The Georgia Straight has released the winners of their 18th Annual Golden Plate Awards, the people’s choices for every kind of restaurant, deli, bakery, shop, and bar in Vancouver. With winners in 178 categories, you’ll want to bookmark the Golden Plates winners and pick up a copy of today’s paper to reference the very best in Vancouver food options.

Golden Plate Awards

Over 100 chefs and restauranteurs were also surveyed and their top picks were Ask for Luigi as Best New Restaurant, and David Gunawan of Farmer’s Apprentice Restaurant as Best Chef.

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is right around the corner as the brown branches we’ve known throughout winter turn various shades of pink. Vancouver boasts 40,000 trees that will burst with blossoms over the next few weeks and there are dozens of ways that you can enjoy the sights, from community events and walks to bike rides, picnics, and photo ops.

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

Photo credit: LawrenceH on Flickr

“In the cherry blossom’s shade there’s no such thing as a stranger.”
-Kobayashi Issa

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival was founded by Linda Poole in 2005 and since that time it’s become a kickoff to spring for locals.

“I believe in the power of the blossoms. It’s appreciating the beauty in life that makes life worth living,” Linda told me last year. “In our universal response to their beauty, we are united. Especially during these times we must connect back to nature. The ephemeral nature of the blossoms reminds us to seize the moment and celebrate life now.” Here are just a few of the festival’s major events:

Sakura Night

What: Sakura Night Gala
Where: Tojo’s Restaurant on 1133 W Broadway, Vancouver
When: Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 6:30pm: Cipes Brut Sparkling Welcome, 7:00pm to 9:00pm: Standing Dinner

Let the celebrations begin this spring with an extraordinary dining experience hosted by Tojo’s Restaurant, featuring sensational Japanese cuisine created by Tojo’s Restaurant, Zen Japanese Restaurant, Hapa Izakaya, The RawBar at Fairmont Pacific Rim, Miku Restaurant as well as Zakkushi and Bella Gelateria.

Cherry Jam Downtown at Burrard Station

What: Cherry Jam Downtown Concert
Where: Indoor concourse of Burrard Skytrain station
When: Thursday, April 2nd, 2015 from 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Featuring Ken Hsieh conducting a Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra trio ensemble, the taiko and electric guitar duo LOUD, Langley Ukulele Ensemble, and national yo-yo champion, Harrison Lee.

Sakura Days at VanDusen

What: Sakura Days Japan Fair
When: Saturday, April 11th and Sunday, April 12th, 2015 from 10:00am to 5:00pm
Where: VanDusen Botanical Garden

Haiku Invitational

What: Poetry Competition
When: March 1st, 2015 to June 1st, 2015
Where: Online

This year’s cherry blossom theme is CONNECTIONS: How do you connect to people, places, and moments of experience in the context of seeing cherry trees bloom? Let the spirit of making connections help you this year in writing cherry blossom haiku.

Painting at VanDusen

What: Plein Air Blossom Painting
When: Weekends, April 12th, 18th & 19th, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm
Where: VanDusen Botanical Garden, meet inside the Visitor’s Centre (5151 Oak Street)

Photo credit: Kenneth Leung on Flickr

Photo credit: rocketcandy & rocketcandy & rocketcandy on Flickr

Petal Mat Picnics

What: Cherry Blossom Picnics
When: Saturday, April 4th, 2015 from 11:00am to 2:00pm
Where: Roundhouse Community Centre – David Lam Park (Drake St. side)

When: Sunday, April 12th, 2015 from 11:30am to 3:00pm
Where: Richmond, YVR Larry Berg Flight Path Park (off Russ Baker Way)

When: Sunday, April 26th, 2015 from 11:00am to 2:00pm
Where: Kerrisdale Community Centre – Centennial Park (5851 West Blvd)

There’s also Bike the Blossoms events, the Blossom and Bollywood Kite Dance, and the BC Blossom Watch Photo Contest.

Consult the Community Events calendar and the VCBF Neighbourhood Map online for more activity ideas and follow the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival on Facebook and Twitter for the latest event and blossom-viewing information.

During March and April I will be featuring a Cherry Blossom Photo of the Day, sourced from the Miss604 Flickr Pool and/or the #Photos604 tag on Instagram. You can barely walk a full block in the city without encountering a photographer capturing this pink blooms — or stopping yourself — so it’s the perfect time to start this series. Enjoy!

Photo credit: Bill Kwok on Flickr

View more photography posts on Miss604 along with the Vancouver Photos of the Week – and be sure to tag your photos with #Photos604!

