It’s easy to get out and about in Metro Vancouver especially when the sun is shining and we have so many amazing destinations for playing, resting, hiking, and soaking the season in at the beach. You don’t need to fully disconnect to have a good time and the mobile phone in your pocket can actually lead you to more refreshment, activities, and fun. Here are just a few of my picks for “must have” apps in the 604 this summer.
Vancouver Parks Golf
Cost: Free
Device: iPhone and Android
Features: The VanGolf App to enhances your golf experience at Vancouver gold courses Langara Golf Course, McCleery Golf Course, and Fraserview Golf Course. The app includes an interactive scorecard, golf games (Skins, Stableford, Par, Stroke Scoring), GPS, golfer profiles with auto stats tracking, hole descriptions and playing tips, you can book tee times, do a course tour and more.
Swim Guide by Fraser Riverkeeper
Cost: Free
Device: iPhone and Android
Features: Find the best swimming water in the region with Fraser Riverkeeper’s Swim guide app. You can use it around Vancouver, across Canada, and across the USA to find the and report the best swimming water conditions.
Tap Map Water Fountain Finder
Cost: Free
Device: iPhone
Features: Developed by Metro Vancouver, you can easily locate water fountains and places to get a drink or refill your bottle with our region’s fresh drinking water.
iParks Navigator
Cost: Free
Device: iPhone
Features: Another app from Metro Vancouver, this one features park locations and amenities so that you can plan the perfect picnic, walk, playground or splash park outing with the family.
Vancouver Fireworks App
Cost: Free
Device: iPhone and Android
Features: The world’s largest offshore fireworks competition, the Honda Celebration of Light, has its own app so you can find vendors on the beaches, listen to the music soundtrack, get performance schedules, vote on the fireworks, and more July 26th, July 30th, and August 2nd.
Street Food Vancouver App
Cost: Free
Device: iPhone and Android
Features: Enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner outside using the Street Food Vancouver App to find who is open, where they are located, and what delicious curb-side treats they’re serving up.
Grouse Grind App
Cost: Free
Device: iPhone
Features: Enjoy “Nature’s Stairmaster”, the world famous Grouse Grind using a new app developed for Grouse Mountain. Track your time, see the route, keep up with friends.
Next Bus
Cost: Free
Device: Any mobile (web-based)
Features: Leave the car at home this summer! Next Bus is the simplest of tools to help you find out when the next bus will arrive at your stop. Type in the stop number or the route number, and get a live GPS map showing you exactly where buses are in the city.
The Honda Celebration of Light Fireworks combine the world’s largest offshore fireworks competition with a seaside festival complete with free concerts, food truck fare, and the Concord Pacific Seawall Challenge which is now in its second year. On July 26th, the first fireworks night this season, friend and family teams can compete for cash prizes totalling over $10,000. This urban adventure race sweeps across Concord’s Master-planned community, benefiting after-school programs in the Lower Mainland.
Concord Pacific Seawall Challenge
Photo courtesy of Concord Pacific
Last year’s team winners designated Chief Maquinna Elementary as the benefactor of the $5,000 donation. Principal Peter Evans said, “This is awesome! Our school community is already benefiting from the donation. To have Concord Pacific bring to the table a great event like the Seawall Challenge, that compliments the Celebration of Light, is really what community spirit is all about. We feel fortunate to have been selected by the winning team to receive the donation.”
This year two schools will benefit from $5,000 donations. Families and friends teams will compete in two slightly different race challenges. Like last year, challenges will vary with brainteasers, False Creek history questions, creativity and activity points. The challenge will run between 2:00pm and 7:00pm on July 26th so you’ll have time to settle in and enjoy Team USA’s fireworks once you’re done.
Registration
Join the Family Challenge if you have 2 or more children 12 or under on your team. Friend teams of four will compete in a series of tougher physical and mental challenges. Registration is $40/team (plus applicable fees) and participants must be 6 years of age or older, in teams of four. Family teams must have a minimum of two participants between the ages of 6 and 12.
Register your name on sign up and make sure to post your team name and photo by July 1st onto the Concord Social Facebook page. Registration is limited and sign-ups are well underway. Deadline to register is July 7th.
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Transit Shapes Your Region and Helps to Make it More Livable
Transit has played an important role in how the communities of Metro Vancouver have been designed.
Starting with the arrival of the railroad in Vancouver in the late 1800s. In the early 1900s street cars and the interurban lines later connected New Westminster, Vancouver, Steveston, Karrisdale and Chilliwack helping to fuel the growth of those communities.
1960s Vancouver freeway proposal – City of Vancouver Archives
In 1945, a Regional Growth Strategy was developed. In that strategy was a Regional Transportation Investment Plan for transit. This plan helping the region grow, Vancouver in particular, which had only a few buildings over ten stories high at the time.
