The 'andy' characters are not super-human; they are, more than anything, simply human. And this is what prompts Deckard to struggle with what it means to be alive.
Read both, but if you have to read one, choose Orenda.
Hi Five - Amazing Grilled Cheese
Urban Explorations: Vancouver’s Tiny Tasty Grilled Cheese
You know when people describe a place as ‘just a hole in the wall’? Well, measuring about 100 square feet, Hi-Five is pretty much just that with a walk-up window narrower than a car door. Tucked into a tiny storefront at 22 Cordova St. E. in Gastown, you could easily walk right by Hi-Five. In fact, every time we go, someone does just that before doing a double take to see why we’re standing in front of a little window in an otherwise nondescript stretch of sidewalk. If they’re lucky, though, they’ll stop and order because in the case of Hi-Five, small size means big taste.
Hi-Five’s core crowd is late nights on Friday and Saturday. Though open for lunch Tuesday to Friday, midnight to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays is prime time. Hi-Five’s owner and master grilled cheese chef, Corben, notes that late-night customers are particularly enthusiastic about their sandwiches (which makes up for the long nights). After all, when the bars close, is there any better way to end the night than with a grilled cheese on sourdough? For the staff of Hi-Five, a good late night moves into the ‘grill zone’ with a steady stream of hungry appreciative customers and lots of music to keep the flow going.
Corben keeps things simple with six variations on the ultimate comfort food. Things range from the TBT (American cheese and Sriracha) to the Melter Skelter (pepper jack, jalapeños, cilantro, and bbq chips inside). To make things even more comforting, you can get tomato soup and homemade pickles with your sandwich. Corben branched out into pickles because, as he notes, “it’s hard to find a decent pickle in this town.” Dubbed Brine Adams, these babies seriously crunch. Corben made the first batch with a couple of friends and they are almost sold out. If you missed them, don’t fret because he’s making an even bigger batch soon.
This is one of Vancouver’s best values, too. Show off in front of your friends and order the most expensive thing on the menu - $6.
Sky Train Adventure #1: New Westminster
SkyTrain Adventure #1:New Westminster
When you live in a place like Vancouver with so much to offer, you inevitably find your favourite spots and tend to forget all the other things the city has to offer. To prevent our favourites from slowly ending our explorations of the city, we made a list of all the SkyTrain stations, threw them in a box, and started a raffle. Once a month, we draw the name of a station and head off to explore. The first winner? New Westminster!
Stroll along the banks of the Fraser in the new Westminster Pier Park. It’s 2.5 kilometers if you want to walk all the way to the southern end of the park. Along the way you can rest at the urban beach, take a look at the public art pieces, and enjoy the river. That would give you a 5k walk, jog or cycle to work up an appetite for the delicious food at the locally owned and locally sourced restaurants at the River Market..
Our favourite food options so far:
- Freebird - Choose from two types of chicken (both are amazing) - Thai style roast chicken and Singapore chicken rice. Order the plate and you get a tasty side of papaya salad and rice with your chicken. As two former long-time residents of Bangkok, we can confidently say the food is really good, especially if you ask for extra chiles in your som tum. Go early or you might find the roast chicken sold out.
- Longtail Kitchen - Longtail offers a nice assortment of Thai dishes ranging from standard curries to harder to find seafood dishes. They also have a little market if you want to cook Thai at home.
- Pamola Bakery and Café - Great bakery serving Mexican food including tortas, sopes, and molletes. The sopes and molletes are definitely not standard fare in Vancouver (and definitely delicious).
- Tre Galli Gelato - On a nice day, there will be a line. Don’t be surprised if it’s out the door.
If it’s raining and you have your children with you, take a look at the Vancouver Circus School and/or The River Critters Kids Club,. A perfect time to slip away for a coffee, perhaps?
For adults and older kids, every first and third Saturday of the month, the River Market hosts an artisan market. In addition, there are often artisans teaching their skills, including soapmaking from Thursdays to Mondays with Jolene. Douglas College runs a maker lab that offers community members a collaborative working and meeting design space equipped with 3D printers.
Before you leave New Westminster, don’t forget to check out the World’s Tallest Tin Soldier and the Fraser River Discovery Centre.
Verdict: Totally worth it.
To Get There: Take the Expo or Millennium line from downtown Vancouver to New Westminster. It takes about 30 minutes. Exit the SkyTrain station and walk an easy 3 minutes to get to Quayside Drive next to the Fraser River.
Friday, March 25, 2016
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
Catchphrases
These come up far too often...
leveraging learning - deep understanding - improve learning - key understandings - providing opportunities overarching questions big questions conceptual understandings tap into bigger connections leverage unpack understandings through lines
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
The Distant Land of My Father: Forgiveness and family
I love that Bo Caldwell acknowledges that we can have crappy parents, but shows that they can also change. Or rather that our relationships can change and we can find better ways to be child and parent or parent and child. I was lucky to have good relationships with my parents, but I have known many people who suffered through difficult times with their parents their entire lives.
