"2016" Tagged Posts |
Image from Vancouver Park Board
Biking and walking across the Lions Gate Bridge just got a whole lot easier.
This week, crews officially finished work on new $7-million cycling and pedestrian lanes along the Stanley Park Causeway, which leads through the park and to the bridge. The lanes give bikers and pedestrians significantly more space to navigate the busy 2.2-kilometre-long causeway. Continue reading:
New Stanley Park Bike and Pedestrian Lanes Officially Completed
Photo credit: Geoffery Kehrig | Flickr
Ready to wear your plaid with pride?
The largest festival of French Canadian culture on the West Coast is coming to Metro Vancouver, March 4-March 6. Festival du Bois rolls into the city of Coquitlam with a full weekend of live music from the heart of Quebec, traditional cuisine (including maple sugar pie) and plenty of Québécois cheer.
The setting for all this French Canadian-inspired fun is Mackin Park in the historic community of Maillardville. In the early 1900s, Maillardville was an ordinary lumber-mill town on the Fraser River. But in a bid to boost the local workforce, managers began recruiting French Canadian labourers from Quebec. Hundreds eventually ended up settling in the area, which became the largest Francophone centre west of Manitoba. Even today, the community stands out with its French street names, Francophone education system and even French-language Girl Guides and Boy Scouts. Continue reading:
Got Plaid? Western Canada’s Biggest French Canadian Fest Comes to Metro Vancouver, March 4-6
Photo credit: Paul Krueger | Flickr
Bike sharing is at long last coming to Vancouver.
By June 15, 1,000 sharable bikes should be ready to roll on city streets, with 500 more to potentially follow by end of summer. And commuters looking for a cheap and convenient two-wheeled way to zip across town will finally have an option.
It’s all part of a five-year, $5 million agreement just signed by the city with CycleHop Corp., which operates bike share programs in more than a dozen cities around the world. The snazzy new bikes, supplied by bicycle vendor Smoove, come with a seven-gear grip shift, oversized storage basket and front and rear lights. They’re also equipped with a “control box” on the handlebars, which will enable riders to pay with smart cards or even their phones, in addition to paying at standard terminals. Helmets will also be provided.
So how much do they cost? Continue reading:
Bike Sharing Coming to Vancouver this Summer (for real, this time)
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (SmashUp), 2016 site-specific installation at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Photo: Rachel Topham, Vancouver Art Gallery
When an exhibition includes everything from masterpieces by Pablo Picasso to masterpieces by Quentin Tarantino, it’s got to be big.
The Vancouver Art Gallery has officially opened its biggest exhibition ever, MashUp: The Birth of Modern Culture. Featuring nearly 400 works of art by 156 different artists and filling all four floors of the gallery, the exhibition is a whirlwind tour of some of the most innovative, envelope-pushing “mashup” art from the early 1900s to today.
Just what is a mashup? In this case, it’s used to describe works of art that somehow incorporate found materials from everyday life or even other works of art. Some of the earliest examples can be traced to the early 20th century. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque pioneered a new technique of integrating pieces of wallpaper, newspapers and other materials right into their paintings and sculptures. Continue reading:
Biggest Exhibition Ever at Vancouver Art Gallery Opens: MashUp
Photo from Vancouver International Wine Festival
Wine lovers in Vancouver have good reason to raise a glass this week.
The Vancouver International Wine Festival, one of the biggest events of its kind in North America, returns to the city Feb. 20-March 1. The eight-day blowout is much, much more than a simple wine tasting. More than 50 wine-fueled events are scheduled at venues across the city, from wine-paired dinners, lunches and brunches at top hotels and restaurants to special wine seminars and a series of giant tasting for 25,000 oenophiles.
This year, more than 150 wineries from 14 countries will be pouring up their finest reserves. The theme country for the 2016 festival is Italy, meaning fans of Italian wines are in for a special treat. A total of 60 Italian wineries representing nine different regions – from Tuscany to Piedmont – are on hand. There will also be a range of brand new wineries at the festival, including some viticultural pioneers from Kamloops and New Mexico. Continue reading:
Thirsty? Try 1450 of the world’s top wines this week at the Vancouver International Wine Fest
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Photo credit: Kenny Louie | Wikipedia
In the middle of a rainy February, English Bay may not be one of Vancouver’s biggest attractions. In fact, this time of year, you’re likely to find more seagulls than sun worshippers hanging out on the beach.
But that hasn’t stopped the strip of sand from earning a spot on a new list of the 50 best beaches in the world. According to the UK’s The Guardian newspaper, English Bay is the 47th best beach on the planet. It’s sandwiched between Rio de Janeiro’s Arpoador Beach and Durban, South Africa (not bad company!).
Here’s what the writers at The Guardian had to say: “By day, English Beach Bay sands are a mecca for families and volleyball players, but it really comes into its own at dusk. It’s then that Vancouverites stroll in to sit on the huge blanched logs that wash up here and gaze out at the sunsets, glass or guitar in hand. West End’s coffee shops and the iconic Stanley Park are within easy reach, and it’s a prime spot for watching the fireworks on Canada Day (1 July).” Continue reading:
Vancouver’s English Bay Named One of World’s Top 50 Beaches
Photo credit: IQRemix | Flickr
If you didn’t get your fill of slipping and sliding last summer, you’re in luck. It looks like North Vancouver is bringing back Slide the City – with its 1,000-foot-long water slide – for another run in 2016.
The mammoth slide made its area debut last August during North Vancouver’s Car Free Day, an annual event that closes main drag Lonsdale Avenue to traffic. The slip-and-slide-like structure stretched three full blocks down the steeply inclined roadway, from Victoria Park to Fourth Street.
Around 25,000 thrill seekers came out to ride the monster slide during its one-day appearance. But many more were turned away: Tickets sold out in less than two weeks, leaving hordes of wannabe sliders disappointed. Continue reading:
1000-foot Waterslide Returning to North Vancouver for 2 Days in 2016
