 |
The Insider's Guide to Travel, Food and Wine
The official travel magazine of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, Global Writes provides an ever-expanding library of illustrated trip reviews by professional travel journalists with advice on the best vacation ideas and itineraries, plus tips and recommendations on global destinations, hotels, B & B's, cruises, restaurants, food, wine and more. To plan your next adventure -- or just dream about one -- become an insider through the travel experiences of IFWTWA members worldwide.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
Canada
1 to 1 of 1
|
The formal Queen Elizabeth Garden bursts with spectacular seasonal color all year.
Granville Island's Public Market offers everything you need for an impromptu picnic. Ask at Oyama Sausage Company for their cognac- cured salami to pair with a bottle of Okanagan Quails' Estate Wine, a crusty baguette, pickled artichokes and brie all from the market.
|
|
Vancouver, B.C. Before the Ship Sails
by Michelle Winner
As the mercury climbs, the smart money heads to cooler climes; many to cruise the icy waterways of Alaska. More than one million passengers embark on cruises each year from Vancouver, British Columbia; this sparkling city is one of "cruising Alaska's" most popular gateways. When making your arrangements with one of the ten plus cruise lines that call at Vancouver's cruise ship terminal Canada Place, why not book some extra time to explore this vital city before the crush of the Winter Olympics in 2010?
A feathered friend enjoys the view of Vancouver from rocky False Creek shore at Granville island.
In Vancouver you'll find distinct neighborhoods, unique architecture and ethnic diversity. The juxtaposition of this city of glass punctuated by mountains and surrounded by cosmic blue water make for an alluring cosmopolitan treasure hunt. For a true Vancouver experience I recommend you spend at least four days; two before your ship sails and two after you dock.
Establish a home base for your exploration in a truly great hotel. After being pampered aboard ship it's hard to let go; my choice is The Four Seasons on Georgia St. a hotel with that "ahhh" factor to keep you going. Rising up to the expansive second floor lobby on the escalator, you can feel the rush of the outside world slip away. According to Kostas Christopoulos, Director of Marketing, "No one can match our service in the city; our goal is to exceed expectations." Indeed, gracious service and fabulous food are their cornerstones. Book a corner suite on a high floor for a view of Burrard Inlet and watch the phenomena of mammoth cruise ships sailing between the buildings. At night the city lights twinkle and dance just outside your panoramic glass windows in a dazzling display, the promise of Vancouver right at your feet.
If you want to cross Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver for a half-day trip, your concierge can make arrangements for you to see both the expansive view of Greater Vancouver in a Grouse Mountain gondola and to clutch your way across the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge. Ask about the best times to avoid the crowds. Or you can set out on your own and hop a 13 minute ride on a SeaBus across Burrard Inlet from Waterfront Station over to Lonsdale Quay, and from there you can catch a Translink public transit going up steep Capilano Road. Visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge over the Capilano River making sure to visit the first growth forest and the interpretive center too. Further up Capilano Road you board the Skyride to the top of Grouse Mountain. In just eight minutes flat and at 4,100 feet, it's quite a knockout view.
Back at your hotel it's either time for a cup of tea or a drink. If you like afternoon tea, The Sutton Place Hotel's Fleuri Restaurant on Burrard Street hosts a "veddy veddy" proper tea replete with tiered goodie trays, scones with Devonshire Cream and Earl Grey perfuming your cup that will get you back on your feet.
If you are leaning more towards the later category, Vancouver is "the place" for a smart cocktail and more specifically a fabulous martini. The Bacchus Lounge in the Wedgewood Hotel on Hornby has an old- world feel and a great martini. Get there early for a fashionable seat at cocktail hour. You say you'd like a cigarette with your drink? You have limited options in this "smoke free" city. But the best one with both a terrific martini and a guilt-free smoking patio is very casual too. The Keg, located on Dunsmuir at Hornby also makes some good nibbles to go with. Ask for the inside-out sushi roll--yummy. Earls Restaurants, scattered all over Vancouver, attract trendy-somethings and those wishing they were. Earls on Hornby boasts a lively cocktail scene with good appetizers, and some of their entrees, especially the halibut, are definitely worth trying for an early dinner.
