The Most Romantic City in Canada just happens to be our Province’s capital, with harbour views, history, and classic British charm mixed with the latest art and culinary trends. John and I visit Victoria at least once a year and our most recent trip across the Salish Sea on the ferry was in honour of our anniversary. I originally wanted to call this piece the “5 Most Romantic Places” in Victoria but then I realized that my idea of romance (like an afternoon at a museum) might not be the same as everyone else’s. And so, I have simply come up with my Top 5 Reasons to Love Victoria:
Feeding Your Brain
I absolutely love history and Victoria is the perfect place for me to feed any craving I might have for old-timey knowledge. The Royal BC Museum is hands down my favourite museum in BC (with the exception of the Museum of Anthropology, and the Museum of Vancouver… ok I have a lot of favourite museums). Its permanent collections are always great to explore, especially since we don’t get to town very often, and I enjoy the refresher when the revisit the galleries. The temporary exhibits, like the current wildlife photography exhibition (on until April 6, 2014) are always fascinating as well.
On our most recent trip we took a stroll through St. Ann’s Academy and Walking Tours of Victoria are always fun as well. I’m a sucker for the Ghostly Walks which not only provide great local history but can be rather spine-tingling.
Scenic Viewpoints
Our friend Steff is the master of the gloriously stunning sunset photography in Victoria — and she does most of it with her iPhone. Her photos are so great that she’s this week’s “guestgrammer” on Tourism BC’s Instagram account.
Steff shared some of her favourite lookout points with us on our recent trip that include the Beacon Hill Park lookout, Ogden Point Breakwater, Clover Point, Kitty Islet, and a few more hidden gems.
Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr
We also discovered the amazingly crispy views of Mount Baker from Uplands Park and Cattle Point on our last trip.
Dining Options
Breakfast at Jam Cafe, Afternoon Tea at The Empress, tacos at Fisherman’s Wharf, dinner with beer pairing at Spinnakers. This is just one of many combinations as you choose from Neapolitan-style pizza joints, oyster bars, brewpubs, and speakeasy-style bars with wickedly creative cocktail creations.
There is a lovely variety of dining options in Victoria that ranges from red velvet pancakes to local lamb, steamed mussels, and everything in between served with local craft beer or Vancouver Island wine.
Accommodation Options
As with the dining options, there is a wide array of accommodations available in the city as well. We’ve stayed at big hotels, boutique hotels, historic hotels, and delightful heritage B&Bs.
Each offers their own charm, features, and amenities, but the best part is that almost all of them are within walking distance of Victoria’s best attractions.
Tourism Promotions
Tourism Victoria is on the ball, with seasonal promotions like Dine Around and Stay in Town and Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown. The latter was always something we did during my family’s annual girls’ weekend in Victoria.
Even though we were from Vancouver the kind visitor centre staff would let us purchase some booklets to enjoy a selection of Victoria’s sights. A hop-on/hop-off bus tour around town that let us off at Craigdarroch Castle, a trip to Miniature World, and even discounted admission to the Royal BC Museum.
I could go on. I could mention the scenic coastal cruise that you take to get to Vancouver Island (aka BC Ferries) as it winds you through the Gulf Islands. I could also mention the people of Victoria who are eclectic, caring, curious, creative, and also pretty fun. I’ll leave the rest for you to explore on your own and I highly recommend checking out specific events, which give you yet another excuse to get over to Victoria.
Upcoming highlights include the Victoria Beer Festival, the 20th Annual Victoria Ska Festival, the annual Kite Festival, the Highland Games and Celtic Festival, and much more. Follow Tourism Victoria on Twitter to learn more about the latest promotions, campaigns, and to gather ideas for your next visit.
The Sinking of The Greenhill Park is one of my favourite tracks off The Matinee’s latest album We Swore We’d See the Sunrise. It’s a beautiful and haunting song with a very real — and very tragic — event behind its name. An event that took place 69 years ago (tomorrow) in Vancouver’s harbour.
March 6, 1945: S.S. “Greenhill Park” [explosion]. Photograph attributed to T. Deggs. Archives# CVA 586-3818.
