All posts tagged with: Hours

Wine enthusiasts rejoice! You no longer have to spend $500 to try a bottle of fine French wine in Vancouver. The Wine Bar (TWB), is now open and ready to  start serving guests fantastic wines by the bottle, by the glass, and by the ounce.

A wine preservation system allows TWB to offer a special wine selection to guests. Guests can choose anything off the reserve list and order it by the glass for 20 percent of the bottle price. Once the bottle is opened, the selection is available to everyone in quantities as little as one ounce. Wine connoisseurs can try amazing wines from around the world and have a different wine flight experience every visit to TWB, without having to invest in a full bottle of expensive wine. A special wine system keeps the wine preserves the precious liquid over a short period of time.

“The wine program is meant to be approachable while offering guests a range of products and prices to suit every taste and budget,” said TWB’s Sommelier, Rachelle Goudreau. “By-the-glass offerings start at $7 and bottles start at $30. To accommodate guests looking for something special and to utilize current inventory, a reserve list is available featuring a selection of wines, many of which are hard to find labels and rare vintages.”

In addition to the wine preservation system, wine is poured from the bottle and through a tap system. The on-tap wine is stored in special wine cannisters. Wine is carefully placed into the canister, sealed, and then pumped through to the tap, similar to a beer keg system.

“I am very excited to offer Montelvini Prosecco on tap,” says Ms. Goudreau. “Two of my local favourites, also on tap, are Joie’s Noble Blend and Road 13’s Honest John Red. For French there’s Louis Latour Chardonnay (Coteaux de lÀrdeche) and Les Brottiers Cotes du Rhone Rouge.”

While wine is the primary focus at the 30 seat TWB, they have also rolled out a complementary food menu to compliment the entire experience. Chef Quaglia’s Mediterranean and French inspired dishes pair well with the selection of over 50 wines.

“The Wine Bar is meant to be very casual,” says Chef Quaglia. “I have created a wine-friendly Bites Menu especially for The Wine Bar.”

Menu options range from $5 small bites to $18 big bites that can be shared. Specials will also be posted daily on their Facebook and Twitter feeds.

The interior is beautifully decorated with aqua blue glass tiles behind the wine bar, has comfortable bar and table seating, wonderful wine-glass inspired chandeliers, and picture-perfect views of False Creek.

TWB, next door to Provence Marinaside, is located at 1167 Marinaside Crescent along the False Creek Seawall and is open daily from 3:00pm to midnight.

Just 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver is the Capilano Suspension Bridge, an award-winning, destination attraction on the North Shore Mountains that gives visitors a true taste of the Pacific Northwest.

The original suspension bridge was built in 1889 and since then the bridge has seen millions of visitors cross over – well, not the original bridge which was made of hemp and cedar plans – it’s been modified and replaced with steel cable which is anchored in 13 tons of concrete on both sides of the canyon.

Recently the park opened up a new cantilevered and cable suspended bridge and walkway, anchored into the cliff wall, overlooking the Capilano River. The new Cliff Walk has special glass panels that allow visitors to look directly down at the canyon floor.

The park is filled with First Nations artwork, totem poles and the rich history of the Capilano area. The stories come to life through educational areas and special interactive zones located around the park.

On the west side of the canyon there is an entire overhead suspension bridge pathway through the treetops, taking visitors across some of the largest old-growth trees in the area.

There are free tours throughout the day. On the way out, stop by the gift shop for unique hand made Canadian gifts, snacks and souvenirs.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is located at 3735 Capilano Road in 
North Vancouver and is open 364 days per year (only closed on Christmas Day). Adults passes are $29.95, and BC residents can upgrade to a full year season pass for free with valid ID. The park is generally open from 9am – 5pm, but check their website because their hours change throughout the seasons.

Photo Credit: Raymon Wong

Best-known for her fresh-baked muffins and scones, Holli Wilson has brought her passion for baking to the new casual Truffles Café now open at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden.

“I love to bake,” Holli said. “I make everything from scratch and put a lot of love in it. Love is my favourite ingredient.”

Located in the new Living Building, the casual café was established after Nin Rai, owner of Truffles Fine Foods and L’Abbatoir Restaurant, successfully won the bid through an exhaustive RFP process.

The café features floor to ceiling windows that overlook the Woodland Garden and Livingstone Lake. Seating ranges from small tables and chairs to comfy lounge chairs and a couch – providing a casual and relaxing ambiance. It is also the only location at VanDusen Garden with WiFi access.

The casual dining café will include fare made from fresh, local ingredients. Breakfast will include croissants, parfaits and burritos. For lunch there will be a hot item feature, two soups, salads, sandwiches, fruit salads and desserts. The affordable price menu has most items at $5 or less, with the most expensive item coming in at only $8.

Once spring comes around, this April, Truffles will offer Afternoon Tea, with traditional savoury sandwiches, sweet treat and black and organic teas. There will also be picnic baskets to take out into the garden this summer.

Truffles Café is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm in the new Visitor Centre at VanDusen Botanical Garden, located at 5151 Oak Street between W 33Avenue and W 37 Avenue in Vancouver, BC.

Christmas is a magical time, and every night from 5:00pm – 9:00pm, the North Shore’s historic Capilano suspension bridge comes alive with thousands of twinkling lights from now until January 2, 2012. It’s called Canyon Lights, and the entire park has been lit-up to celebrate.