The locals' favorite place to watch a sunset with that drink, The Sequoia Grill at the Teahouse in Stanley Park is romantic beyond all reckoning. Or try the Cascades Lounge at the Pan Pacific Hotel where in the summer you can enjoy a table on the terrace with it's bird's eye view of Stanley Park.
Plan to spend some time at Granville Island via Yaletown. Stroll down Granville Street and wander east at Nelson to trendsetting Yaletown roughly bounded by Nelson, Homer, Drake and Pacific streets. Yaletown is a swanky success story of reformed rail yards, converted warehousing and rejuvenated roughhouses; a far cry from it's sleek modern, silhouette. Stop at Vancouver Cigar Company on Hamilton for some Cubans or marvel at the gaggle of gadgets and endless display of delicacies at the foodie paradise that is Urban Fare at Davie and Pacific streets.
Granville Island is a collection of converted warehouses housing artist studios, galleries, a brewery, a museum or two, restaurants, theatre companies and a remarkable Public Market. In the Public Market among the pastries, candy, meats, cheese, produce and all things deliciously Canadian; locate Mr. Lui at Art Forest Gifts Co. and have a name carved in Chinese on a stone stamp with your choice of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals or a dragon at the top.
Getting hungry? Plan to create the perfect luncheon picnic as the locals do. Stop at Tenderland Meats and have them slice you some cognac cured salami. Wander down the aisle to Oyama Sausage Co. and ask Jerome Dudicourt what kind of Canadian wine will go with the cheese he selects for you. He may cut a fat wedge of French Camembert and recommended anything white from the Okanagan Valley's Gray Monk, Quail's Gate, Mission Hill or Burrowing Owl for you. Across the courtyard, La Baguette et L'Echalote has your crispy baguette and bakes them fresh all day. A shaved fennel and celery salad and some lightly pickled artichoke hearts later you can sit outdoors and watch the colorful Aquabuses buzz from one side of False Creek to the other.
Perhaps you've heard about Robson St. as being the "Rodeo Drive of the North" and with the latest addition of Hermes to the area near the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver on Burrard, you will indeed enjoy first-class shopping. But with all that Vancouver has to offer you may want to shop for specifics. Two favorite stops for antique precious jewelry are Henry Birks and Sons Inc. on West Hastings for some truly unique heirloom pieces and the estate jewelry counter on the third floor of Hudsons Bay Department Store or "The Bay" as locals call it, on Granville Street. Kathy de St. Remy holds court there and explains that Lady Susan Erling-Tyrell proprietress of this consignment paradise " was trained at Sotheby's." Treasures from mid-century like an ornate peridot, pearl and gold pin and earring set are shown alongside Victorian and Edwardian enameled raiment. Kathy says that there was even "a fabulous old English tea set snapped up recently by a man from Miami." Keep an eye out for treasure!
Love gardens? Vancouver is a city of contrasting gardens. Of course Stanley Park's 1000 acres of rainforest in the city could be called a massive garden that also includes a rose garden, a lake, a lagoon and an aquarium. VanDusen Botanical Gardens include formal gardens and a delightful maze of 3,000 cedars. A seventy acre research garden which is actually five gardens with themes from BC Native Garden, Asian, a 16th century monastic Herb Garden, an Alpine Garden and an efficient Food Garden is located at the University of British Columbia. Serene and world famous Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden with its soothing jade-colored waterways rises as a Phoenix right out of the heart of the third largest Chinatown in North America.
My favorite--and apparently that of six million other visitors a year--is the Bloedel Floral Conservatory and Queen Elizabeth Park. Located on Vancouver's Little Mountain, it boasts a spectacular view of the city and a triodetic domed conservatory filled with exotic plants and birds. Visit with Rosie, the grey parrot with personality, or beautiful Charlie the salmon colored cockatoo.
Still want to paint the town? Vancouver boasts a lively entertainment scene including theatre, symphony, jazz and live shows.
www.ticketstonight.ca
www.straight.com
www.tourismvancouver.com
© by Michelle Winner, 2007
|
|
Canada
|
|
1 to 1 of 1 |
|
|
|
| | | | | | |  |
