BC’s largest outdoor carolling competition, Yule Duel, returns to the streets of Gastown for a third consecutive year on December 7th. Hundreds of voices from more than 20 of Vancouver’s best choirs will again echo down the cobblestone streets in support of May’s Place Hospice.

One of the best ways to get to know Vancouver, as a visitor or a local, is to take an informative walking tour. At this time of year however, one of the best ways to get to know the darker side of the city’s history, is by signing up for one of these spooky Halloween […]

I love digging into Vancouver’s history (as evidenced by my 1,000 plus posts about local history on this site) so when Will Woods first came along with his Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours about five years ago, I was very excited to see that it would be shared with locals and visits alike, in a creative […]

Vancouver’s largest outdoor carolling competition is returning to Gastown for its 2nd year! Yule Duel brings together Vancouver’s top choirs and some of the city’s most notable personalities to fundraise for May’s Place which provides much-needed compassionate end-of-life care to vulnerable people in the Downtown Eastside. Yule Duel in Gastown Under the canopy of fairy […]

Get re-acquainted with your city or explore it for the first time with these walking tours that are being offered by various groups, businesses and organizations. The best way to experience a city is on foot and these guided walks, with a variety of themes, will get you out and about, entertain, and educate — […]

The legendary Army and Navy Shoe Sale starts April 27, 2016 at all locations across BC and Alberta. Now in its 67th year, the shoe sale is known for its unparalleled selection of luxury names. This year’s collection aims to excite anyone from weekend fashionistas to dedicated label hunters. From sky-high stilettos to pared down […]

Salt Tasting Room is launching the Italian Gas Station Experiment, but the concept of “drive through” and “greasy spoon” will be the last thing on your mind, and your palette. The food that Italian motorists refuel with is anything but boring, and Gastown’s premier destination for wine and cheese is traveling to Italy to share […]

Maple Tree Square sits at one of the most photographed, and most historic, intersections in Vancouver where Water, Powell, Alexander, and Carrall streets meet. It dates back to the time when Vancouver was called Granville Townsite, and when John “Gassy Jack” Deighton opened the area’s first saloon in 1867. Deighton had paddled over from New […]

Onyx Aesthetics Studio was just 10 days old when I visited to receive my first-ever CND Shellac Manicure complete with nail art. The new space on Abbott Street in Gastown was warm and welcoming, with a narrow entrance and space that opens up in the back where armchairs welcome pedicure recipients with pillows that say: […]

What better way to learn some local history, and get your blood pumping, than by taking an entertaining walking tour? If you’re looking for stories from yesteryear on a night time tour in some of the most historic places in the region, here are 3 suggestions: Halloween Walking Tours in Metro Vancouver Host: Ghostly Gastown […]