At last night’s Vancouver Blogger Meetup I was on a panel with Robert Ballantyne who is a resident of Bowen Island. Just 20 minutes away by ferry, this Island community has been a recreation destination for decades making it a perfect feature for this week’s ‘Archives Photo‘ collection.
Year: 1917
In this photo: The S.S. “Bowena” ferry in Snug Cove, Bowen Island
Archives Item#: SGN 1562
Photographer: C. Bradbury
Year: 1920s
In this photo: Rocks on Bowen, looking out at Howe Sound
Archives Item #: CVA 677-560
Photographer: Philip T. Timms
Year: 1940s
In this photo: People sunbathing on the dock
Archives Item #: CVA 1184-3572
Photographer: Jack Lindsay
Year: 1946
In this photo: Boats across from the Bowen Island Inn
Archives Item #: CVA 586-4601
Photographer: Don Coltman
Year: 1946
In this photo: The Bowen Island Inn
Archives Item #: CVA 586-4626
Photographer: Don Coltman
Should you have a theme you would like to see me feature using historic photographs, please feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments.
For nearly one hundred years the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria has been a regal monument of elegance and luxury. The most popular activity at the historic hotel would have to be its world-famous Afternoon Tea, enjoyed by tourists, locals, globetrotters and celebrities alike.
Thanks to an invitation to tea by the Empress on Twitter, Keira and I made our way over to enjoy this legendary experience.
Mimosas featuring Sumac Ridge Steller’s Jay Brut were delivered by our smiling server as we took our seats in wooden arm chairs near a majestic fireplace in the Empress Room. A 3-tiered serving tower followed with a layer of sandwiches (mushroom & truffle, egg salad, smoked salmon, carrot) topped with a tier of scones (with English preserves and heavy cream), and crowned with a plate of pastries, cookies, and cakes prepared by Chef D’Oyen Christie.
The Empress Blend tea was delicious and one couldn’t help but sit and marvel at the beauty of the room’s architecture and furnishings. Children sipped from china tea cups, couples indulged in cream-topped strawberries, and families posed for photos after handing cameras to their server. Tones were hushed, the fire crackled, and warmth from the rich fabrics, wood-carved ceilings, and hospitality of the staff surrounded us.
Afternoon Tea is served daily from 12:00pm and reservations are highly recommended. The dress code is “casual elegance” and there’s no need to fear any pretentiousness in this relaxed and comfortable environment. Starting at $44 (and including a box of tea) this has been on many “must do” lists for visitors to Victoria — and now I truly understand why.
Follow all posts from our Girls Getaway on Vancouver Island & check out Keira’s post about the Empress on her blog.
Disclosure: cmp.ly/2
Last Saturday the Westin Whistler hosted the annual Indulge Gala, benefitting the Whistler Health Foundation. Through a special arrangement, John and I were given a behind the scenes tour of gala preparations by Executive Chef Brad Cumming.
Chef Cumming paired up with chefs from four other Westins including Chef JP Fillion from the Westin Grand, Chef Robert Uy from the Westin Bayshore, Chef Iain Rennie of the Westin Bear Mountain, and Executive Chef Hamid Salimian from the Westin Wall Centre in Richmond. Each prepared one of the five courses with wine pairings for the 170 guests that evening.
Having seen one too many reality cooking shows, it was interesting to see how calm everyone was during the preparations. Eyes were focused, the meal was mapped out, and everyone from the restaurant manager to the events planner for the Westin was on hand to make sure everything went smoothly. Dietary restrictions were noted on whiteboards and menus were written in Sharpie on giant sheets of paper pinned up in the hallway behind the banquet room.
After sharing his kitchen with other Westin chefs for the event, Chef Cumming said that no matter how busy or hectic the preparation might be, all hard work is validated when a diner takes their very first bite and goes back for a second with a smile.
Last year $42,000 was raised for the Whistler Health Foundation and hopefully attendees were as generous this year, especially after enjoying colourful culinary creations such as these.
All photos in this post were taken by John Bollwitt for Miss604.com
The Rogers Santa Clause Parade has quickly become a holiday tradition in Vancouver. Now in its 7th year, this annual celebration will take over the streets of downtown Sunday December 5th at 1:00pm.
Xmas Square
From 11:00am until the parade starts at 1:00pm, the corner of Georgia and Howe will host “Xmas Square” festivities such as face painting, balloon twisting, live entertainment, a gingerbread tent and more. This is free for the public although be sure to stop by the Greater Vancouver Food Bank tent to make a donation.
Robson Square Ice Rink
According to UBC Robson Square’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, the ice rink will be open for the season starting December 5th, after the parade. This has yet to be fully confirmed but it would be a great way to end your morning after watching the parade. This post has full updates on the Robson Square construction.
Best Places to Watch
You will be able to view the parade all along its route however you can try the Vancouver Art Gallery steps for a higher view, or further along Howe since the Georgia side will most likely be more crowded.
Road Closures
The parade will begin at Georgia at Broughton and travel East to Howe, then turn onto Davie.
Click map to enlarge
6:00am to 5:00pm
Alberni from Cardero to Jervis
Nicola and Broughton from Georgia to Robson
7:00am to 5:00pm
Hornby from Davie to Pacific
Drake from Howe to Burrard
10:30am to 5:00pm (approximately)
Georgia from Pender to Seymour
All streets crossing Georgia will be diverted
Howe from Dunsmiur to Drake
All streets crossing Howe will be diverted
The 2010 Grand Marshals are John Furlong, CEO, VANOC, The Honourable Mary McNeil, Minister of Citizens’ Services and past Minister of State for the Olympics, and more than two hundred 2010 Winter Games volunteers. You can watch a broadcast of the parade on CityTV Saturday December 11th and Sunday December 12th.
Donate to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank online or bring non-perishable items on parade day. Collections will be made by volunteers moving along with the pace of the parade or at the Xmas Square.
As the month known as Movember comes to a close, moustached faces across the city are preparing for the shaving of a lifetime. It was more evident this year than any other, from Vancouver to Whistler and Victoria, that men in BC really do care about a cause (and aren’t afraid to look a little different to prove it). For the last month thousands of Canadian men have been growing moustaches (not goatees or beards) to promote their own fundraising campaigns, bringing awareness to prostate cancer research, programs, and awareness. Through two events this week, they will be able to celebrate the hard work of their follicles.
Movember Tweetup & Stache-Off
The Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe is hosting a Tweetup on Tuesday, November 30th from 5:00pm-7:00pm complete with a moustache-judging contest or “Stache-Off”. The event will be judged by three female Twitter users from Vancouver and all are invited to attend. Prizes and giveaways include hot shaves for participating men for the end of the month. This is a free event but there is a capacity limit so RSVP is required.
Official Movember Gala Parté
The official Movember Gala Parté will be December 2nd at Fortune Sound Lounge from 8:00pm until late. This will include a moustache contest, fundraising totals, and the awarding of Man of Movember and Miss Movember. Gala Partés will be held in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.
Movember 2009 Mo Sistas – Photo credit:
Invoke on Flickr
Canada’s current fundraising total is the most of any participating country in the world with $16,290,731 raised to date by 117,870 “Mo Bros”. Leading company teams include CIBC World Markets Inc., PricewaterhouseCoopers, and KPMG LLP.