A popular family tradition in metro Vancouver, Canyon Lights is about bringing families together to celebrate the Christmas season. There is gingerbread cookie decorating, caroling, glass ornament blowing and even reindeer games!

The majority of the park is open for the evening event including the Tree Tops suspension bridges, the Cliff Walk and trails long the ponds.

To keep you warm there are gas heaters located throughout the park and plenty of concession stands to get hot chocolate.

Admission is $25 for adults and $5 for children 6-16. Proceeds from Canyon Lights will go to the BC Professional Firefighters. Burn Fund.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is located at 3735 Capilano Road in North Vancouver.

Enjoy the magic of the holidays! From now until January 2, 2012, the Vancouver Park Board and British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund welcome guests to come and experience the 14^th annual Bright Nights in Stanley Park.

The Plaza area of Stanley Park has been completely transformed with two million twinkling lights, animated displays, holiday theme characters, music and carolers.

There is hot chocolate, popcorn and roasted chestnuts. Admission to the Plaza is by donation to the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.

The miniature train in Stanley Park is also in full holiday operation. Tickets for the train are available in advance online or at the ticket booth in the train Plaza in Stanley Park.

All donations and proceeds from the miniature train ticket sales go to the Burn Fund, helping burn survivors and their families. To date, Bright Nights has raised over $1.5 million for the Burn Fund.

Hours:

• Sunday – Thursday, 3:00pm – 10:00pm
• Friday – Saturday, 3:00pm – 11:00pm
• (Closed Christmas Day)

The most romantic date night in Vancouver this holiday season is at the VanDusen Botanical Gardens. Every night from now until January 2, 2012 (excluding Christmas Day), the VanDusen Botanical Gardens will be open from 4:30pm – 9:00pm for the annual Festival of Lights.

The highlight event at the gardens are the Dancing Lights on Livingstone Lake. There are two different shows that play every half-hour starting at 4:30pm – one at the top of the hour, and the second on the half-hour, repeating in sequence throughout the evening. The magical light show dazzles the imagination.

Throughout the park there are displaying including the Gingerbread Woods, Golden Chain Walk, Make-a-Wish Shrine, Candy Cane Lane and the Sparkling Spruce in the Centre Court.

There are community choir concerts and hot food and beverages. Santa even makes appearances every hour from 5:30pm – 8:30pm in Santa’s Living Room.

Tickets are $13.50 for adults (19-64). It’s best to arrive early, especially on weekends, to avoid the long line-ups.

Tucked inside the River Market along the shores of the Fraser River in New Westminster, BC, is Crepes Des Amis, a sweet and savoury crepe café.

Each day, fresh whole-wheat crepe batter is made from a selection of quality ingredients. The fresh, made-to-order crepes are served hot and come in a variety of traditional Canadian and European varieties. There are even Asian inspired crepes on the menu!

Crepe Des Amis also serves frozen yogurt and tofulati (lactose free), organic coffee, and an assortment of other beverages.

Getting to Crepe Des Amis is easy on SkyTrain; it’s just a few minutes walk from the New Westminster station. They are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am – 6pm.

Overall Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)

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Every Saturday from early April until the end of October, 140 vendors set-up in Centennial Park just off Ganges Harbour for the Salt Spring Island Saturday Market.

The market is open from 8:30am until 4:30pm and includes everything from fresh, organic grown vegetables to hand made jewelry. The market organizers are very particular to ensure only items that are handmade or grown on the island by the vendors, are sold at the market.

Luckily this mantra isn’t an issue for the vendors because Salt Spring Island is renowned for producing locally grown organic fruits, meats and vegetables. Salt Spring Island is also the home to many sculptures, painters, carvers, jewelers and potters, providing a wide variety of hand-made, one-of-a-kind original art pieces.

A great tip from the locals: arrive early, but before you go, hit up Salt Spring Island Coffee for the best coffee on the island!

On November 23, 2005, Georgia Aquarium officially opened its doors to the public. As the world’s largest aquarium, Georgia Aquarium features more animals than any other aquarium in more than eight million gallons of water.

In 2003, Bernie Marcus co-founder of Home Depot (founded in Atlanta Georgia), donated $250 million to the Georgia Aquarium, as his way to give back to the community. This generous donation allowed the aquarium to open it’s doors as a state-of-the-art facility, to the public debt-free.

Georgia Aquarium has attracted more than eleven million visitors and employs more than 400 employees and a dedicated core of more than 2,000 volunteers.

There are six major exhibits to explore:

1. Ocean Voyager: Whale sharks and manta rays, The world’s largest aquarium exhibit with 6.3 million gallons of water, and the largest viewing window in North America.
2. Cold Water Quest: Beluga whales give you a glimpse of the variety of life found in cold ocean waters. Penguins, southern sea otters and touch pools.
3. River Scout: A wide diversity of animals from in the rivers of Africa, South America, Asia and Georgia. Piranha, Asian small-clawed otters and American alligators.
4. Tropical Diver: Living corals and thousands of colorful reef fish.
5. Georgia Explorer: Interactive gallery, loggerhead sea turtle, lionfish and several touchpools.
6. Dolphin Tales: A larger-than-life performance incorporating the talents of the Aquarium’s dolphins.

The Georgia Aquarium is open 365 days a year. For full schedule and ticket information visit their website: www.georgiaaquarium.org

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