Greenhill Park Explosion
“If you were here on March 6, 1945 you will remember the waterfront explosion of the 10,000-ton freighter Greenhill Park, easily the most spectacular and disastrous event in the port’s history,” wrote historian Chuck Davis in his History of Metropolitan Vancouver.
Four explosions wracked the ship and blew a gaping hole in her side. Eight longshoremen were killed, 19 other workers were injured, seven firemen ended up in hospital and hundreds of windows in downtown Vancouver, some as far west as Thurlow and as far north as Dunsmuir, were blown out.
Whole office blocks facing Burrard Inlet had scarcely a pane of glass intact. The war against Japan was in its final stages and some people thought the Japanese had begun to bomb the city.
After the explosion. Photograph attributed to Jim Fairley. Archives# CVA 1376-686.
The Vancouver Sun reported that the Grenhill Park was carrying 85 tonnes of sodium chlorate, which is a component in fertilizer but is also used in explosives. When the flames reached the sodium chlorate, it blew up. The force of which shattered windows all over downtown.
Property damage caused by the explosion. Archives# CVA 586-3598 & CVA 586-3565. Photographer: Don Coltman.
“Flames shot up 100 feet in the air as the explosions of the chemicals set off some of the ship’s ammunition,” reported The Sun. “(It) also sent ship flares soaring into the sky in an awesome display of grim fireworks.” There were about 100 men working on the ship at the time of the explosion, and eight of them were killed. It was the worst disaster in Vancouver history to that point in time. [Vancouver Sun]
Interior, after the blast. Archives# CVA 586-3617 & CVA 586-3770. Photographer: Don Coltman.
“Exploding cargo rained down from the sky for 15 minutes,” the Vancouver Maritime Museum’s records note. “Pickles fell like green hail, and sunglasses were found as far as Lumbermen’s Arch in Stanley Park.”
The Maritime Museum has a list of the ill-fated ship’s cargo on an archive of their website.
Lumber, newsprint, tin plates, pickles, cloth, sunglasses, lamps, light bulbs, books, radio equipment, and knitting needles. The destructive part of the cargo was the sodium chlorate, six tonnes of signal flares, and several barrels of “over proof” whisky. [Vancouver Sun]
A 1,500-page report released two months after the blast concluded the explosion had resulted from “improper stowage of combustible, dangerous and explosive material… and the ignition thereof by a lighted match.” That match ignited some spilled whisky, as it would later be revealed.
Damage caused by the explosion. Archives# CVA 586-3599 & CVA 586-3602. Photographer: Don Coltman.
In June of 1946 the Greenhill Park, repaired, sailed away from Vancouver as the S.S. Phaex II under the new ownership of a Greek company. By 1967, as the Lagos Michigan, she was sold to Formosan shipbreakers for scrap. [Chuck Davis‘ History of Metropolitan Vancouver]
When writing a history column for The Province in 1980, Chuck Davis received a letter from a Vancouver reader who thought it was time “the true story was known.” Accompanying the letter was a sheet of paper headed, “The True Story of the Fire and Explosion on the S.S. Greenhill Park, March 6, 1945“. You can read what Chuck discovered in his History of Metropolitan Vancouver.
Western Canada’s largest annual Celtic Festival returns March 8th to March 16th as CelticFest Vancouver celebrates its 10th anniversary.
CelticFest Vancouver 2014
The 10th Anniversary CelticFest Vancouver features nine days of great music, dance and entertainment, with dozens of free and ticketed concerts, events and activities in downtown Vancouver and the Village on False Creek. Here are just a few of the “do not miss” events and highlights:
What: CelticFest 10th Anniversary Gala
When: Friday, March 14 at 8:00pm (doors @ 7:00pm)
Where: Vogue Theatre, 918 Granville St.
