#326: Tojo's ang Granville Island (pg 755); Vancouver's Top Restaurants and Granville Island Public Market (2nd Ed pg 917)

 

Half the fun of Granville island is getting there..... by ferry!

My two younger girls posed on the ferry in their lax jerseys to support their respective teams which were both competing in big tournaments without them back home.  

Going from Point A to Point B with no traffic and views like this?  Yes, please!

We made it!

Let's go inside and check it out!

Roaming the stalls and absorbing the color, the options, the smells and the variety!

Lots and lots of variety! 🤣

Fresh fruit galore!  🍒

Time to sample the goods...

Gorgeous weather with tummies filled with delicious food.  That's my kind of day!

Verdict: I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Granville Island.  I enjoyed getting there, I enjoyed exploring all the options, I enjoyed eating the goods, etc.  And it's definitely something I would recommend to those going to visit Vancouver, especially during the Spring and Summer and early Fall.  But it's not necessarily something you need to do before you die.  

#325: Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

 

June 23, 2023

There was a massive influx of Chinese into Vancouver in the 1980's and 1990's when many left Hong Kong due to fear of mainland China taking over.  Vancouver's Chinatown was born and became the third largest Asian enclave outside the Orient (only SF and NYC's Chinatowns are bigger).  

 Built in 1985, it is the first full-scale classical Chinese garden ever built outside of China.

Exploring the peaceful grounds

The pagoda, with roof tiles imported directly from China.  

Cost:  $12 CAD Oct - April, $14 CAD May - September

There are discounts for kids, students and families.  I paid $33.50 (American $) for our family of 6 to enter. 

Verdict: No.  I'm not quite sure how this made it into the book.  It was nice and peaceful and a welcome respite of the drug and homelessness problem currently rampant in Vancouver, but within an hour of enjoying the peace and tranquility, our four kids were ready to move on.  I thought it was lovely, but not only could I have died without seeing it, I don't even think it's a "must do" while in Vancouver.  We visited Capilano Suspension bridge park and Grouse Mountain, neither of which are in the book and both of which were a lot more scenic and exciting and fun and view-filled than this.  

#313: Four Seasons (pg 766)

 

July 25, 2022

From the outside looking up, this blends in with the city as it looks like "just another skyscraper."  

But then you notice that the other skyscrapers don't have gorgeous fountains in their round courtyard, fancy SUV's with tinted windows waiting in their circular driveway and doormen waiting to greet you as you enter.

The lobby.

A view of the city and outdoor courtyard from the ballroom area. 

Cost: Rooms vary, of course, depending on time of year, size of room, etc.  But on average, you can expect to pay ~$1000 CAD (currently $1CAD = 0.75USD, so this would be $750USD)/night.  The book mentions it's main restaurant Truffles as a "must dine" but that restaurant is no longer there.  You now have three options: DIBAR, Diazur and Cafe Boulud.  Entrees average ~$50CAD and desserts average ~$15CAD.

Verdict: The Four Seasons currently has 124 resort properties throughout the world.  And I understand why this one is in the book in the sense that Four Seasons is based out of Toronto, so this is considered their "flagship."  I think everyone should spend at least one night in a luxury hotel and I've been lucky enough to stay in a few: Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, Ritz Carlton in both Chicago and Cleveland, Park Hyatt in Paris and a few more.  But I don't think it has to be this one.  If you have the money to stay here while in Toronto, go for it.  You'll be pampered, waited on, eat well and sleep well.  But it's not a must do before you die. 

#312: Art Gallery of Ontario (pg 763; 2nd Ed "Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum" pg 932)

 

Monday, July 25, 2022

Excited to go check out the AGO!

But wait.... why won't the door open?  If you zoom into the pic and see the hours listed, you'll notice this museum is open six days a week and happens to be closed on, you guessed it, Mondays!! Ugh!  Of all the rotten luck.  Shame on me for not researching that better ahead of time, but seriously - why close on every Monday if you're a world class museum and have lots of people that want to check you out on Mondays!  Sigh....  So, I did the best I could.  They have some outwork outside the museum that we looked at and I peaked in all the glass windows all the way around and looked on their website to do a virtual tour while I was waiting outside.  While I was lamenting my rotten luck, this guy walked by (who had attempted to walk into the museum, only to see it was closed) and said "I've lived in Toronto all my life and had no idea the AGO was closed on Mondays!"  He suggested we check out the nearby park that also housed some outdoor sculptures/art pieces.

