Last Thursday I met Keira at Sanafir on Granville and despite getting the call that my site was down just as we were finishing up, we still had a delicious lunch.
Our menu items were everything from seared tuna to salmon wraps, naan bread, butter chicken and baklava. When you’re sitting in the space with papyrus on the wall and authentic Egyptian light fixtures you forget for a moment that you’re sitting right off bustling Granville. Sanafir’s space is beautiful with an upper level complete with bed seating, for those who want to dine, drink, and dish with girlfriends in this festive area.
After our savouring our power lunch we went our separate ways; Keira to her John Mayer concert at GM Place and I to my Muse show at Pacific Coliseum. Now, I had heard that Muse was currently the best live band in the world but I had no idea I was in for such a treat.
Silversun Pickups opened up the show and played a solid set. I’ve been a fan of theirs for the last few years and have always missed them when they’ve played smaller venues in town like the Commodore or Richards on Richards (RIP). They put on a great show and are very active on Twitter, I recommend following them @SSPU.
Once the draped columns that looked like city towers dropped to reveal Muse it was on. A wall of crisp powerful sound moved across the coliseum and wrapped itself around everyone in attendance. The band began with Uprising as the lighted columns cranked out the lyrics in time, “they will not control us”.
The crowd pumped their fists, sang along, and became entranced by the music. The band’s songs are simply epic.
Powerful political messages mixed with Peart-like drum solos, piano ballads and throat-ripping lyrics. They have it all and I’m glad local stations like CFOX and The Peak are playing their tunes. I was so stoked to see Map of the Problematique live as well as it’s one of my all time favourite driving tunes.
Muse covered quite a bit of their catalog in the show, although the crowd of thousands kept up the pace and continued to sing along to the most obscure lyrics. At the end of the performance dozens of giant blood-shot eyeballs dropped from the ceiling revealing red confetti when popped. But that wasn’t all — encores ensued.
As we left John looked over and said, “they could have charged double for that.” With our tickets being almost $60 after taxes and fees, I still agreed without question.
Muse continues their tour with stops in Phoenix, Tuscon, Las Vegas and San Francisco this week.
Disclosure cmp.ly/2 – our meal at Sanafir was complimentary.
I wanted to write a post to address the recent attacks on Miss604.com. These weren’t your regular spam or virus attacks, these were mighty serious. There wasn’t much I could have done to prevent these, or to get my site back online, but by detecting vulnerabilities or even the attack early, you have a better chance at a speedy recovery. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
A spring and summer highlight for many, great getaways at 78 BC Provincial Park campsites are now available to book.
Today the reservation system begins taking your requests for the upcoming season which will open up for the May long weekend.
How to reserve your campsite
Book your site through the reservation system at DiscoverCamping.com
Call 1-800-689-9025 or (604) 689-9025
Visit the GoCampingBC website for information
The reservation system is open April 1, 2010 until September 15, 2010.
If tent camping isn’t your thing, some BC Provincial Parks also offer yurts. You can book a yurt (see a photo of some in my Sunshine Coast post) at any of the following campgrounds: Allison Lake, Ellison, Fintry, Kekuli Bay, Kikomun Park, North Okanagan Lake, South Okanagan Lake, and Wasa Lake.
I personally love camping although I (haven’t been in about two years) and I’ve slept in tents from Norbury Lake to Wells Grey. I have heard that the reservation systems are pretty busy today but I encourage you to try again tomorrow if you can’t get through. Camping in BC is just absolutely the best experience.
The Arts Club is presenting the California Wine Fair April 7th from 7:00pm until 10:00pm at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
This is the 30th anniversary of the fair that tours around showcasing premium wines from over 100 California wineries. Tickets can be purchased for $60 (or $50 for groups of six people or more).
Attendees get the chance to sample 350 wines from the region and bid on silent auction items that include everything from a bottle of 2005 Silver Oak – Cabernet Sauvignon, a Whistler getaway, or Canucks tickets. Proceeds from the auction support the Arts Club Theatre Company.
I have two pairs of tickets to give away and you can enter to win them by leaving a comment or re-tweeting the following:
You must be 19+ to enter and I’ll draw the winners Monday, April 5th at 5:00pm.
Update I have drawn the winner at random and it’s Nicole (comment entry) – congratulations and have fun!
We may know it as a single complex but the Sinclair Centre started out as four separate buildings, built around 1910 and brought together in the 1980s.
I recently featured the buildings in one of my Then and Now posts so when Marc invited me down for a private tour of the heritage building I jumped at the chance.
The Sinclair Centre joins together four buildings with a glass atrium:
The Post Office (1910)
It’s style is described as Edwardian Baroque and was the main post office in Vancouver until the late 1950s. Its 12-foot diameter clocks, which sit in the tower above Granville and Hastings, were restored in 1986.
The Winch Building (1911)
Located on the corner of Howe and Hastings this building was built by cannery pioneer Richard Vance Winch. It was designed by Thomas Hooper and was completed for $700,000 and sold to the federal government in 1925.
Customs Examining Warehouse (1913)
Sitting Howe and Cordova, this building was designed by Public Works’ Chief Architect David Ewart and was built by the federal government as a warehouse to handle federal requirements on imported goods. It was used by Customs until 1958. Until recently it was also the home of Morton’s Steakhouse.
The Federal Building (1937)
At the corner of Granville and Cordova this was built as an extension of the Post Office.
In 1983 it was announced that a block of four buildings downtown (between Granville, Hastings, Howe and Cordova) would get a $40 million facelift. This brought them together under one glass atrium roof, and one name. James Sinclair, a businessman from West Vancouver and also the father of Margaret Trudeau, was the development’s namesake. [source: VancouverHistory.ca]
The tour took us through the food court, past the Government of Canada Passport office, onto the roof of the Winch Building. The architecture in the Post Office and Winch Buildings is absolutely beautiful. Marble staircases, brass fixtures, copper roofs and the tiniest engraved details.
From the roof we went back inside and over to the tower entrance to get an inside-out look at the timepieces.
As I stood atop a spiral staircase at the very peak of the clock tower I looked out windows at the street below. The seabus passed from one side of the North-facing window to the next while a horn honked at a pedestrian crossing the street down below. A carving on a wooden side panel told me that Clint wuz here before me and I could only imagine those who must have stood here a hundred years ago.
The offices are still used by various arms of the Federal Government while boutiques and shops (such as Leone and Armani) are over in the Winch Building. The original bell from the tower is on display in the Sinclair Centre food court.
I made my descent with hands covered in dust and the smell of old library books in my nostrils. I write quite a bit about our city’s history but it’s opportunities like this, through hands-on exploration, that keep my passion (and curiosity) brewing.
The rest of my photos from today are online in this Flickr set.
The Sinclair Centre will have a special announcement in about a week so I will write a follow-up post at that time.