Tickets: Advance Tickets $30 | $35 at door (Northern Tickets only) Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Rain and snow continue to fall around the Lower Mainland which means it’s a great time to check out the local mountains. With restaurants, an outdoor ice rink, sleigh rides, zipline, snowshoeing, and snowy slopes, Grouse Mountain is your ultimate winter playground. To get the most out of the rest of this season — and next — Y2Play passes are on sale now.
Y2Play
Ski 5, Ski Free! The best deal around on a season snowpass — you need to ski or ride just five times for the pass to pay for itself!
With a Y2Play pass you can start skiing and riding now and continue through all of next season. With more than a metre of new snow in the past two weeks, these are ideal conditions to hit the slopes. This year’s Y2Play Passes have even greater value, featuring benefits such as one free lift ticket loaded to bring a friend, a food and beverage credit, exclusive discounts on helmets, goggles and gloves and 10% off all food for the rest of this season and next.
Also, for the first time, Grouse Mountain is excited to offer a Y2Play Student Pass for full-time post-secondary students for just $279. Y2Play passes are now on sale online, by telephone (604) 980-9311 or in-person at Grouse Mountain.
Grouse Mountain Giveaway
To promote all the goodness you can get out of Grouse, I have a prize pack to give away that includes: Two lift tickets and rentals (if required) and a $50 gift card that you can use at at Altitudes Bistro or in the Outfitters retail store (both located in Grouse Mountain’s Peak Chalet). Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment about how you’ve had fun in the snow this winter (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, March 11, 2014. Follow Grouse Mountain on Facebook and Twitter for more information about events, activities, and conditions this season.
Update The winner is @kahhlee on Twitter!
The Rio Theatre is serving up a mix Band-Aids, cyborg cops, King Arthur, and Klingons which is sure to satisfy any cinephile’s appetite, especially late at night on a Friday. These 19+ screenings can be complimented with a beverage from the theatre’s full service bar as you enjoy a night out with friends. Tickets are available online in advance or at the door for $8 or $6 if you attend in costume.
Rio Theatre Friday Late Night Movies
Friday, March 7, 2014
Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000)
“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we’re uncool.”
Director Cameron Crowe’s sweet, witty, and funny coming of age film about a teenager (Patrick Fugit) who goes on tour with an up-and-coming rock band named Stillwater in order to write a cover story for Rolling Stone magazine features an all-star cast and killer soundtrack. Set in the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll heyday of the 1970s, Almost Famous is a semi-autobiographical take on Crowe’s own fabled experience as a teenaged music journalist. Starring Kate Hudson (in a breakout performance that won her an Academy Award nomination), Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Zooey Deschanel, Jimmy Fallon, Anna Paquin, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hosted by Sara Bynoe.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Robocop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987)
Part man. Part machine. All cop. The future of law enforcement.
In the wake of the 2014 reboot of this classic 80s action blockbuster, we thought the time was right to bring the original back to our big screen. Set In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, Robocop tells the story of a terminally wounded cop (Peter Weller) who returns to the force as a powerful cyborg who is haunted by submerged memories. Also starring Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox. Hosted by Daniel Chai.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, 1975)
And now! At Last! Another film completely different from some of the other films which aren’t quite the same as this one is.
Monty Python sets the cinema back 900 years in a hilarious, satirical (and musical!) take on King Arthur and his knights embarking on a low-budget search for the Holy Grail. Of course, being Monty Python, the crusaders encounter numerous silly obstacles and memorable characters (killer bunnies) along the way. Starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Nicholas Meyer, 1982)
At the end of the universe lies the beginning of vengeance.
Among both die-hard Trekkies and discerning cinephiles (the two are not mutually exclusive), The Wrath of Khan sits at the top of the list as not just the best Star Trek movie ever produced, but maybe even as one of the best science fiction films ever made. Co-written by Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry, the film features the original Enterprise crew (William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols) and memorable turns from Kirstie Alley and Ricardo Mantalban (as “KHAAANNN!”).
The Rio Theatre is an independent art and movie house located at 1660 West Broadway, at Commercial Drive, and is easily accessible by transit. Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for more film screenings, comedy showcases, and special event information.
Miss604 is a media partner of the Rio’s Late Night Movie series.
