The Vancouver Observer is an online magazine that features news, headlines, entertainment and in-depth reporting from around our fair city. They’re getting ready to launch their new website design and are celebrating by hosting a contest looking for your best Vancouver observation. “Observe. And blog. Post your observations about our city on your website and submit a 400-word entry to the Vancouver Observer.”
You will need to write a blog post (max 400 words) and email your link to [email protected] by Friday September 18th. The staff at The Vancouver Observer will pick some of their favourites and I am their guest judge who will then pick the best of the best blogservations.
The winner will receive a prize pack from Grouse Mountain, including the chance to zipline, as well as other goodies from around Vancouver. The winning entry itself will be published online, on the new Vancouver Observer website as well as in a special print edition on the e-magazine. The Vancouver Observer’s official launch party will take place October 6th at Ceilis downtown. You can follow their updates on Twitter @VANObserver.
CBC Radio 2 is looking for the most inspirational place in Canada. One with such influence that the nation will vote on its importance and a Canadian music legend will come up with a song, singing its praises. All of this will happen through The Great Canadian Song Quest.
“Whether it’s a secret meeting place, a sensational signpost or a breathtaking wonder of nature, CBC Radio 2 wants to know! Canadians get the deciding vote on who writes and performs the songs from among Canada’s finest musical icons and emerging stars. The end result is an incredible cross-country playlist, with 13 brand-new, original songs for Canada’s playbook. Each artist will compose and record an original song, inspired by the locations chosen by Canadians from each province and territory.”
Nominations will be open September 28 – October 9th but they’re building the buzz right away. The idea is to campaign for your favourite place, which you would like to see immortalized in song, by adding supporting video, photos, Twitter updates and linking blog posts for your nomination. After all of the nominations have been collected, voting will run October 12 – October 23rd. The public will vote not only on the location, but also the artist that should compose and record the song about that location. The winning artists will be announced first on October 26th, followed by the locations on November 23rd.
Whether it’s Spuzzum, Barkerville, that giant hockey stick in Duncan, the slag heaps in Greenwood or the surf in Tofino. Tom Cochrane’s brief mention of Vancouver’s lights has served us well but it’s now BC’s time to shine in this ultimate country-wide mashup. I’m curious to see what places or landmarks people would like to hear about in a song but I have to say, I’m secretly hoping Surrey gets in there somewhere.
When: Monday September 14, 6:00pm – 8:00pm Where: Pure Smile Studio (Suite 303-1110 Hamilton St)
CRAVEcompany focuses on three core models, the first being their book series. The printed CRAVEguide books have been issued for various North American cities and have been dubbed the “Urban Girl’s Manifesto”. These guides are business listings featuring companies that are locally run by women. The pages feature beautiful photographs along with company profiles and a quick Q&A.
They also host CRAVEparty, which are events in CRAVE cities that have entertainment, shopping, and networking opportunities. Finally CRAVEbusiness is a blog, online resource, and host of the coffee chat series.
My talk will be pretty informal and depending on the crowd it will feature either Twitter / Blogging 101 tips, or more intermediate lessons on how to use these social media tools in business. Tickets are still available for $25 (although selling out quickly) and the event will take place in Yaletown. For more information you can follow CRAVEvancouver’s own Arpen Thandi on Twitter @CRAVEvancouver.
A few weeks ago we came to Whistler and rode the Peak to Peak gondola which runs between Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain.
When we got to Blackcomb we had done the quick Alpine Walk trail, which is a 60 minute loop we ended up completing in about 20 minutes. We had an appointment in the village so that’s about all we could do however John spotted a few other trails he wanted to conquer.
Yesterday we set out on Blackcomb and headed over to the Overlord Trail, which branches off from the Alpine Walk. It’s longer, some parts are more steep, and the views are equally breathtaking.
Since it rained that morning everything was glistening and you could smell the alpine vegetation as it dried out.
We didn’t spot any bear but we did find some grouse as well as a marmot that was sunning himself on a big boulder.
We reached our peak at Blackcomb Lake and looped back towards the lifts. It took us about 45 minutes to get out that far and if we had more time (the lifts shut down at 5pm in the summer) we would have kept going once again.
We’re heading back home today on the train and as always, I wish our stay would last a bit longer. Blackcomb keeps us wanting more and more each time we venture across its alpine trails, which I suppose is a good thing. It gets us out and about while exploring more of the region.
We haven’t gone over to Whistler Village at all this trip as we’re staying on Blackcomb as well. It’s been really nice (thank goodness the rain stayed away an extra day) and I’m glad we got to spend more time on this side.
I haven’t been on a big train since I took a commuter to Salem with my mom when I lived in Boston. Before that, I rode on the Royal Hudson when I was wee.
When we set out from the station we glided through the backyards of West Vancouver, spotting mega tree houses and unique views of the city.
A tradition on the train is to have a toast when we set out on our journey. Mimosas at 8:30am were followed by a fresh fruit plate and then a full breakfast, which was delicious.
Along the way our hosts highlighted points of interest and let us know when we could wander to the observation car (which was built in 1914).
Below the Sea to Sky and above Howe Sound, we slinked smoothly through tunnels, over bridges, and across roads.
The journey was so lovely and the hospitality was superb. I instantly fell in love with train travel.
The Whistler Mountaineer takes about 3 hours to get up to Creekside but it’s the most relaxing and scenic trip you’ll make between Vancouver and Whistler. You can book round trips, take the train one way (and fly or drive back), and day trips are also possible, giving you a few hours in the village before returning home.
From the station in Whistler we were whisked away by motorcoach directly to our hotel where we checked in and went exploring (I’ll have a seperate post about our afternoon adventures). I’m looking forward to our trip back home tomorrow but in the meantime, you can check out all of my photos from the train on Flickr and John has some amazing shots in a set as well.
I am pleased to announce that Whistler Mountaineer would like one of my readers to experience this as well. They’re offering 2 round trip passes in the Glacier Dome car (where we rode today) valid at the end of this season or next year. If you would like to see all this for yourself simply leave a comment on this post or re-tweet this link including @miss604 and @rmountaineer.
Update: There was such a great response to this contest, I’d like to thank all 167 participants however I have just drawn one winner…. and that is Coach T.I.A. – congratulations!
