The YWCA Women of Distinction Award nominees have been announced and I am pleased to present the full list of outstanding women that have been recognized. This year is the 30th anniversary of the awards and the fourth year that I have been proud to partner as Social Media Sponsor:
Safeco Field may not have the heritage cachet that accompanies names like Wrigley or Fenway but this all-American ballpark, that opened in 1999, is making its own history. Through advanced renovations and technology, its connection to the community, and forward-thinking attitude when it comes to food and beverage options, the Mariners are the main attraction but Safeco is definitely an enjoyable destination.
For our trip last weekend, Rebecca Hale from the Mariners front office gave us a quick ballpark tour ahead of the game against the Texas Rangers. We started out near the Third Base entrance and she pointed out a few areas and attractions of interest.
Safeco Field is home of The Baseball Museum of the Pacific Northwest and the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame. Both are located along the main level along the Third Base line behind sections 133-136. The Museum and Hall of Fame are free and open to all fans during every Mariners home game and feature activities for kids (like trying out Edgar Martinez’s bat or posing for an outfield catch). The Mariners franchise began in 1977 but there is plenty of baseball history in the Pacific Northwest that took place before that time, which is celebrated at Safeco. The Mariners Hall of Fame honours six inductees: Alvin Davis, Dave Niehaus, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson and Dan Wilson.
“Our goal was to create an environment that is fair to both hitters and pitchers. Considering the former field dimensions as well as the climate in and around Safeco Field, we feel this was accomplished with the new layout.” – Executive Vice President and GM Jack Zdureincik.
The biggest news in the offseason was about how Safeco was going to move in their outfield wall by about 4 feet.
The biggest change, according to press materials supplied by the Mariners, is from the left field power alley area to the straightaway center (the fence across the field from home plate) where the wall is as much as 17 feet closer to home plate. Now instead of jutting out quickly to 341 feet, the wall juts out to 337 feet.
Moving the fence out into the field has allowed the ballpark to provide even more general gathering spaces for fans. One thing we love about Safeco is that once you’re in, you can head to your seat or you can hang out along the concourse, in The Pen, at Edgar’s, or a number of other open areas with high top tables or bars.
Probably the most noticeable change, if you weren’t aware of the outfield fence move, is the giant — I mean massive — scoreboard screen. At 56.7′ x 201.5′ it’s now the largest HD video screen in all of Major League Baseball. To give a local comparison, the new screen at BC Place has two sideline panels that are 68′ x 38′.
Two words: Garlic. Fries. Even before I had ever been to a Mariners game I knew that Safeco was know for its unique food offerings that went above and beyond standard ballpark fare. Options include (but are not limited to) clam chowder, sushi, roasted turkey, crepes, tacos, pasta, wood-fired pizza, burgers, shakes, frozen yogurt, Thai, Northwest Mexican. There are several vegetarian items offered by vendors as well as gluten-free menu items from The Natural, Bao Choi Steamed Buns, and All American Vegetarian.
The Pen, now with expanded patio area thanks to the outfield wall being moved, is open 2.5 hours before the start of the game and it offers $5 beers up to an hour before first pitch. It’s right at field level, near the bullpens, and has a fire pit, unobstructed views of the ballpark, and four destination concession stands: Ethan Stowell’s Hamburg + Frites and La Crêperie authentic Parisian crepes, New Haven-style pizza at Apizza by Bill Pustari, Authentic Mexican Tortuga sandwiches at the Tortugas Voladoras, and Flying Turtle Cantina.
Edgar’s is a new restaurant lounge, open to all ticketed fans on game day. The view from the previous restaurant used to be through a small horizontal opening in the manual scoreboard. Now, the board has been moved down and the roof peeled off giving fans another patio experience and great views of the park. Edgar’s offers “Northwest Mexican” cuisine such as carne asada tacos, and Mexican tortas. Edgar Martinez’s own line of mezcal, Zac, is used in signature cocktails like the .312 (his batting average).
