The Vancouver Whitecaps FC will play host to Toronto FC this Saturday for their Major League Soccer home opener at Empire Field. This marks the third chapter in Vancouver soccer history.
Starting in 1974, the Vancouver Whitecaps were a part of the North American Soccer League but the team (along with others in the league) folded in 1984. The team came back to life in 1986 as the Vancouver 86ers, playing in the Canadian Soccer League. For the next decade they would play with various leagues until becoming a part of the USL in 1997. The team changed their name back to the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2001 and in 2011, they’ll be playing in the MLS as Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Being a part of the MLS means the team has attracted even more international players and will be squaring off against the Chicago Fire, DC United, Seattle Sounders FC, Portland Timbers, and the Los Angeles Galaxy (just to name a few clubs in the West).
> Photo credit: Peyvand Padidar Photography
The Whitecaps have a very dedicated fan base that can often get more riled up (and chant more unique tunes) than you’ll see in the stands at a hockey game. If you would like to be a part of their next chapter, here’s how you can enter to win a pair of tickest to the Whitecaps’ MLS home opener on Saturday, March 19th.
Yesterday I was invited up to Hester Creek Winery in Oliver (at the Southern tip of the Okanagan) to tour their facilities, meet their winemaker, and learn more about their vineyards. While I am very familiar with the brand (and they have also been generous sponsors of the last two Twestival events I have organized) I had still never been to the Hester Creek estate.
We spent the day touring the villas (that are currently B&B style), meeting the friendly staff like Robin and LeeAnn Openshaw, exploring the property with General Manager Mark Sheridan, and doing tastings with winemaker Robert Summers.
Our group (which consisted of food and travel writers from Vancouver) tasted a variety of Hester Creek’s yet-to-be-released offerings as well as some of their classics.
Ambrosia Apple, Parsnip, and Celeriac Soup (with sharp cheddar toast and honey).
Paired with 2010 Character White
The soup was fresh, fruity, smooth and creamy, and the crunchy apples garnish with crusted toast added a delightful contrast in textures. Chef Bell created the soup’s stock from the chicken that was our tender and juicy second course and more apples were used in our sweet and salty dessert.
Maple Hill Farms Chicken with Golden Quinoa
Paired with 2009 Character Red
Classic Tart Tatin (granny smith apples, salted caramel)
Paired with 2009 Late Harvest Pinot Blanc
Hester Creek’s new restaurant will feature meals prepared with their wines in mind with locally-sourced ingredients from Oliver and the Okanagan. Their demo kitchen in the winery will continue to host a cooking series with top-notch guest chefs from around the country. I took a few photos of the restaurant’s construction and look forward to returning in the summer to take some “after” shots, perhaps while enjoying some of their mediterranean-style pizza on the patio overlooking the vineyard while sipping on a Character White.
I have been going to the Okanagan every year for the last 30 years and have spent quite a bit of time in Osoyoos over the last ten years. Wine tours in the region include hopping in the car with a designated driver and heading up the Golden Mile for tours and tastings before returning home to your hotel, campsite, or (in our case) my aunt’s condo. I didn’t previously know that Hester Creek had villas just up the hill from their winery and that they will soon be opening their own restaurant. Before now, they have sent their guests over to Burrowing Owl for dinner but they can now be their own ‘one stop shop’ for a getaway in the vineyards.
I was most impressed by the people of Hester Creek and their passion for two things: the visitor experience and above all, the quality of the wine. It’s clear that they are all about the grapes, the vines, sustainable practices, and producing a quality product.
Returning home just a few hours later, I got to ride in the co-pilot seat of the airplane. It was a whirlwind tour but at a relaxed pace, leaving me feeling very excited about visiting the South Okanagan in the coming months.
Volunteers planted over 120 trees in Surrey’s Green Timbers March 15th, 1930. According to VancouverHistory, this was BC’s first “forest plantation” and now this 400 hectare park is an urban refuge:
Green Timbers Urban Forest in Surrey is unique: it consists mainly of trees planted from seedlings in the first attempt at reforestation in British Columbia. It sits on a square mile of forest astride the Fraser Highway.
1914 Green Timbers – Pacific Highway – Surrey Archives
Stand by that highway and look east, and you’re directly facing Mount Baker. This highway was originally the Yale Wagon Road to the interior, built by the Royal Engineers in 1875. In 1923 it was renamed the Pacific Highway when Surrey was linked by road to Blaine in Washington State.
The world’s most influential mixology conference, Tales of the Cocktail, arrived in Vancouver for three days of events, seminars and – of course – cocktails.Â
It speaks volumes to the Vancouver bartending and cocktail scene that they should host such an event as this is the first time Tales of the Cocktail has been hosted outside of New Orleans. “We’re known for our hospitality, natural beauty, restaurants, chefs, wine, and environment, and now you can add ‘great cocktails’ to form a complete package,” Jay Jones, Consulting and Founding member of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association, told me in an interview earlier this year.
This morning I attended two seminars: “The Science of Cocktails: New Techniques Behind the Bar” with Dave Arnold, followed by “The History and Importance of Ice in Cocktails” with Charlotte Voisey and Jon Santer. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
As a part of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s ‘Places that Matter‘ committee, I get my fix of local history at every meeting. I was recently looking through some of the sites already nominated for designation and found the Angel of Victory.
Installed in 1921, it is one of the city’s most prominent statues, located along Cordova St, right in front of Waterfront Station [Google Map]. The bronze depiction is of an angel carrying a World War I soldier up to heaven.
According to the City, this is one of three identical statues (the others in Montreal and Winnipeg) commissioned by the CPR to honour their workers who made the ultimate sacrifice by going to war. The angel originally held a full wreath in her upraised hand and after WW II, the dates of that war were also added to the plaque.
The Angel of Victory has inspired me to start a new series called Vancouver Icons. I will be featuring classic Vancouver locations and monuments, offering a bit of history, and sharing a collection of photos that I find on Flickr. The series will be updated at least once every week.