The Regional Growth Strategy was updated in the 1970s. This update brought a prohibition on the expansion of highways into the city of Vancouver. Transit was seen as way to facilitate the growth of the region.
The 1980s was the birth of the SkyTrain system. The SkyTrain system today includes the Expo, Millennium and Canada Line, connecting Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond and Surrey. The planned the Evergreen Line expands the SkyTrain system into Port Moody and Coquitlam.
Expanding the transit system has meant billions of dollars in private investment around SkyTrain stations. Take a look at this video showing transit focused developments along SkyTrain since 1985.
Transit-Oriented Developments
Much of the success of communities situated next to SkyTrain stations is because of what are know as Transit-Oriented Developments or TODs. TODs are communities that focus on making transit accessible to everyone. These communities promote more walking and cycling than communities without good access to transit, resulting in lower levels of automobile use and greenhouse gas emissions.
TODs are communities that connect to the Frequent Transit Network (FTN). The FTN provides transit every fifteen minutes in the morning until 9:00pm. seven days a week. Combine the FTN with the fact that nearly 90% of all residents in the region live within walking distance of bus service, and more people benefit from transit.
A good example of a TOD connected to rapid transit in Metro Vancouver is Plaza 88 at New Westminster Station. Integrated with the SkyTrain, residents of the four residential towers have easy access to businesses and shopping as well as walking and cycling.
Future TODs include the new communities sprouting up around Brentwood Town Centre, Oakridge-41st Avenue and Marine Drive Stations.
Latin America Week is upon us as the city comes to life with festivals, food, music, and much more with sizzling salsa in the summer sunshine. Presented by Latincouver, Latin America Week in Vancouver runs June 28 until July 6, 2014 with an opening party happening out on the water with a Salsa Cruise June 28th.
Latin America Week Opening Salsa Cruise
Latin America Week opens with Latin vibes, music and cuisine on the largest dance party on Vancouver’s largest cruising vessel, MV Britannia. This event features free salsa lessons, and guests can dance to Salsa, Merengue, Bachata rhythms and the hottest Latin music on 3 levels with 3 different DJs. Tickets are $28 and can be booked online via Carnaval del Sol or at Salteñas Cafe & Pastries 2261 East Hastings @ Nanaimo St. This is just the first of many Salsa Cruises this season.
Tastes of Latin America Food
Richard Wolak of Vancouver Foodster presents a brand new version of his Tastings Plates event just for Latin America Week this year. From June 28th to July 6th you choose your own Latin American dining experience around Vancouver.
At Latin America House this weekend catch Brazil vs Chile, Colombia vs Uruguay in World Cup action on Saturday and Mexico vs Netherlands, Costa Rica vs Greece on Sunday, June 29th.
If you would like to start the holiday week off in style, I have two tickets available for the Salsa Cruise on Saturday, June 28, 2014. Here’s how you can enter to win:
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Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tickets to the @Latincouver #SalsaCruise from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/ys8PW
Boarding time on Saturday is 8:30pm, departing time is 9:30pm. Meet at the MV Britannia located just off 501 Denman Street. Must be 19+. Winner will be drawn at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, June 27, 2014.
Squamish Days are coming up July 31st through August 4th as the community celebrates 100 Years of Squamish and the 57th annual Squamish Days Logger Sports Festival. The weekend will be packed with fun for the whole family, from participation in a 10km run to sitting back and enjoying a wacky parade and live music, showcasing Squamish’s rich history and vibrant community spirit.
The following events and competitions will take place over at the Squamish Logger Sports Grounds (39555 Loggers Lane) from July 31st to August 4th: Tree Climbing; Tree Topping; Birling; Chokerman’s Race; Axe Throwing; Underhand Chop; Butcher Block Chop; Obstacle Pole Bucking; Springboard Chop; Hand Bucking; Speed Bucking; Standing Block Chop; Tree Falling; Ladies Triple; and the Team Relay
Photo by Randy Roy
Win The Ultimate Squamish Summertime Experience
This Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada, known for its windsurfing, kitesurfing, Stawamus Chief hiking, delicious craft beer, and shiny new Sea to Sky Gondola is no longer simply a pit stop for coffee on the way to or from Whistler. It’s safe to say that while it’s always been fun to visit, Squamish is becoming even more of an activity hot spot for those who love the West Coast.
To celebrate, the Squamish Days Logger Sports Festival and Squamish2014 have offered up “The Ultimate Squamish Summertime Experience” for me to give away to one lucky Miss604 reader. This prize pack includes:
RT to enter to win an ultimate Squamish experience from @SquamishDays @Squamish2014 + @Miss604 http://ow.ly/ymMaW
Follow Squamish Days on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
The winner will receive all of these prizes (vouchers) in one giant gift pack courtesy of the Squamish Days Logger Sports Festival. *Blackout dates apply and/or based on availability. Contest ends Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 5:00pm.
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