The Vancouver Trolley Company and Vancouver Police Museum are joining forces to bring you spooky tales and infamous local ghost stories for the Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tour this season.
Photo courtesy of the Vancouver Trolley Company
As the night falls and shadows begin to appear, you will be whisked away by trolley where you will see streets and homes, which seem normal, but if you look and listen close enough you will hear echoes of murders and other devastating events. Your host will tell the gruesome tales of troubled spirits, how they met their end, and where they now occupy their time. You will drive through eerie locations such as Stanley Park and the winding roads of Shaughnessy and stop to visit Mountain View Cemetery and the autopsy room of the Vancouver Police Museum where over 15,000 autopsies have been performed.
Tours will depart daily from Canada Place from October 18th to October 31st at 6:30pm, 7:30pm and 8:30pm with 9:30pm (except Mondays and Sundays) and they last 2.5 hours.
Tickets are now available for $40 by calling (604) 801-5515 to make your reservation. Full prepayment is required to guarantee your preferred date and time. These always sell out so be sure to book well in advance. Group bookings can also be made to reserve a whole trolley for your office, friends, or family (up to 33 people).
I’m happy to have a pair of tickets to give away for the Haunted Halloween Trolley tour again this year. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment listing your favourite/scariest Halloween costume (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner next Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 12:00pm. Due to the nature of the tales told, this experience is recommended for those 13 years old and above. The winner will be able to choose their preferred tour date/time (based on availability). Follow the Vancouver Trolley Company on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their scenic tours and tour packages.
Update The winner is Leslie!
The 9th annual Taste of Yaletown will take place October 16th to October 27th with 30 participating restaurants offering up set-price lunch and dinner meals for $25, $35, and $45.
Taste of Yaletown showcases neighbourhood eateries each year, offering a diverse range of dining options and creative dishes from local chefs. Aside from the specialty menus and convenient pricing, a portion of profits support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
Taste of Yaletown 2013 Restaurants
I am proud to return as a media partner for Taste of Yaletown, which includes promoting some of the changes this year. The biggest one is that menus will not be limited by number of courses and can include beverages pairings inside of the set prices as well. Lunch will also be an option and a new, free trolley service to Yaletown will be available for the public.
Reservations are recommended during the Taste of Yaletown. For more information, including free trolley locations and schedules, follow the Yaletown Business Improvement Association on Facebook and Twitter.
Since 2005, Taste of Yaletown has become known as one of the top dining events in the Vancouver calendar, drawing crowds from all corners of the city to experience the best in dining and drink at an affordable price. A portion of profits from each meal served during Taste of Yaletown is donated to The Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
We are the type of people who will walk by an eatery or attraction and say, “We have to check that out sometime” and it then takes us years to get around to it. It’s a particularly terrible trait when the place we’ve been meaning to check out is only a 10 minute walk from our front door, on the edge of one of our favourite places in the world. After living in the West End for almost a decade, John and I finally walked over to The Fish House in Stanley Park and within a few minutes began kicking ourselves, thinking “Why haven’t we done this sooner?!”.
You’ll find The Fish House in Stanley Park in the middle of the triangle that is formed by Park Lane, Lagoon Drive, and Beach Avenue. It’s just a short walk from the Seawall at English Bay, where sandy beaches climb up to grassy slopes which lead to the Ted and Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden and groves of trees like the nesting site of the Great Blue Heron.
Surrounded by greenery, the dining room is warm and inviting with big windows, candlelight, and buttery aromas. Friendly staff offered to take our coats at the door and we were shown to our table where we met our (awesome) server Julie. While the Shrimp Festival is currently underway, we ordered from the regular menu since this was our first Fish House experience. The pages of the 100% Ocean Wise menu teased us with offerings like oysters, halibut ceviche, smoked black cod flatbread, and chowder — and those were just some of the appetizers.
We decided on oysters and Executive Chef Curtis Demyon also sent over a scallop dish to get us started. It set a great pace for the evening which was one of delicate flavours, diverse textures, and what I remember most — steamy, soft and sweet aromas.
While I was seriously tempted by the Salmon Wellington and the halibut dishes, Julie also recommended the Arctic Char so I went with that. What won over my decision was the addition “manchego and cumin potato croquette, chipotle hollandaise” — I was very curious: Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
It’s only fitting that we celebrate BC Craft Beer Month since it was right here in the Greater Vancouver area that John Mitchell opened the first modern craft brewery in Canada back in 1982. Today, there are over 70 craft breweries in the province and craft beer has bubbled up to 12.7% (of all beer production) in 2011.
BC Craft Beer Month Events
Craft beer events happening in communities around BC throughout the month, with some that are already sold out in Steveston and Powell River. Here’s a quick list of the signature events created just for this month (a full list of events is available on the BC Craft Beer Month website).
Brewmaster Dinner at Mission Springs Brewing Co
Location: 7160 Oliver Street, Mission
Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 7:00pm
Tickets: $25
Beer Battle Royale at Doolin’s
Location: 654 Nelson St, Vancouver
Date: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 6:30pm
Tickets: $25 (includes 4 pints)
Historic Brewing and Beer Tasting
Location: Vista 18 at Chateau Victoria, 740 Burdett Ave
Date: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 7:00pm
Tickets: Call (250) 382-1641 Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Lights on, heat up, turkey roasting in the oven, rain-soaked socks in the dryer. It’s sometimes challenging to save power at this time of year which is why October is Power Smart Month. For the next 31 days you can create a power plan for your home, learn ways to conserve energy, get great deals on energy-saving products, and participate in special programs that will help you be power smart all throughout the year.
Tips for Power Smart Month
Power Smart Month Grand Prize
BC Hydro is giving away the chance to create and win your own Samsung prize package worth $10,000 when you create your Power Plan online.
The winner may choose one or more of Samsung’s ENERGY STAR® rated products up to a maximum retail value of $10,000 CDN. The products selected must be ENERGY STAR rated, in stock, and the winner cannot select more than one product from each Samsung product line. All products must be part of the same order and delivery must be accepted by November 30, 2013. See full contest details online.
My Power Smart Month Contest
This is the fourth year that I have partnered with Power Smart Month to promote energy-saving tips and tools and I’m happy to be able to offer up another great contest prize thanks to BC Hydro’s Power Smart partners at The Home Depot.
For the month of October, BC Hydro Power Smart is offering instant discounts from $3-$10 on ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), light emitting diode bulbs (LED) and light fixtures. See in store at The Home Depot or visit Power Smart Lighting for details.
Here’s how you can enter to win a $100 gift card for The Home Depot:
- Leave a comment here with an energy-saving tip specifically for the cooler months and holiday season (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
My winner will receive a $100 gift card for The Home Depot and they will be drawn at random from all entries (on this post and Twitter) at 10:00am on Monday, October 7, 2013.
Update The winner is Isaac!
