We’re bundling up with our coats and scarves as the local mountains continue to get sprinkled with fresh powder – winter is most definitely here this week! A popular family activity is to lace up the skates and enjoy an afternoon at the local ice rink (perhaps followed up with a cup or two of hot chocolate). The Vancouver Park Board has plenty of skating options over the holidays including a few rinks that are even open on Christmas Day.
Holiday Family Skating December 22-28, 2012
Sunset Rink: Open Saturday December 22nd from 2:00pm to 3:00pm for family skate and 3:15pm to 4:15pm for public skate. Open Sunday December 23rd for public skate from 2:00pm to 3:15pm and family skate from 4:30pm to 5:30pm. Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day. Open Thursday December 27th from 3:00pm to 4:15pm for Low Cost Skate. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The Commercial Drive Coffee Company popped onto my radar just a short time ago when they supplied the complimentary coffee at my London Drugs book signing event — and I’m very glad that they did. Roasted in East Vancouver, they have signature Vancouver-themed coffee styles that include:
- The Drive Espresso: “A smooth, low acidity, European style blend. Great to drink as a short or long espresso. It will leave a great taste in your mouth.”
- Grandview Medium Roast: “A medium roasted coffee blend with a smooth flavour that still carries a full bodied cup of coffee.”
- The Continental Medium Roast: “A medium roast coffee, with history. To support local business on the drive, CDCC partnered up with Continental Coffee for this particular blend. Continental Coffee has been on the drive for over 30 years at 1806 Commercial Drive and is an essential part of the drive’s coffee culture.”
- Park Drive Dark Roast: “A dark roast coffee blend full of body and flavour.”
Vancouver is one coffee-loving city so the Commercial Drive Coffee Company has offered to supply one lucky Miss604 reader with coffee for a year. They will be awarding 26 coupons that can each be redeemed for a bag of coffee at at London Drugs locations. That’s 2 bags of coffee a month! Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00am on Friday, December 21, 2012. Follow the Commercial Drive Coffee Company on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their roasts, where to buy, and what community event they’ll attend next.
Update The winner is Roberta! (comment December 17)
Nestled between the residential towers of the West End you can spot a few heritage houses that have endured for decades. Some converted to apartments or businesses, others preserved in time like Roedde House. One that sticks out, with no other heritage houses remaining in its immediate vicinity, is Abbott House at 720 Jervis Street between West Georgia and Alberni.
The rich built their homes on the bluff above Coal Harbour where Morton had built his cabin. West of Burrard, Hastings turned into Seaton Street, which was known as Blueblood Alley. But the bluebloods soon left for the West End, and then Shaughnessy. Only one Blueblood Alley mansion remains, Henry Abbott’s home at 720 Jervis. [Vancouver Sun]
1960 – West Georgia and Jervis. Archives item# Air P91.
Henry Braithwaite Abbott (same namesake as Abbott Street) had his house built in 1899. He was an executive with the CPR who was present in Craigellachie, BC when the last spike was hammered in to complete Canada’s first transcontinental railroad. He was also on the first train from Montreal to Port Moody with Lord Strathcona [source: Vancouver History].
The house (now painted “CPR Red”) has undergone transformations over the years, it was even the original home of the Elbow Room Cafe until 1996. If you do a search for its address you’ll find that it has apartments which are a part of the Residences on Georgia development.
Edible Canada on Granville Island combines a bistro with a retail store that is packed with the best permanent selection of local and artisan ingredients around.
If you’ve ever wondered what “Canadian Cuisine” entails, look no further than the Edible Canada bistro menu. Keira and I stopped in yesterday, enjoying individual french press coffees and two items from the brunch menu. I had the standard Edible Canada Breakfast (scrambled free range eggs, Sloping Hills pork & apple sausage, double smoked bacon, smoked tomatoes, crispy duck fat fried hashbrowns, fresh herbs – $12) and Keira couldn’t enough of her Wild Mushroom Benny (spinach, thyme, Sea to Sky mushroom salt, citrus hollandaise, salad – $13).
She hesitated asking about a gluten-free option but the server said they have gluten-free bread, which she was easily allowed to substitute. In fact about half of the menu is gluten-free, including options like Fiore Farms Ham and Eggs (house cured ham, two sunny side up free-range eggs, bacon hash, grilled green onions, pork jus – $15) and lunch items like the Roasted Winter Beet Salad (Okanagan pears, Agassiz hazelnuts, Happy Day’s goat cheese, orange shallot & thyme vinaigrette – $11/$16) or Yarrow Meadows Duck Poutine (shredded duck leg, cheese curds, duck fat frites, two sunny side up free-range eggs, Sea to Sky bacon salt – $16).
After our meal we exited through the retail shop, but not before spending a good 20 minutes picking out gift items and sampling some amazing bourbon barrel-aged syrup. The staff was friendly and helpful, naming the gentleman who carved hand-crafted wood bowls from Cowichan or explaining the origin of the local cranberry marmalade. I realized that many of the places I’ve visited over the last few years (in the Cowichan valley or on the Langley or Harrison/Agassiz Circle Farm Tour) had items for sale in the Edible Canada retail store. Venturi-Schulze balsamic vinegar, Cocoa Nymph chocolate bars, Vista D’Oro preserves, Earnest Ice Cream, Erin Ireland’s Banana Bread, and much more.
Pick out distinctly “British Columbia” ingredients for your own cooking and baking, or put together a gift basket with items like rose petal scone mix, lavender sea salt, and chocolate mint tea from Salt Spring Island. Top Products are listed online and you can search for jams, jellies, oils, vinegars, crackers, sauces, cereals, syrups, nuts, seafood, candy, and more.
Stop by Edible Canada on Granville Island at #212-1551 Johnston St (across from the Net Loft and kitty corner to the market). Follow them on Twitter and Facebook for more product information, special events, and promotions.
Christmas at Canada Place is in full swing with the Breakfast with Santa events this weekend and plenty of activity out on the promenade. I took a walk around Canada Place at dusk on Friday afternoon to check out all the the free fun for families.
The promenade activities run from 8:00am to 10:00pm daily and admission is by donation to Christmas at Canada Place’s cause, the Strathcona Community Centre’s Food Security for Children.
Stop by Christmas at Canada Place (and check out the Woodward’s Windows in various other locations) to enter to win a trip for two to Hawaii. Take a photo on-site and tag it with @CanadaPlace then post it to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for your chance to win. You can also enter by voting for your favourite Christmas tree along the promenade.
Follow Canada Place on Twitter and Facebook for event updates, more free activities, and information about their attractions.
