Future Shop Student Athlete Bundle: Win a GoPro

Comments 203 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Future Shop is helping students gear up for Back to School with the latest computers, calculators, and educational gadgets. Returning to classrooms also means that as students work harder, they’ll also want to play harder. Future Shop has offered up a Student Athlete Bundle that I can give away to one lucky reader.

GoPro LCD BacPac
John’s model shown with LCD screen mounted. Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr

The bundle (valued at $500) includes:
GoPro HD Helmet Hero Waterproof High-Definition Sports & Helmet Camera
GoPro LCD BacPac
GoPro Chest Mount
GoPro Ride Hero X 2

The small, rectangular, box-shaped camera — about half the size of a Rubik’s Cube — captures the most amazing HD photos and videos. Strap it to your chest, your helmet, your handlebars, your snowboard, skateboard, or your wrist to capture stunning imagery during your latest adventures.


Advisory: There’s a little bit of adult language toward the end of this video.

As with most camera-related technology, I first learned about the GoPro from our friend John Biehler. Here’s just a small sampling of what he’s been able to capture with the GoPro camera (with mounts and the LCD).

Glacier Ice Hiking
Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr

We’re lucky to live in Vancouver and have so many outdoor activities available to us, from hiking and biking trails to coves for kayaking and roads from Sea to Sky. Here’s how you can enter to win this Student Athlete Bundle from Future Shop:

  • Leave a comment on this post about where you’d try out the camera (1 entry)
  • Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I entered to win a #GoPro Student Athlete Bundle from @FutureShopNews & @Miss604 http://ow.ly/6h3U4

I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 11:00am. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter and win. Enjoy your adventures responsibly.

Update The winner is Vanessa!

Bloom Gala at VanDusen Botanical Garden

Comments 1 by Rebecca Bollwitt

On this day in history, August 30, 1975, VanDusen Botanical Garden opened to the public. Last fall I went to the garden for the first time, and I was by myself. Armed with a trail map and my camera, I captured the splashes of green, yellow, and fiery red that hung on branches all around and floated to the ground, crunching under my boots. It was a quiet, refreshing walk as the crisp fall air filled my lungs — and I can’t believe I haven’t been back since.

VanDusen - Autumn

A great time to visit again would be for the garden’s Bloom Gala, taking place September 15, 2011 in the brand new visitor centre. Honorary Chair, CTV New Anchor Tamara Taggart will join guests of the gala as they become the first to experience the new petal-shaped ‘living building’.

VanDusen Botanical Garden VanDusen Botanical Garden
VanDusen Botanical Garden VanDusen Botanical Garden
Photos by Tjflex2 on Flickr

There will be entertainment by Cool Jazz, the “floral creativity” of Thomas Hobbs, local cuisine from Edible Canada, Mark Anthony wines from BC, and unique auction items.

Sino-Himalayan Waterfall at VanDusen Gardens
IMG_3651 Floating Lotus Position
Photos by Tyler Ingram on Flickr

Tickets for the Bloom Gala are $195 and group sales are available. Proceeds will support the garden’s educational programs.

Flower Road
Photo credit: Junnn on Flickr

The new visitor centre joins the restaurant and garden shop on the 55 acre grounds. According to organizers, the event is geared toward botanists, builders, gardeners, artists, birdwatchers, epicureans, golfers, landscapers, and more. Learn about sustainable gardening practices, conservation, and more while you support this urban oasis.

VanDusen is located at 5251 Oak Street at West 37th in Vancouver. Find them on Facebook for additional and seasonal event information, and join them for their popular Festival of Lights this winter.

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

Comments 4 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Located across from historic St. Ann’s Academy on Humbolt Street, I’ve stayed at Parkside Victoria twice in the last year and realized that I haven’t written a word about it. The hotel, that also has residences, is one of the capital city’s newest accommodations and has LEED® Platinum Certification on top of its designer touches and amenities.

