From the downy comfort of my king-size bed at Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn, I’m watching die-hard surfers brave the frigid Pacific and being reminded of some of life’s great lessons: take risks; trust; share what you know–and get back on the board when you fall down.
The view from my picture window over Chesterman Beach on the [...]
[This post originally appeared on Sept. 24/09, but since we're just a month out from the start of the 2010 Winter Games, I've brought it back...]
Just back from Whistler where a small group of international travel writers were this week treated to an impressive dog-and-pony about British Columbia’s upcoming Winter Olympics.
Let it be said that [...]
You know that New Year’s resolution–the one about never drinking again? No, John Lee doesn’t know that one either.
The Vancouver-based Lonely Planet author has just released Drinking Vancouver: 100+ Great Bars in the City and Beyond (Touchwood Editions; $19.95). Must have been hell to research.
Lee’s arch writing style is a good match for a book [...]
Just posted this news over at InsideVancouver.ca, but short story shorter: if you’re travelling through YVR (and it’s not pretty at the moment), the new Twitter stream from @YVRAirport might be a helpful resource for news and updates.
Are there other Canadian airports on Twitter? If you know, can you please add the ID in the [...]
Someone always asks when’s the best time to arrange a house swap, and the answer is: right now.
Even the workaholics among you are going to find it hard to put in an honest day’s labour for the next 72 hours, so in that idle time between unpacking your stocking and undoing your belt, I suggest [...]
Until I visited Haida Gwaii in the summer of 2007, I felt awkward and frankly a little pretentious using the aboriginal name for the remote archipelago off British Columbia’s northern coast.
I was more comfortable saying “Queen Charlotte Islands”–the name that had been printed on every grade school map I’d ever studied.
But last week, the Globe [...]
I saw Daenna Van Mulligen–aka The Wine Diva–in action during a champagne tasting at last month’s Cornucopia in Whistler, BC, and I can tell you that if this woman says you should put it in a glass and drink it, you should definitely pay attention.
‘Tis the season for gift bottles and this should make your [...]
Someone over at Heritage House Publishing deserves a bonus for releasing John Lee’s Walking Vancouver: 36 strolls to dynamic neighborhoods, hip hangouts, and spectacular waterfronts just as the city-by-the-sea prepares for the Olympics and its worst case of gridlock since the invention of the automobile.
Local boy Lee is an internationally published travel writer hailing from the UK. He [...]
I opened the mail this week to find a gift from Victoria, BC’s famous Butchart Gardens: admission for four to The Magic of Christmas display–including a ride on the Rose Carousel–anytime this Christmas.
So in the spirit of the season, I’m going to pass it along to one lucky TheseBoots reader.
I wish this magical event had [...]
By the time I discovered the Festival of Lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, BC, the ruts of my family’s holiday traditions were already deep and worn.
(My mother warned me early: “Be very careful what you do with little kids around the holidays. You only have to do something once for it instantly to [...]