It's a beautiful and touching story and a really well-crafted relationship between a daughter and a father she worships and then later a mother she comes to really know and love. In the end the greatest thing her mother gives her is a reason to find something good in the father who let her down.
Bonus: This awesome mnemonic for remembering Los Angeles street names.
From Main I Spring to Broadway then climb the Hill to Olive. Wouldn't it be Grand if I could Hope to pick a Flower on Figueroa?
It's a beautiful and touching story and a really well-crafted relationship between a daughter and a father she worships and then later a mother she comes to really know and love. In the end the greatest thing her mother gives her is a reason to find something good in the father who let her down.
Bonus: This awesome mnemonic for remembering Los Angeles street names.
From Main I Spring to Broadway then climb the Hill to Olive. Wouldn't it be Grand if I could Hope to pick a Flower on Figueroa?
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Exploring Vancouver's Chinatown
This week marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year. You may have been to Chinatown before, but in honour of the Year of the Monkey, head back for a fresh look (and some good food).
Follow me.
1. Start at International Village, the awkwardly awesome mall at the corner of Abbott and Pender. Highlights include: -Cineplex Odeon. It is Oscar season, after all. -The Ayden Gallery, probably the coolest art gallery in a mall you will ever see. -If you like cats with your coffee (??), visit Vancouver’s first Catfe.
2. Next stop, The Sam Kee Building at 8 West Pender, which is only 1.8 metres wide. According to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, when the city expanded Pender Street in 1913, the building’s owner, Chang Toy, refused to sell the land and had a narrow building designed for him along with public saunas in the basement. Look down at the coloured glass blocks on the sidewalk beside the building. They were originally intended to allow more natural light into the saunas.
3. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park - It’s beautiful and free to visit the park. Enter from Pender and just feel the calm. Different and amazing in every season.
4. Look across the street at the building, Ming Wo’s Kitchen Store, 23 E Pender, which opened in 1917. Now cross the street and step inside. Beautiful.
5. Lim Sai Hor Benevolent Association at 525-531 Carrall St. This is one of the only original buildings left in Shanghai Alley. We got lucky and ran into Laura Sun, Sing Tao Daily reporter, as she was heading in to teach a Mandarin class on Saturday morning. She brought us upstairs to meet Orville Lim who gave us a short history of the Association, including their plan to restore the building to its original glory in the near future. (More on this later!)
The original design.
The building today.
6. Tea! It may not be old, but The Chinese Tea Shop at 101 East Pender is steeped in tea history. The store is gorgeous and the tea a connoisseur’s delight.
7. Hungry yet? Pop into New Town Bakery at 148 E Pender. It’s famous (for good reason), and you’ve probably been there, but grab a number and feast on the apple tarts and sweet and savory buns.
8. At Dollar Meat Store at 266 Pender Street East, you can grab a delicious BBQ duck or salted chicken to take home. When people line up out the door at a butcher shop, you know it’s good.
9. Turn right on Gore Street and walk to Keefer. On your right you will see another meat store and a fresh seafood store packed with shoppers. Seriously.
Fresh!
10. At 232 Keefer, you’ll find one of the best food deals in the city at Kent’s Kitchen. For $6.95 you’ll get a veritable mountain of food - rice with two HEAPING veg, fish, or meat toppings. If you had too many buns, one plate can feed two for sure.
11. If you just want bakeries and dim sum. there are plenty of places scattered around the stretches of Pender, Keefer, and Georgia between Carrall and Gore. They may not be as famous as New Town, but they’re all good.
12. After your meal at Kent’s, turn left on Main and walk up and down Georgia to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. You’ll need something to go with your roast duck or chicken tonight.
13. For a little more art to accompany your walk, check out Semi-Public, Vancouver Especially, by Ken Lum, at 221 E Georgia Street, There is only one week left! See a physical representation of just how much housing prices have increased in our lovely city.
Vancouver special.
14. Finally, if you aren’t full or didn’t feel like eating at Kent’s, check out Goldstone Restaurant and Bakery at 139 Keefer. Settle into a big booth in this Chinese diner and go nuts. Staff are friendly, the bakery is good and the man at the table next to us said they had the best baked pork chop on rice in the whole world, even better than in Hong Kong.
Follow me.
1. Start at International Village, the awkwardly awesome mall at the corner of Abbott and Pender. Highlights include: -Cineplex Odeon. It is Oscar season, after all. -The Ayden Gallery, probably the coolest art gallery in a mall you will ever see. -If you like cats with your coffee (??), visit Vancouver’s first Catfe.
2. Next stop, The Sam Kee Building at 8 West Pender, which is only 1.8 metres wide. According to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, when the city expanded Pender Street in 1913, the building’s owner, Chang Toy, refused to sell the land and had a narrow building designed for him along with public saunas in the basement. Look down at the coloured glass blocks on the sidewalk beside the building. They were originally intended to allow more natural light into the saunas.
3. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park - It’s beautiful and free to visit the park. Enter from Pender and just feel the calm. Different and amazing in every season.
4. Look across the street at the building, Ming Wo’s Kitchen Store, 23 E Pender, which opened in 1917. Now cross the street and step inside. Beautiful.
5. Lim Sai Hor Benevolent Association at 525-531 Carrall St. This is one of the only original buildings left in Shanghai Alley. We got lucky and ran into Laura Sun, Sing Tao Daily reporter, as she was heading in to teach a Mandarin class on Saturday morning. She brought us upstairs to meet Orville Lim who gave us a short history of the Association, including their plan to restore the building to its original glory in the near future. (More on this later!)
The original design.
The building today.
6. Tea! It may not be old, but The Chinese Tea Shop at 101 East Pender is steeped in tea history. The store is gorgeous and the tea a connoisseur’s delight.
7. Hungry yet? Pop into New Town Bakery at 148 E Pender. It’s famous (for good reason), and you’ve probably been there, but grab a number and feast on the apple tarts and sweet and savory buns.
8. At Dollar Meat Store at 266 Pender Street East, you can grab a delicious BBQ duck or salted chicken to take home. When people line up out the door at a butcher shop, you know it’s good.
9. Turn right on Gore Street and walk to Keefer. On your right you will see another meat store and a fresh seafood store packed with shoppers. Seriously.
Fresh!10. At 232 Keefer, you’ll find one of the best food deals in the city at Kent’s Kitchen. For $6.95 you’ll get a veritable mountain of food - rice with two HEAPING veg, fish, or meat toppings. If you had too many buns, one plate can feed two for sure.
11. If you just want bakeries and dim sum. there are plenty of places scattered around the stretches of Pender, Keefer, and Georgia between Carrall and Gore. They may not be as famous as New Town, but they’re all good.
12. After your meal at Kent’s, turn left on Main and walk up and down Georgia to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. You’ll need something to go with your roast duck or chicken tonight.
13. For a little more art to accompany your walk, check out Semi-Public, Vancouver Especially, by Ken Lum, at 221 E Georgia Street, There is only one week left! See a physical representation of just how much housing prices have increased in our lovely city.
Vancouver special.14. Finally, if you aren’t full or didn’t feel like eating at Kent’s, check out Goldstone Restaurant and Bakery at 139 Keefer. Settle into a big booth in this Chinese diner and go nuts. Staff are friendly, the bakery is good and the man at the table next to us said they had the best baked pork chop on rice in the whole world, even better than in Hong Kong.
6 Reasons Going to a Vancouver Giants Game is Awesome
# 1: It’s One of the Best Deals Around
We paid 20 bucks to sit about 8 rows back just over the goalie’s right shoulder and saw every single big play right up close and personal. With every check, we heard (and practically felt) the crunch against the boards and saw the sweat spray across the glass. There isn’t a single bad seat in the house.#2: Proof that Vancouver is Awesome We took two friends from Korea because they had never seen a hockey game before and we figured the Giants would be the perfect introduction to our national obsession. Walking through the stands and the concessions, we identified at least 8 different languages being spoken. This is Vancouver (and Canada) in all its crazy cosmopolitan, polyglot glory...at a hockey game no less. Makes us feel proud.
# 3: It’s a Family Affair Mums, dads, and kids sit and cheer together. Between plays and periods, local minor association teams roam the stands trying to sell you raffle tickets to raise money for equipment for their kids’ teams. You feel like you are part of a community because everyone is so nice. Even though we were surrounded by cow bells, banners, and Giants jerseys the whole time, the crowd seemed to be rooting for all the players in general. It’s so ‘family’, Ryan from the front office called me a few days after the game to tell me that next time I could buy tickets direct from the team even cheaper! When did the Canucks last call you?
#4: SNACKS! There is beer (even microbrews), wine, pizza, popcorn, ice-cream AND a White Spot. The makings of a feast with two intermissions and short lines!
#5: ENTERTAINMENT Between plays and between periods, there are more than just raffle tickets and snacks to choose from. If you don’t feel like walking around, you can stay in your seat and try to get free t-shirts, watch tributes to local players, pray that the flying Gretzky mini-blimp(!) drops coupons on you, watch yourselves on the big screen and watch and participate in all kinds of contests. Non-stop entertainment.
#6: The Hockey It’s not the NHL, but the Giants had everyone on their feet more than a few times during the game. Great goals, hard checking and stunning goaltending had us cheering and left us hoarse the next morning. The Giants are part of the Western Hockey League which is itself part of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Some of those faces might just turn up in the NHL in a few years and you can say you saw them way back when.
GO! You can’t help but cheer the players on. It’s a bunch of really talented 15-20 year olds tearing up the ice and playing their hearts out. If you haven’t been to a hockey game for a long time and you’re on a budget or if you just want something to do one night, check out a Giants Game at the PNE. You’ll feel good after.
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