But the highlight for everyone (especiallly the children) will be the stories told by Santa himself in his very own cozy living room, followed by special appearances by Christmas Elves or by the great Magician David Wilson.

flickr:keepitsurreal

The Festival of Lights will be running from December 5 until January 4 from 4:30pm til 9:30pm.

The VanDusen Botanical Garden will be closed Dec.25
Cost for addmission is adults $11; youth and seniors $8; children $6 or you can get a family ticket for $25.

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler

So, today was the great adventure day!  Up early to catch the first ferry to Sechelt BC, where we met up with the guys from Suncoast Diving.  With the boat all loaded up, we got on our way up the inlet to dive on the sunk destoyer HMCS CHAUDIERE.  The Chaudiere, was sunk back in 1992 as an artifical reef, and this day would prove to be the best day of diving I have had here on the coast.

We had tied up to the midship mooring line, and it was out intention to do some outstanding wreck penetrations…but much to our surprise, we spent the first 20 minutes of our dive right at the bottom of the line!  Crazy…but right there, at the bottom of the line, sat a Giant Pacific Octopus!! 
Normally this guy would have left us in inky blotch…not this time.  He or she stayed and played with us for almost 20 – 25 minutes!!  We lucked out, as in our group of 5 divers, there were 3 digital cameras, and one HD Digital Video camera…needless to say, this big guy was blinded with all the flashes going off!!

You divers out there, looking for a great day!!  Give Suncoast Diving a call…ask for Rob, and get out diving!! Visibility is currently greater then 100 foot!!

Ever been diving on the CHAUDIERE? got a good diving story?….stop by and let me know what you think of diving in BC…I would love to hear from you!!

Photo Credits:  From my Personal Collection.

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler

Chinatown and Gastown are two of Vancouver’s most facinating neighborhoods. Gastown has history and the kind of old-fashioned architecture that no longer exists in downtown or in the West End. Chinatown has street markets and the buzz of modern day Cantoneses commerce.
One small travel advisory, the two neighborhoods border on Vancouver’s Downtown East Side, a skid row area troubled by alcoholism and drug use. While there is actually little danger for outsiders, this tour route has be designed to avoid these areas.

Begin the tour at:

Canada Place – With its five tall Teflon sails and bow jutting out into Burrard Inlet, Canada Place is meant to resemble a giant sailing ship. Inside there is a giant hotel, giant cruise-ship terminal, and giant convention center. Around the perimeter there’s a promenade with plaques at regular intervals explaining the sights or providing historical info. During the summer months this area is jammed with tourists and passengers arriving and departing from Alaskan cruises; the rest of the year you’ll have it pretty much to yourself.

To follow the promenade, start by the fountain flying the flags of Canada’s provinces and territories and head north along the walkway. On the roof at the far end of the pier a pair of leaping bronze lions point up and out toward a pair of mountain peaks on the North Shore called the Lions . Continue around the promenade and you’ll turn and look back towards the city: The line of low-rise older buildings just beyond the railway tracks is Gastown.
To continue the tour, walk back toward shore along the promenade, go down the steps, turn left, and curve along the sidewalk until you pass the Aqua Riva restaurant. Then turn left and go up the steps to an elevated plaza.

You are now at:

Granville Square – Had some forward-looking politicians and developers had their way, all of Gastown and Chinatown would have been replaced by towers like the one you see here at 200 Granville. In 1970, the plans were drawn up and the bulldozers were set to move when a coalition of hippies, heritage lovers, and Chinatown merchants took to the barricades in revolt. This undistinguished building was the only one ever built, and the plan was abandoned soon afterwards.

At the east end of the plaza a doorway leads into:

Waterfront Station - 601 W. Cordova St. was converted into the SeaBus terminal in the 1970s (SkyTrain was added in 1986), the building was originally the CPR’s Vancouver passenger-rail terminal. Look up high on the walls and you’ll see oil paintings depicting scenes you might encounter if you took the train across Canada. On the main floor there’s a Starbucks and some tourist shops. This is also where you can catch the SeaBus over to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.

Leave by the front doors, turn left, and proceed to the cobblestoned Water Street, Gastown’s main thoroughfare. The Landing, at 375 Water St., is home to some high-end retail stores and offices.  As you walk along, note the Magasin Building at 322 Water St., each of the columns bears the bronze head of a Gastown notable, among them Ray Saunders, the man who designed the:

Steam Clock – A quirky urban timepiece, the Steam Clock at Water and Cambie streets gives a steamy rendition of the Westminster Chimes every 15 minutes, drawing its power from the city’s underground steam-heat system. A plaque on the base of the clock explains the mechanics of it all.

