As I mentioned in that earlier post, Adesso is offering a special pre-TUTS dinner menu throughout August.

I used random.org to pick a winner: congratulations Linda DeRuiter–I hope you enjoy your night out with someone special!

On the theatrical scale, TUTS productions fall smack in the middle between low-budget, high-energy high school musicals and big-talent, big-ticket touring shows. Every show features a handful of pros and a whole bunch of keen (read unpaid) up-and-comers.

Vancouverites love ‘em as much for the open-air Stanley Park setting as for the hummable tunes and family-friendly themes. (The alternating show this season is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.)

I didn’t know if I could push the iconic Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds film version of the show to the edges of my brain long enough to let this production have its own time in the spotlight.

Director Shel Piercy didn’t make it easy. There were so many nods to the more-famous film cousin, some of which were surprisingly successful: Cosmo Brown’s (Neil Minor) backwards wall flip, for example, and Lina Lamont’s (Cailin Stadnyk) on-set bitchy ditziness.

But my toes were definitely tapping–especially during the second act when the razzle-dazzle song-and-dance numbers that are the TUTS hallmark came fast and furiously and the cast was just too busy to be nervous.

Give it a week to work the kinks out (the pacing was a little ragged last night and there were too many tech glitches, but the promise is there) and this would be a top pick for a bit of frothy family summer fun.

Show times and ticket info

Win a TUTS pre-theatre dinner for two at Adesso Bistro!

The charming Adesso Bistro on Haro Street, just a short stroll from Malkin Bowl, is offering a special pre-TUTS three-course menu for just $29.95 every day from 5 to 6:30 pm through August 21.

Just tell me your favourite Theatre Under the Stars memory–or why you want to make a new TUTS memory below.

I’ll do a random draw on July 22, 2010 at 8 pm for a pre-show dinner for two at Adesso. (You can use it any time until August 21.)

(Feel free to tweet this contest for a second entry–just use the ShareThis tool up there on the right…)

It was the perfect kick-off to summer: Shakespeare and Vancouver both at their sunny, sparkling best.

Vancouver’s little-Shakespeare-festival-that-could welcomed 90,000 people under the tents at Kits Point last year–up sharply from the 6,000 who came during the first season in 1990. This year there are two stages cycling four plays: the roster includes Much Ado, Antony and Cleopatra, Falstaff and Henry V in rep until the end of September.

There’s much to love about the Bard experience: the Chanel-and-tattoos audience mix; the waterfront setting; the enthusiasm of the many long-serving volunteers. And of course, the reliable quality of the productions themselves.

This festival sells out; get your tickets now.

Win a tickets-and-picnic package:

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy about would-be lovers who need a little help from their friends to find romance.

Leave a comment below explaining how winning two tickets to the Saturday, June 26th (8 pm) performance along with an Emelle’s picnic dinner would help you–or a needy friend–to create a little romance in your/their life.

I’ll do a random draw on Thursday, June 24th at 6 pm and notify the winner in a post here and also by email. Good luck!

Update: Congratulations to Amber whose entry read: “My Belly/Baby Buddy and her husband would love a night out away from the cute babe! Money is tight but their love is strong.” Watch your email for details of prize pick-up and thanks to all who entered!

Thanks to all who entered.

I’d be interested to hear more of your Dine Out Vancouver experiences here–any surprises? disappointments? don’t-misses? Please share!

So much that Tourism Vancouver knew better than to make the city choose between the 2010 Winter Olympics and that other world-class winter sporting event known as Dine Out Vancouver.

When the Games got in the way of Dine Out 2010–the latter usually rolls out in January–participating restaurateurs agreed to push the annual taste-o-rama ahead to the spring: Monday, April 26 to Thursday, May 6, in fact.

So get your dialling (or typing) finger ready and make your reservations early: this year a record-breaking 208 restaurants are offering special prix-fixe menus from $18 to $38.

And if you like to prepare good food as much as you like to eat it, take advantage of the new kind of foodie fun on offer this year. There are cooking classes, food demos–even walking tours for those who might be inclined to walk off a few extra pounds.

Win a $75 gift certificate

I’ve got a $75 gift certificate to Abigail’s Party, a tiny, perfect Kitsilano eatery offering a delicious $28 Dine Out menu. (Go for the steak-frites, stay for a “coffee and a smoke”–espresso panna cotta filled with brandied mascarpone creme and accompanied by a chocolate tuile ‘cigar’.)

To win, tell me which participating Dine Out restaurant you’re dying to try in 2010. (Good luck choosing just one!)

I’ll do a random draw from your comments on Thursday, April 29 at 8 pm. This contest is now closed.

Let’s face it: commuting sucks at the best of times, and commuting in Vancouver during next month’s 2010 Winter Games is going to…well, let’s just say it’ll give us all an opportunity to practice our Pranayama breathing techniques.

The folks at TransLink want to get the word out that you really need to “know before you go” if you’re going to enjoy the party.

There are tons of rumours circulating about which roads are closed, which buses are being re-routed, how much it will cost to travel and who rides free—but for hard facts, visit www.travelsmart2010.com and get informed before you hit the road.

To inspire you to leave the car behind, TransLink is offering two TheseBoots readers a limited edition 2010 souvenir transit pass good for six weeks of unlimited travel in all three zones between the start of the Games on Feb. 8 ‘til the end of the Paralympics on March 21.