The beer selection at Safeco rivals that of brewpubs in Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland. You can get local crafts on tap, pour a big bottle of Elyisan IPA, and order some of the best Pacific Northwest brews around.
Mariners tickets start at just $11 (single game, bleacher seats) and options include main, club and view levels, Hit it Here Cafe seating, Terrace Club, and more. Ticket specials include family game night packages that include hot dogs and pop, college night specials, seniors discounts, and Guys & Girls Night Out.
When you’re heading down from Vancouver for the night, check with your hotel to see if they offer any Mariners game-day deals like the Hotel Vintage Park‘s Score on Parking.
Follow the Seattle Mariners on Twitter and Facebook for more game information and Safeco Field updates. Book your own Safeco tour (individual or group) for $10 per adult.
Mexican singer/songwriter Lila Downs will be in Vancouver this weekend, bringing her award-winning music to the Chan Centre for one show only. Her music combines traditional Mexican melodies with blues, jazz, and soul.
“Well-known for her lifetime of social activism, Downs works to maintain cultural identity, celebrating her indigenous Oaxacan heritage through song on her eleven albums. Her gorgeous new album, Pecados y Milagros (Sins and Miracles), which has won 2012 Latin Grammy and 2013 Grammy Awards, was heavily influenced by traditional Mexican votive paintings.
In turn, Downs was inspired to commission spectacular votive paintings for each track, which will be featured as projections throughout the concert. Based on the album, this unique performance will combine Downs’s sumptuous music and vocals with projected images of paintings from the exhibit, weaving together a powerful combination of sight and sound. The results are sure to be spellbinding.”
Where: Chan Centre, Chan Shun Concert Hall (6265 Crescent Road, UBC)
When: Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 7:00pm
Tickets: From $36 to $72, through Ticketmaster or by phone (604) 822-2697.
Downs and her band, La Misteriosa, have won accolades and a devoted following in North America and Mexico. Her body of work includes La Sandunga (1999), La Linea/Border (2001), the Latin Grammy-winning Una Sangre/One Blood (2004), La Cantina (2006) and Shake Away/Ojo de Culebra (2008) and her Sony Music debut, Pecados y Milagros (2011), which earned the singer both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.
If you would like to see Lila Downs perform at the Chan Centre on Sunday, I have a pair of tickets to give away. Here’s how you can enter to win:
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00am on Friday, April 19, 2013.
Update The winner is Thalia!
Built in 1905, the English Bay Pier helped form our city’s beachfront. The wooden structure jutted out into the water, near where the Sylvia Hotel (built in 1912) stands today, and was a popular hangout on sunny swimming days and during regattas.
1919 – Copyright Canada 1917 by F. Gowen. Archives item#: Be P113.
It seemed like a great idea and Vancouverites lined the beaches, piled on the slide that was once at the end of the structure, leapt into the crisp salty waters below for years, competed in swimming races from Jericho, and watched dazzling fireworks from its deck in the 1920’s. However after about a decade, it appeared to have lost its luster.
In my search for references and information I found a Letter to the Editor of the The Vancouver Sun, February 19, 1936 wherein the author expresses little fondness for the pier:
“I was exceedingly surprised to note in a recent issue that the West End Chamber of Commerce have expressed a desire to retain the English Bay Pier. It looks like a cheap industrial wharf landing, unsightly eye-sore, ruining the whole aspect of English Bay and the fine view of West Vancouver and the mountains. I should have thought every West End resident would have jumped for joy at the prospect of its removal, the quicker the better. It would improve the appearance of the Bay 50 percent to get rid of this conglomerated mess of rotten timber; painting it can add little to its appearance.
My suggestion to them is to reconsider the question and appeal to the Park Board to have it removed before the Jubilee celebrations start. It has already been there ten years too long. Clear it away and advocate to the pumping of clean sand from Spanish Banks to form a beautiful curved beach and English Bay will come back into its own. – WM Elgie Bland.
