For most of my life, the only time I had ever spent in the Nanaimo are was either at Departure Bay or Duke Point ferry terminals. Nanaimo is a port for vessels carrying tourists, travellers and commuters however in recent years its own downtown core has become known as a great place to eat, shop, and live. During our recent girls getaway to Victoria, we stopped off in Nanaimo for the first day to explore what this burgeoning arts and culinary community has to offer.
The Harbour City is split into several districts and in one afternoon of walking around we hit the Waterfront, Old City Quarter, and Arts District.
Mon Petit Choux Bakery
Location: 101 – 120 Commercial St.
Website: MonPetitChoux.ca
When walking into this “little corner of Paris” in Nanaimo you get a bear-hug of aromas from fresh-baked bread and buttery croissants. I enjoyed an Americano and a delicious Croque-Madam to get my morning going. The owner is very passionate about real, fresh, organic and local ingredients going into their food. There is even a mission statement posted on the cafe’s window that reiterates her message to passersby. Mon Petit Choux is the smaller sibling to The Wesley Street Cafe up in the Old City Quarter.
Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Location: 101 Gordon Street
Website: VIConference.com
While we weren’t there to attend any keynote sessions, the sign out front at the conference centre advertised a unique showing of E.J. Hughes’ Malaspina mural. Completed in 1938 it was recently restored after being discovered at the historic Malaspina Hotel prior to its demolition. The conference centre serves not only as a meeting place, but also an extension of the Nanaimo Art Gallery for city expositions, complimenting the Nanaimo Museum just across the street.
This colourful boutique and gallery shimmers, shines, and dazzles with local and international pieces. Paintings and hand-made jewelry adorn the walls while trinkets, chains, ornaments and accessories hang all around.
2 Chefs Affair
Location: 123 Commercial Street
Website: DNBIA
Only a month old this new bistro cafe specializes in eat-in and take-out lunches prepared by a husband and wife team. After some very sweet treats throughout the day their “Smokin’ Hot” clubhouse sandwich was exactly what I needed to re-charge.
Throughout our walk we ducked into independent shoe stores, home decor meccas, clothing shops, and a European specialty deli. Every proprietor was around to greet us, tell us about their latest collections, and chat about their passion — whether it was fresh-baked breads, imported squid-ink pasta, or the cozy knit sweaters. Old architecture and traditions mixed with modern concepts around every turn. It easily convinced me that Nanaimo can be a day-trip destination from Metro Vancouver by ferry or float plane.
During this walking tour we also paused to get a tea leaf reading and explored a few stops along the Nanaimo Bar Tour, which I’ll cover in future posts.
Follow all articles from our girls getaway in Nanaimo and Victoria this November by viewing my Vancouver Island category.
As temperatures dip below freezing and beyond, thoughts turn to those on Vancouver’s streets and their need to keep warm this winter. Nood in Gastown has launched a campaign along with the Salvation Army that will supply Vancouver’s less fortunate with at the very least, a warm pair of socks.
Nood customers are invited to participate in The Red Sock Project by purchasing a pair of wool socks for $2 in-store or online. Socks purchased in-store will be delivered to the local Salvation Army who will distribute them throughout Vancouver. This is a simple way to help out — especially if you live or work in the area, or can spare just a few minutes to click the online donation button.
You can follow @NoodDesign and @SalvationArmy on Twitter for updates this season. Nood locations in the Lower Mainland include 151 Water Street in Gastown, #10 – 20070 Langley By-Pass, 500-801 Marine Drive in North Vancouver, and 4568 Kingsway in Burnaby.
The Ross Bay Cemetery is frequently mentioned on tours around Victoria as big buses and double-deckers cruise past the historic resting place that sits beside the ocean. It wasn’t until this past weekend that I had the chance to get out of my vehicle and take a frosty walk around to pay my respects to some of BC’s most notable historic figures and pioneers.
Damp moss topped with leaves crunched underfoot as Keira and I explored for almost two hours. Some tombstones were illegible due to erosion while other graves were marked with wooden crosses or masterful monuments. Moss grew out of stone etchings, revealing names that would have otherwise disappeared. Flowers and candles lay near the sites of departed loved ones while neighbours strolled through with their children or on their bikes that chilled Sunday morning.
Pioneers, HBC notables, Navy personnel, artists, magnates, First Nations and early immigrants rest in peace in various plots, separated by paved pathways. I downloaded a map from the Ross Bay website as a guide so that I could find some of those I have researched or profiled in my history pieces. However, we simply spent most of our time considerately meandering around the markers in silence.
Helmcken Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken was a surgeon with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Helmcken Street in Vancouver is named after him.
Richards Albert Norton Richards was the second Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1876 to 1881. Richards Street in Vancouver is named after him.
Dunsmuir Robert Dunsmuir was a coal magnate on Vancouver Island. His son, James Dunsmuir, was also a Premier of British Columbia. You can learn more about the Dunsmuir family by visiting Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria. Dunsmuir Street in Vancouver is named after him.
Douglas Sir James Douglas is known as the “Father of British Columbia”. Presiding over all Hudson’s Bay Company territories West of the Rockies, Douglas was Governor of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Douglas Street in Victoria is named after him.
Robson John Robson was Premier of British Columbia from 1889-1892. Robson Street in Vancouver is named after him.
Emily Carr Emily Carr is a world-famous BC artist who was also an author and lover of nature. Pens, pencils, bits of cloth and paintbrushes have been left at her gravestone by visitors so we offered up a tribute as well.
“Dear Mother Earth, I have always specifically belonged to you. I have loved from babyhood to roll upon you, to lie with my face pressed right down onto you in my sorrows. I love the look of you and the smell of you and the feel of you. When I die, I should like to be in you, uncoffined, unshrouded, the petals of flowers against my flesh and you covering me up.”