To enter, just tell me why you want to win. I’ll do a random draw on Monday, February 1 at 8 pm.

Update Feb. 1: Congratulations to Dee Anderson and Jen Sandri who each win a 2010 Olympic transit pass! Hope you enjoy the Games ladies! Check your email–I need your mailing addresses…

I’ve been given a pair of tickets to give away to a TheseBoots reader. Just leave a comment below or tweet this contest (remember to include @theseboots so I see it) by 3 pm tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 8/2010. (The concert starts at 8 pm.)

I’ll do a random draw immediately and let you the winner know by e-mail. You’ll have to respond within an hour though or I’ll offer them to the next name on the list!

If you’re curious, here’s the program:

OESTERLE:  The Sparrow’s Ledger (CBC commission)
PROKOFIEV:  Classical Symphony
GILLILAND:  Kalla for tumpet and orchestra
TRUDEL:  New Work for trumpet and orchestra
BEETHOVEN/KUERTI:  Piano Concerto No. 0

Good luck! (And if you want to be sure to attend, you can always buy tickets!)

Update 3 pm: Thanks to all who posted a comment below and who tweeted this contest. I used random.org to pick the winner–congrats to Emily Carr University prof Peg Campbell who has one hour to confirm she will use the tix or I will pass them on to the runner-up…

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 about booze pits–one gin joint resembles a  ”museum of mismatched melamine tables,” another is like “a grinning, functional alcoholic buddy curling his sticky arms…around you at a party.”

There’s no breathless PR bumpf in these pages: just great advice about where to get a drink to match you mood. My favourite section, “Ambience: Best bars for…”, is a handy cheat-sheet of the Top 3 Vancouver bars for night-owls, music lovers, ex-pats, and more.

With the Winter Olympics just around the corner, this is another one for the guest-room bedside table (I also recommend Lee’s new Walking Vancouver).

Win a copy of Drinking Vancouver

Leave a comment below about your favourite Canadian watering hole. I’ll do a random draw on Sunday, January 3 at 8 pm PST for a copy of the book. Tweet this contest for a second entry!

Update, Jan. 4/2010: This contest is now closed. Congrats to Surrey, BC resident Chris Poon, drawn at random! Check your email so I know where to send the book…

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 appreciates a good walk almost as much as a good pint (and sometimes both together–see Chapter 8: Gastown Bars).

In this well-conceived $19.95 softcover, he covers plenty of Metro Vancouver ground from the North Shore to New Westminster and everything in between–including the contentious Downtown Eastside.

The maps and directions are clear and easy-to-follow, and for those who already know where they want to go, the index is comprehensive.

As a long-time Vancouverite with a penchant for pedestrian travel, I was delighted to find surprises in these pages: “back story” pullouts that explain the history of taken-for-granted landmarks and vistas, as well as wining, dining and shopping recommendations for each themed stroll.

If I was coming to the 2010 Olympics–or hosting guests–I’d definitely want to find a copy of this book in my Christmas stocking.

(And while you’re waiting: check out TravelSmart2010 for suggestions on how to get around during the Olympics…)

Win Walking Vancouver!

If you’d like a free copy of Walking Vancouver, just leave a comment below explaining why. The most convincing case made by Dec. 13 at 8 pm PST wins.

Tweet this contest (use @theseboots in your tweet) and you’ll get a second chance to win!

Update Dec. 14:

Well that was hard…everyone had such good reasons to want to nab a copy of this book! I decided to give it to someone from out-of-town so that left Paul from Belarus (!), Donna from Alberta, Vik from somewhere in the U.S., and A.R. from “away”. I used www.random.org to pull a random winner…and congrats to Donna Majeau from Edmonton, Alberta! Enjoy your walks! ]]> http://theseboots.travel/2009/12/12/win-a-copy-of-walking-vancouver-just-in-time-for-2010/feed/ 17 http://theseboots.travel/2009/12/03/ride-the-rose-carousel-at-victorias-butchart-gardens-this-christmas-for-free/ http://theseboots.travel/2009/12/03/ride-the-rose-carousel-at-victorias-butchart-gardens-this-christmas-for-free/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:04:28 +0000 Julie Ovenell-Carter http://theseboots.travel/?p=1506 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 been around when I was younger: my one and only childhood visit to the gardens–now a National Historic Site–is memorable only because I was so fantastically bored.

I vowed at age 11 I would never drag my own children through acres of roses and rhodos and call it an adventure. (Not that the gardens missed me–Butchart attracts more than a million visitors a year from all around the world.)

Clearly I wasn’t the only young person who felt this way. In the intervening years (and there have been many, I assure you) the gardens have become more kid-friendly, adding:

• a carousel (the only one on Vancouver Island);
• a children’s pavilion where families can host birthday parties;
• Family Discovery Walks;
• and weekly summertime fireworks.

Now, until January 6th, there’s nightly entertainment, outdoor skating, and plenty of holiday sparkle.

Oh, and some really nice plants.

How to enter:

Leave a comment below and tell me who you’d like to ride the Rose Carousel with. I’ll do a random draw on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009 at 8 pm PST. Good luck!

(And if Victoria’s not your neck of the woods, maybe you’d like to try for four tickets to the VanDusen Gardens Festival of Lights in Vancouver…enter before Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009)

Update, Dec. 10: Congratulations to Vancouver Island photographer Que Banh who had a 50-50 chance of winning this great prize! Enjoy!