Those little blue boats that transport you from the Aquatic Centre near Sunset Beach to the Maritime Museum or Granville Island are celebrating their 30th anniversary this week. False Creek Ferries started out in 1982 with only two boats and two destinations. Now, they have ten vessels and half a dozen routes.
THe original route was from Granville Island to the old Boaters’ Village Marina on the North Shore. Today you can ride the little blue boats to Granville Island, the Aquatic Centre, Maritime Museum, David Lam Park in Yaletown, Stamps Landing, Science World, and the Plaza of Nations. The little boats dance across False Creek carrying visitors and locals alike.
Hitting the water to cross the creek is a nice change of pace. Leave the car at home, walk down to the dock, and hop a ride to your destination. It can also be complimented with a transit ride to get you where you need to go.
You can also take a 20 or 40 minute sightseeing tour, pick up an all-day pass, or check out their sunset mini-cruise option. Follow @FalseCreekFerry on Twitter to find out more about their anniversary deals and discounts and add your own photos to the False Creek Ferry group on Flickr.
Sarah McLachlan will be hosting a concert this September in Stanley Park. All proceeds will benefit the Sarah McLachlan School of Music in Vancouver, “which aims to use the power of music to inspire youth in under-served communities by offering free music programs.”
Sarah’s 2009 outdoor concert series “Summer Session” at Ambleside in West Vancouver were a big success, drawing the likes of Sheryl Crow and Neil Young to perform with a host of others. If you attended last year’s “Summer Live” in Stanley Park you can appreciate how this is shaping up to be a fantastic event.
The line-up for the “Voice in the Park” concert, happening September 15, 2012, will be announced in April with tickets going on sale in May but you can sign up today to receive news and notifications.
The Sarah McLachlan School of Music is a registered charity and offers free music programs for underserved and at-risk youth in Vancouver. The school focuses on inspiring confidence and success in students, while promoting a lifelong love of the arts. Funds raised from the concert will be used to further expand the free after-school music programs available for students and to increase the number of students.
Update June 18, 2012: The star-studded line up was also revealed today and features Sarah along with Stevie Nicks, Jann Arden, Hedley, The Boom Booms, Grammy Award winning producer Chin Injeti, along with a special appearance by former president and long-time friend Bill Clinton.
Tickets go on sale at 10:00am on Friday June 22nd and start at $85, inclusive of all fees via Ticketmaster. A limited number of general admission tickets for kids 12 and under will be available for just $10.
Update July 5, 2012: Just two weeks after the first announcement of artists performing at the Voices in the Park fundraising concert, Sarah McLachlan has revealed the newest addition to the show is none other than Vancouver’s own Bryan Adams.
Update September 14, 2012: There was a sound check with morning for media and special guests. Sarah sounded amazing and the venue is beautiful.
With no rain in the forecast, concert-goers are in for a treat. You can still get tickets and tickets will be available at the gate.
Earth Hour is coming up this Saturday, March 31, 2012 from 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time, wherever you might be. This initiative from the WWF is the world’s largest environmental initiative with thousands of cities and millions of participants turning off their lights and unplugging for a full hour.
Vancouver has been participating in Earth Hour for several years, from turning off the string of lights on the Lions Gate Bridge to extinguishing office tower fluorescents. This year you can also set the mood with romantic candlelight dining at several local restaurants. Tourism Vancouver has already put together a full list:
If you’re not up for going out, stay in and play board games, have dinner by candlelight, or read a book with the kiddies. You can join Earth Hour online, download posters for your office or school, and get ideas for activities in the dark during this 5th annual global event.
The Vancouver International Auto Show will return to BC Place April 3rd to April 8th, 2012. There are handfuls of contests and giveaways that you can enter at the show on top of the dozens of exhibitor booths, showrooms, and a marketplace.
Features
Clean Energy Vehicle (“CEV”) Showcase, Dream Car Lottery (enter to win both a BMW X5 and Z4), Hagerty Classic Alley, SuperCars and Luxury Lane, the new Redline Stage, the new TruckCity, RC 110 Drift Club (Friday to Sunday), Drive Up Saturday, and more.
Show Details
General admission is $15, children 7-12 are $4, 6 and under are free with an accompanying adult. Students and seniors are $10. Show hours are Tuesday to Friday 12:00pm to 10:00pm, Saturday from 10:00am to 10:00pm, and Sunday from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
Over the last few years I’ve had some exciting opportunities with cars. I’ve driven a Camaro on the Sea to Sky, I’ve taken a Yukon Hybrid through the Fraser Canyon, I’ve completed a scavenger hunt around town in a Ford Focus, and had extended test drives with a Lexus CT200h, 2012 Honda Accord and 2011 Honda Pilot. Most recently I’ve raced around a frozen snow-covered track at the Mecaglisse in Quebec with Michelin Tires.
I have three pairs of tickets to the Vancouver International Auto Show and to enter to win, I’d love to hear what your dream driving experience would be. It could be cruising down the California coast with the top down or trying your hand at being an ice road trucker.
Leave a comment on this post to enter to win a pair of tickets. You can also paste the following on Twitter for a bonus entry:
RT to enter to win 1 of 3 pairs of tickets to @VanAutoShow from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/9VTo0
Follow the Vancouver International Auto Show on Twitter or Facebook for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 5:00pm on Sunday, April 1, 2012.
The City of Vancouver has launched their plan for maintaining order during the Canucks’ Stanley Cup Playoff run this year. Last year we made headlines around the globe after a riot broke out downtown following a public viewing of the Stanley Cup final. To avoid getting remotely close to the same situation this year, the city is being cautious.
The CBC reported earlier that the focus would be on neighbourhood celebrations and that appears to be a core aspect of today’s official plan.
The City of Vancouver said they don’t want to shut down all celebrations during large events, but they want people to celebrate responsibly to minimize the risk to the public so as to avoid the events during the Stanley Cup final last year.
The City’s plans include implementing ideas such as allowing public viewing of games and celebrations at community centres, bars, pubs, and maybe theatres, should the Canucks advance into third and fourth rounds of the playoffs. But no crowds would be allowed downtown.
There will be no outside screens to watch the game. The City said they are considering block parties, but those would have to be organized by an event planner and no alcohol would be allowed.
The Vancouver Canucks will be involved and have partnered with the City. They will also be matching the City’s funding for the celebrations, which could be between $50,000 to $100,000. [Source: GlobalBC]
It’s always nice to watch games, especially of this magnitude, with friends and other fans. We need to remain safe and show the world that we’re not a region of sore losers with bad judgement. Remember how fantastic it felt when Canada won gold at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics? If we can regain even an iota of that sentiment — pride and respect — through our own hockey club this year just imagine how great that will feel.
I’d love to know, should the Canucks go the distance again this season, what would be your ideal plan for public viewings?
‘This is Our Home’ is an extension of the organization’s season long efforts to strengthen that message, which has included in-arena videos and recognizing “local heroes,” to further raise the expectations that Canucks fans enjoy the hockey experience while conducting themselves in a respectful way.