Although BC’s history lives on all around us, it can be found in abundance within this single place in our Province’s capital. Each name tells a story and through each namesake, their pioneering legacy lives on.
It’s been about six months since I last featured a “Blogger Profile” although this is one I have been meaning to put together for quite a while. Kyle With is originally from Yellowknife, NT but is currently based in Fort St John, BC.
What is your website/url?
l write YkOnline.ca, which I assume you want to know more about, but I also write a personal site KyleWith.com and a more techie/internet type blog WithMedia.ca .
How long has it been around?
“I started YkOnline.ca in May 2009 when I started to realize that I was writing a lot about my hometown Yellowknife, NT on my personal blog.”
What is your role/involvement (developer, owner, blogger etc.) ?
“Originally I was the only writer of YkOnline.ca, I got the occasional contributor, but it wasn’t very often. Then in August 2010 I was offered a unbelievable job in Fort St John, BC, where I am currently. The job at the moment is only a 6 month job, but may become permanent. So while I’m away I have opened up YkOnline.ca to anyone. Anyone can register and write anything they like.”
What does your site do/what is it about?
“I call YkOnline.ca, Yellowknife’s Community Blog. It is a local or hyperlocal blog. The city is only 20,000 people so it wasn’t much work keeping up with the going ons. I would write about upcoming events, past events, food reviews, business/people profiles, cover big breaking news and generate discussion around news stories. Then since I had worked in the tourism industry so much I started to become an online source for those looking at, traveling or moving to the area.”
What can people see, read, and do when visiting your site?
“The site became a source for those within Yellowknife and those looking to come to the area. Within Yellowknife readers go up to date and sometimes live information on event as well places and things to do and see. Then those outside of the city looking to come to it could use it as a place to learn about the city. At one point I was producing a weekly podcast about things to know about the city and what is within it.
It was something very new and different in town. It was really the only site using Twitter, Facebook, Video, Podcasts to relay information about the city.”
What is the ultimate goal for your site, how would you like to see it grow?
“It grew rapidly in the last 6 months and became a very known source, and I would love to see it stay that way. I have a strong passion for Yellowknife, having grown up there. One of the ideas of the site was to point out the positive in the city, and showcase it. It would be great to see more people contributing and engaging. Another thing would be to see it become sustainable, financially. I realize I wouldn’t be able to make a full time living out of it, but some return is always good, especially as I started devoting a lot of time to it.
I must confess though, I haven’t been keeping up with it lately. Like I mention I get offered a job in Fort St John, BC which I couldn’t turn down although it was difficult to leave what I loved so much, even just for 6 months. I haven’t left the local website industry though. Part of what I am doing now those is help build and evolve a community website. In a couple months we will be relaunching the site which will become a news source, community blog, all in one using all kinds of new media, video, podcasts, etc. If nothing else, what I have learned is that I have just as much a passion for community where ever it is, as I do Yellowknife. Who know what the future holds.”
You can follow Kyle on Twitter and Flickr to keep up to date on his various media projects.
The Vancouver Christmas Market will be popping up on the Queen Elizabeth Theatre plaza November 24th until December 24rd, 2010.
In the style of a traditional German Christkindlmarkt, you will be able to experience a full Christmas village with vendors and artisans taking up shop in wooden huts. Lights, decorations, gifts, crafts, a kids market, and plenty of treats await. Mulled wine, spicy gingerbread, carolers, trumpeters — you’ll be wishing everyone a Frohe Weihnachten!
The market will also host a variety of special events in early December and is available for private bookings. It is also licensed so you may partake in some traditional spirits and brews on-site but remember to drink responsibly. The nearest SkyTrain station is Stadium and it’s right off Georgia for North Shore and Downtown bus access.
Tickets are available at the door for $5 (adults), $2 (ages 7-12), and children under 6 years old are free. Follow the market on Twitter or Facebook for updates throughout the season.
Update November 24, 2010: CBC is reporting that there was an explosion and fire at the site of the Christmas Market this morning.
According to tweets from Stephen Quinn, a security guard spotted the gas leak and had everyone evacuate. No one was injured and the VFD have things under control. From a press release this afternoon:
Vancouver, BC The opening of the first annual Vancouver Christmas Market has been delayed due to a construction accident that resulted in a fire at the site on the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza Wednesday morning.
Vancouver fire investigators say the fire started when a person drilling a hole in one of the Market’s huts drilled through a propane tank in the process. The propane ignited upon hitting an unknown heat source. Fortunately, no one was hurt as a result of the fire. Damage was contained to approximately six of the Market’s more than 30 vendor huts.
Update November 24, 2010: The fire caused damage to some electrical equipment on site, resulting in the need for extensive repairs and sourcing of parts, which will delay the opening until early the week of November 29.
Update November 27, 2010 per a press release today, the market will open tomorrow:
“Thanks to the efforts of workers and volunteers, the Market will open its doors to the public tomorrow, Sunday, November 28 at 11am and continue to run daily from 11am to 9pm through December 24th.”
Update I had the chance to check out the Vancouver Christmas Market last night, here are a few photos.
Feathered birds, wooden nativity scenes, alpen figures, and classic decorations. Among all of the ornaments I was surprised to see a festive pickle, however I did bring one home to adorn our tree.
The band played familiar tunes while the aroma of bratwurst, potatoes, cinnamon spice apple cider and sugary crepes filled the air. Although our night was extremely soggy, the kids had a wonderful time getting airbrush tattoos, meeting Holly & Jolly (the gingerbread mascots), decorating their own candles and chocolate candies.
