I am currently traveling to Switzerland on a media trip although I’ve come to a halt at Heathrow in London. My first flight to Geneva has been canceled due to weather (or as the pilot said “wind so fast it’s bound to turn your umbrella inside out.”)

As such, I thought it would be a good time to prepare a blog post since I’m currently 9 hours ahead of Vancouver and likely to pass out upon arrival in my Swiss hotel. I’m not sure when I’ll wake up or what day it might be but please enjoy this next installment of the “Then and Now” photo series.

1924
Davie at Thurlow

Photographer: WJ Moore, Item #: Bu N324

2009

1928
10th at Hemlock

Photographer: WJ Moore, Item #: Bu N252

2009

1936
Tudor Manor, 1311 Beach Avenue

Photographer: Stuart Thomson, Item #: CVA 99-4913

2009

1940s
Cambie at West 23rd

Photographer: Jack Lindsay, Item #: CVA 1184-1939

2009

Sources: The older images are courtesy of the City of Vancouver Archives and the 2009 images have been screen-captured from Google Street Views.

This is my second “apartment” theme but if you have any suggestions for a future “Then and Now” series please feel free to drop me a comment.

Photo credit: kharied

This weekend the National Yoga Challenge will take place at the Olympic Oval in Richmond and the Yoga Sanctuary in Toronto. This 3rd annual event will run November 20th until the 22nd to support UNICEF’s Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign.

The National Yoga Challenge is presented by Yoga4Kidz as it encourages instructors, health enthusiasts, and those passionate about contributing to a cause to join in this weekend. Thousands of men, women, children and their families across the country and beyond will come together to practice yoga, and to observe compassionate living.

Participants are encouraged to collect pledges, like you would for a fun run/walk, and can either fundraise on their own or as part of a yoga team. You can register online or pledge to support a participant. You can practice as much yoga as you like throughout the weekend, whether it’s just for 30 minutes or a full 24-hour period (as they have a yogi sleeping area). However, the “challenge” part is that the team that raises the most donations will get free yoga classes for a month.

Find the National Yoga Challenge on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr for information and updates or drop by the Olympic Oval this weekend to participate.

Cornucopia, Whistler’s yearly food and wine festival kicked off their 13th year tonight with a ”House Party” at the Whistler Conference Center.

Many local beer and wines were on offer along with some amazing cheeses and even local (Pemberton) Vodka.

We’re looking forward to taking in some events tomorrow and Saturday including everything from the Chef’s Challenge and the Chef’s Trip to the Farm, to Flatbreads & Wines along with Bubbles & Oceans at Araxi.

It’s not too late to head on up for some food, wine, beer and snow at Cornucopia 2009. If you can’t make it though, we’ll have more information posted here throughout the weekend so be sure to check back.

Jennifer is on location in Whistler covering Cornucopia for Miss604.com this weekend.

L’Arche Greater Vancouver is ramping up for a community art showcase fundraiser and they are putting the call out to local artists who would like to participate.

Seeking Artwork Inspired by Community L’Arche Greater Vancouver is seeking submissions by emerging artists for “The Art of Being Together”, an upcoming juried show. Ten finalists will be chosen whose work best reflects the theme of community, sharing life, friendship and inclusiveness. Their work will be purchased by L’Arche for $250 and displayed at the March 6 show where judges will announce their top choice and the public will be invited to vote for the people’s choice.

An additional prize will be given for the People’s Choice and the Judges’ Choice Awards. The judges may also choose additional work from submitted art to be on display in the ‘Honourable Mention’ category but those works would not be purchased by L’Arche. This show will also include a gallery of L’Arche art.

L’Arche is an international organization that assists and supports those with developmental disabilities. They have been based in Greater Vancouver for over 30 years and run community homes, day programs, and are involved in an array of community outreach programs. They are a Christian-based society however they assist and support members from a rich diversity of religions, races and cultural backgrounds.

I’ll be involved with the Art of Being Together show which will take place Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre in Burnaby. If you are interested in helping out or being a sponsor, please visit the L’Arche website for contact details and specifics for the artwork.

Update: L’Arche now has a blog!

This afternoon I was at the official announcement that Vancouver has the first-ever Canadian City-inspired bottle of ABSOLUT vodka.

The Vancouver bottle was designed by BC artist Douglas Fraser who currently resides in Victoria. His bottle art features a float plane soaring over the city and ocean as the mountains cast a blue backdrop — all natural design choices for our fair City. “I also wanted to push it and see if I could create something reflective of something else,” Fraser noted as he said he also wanted to capture the whole work/play atmosphere of Vancouver. He also mentioned that the “V” design reminds him of the original Vancouver Millionaires hockey sweater.

120,000 of these limited edition bottles (expected to sell out) are currently in stores and will be on shelves until at least December. Further to the specialized local bottle, $1 from the sale of each will go to a new Vancouver public art project. Over the last few months ABSOLUT took submissions for the projects and the finalists are now featured on their website. The top 5 proposals are listed for public online vote and once the campaign has ended, $120,000 will be put towards that art project.

Finalists are:

Kelly Kretz, Senior Brand Manager for ABSOLUT vodka added that they can’t wait to “bring BC’s favourite submissions to life” through this initiative. “In addition to being globally recognized as an exciting, cosmopolitan and naturally stunning Canadian city, Vancouver is a hotbed of cultural and creative talent, which ABSOLUT is very proud to support.”

You can also try out the ABSOLUT Vancouver Maple Whitecap Martini designed by the bartender at Coast. The Whitecap consists of: ABSOLUT Vodka, Maple Syrup (roasted with vanilla, cinnamon and cloves), egg white, lime juice, and is topped with some nutmeg powder.

You have until March 2010 to get your votes in on the art projects and the winner will be announced shortly after.