The English Bay Pier was indeed demolished in 1938, leaving room for a more natural waterfront, protected by the Seawall (that would could begin to take shape in 1914 and wasn’t fully completed until recent years).
2013 – Source: Apple Maps.
About 40 years after it was gone, some drummed up talk of installing another pier at English Bay. Another Letter to the Editor in The Vancouver Sun from May 12, 1981 suggested a pier would be a nice addition to English Bay, however the author had no prior knowledge of the old pier until they received a letter back from Vancouver Mayor Mike Harcourt. The idea floated around for years and according to another article in The Vancouver Sun from October 31, 1985 titled: “Deep Six Pier Plans: Residents”, it wasn’t a popular one:
“The old English Bay Pier may have been fine in its time, but West End residents want nothing to do with one now. Vancouver park board’s “excitement” over a proposal to build a pier at English Bay for the city’s 1986 centennial year was snuffed out at a public meeting Wednesday when area residents rejected the idea.”
1923 at English Bay. Photo by Hubert William Lovell. Archives# CVA 258-3.
1910 – Archives item# CVA 1376-80-: CVA 1376-80.54.
The English Bay Pier is one of those structures from early Vancouver that few seem to miss. It’s fun to look at old photos of Vancouver and see how locals enjoyed the outdoors, much like we do today, but I don’t see the shoreline of English Bay changing that drastically again, any time soon.
Our trips to Seattle are always different, always an adventure, and always packed with great food and fun. We take the Amtrak train down for day or we’ll book a hotel and have a full #2DaysinSeattle excursion.
We were heading to our first Mariners game of the season over at Safeco Field this past weekend and the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau made the suggestion that we get in touch with the Hotel Vintage Park, located on Spring and 5th Avenue. Having stayed in the area before and I was happy to learn that the Vintage Park was a Kimpton Hotel so we booked our stay, packed up our Mariners gear, and hit the road.
When we’re at a hotel we look for a few basics: WIFI, accessible outlets, and a comfortable bed. The Vintage Park had it all including complimentary morning coffee & tea service in the lobby, large flat-screen TVs, overstocked minibars and snack trays, and pet-friendly rooms.
Kimpton Hotels often have a theme (games, books, art, etc.) and the Vintage Park’s was wine. Rich purples and burgundies in the decor, the names of Washington wineries on room doors, and a nightly wine reception in the lobby. This boutique hotel is also home to Tulio, ranked one of the top Italian restaurants in the country by Travel + Leisure.
Luxurious comforts, friendly staff, enhanced amenities and services (in-room spa treatments, yoga), and a great location make the Vintage Park score a winning hit in our books. Although we drove down, we walked to brunch and back, although Spring is a pretty steep hill, and also walked down to the ballpark. Once you’re parked for your stay, you won’t need to budge.
There are several packages and deals offered by the Vintage Park and Seattle Kimptons (the Alexis, Monaco, and Vintage Park) have also launched a wider program that will last through October 31, 2013. Guests’ valet parking fee will depend on the outcome of the previous night’s Mariners game. Whatever their opponents’ score the night before, the guest pays for parking. For example 2 runs = $2 parking, or 0 runs = free parking. When you book your room, use the code SCORE to add on this valet parking deal and you’ll also receive two bottles of a Northwest craft beer and a bag of Tim’s Cascade (local) potato chips.
I first signed up for my Kimpton InTouch loyalty card (that allows us to get free WIFI in the rooms) back in 2009. WordCamp San Francisco was on the horizon when I first used Twitter to ask for hotel recommendations. A follower from Rhode Island replied to me and said to try looking @Kimpton Hotels. Within a few hours, Kimpton had replied to me asking if they could assist with my trip and we got a room booked shortly after that. They were doing social media for business (the right way) four years ago and instantly made me a returning customer.
To learn more about Kimpton Hotels in Seattle, and specially the Vintage Park, follow @KimptonSEA on Twitter with the tag #VintagePark for updates about this property.