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

My first stay was in a 2-bedroom suite with my sister, my niece, and her friend. The girls loved the pool and went down every evening for a swim. My second stay was during a conference and I was on the harbour side of the hotel in a 1-bedroom suite.

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

The common areas are peaceful and warm with playful koi swimming through indoor and outdoor streams, plenty of plant-life, and a lounge area where residents and hotel guests can use courtesy iPads. There’s also a theatre room with nightly movie features.

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

The statues and some of the rare tropical plants you’ll find in the atrium were scooped up from Victoria’s now defunct Crystal Gardens so they tell an interesting story about one of the city’s legendary landmarks.

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

A common rooftop garden area and a penthouse amenities room for residents look out over the city and upon the building’s green roofs.

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

Each suite has a balcony with patio furniture, WIFI, a living room space with a fireplace, dining room table, and two bathrooms.

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

The only thing that I didn’t quite grasp was the lack of a door on the ensuite bathroom, attached to the main bedroom. There was a frosted half-wall so you couldn’t see the bathtub from the bed however the toilet wasn’t behind a door at all. If you’re in town for a romantic getaway, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to sit on the bed, warm by the fireplace, and look over to see your partner… right there.

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

Options or work-arounds would be to use the sink and tub in that bathroom, then use the other bathroom in the suite (with a shower and a full-length door) for anything else. The resort is impressive in all other areas. From the large indoor swimming pool and spa, to granite, slate, and natural limestone counter tops, and textiles made from low or non-emitting, non-toxic recycled materials.

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa

I believe the Parkside is best-suited for travelers that would like all of the touches of home and who don’t mind missing some regular hotel staples (like room service or a full-service restaurant although there is a cafe downstairs). Full kitchens are available in the suites and it is within walking distance of dozens of restaurants — from The Old Spaghetti Factory to the Sticky Wicket, Brown’s, or Vista 18.

Other than the no-door issue in the master bathroom, I think the suites are comfortable, modern, and very spacious. Parkside is definitely another great hotel option in Victoria if you’d like a low-maintenance, high tech, no-fuss stay where you can cook your own meals in a home away from home.

Follow @Parkside_Vic on Twitter for updates, Victoria event information, and events they host themselves such as “Yoga on the Roof”.

Disclosure: cmp.ly/2 My first stay was on a media visit and my second was during Social Media Camp. As a speaker, my room was covered by the conference.

La Garufa International Tango Festival

Comments 28 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Next month dancers and musicians from around the world will spice up Vancouver during La Garufa International Tango Festival.

Argentine tango is a social dance and musical genre that originated in Argentina and Uruguay in the late 1800s. Recently it was designated by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage and important to preserve.

In the social tango, there is a special connection between partners as it is all based on improvised steps. It is a conversation between partner using the body instead of voice. Tango can be danced by people of all ages from 8 to 88. In fact, studies have shown that Argentine Tango can increase memory, multi-tasking skills, self-esteem, balance and motor coordination in seniors — and more fun than Suduko puzzles

You can learn to dance, watch the pros, and enjoy live music at the festival from September 8 to 11, 2011.

Artists

  • Claudio Villagra & Romina Levin (Maestros from Buenos Aires)
  • Ruben & Sabrina Veliz (Maestros from Buenos Aires)
  • Gustavo Rosas & Gisela Natoli (Maestros from Buenos Aires)
  • Sexteto Milonguero (Buenos Aires)
  • Lorena Bouzas (DJ, Buenos Aires)
  • Meng Wang (DJ, Vancouver)

Workshops

  • The quality and esthetics of the movement.
  • Forgotten steps and figures of the ’40s and ’50s.
  • Navigation on the dance floor. Walking, turns and traspies.
  • More Workshops

Milongas (Where the tango is danced)

  • Opening night September 8, 2011 from 9:00pm: “Blue & White Night” with live music by Sexteto Milonguero & performances.
  • Wine Tasting Night September 9, 2011 from 9:00pm
  • La Noche De La Garufa September 10, 2011 from 9:00pm with an All‐Night Milonga from 1:00am to 5:00am A Media Luz, 2155 Commercial Drive @VancouverTango on Twitter.
  • More Milongas

Tickets to hear, learn, watch, and be entertained by the artists start at $30 and are available online now. All events are at the Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Drive). I also have a special prize package to give away to a reader.