Continue down Water Street, past Hills Indian Crafts (165 Water St.), where Bill Clinton picked up a little bear statuette as a gift for you-know-who. At Abbot Street, cross over to the south side and continue on Water Street until you come to the Gaoler’s Mews building (12 Water St.). You can check your e-mails and have a coffee at the Internet Café or enjoy excellent beer and good food at the Irish Heather, 217 Carrall St., accessible either via its back solarium — facing onto the mews — or by going out through the far passageway onto Carrall Street. You have to go this way eventually in order to reach:

Maple Tree Square – A historic spot, Maple Tree Square is where Vancouver first began. The statue by the maple tree (not the original tree, but a replacement planted in the same spot) is of Gassy Jack Deighton, a riverboat captain and innkeeper who erected Vancouver’s first significant structure — a saloon — in 1867. Deighton got the nickname Gassy because of his ability to talk at length about whatever topic happened to spring to mind. In 1870, when the town was officially incorporated as Granville, it was home to exactly six businesses: a hotel, two stores, and three saloons. Most folks called it Gastown, after Jack.
Continue south on Carrall Street to W. Cordova, turn right, and walk 1 block to Abbot Street. Turn left and walk 2 blocks down Abbot, crossing W. Hastings Street and stopping at W. Pender Street, where you get a great view of the:

Sun Tower – At 500 Beatty St., it was the tallest building in the British Empire when it was built in 1911 to house the publishing empire of Louis D. Taylor, publisher of Vancouver World. Not only was the building tall, it was also slightly scandalous, thanks to the nine half-nude caryatids that gracefully support the cornice halfway up the building. Three years after the building opened, Louis D. was forced to sell it.

Cross W. Pender Street and continue on Abbot Street until you come to the entrance at 179 Keefer Place of:

…..to be continued

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler

Looking up at the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
The suspension bridge is the longest in North America and is located in North Vancouver.

photo credit – sxc.hu

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler

It is easy to spend the entire day here and there is something that will excite every member of your family, it is definitely worth the drive out there!

Visit their websit at Greater Vancouver Zoo , they have a fantastic website full of information and beautiful pictures!

image credit – sxc.hu

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler

The bans of the Little Campbell are a home of many shorebirds, kingfishers and eagles. This river is tidal influenced and the spawning grounds for a variety of species of salmon.

Experience Level required: Novice

For more information call 604.535.7985 or visit www.kayak.bc.ca

Photo Credit: sxc.hu

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler

1. Vancouver Aquarium – Much more to see and do then look at exotic fish
2. Science World – A definite must-see; an interactive museum for the whole family
3. Museum of Anthropology – West Coast Canadian history and Aboriginal art
4. Vancouver Art Gallery - Features displays and traveling exhibits from a wide range of Canadian and international artists
5. H.R. Macmillan Space Center – Explore your sense of wonder about the universe, our planet and space exploration
6. Vancouver Maritime Museum – History of Canada’s Pacific port with artifacts, models, paintings and photographs
7. Stanley Park – 1000 acres of beaches, trails and forest; one of Vancouver’s true historic landmarks
8. Capilano Suspension Bridge – One of Vancouver’s most popular fixtures in a beautiful setting
9. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden – An amazing, must-see garden patterned after a Ming-Dynasty Scholar
10. Granville Island – A wonderful waterfront public market with lots of family fun, entertainment, food and urban culture

photo credit - sxc.hu

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler

Photo credit -first image – sxc.hu
second image – sxc.hu

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler

Lonsdale Quay Market has an amazing fresh Market, beautiful boutique shops, and international cuisine to eat-in or take-out. There is something for all ages, even a play area for the kids and specialty kid’s only shops.

Hours of Operation:
Market Level:
Open Daily 09:30 am to 06:30 pm
Retail Level:
Open Daily 10:00 am to 08:00 pm
Restaurants open later.

Be sure to stop in and enjoy the fun!!

Photo Credits: (C) www.lonsdalequay.com

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler

It currently attracts more than 10-million people a year. You will find an amazing sprawling and colorful Public Market, the only one in Canada to win North America’s Great Markets Great Cities award.

Among the island’s other ediverse tenans are a celebrated West Coast art school, dozens of specialty shops and restaurants, theaters, art and craft galleries, and, of course, those friendly pubs. All of this is divided by artistic green spaces, and an unforgettable waterfront. There are also internationally recognized museums, a multitude of theme festivals, public workshops and special events that roll from one week into the next.

Whether a regular Vancouver visitor or a first-timer, being bored on Granville Island is simply not possible!

Post from: The Vancouver Traveler