It was no problem at all for me to find Burnaby’s tallest building the other day, when I set out on foot to visit Element Vancouver Metrotown. The recently opened LEED certified Sovereign building is balanced on the corner of Kingsway and Willingdon, overlooking the activity of Metrotown, the tranquility of Central Park, with a panoramic view of the North Shore mountains and Deer Lake Park. Within it you’ll find Element, a fresh, re-imagined perspective on the extended stay experience with 169 stylish, sustainable rooms and suites with an atmosphere designed to fuel a life in balance and on the move.

Image courtesy of Element

The signature Westin white tea aroma welcomed me in the lobby area before I set out for my tour with VP Ken Boyd who introduced me to the Element brand.

Element Vancouver Metrotown features light-filled studio guest rooms and suites featuring a fluid design of modular furniture, swiveling flat-screen televisions, large desks with open shelving and custom-designed closets. Bathrooms are spa-inspired, with an invigorating rain shower and dual-flush toilet. Rooms also offer fully equipped kitchens and the signature Heavenly® Bed. Other brand signatures include a state-of-the-art, 24-hour fitness centre, an indoor saline swimming pool, and more than 6,000 sq. ft. of prime meeting space with modular furnishings. Guests can stay on the move with Element’s complimentary bikes to borrow and enjoy fun and free extras including complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, the signature RISE breakfast, RELAX evening reception, and salon bar carts stocked with premium wines and beers, soft drinks and snacks, available after hours.

What impressed me was that for a hotel with fewer than 170 rooms, it had multiple spacious common areas, both inside and outside, with large patios and lots of comfy couches.

The food options were great as well. On top of the grab-n-go pantry in the lobby there’s also Nosh at street level and Trattoria by The Glowbal Collection which will be able to fulfill in-room dining orders, although the circular bar around the pizza oven provides great atmosphere.

Image courtesy of Glowbal

Win a Staycation at Element Vancouver Metrotown

If you would like to check out this brand new sustainable and modern hotel, I have a gift certificate to give away for a one night stay (for two) as well as a gift certificate for dinner at Trattoria (value $100). Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Element Vancouver Metrotown on Twitter and Facebook for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, March 17, 2015.

Fine Print: For guest room reservations please call 604-568-3696. Reservations for this gift certificate cannot be made through Starwood.com, or through the toll-free reservations phone number. Please present original gift certificate upon check-in. Guest responsible for all incidental charges. Includes RISE breakfast buffet for two people per room, per day. Does not include alcoholic beverages or gratuities. Applicable guest room taxes included. Acceptance of this certificate is subject to hotel availability. Valid only at the Element Vancouver Metrotown. No cash value. Not for re-sale. One time use. No extension of expiry date or replacement of certificate if lost. Not valid with any other promotions, certificates, or discounts. Black-out dates may apply.

Update The winner is Christine W!

Vancouver has officially established long-lasting and passionate love affair with craft beer, and the growth of the craft beer industry in BC has been astounding in the last few years. The market share for artisanal beer in British Columbia has doubled in the past four years, from 9 per cent of all beer sales in 2009 to 19 per cent in 2013. Today, there are over 80 craft breweries in BC and there were 10 craft brewery openings slated for 2014 alone. So how can you take in all of this delicious, local beer and sample some of the best brews being made today? With the Vancouver Craft Brewery Shuttle, of course!

Photo credit: brad. on Flickr

Vancouver Craft Brewery Shuttle

“I think people love craft beer because of the variety and taste,” says Ira Thomson, a tour operator for Wildside Vancouver, which runs the Vancouver Craft Beer Shuttle. “The atmosphere in a tasting lounge is awesome. Trying unique creations at different breweries and tasting rooms while beer is being brewed right in front of you.”

Wildside tarted doing their craft beer tours about 2 years ago, when there was only a fraction of the breweries there are now. Ira told me that since then the industry has grown — exploded to be precise — the demand for tours has definitely gone up. “It’s exciting as their are so many different options so each tour can be unique and the shuttle offers a way for people to see multiple locations in a single day.”

The Vancouver Craft Beer Shuttle operates as a connection between Main Street, Commercial Drive (East Vancouver area) and North Vancouver craft breweries. There are currently 7 breweries on the tour to ensure that the loop can be completed frequently enough and participants can “hop” from one to the next with ease. You can pay $5 per stop or ride all night for just $10 — it’s cheaper than a cab!

The Vancouver Craft Brewery Shuttle runs every Saturday from 3:00pm to 10:00pm, rain or shine, and it loops around every 90 minutes with more frequent runs during the evening. You’ll have enough time to enjoy a flight of craft beer tasters with your friends, then hop the shuttle to another brewery destination. En route, enjoy Brew Trivia and the chance to win prizes.

Follow Wildside Vancouver on Twitter and Facebook for more information about this shuttle and their other regional tours.