The prize package
2 tickets to “Introduction to Tango” with instructor Angel Coria at the Croatian Cultural Centre followed by admission for 2 to the opening night milonga featuring performances by Sexteto Milonguero and 3 dancers (just across the hall). I have been asked to note that it’s not just a concert. It will be a night of music and dance in which you can (and are encouraged to) participate. Dancers from around BC and the Pacific Northwest will be cheek-to-cheek at this opening night party.

Whether you love to dance already, want to learn, or just want to get closer to that special someone, here’s how you can enter to win this prize:

  • Leave a comment on this post about why you want to learn to tango (or why you tango already) (1 entry)
  • Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
  • I entered to win a tango prize pack from #LaGarufa International Tango Festival & @Miss604 http://ow.ly/6fKMs

    I will draw one winner on Friday, September 2, 2011 at 10:00am.

    Update The winner is Reen!

    Vancouver History: Lumberman’s Arch

    Comments 2 by Rebecca Bollwitt

    Lumberman’s Arch is a popular meeting place and landmark on the North side of Stanley Park, West of Brockton Point. The single log propped up by two others is a monument to the major industry that built up our province and was installed by the Park Board and the BC Lumber Manufacturers Association almost 60 years ago.

    Lumberman's Arch
    Photo credit: DennisTsang on Flickr

    The current arch is situated on the site of the former Xway-Xway First Nations village and was likely a communal meeting place in Coast Salish culture.

    From the Stanley Park Ecology Society: “If we were to peel back the grass in this area, we would probably find post-holes from the long shacks built by the villagers. Evidence from a large midden (native garbage and sometime burial heap) that extends along the lower part of this area (4.3 acres) indicates that there has been some form of settlement for over 500 years, maybe longer.

    During the creation of Park Drive in 1888, ground-up shells from this midden were dug up and used to pave the road. In the course of excavating the paving material, workers (who kicked the resident natives out of their homes and moved in) discovered stumps of dead cedars over 500 years old and exhumed a number of skeletons. Coast Salish natives stopped using this type of burial years before, in favour of cedar boxes or slabs containing the bones placed in tree boughs or on the forest floor.

    A proper archaeological excavation has never occurred at this site, but we do know that there was a native settlement here from at least the early 1860s, consisting of four small dwellings and one communal lodge. Musqueam and/or Squamish peoples may have used this site at varying times of the year.”

    It was on this day in history that the original Lumberman’s Arch was moved from Pender and Hamilton to the location we see the current arch today. Originally, the arch was a much larger structure and was constructed in 1912 for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught.


    1912 – The arch at Pender & Hamilton. Archives item# Arch N6.02. Photographer: Don Coltman.

    From Vancouver History August 29, 1919: It was dedicated today in the park to its designer, Captain G.P. Bowie, who was killed at Ypres on July 7, 1915.

    The date of the move, as Chuck Davis (from Vancouver History) has it, is 1919 although there are some photos in the Vancouver Archives that show the arch at its current location in 1913.


    1920 – Archives item# CVA 99-1290. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

    The original structure was nicknamed “The Bowie Arch”. When inevitable deterioration set in, it was demolished in 1947 and was replaced by the simpler version we see today in 1952.

    Vancouver 1992-0601 Lumberman's Arch
    Photo credit: Canada Good on Flickr

    If you’re cutting up from the water park and sea wall, starting off a fun run, or heading down from the Vancouver Aquarium or the Artists’ Circle, you’ll walk through Lumberman’s Arch. Discover more Stanley Park monuments, statues, and plaques in the Park Board’s directory.