So, we did!  Here are my two daughters at Grange Park on Henry Moore's "Large Two Forms." Henry Moore donated more than 800 of his works to the AGO, which now holds the largest collection of his art.

Cost:  $25 for adults over the age of 25.  All those under 25 are free!

Verdict: Okay so I'll admit, I did't get the full experience (I'll get it again in the future since I still have to come back to Toronto for the International Film Festival!) but I'm convinced it wouldn't change my verdict.  It's not a must do before you die.  The architecture of the building itself is really a sight to behold.  It was designed by Toronto native Frank Gehry who also designed the Guggenheim Museum Bilbau.  And it's known as one of the finest museums on the North American continent, so if you're an art buff, then this should be on your list.  Just make sure you go on a Tuesday - Sunday 😉🎨

#271: Banff, Jasper, and Yoho National Parks, pg 747 (2nd Ed, pg 911)

We arrived in Banff National Park on Aug 7, 2019.  We got up early (5:30am) the next morning as advised in order to find parking at Lake Louise and Lake Moraine.  We were out the door by 6am and pulled up to the parking lot at 6:50am..... only to be turned away because the lot was already full!  So, they told us to go to the overflow parking and catch a shuttle.  They only have one shuttle (school bus) scheduled to leave every 30 minutes and you have to buy tickets for these shuttles ($4/adults, $2/children or Senior).  And you have to wait in a long line to get these tickets (there is no way that I know of to get these online or ahead of time).  They sold out of the 7:30 tickets while we were in line, so we had to get tix for the 8:00 shuttle.  Kind of a pain to get there by 6:50am, but not be able to leave until 8am and not get to the lake until 8:15 or so, a full hour and a half after we originally pulled up.

HOWEVER...... once we arrived at Lake Louise, we quickly forgot all about that and fell in love with the scenery.  We set eyes on the Fairmont and decided to check  it out!

Our tummies were rumbling from our early morning wake up call, so we decided to treat ourselves to breakfast in the Fairmont.  YUM!!  We did the breakfast buffet ($34/adult Canadian; half price for kids) and we all loved it!

With full tummies, we walked out of the Fairmont and decided to check out the Lake!

Isn't she lovely?

After enjoying breakfast and walking as far around the lake as we could (the path goes about half way around the lake and then you have to turn around since it does not go around the entire lake), we caught the 12:00 shuttle ($6/adult, $3/child or seniors) to Moraine Lake.

And OMG...... we thought Lake Louise was a sight to behold, but just when you didn't think a lake could be a prettier or deeper blue, you see Lake Moraine and realize it most definitely can!

As soon as the shuttle drops you off, you can climb a short hike to this viewing spot.  We spent quite a bit of time here enjoying the view and taking pictures. 

And then a few of us walked as far around the lake as we could (similar to Lake Louise, the path goes around about half the lake and then you need to turn around), which brought us to the source of the lake.  You could see the glacier flow into the lake.  It was very cool.

The following day, we headed to Johnston Canyon.

We hiked to the Lower Falls (word to the wise.... this view inside the cave..... is NOT worth the wait. If the line leading up to the cave is the length of half the bridge or less, it's probably worth the wait.  But if it's any longer than that, it's not.  The line for us ran the entire length of the bridge and wrapped around the corner.  We waited, because everyone else seemed to be waiting and we assumed the view must be incredible.  It was kind of cool to walk through the cave and get up close and personal with the waterfall, but it was NOT worth a 40 minute wait, which is what it ended up being.

Waiting in line on the bridge to see the "in the cave" view of the Lower Falls.

From there, we headed to the Upper Falls.

The R/T hike to/from the Upper Falls is a little over 2 hours. 

That afternoon, we headed downtown Banff to explore the Banff Fairmont.  It was beautiful.  We spent about an hour exploring this beautiful property and definitely worth the time!

Cost:  Parking is $11/hour (Canadian)

Verdict:  I debated this but I'm going to go with YES!  The reason I'm going with YES is because I absolutely loved this entire area. I loved the hikes, loved the lakes, loved the scenery.  Why the internal debate then?  Because it was crowded and expensive.  And it was hard to not have those two things take away from the experience.  It seemed that unless you got up at 5am and hit the road to your destination, you were too late.  The first night we were there, we tried to find a place to eat at 3pm (too late for lunch and too early for dinner, right?  Should be easy to find a place to eat!).... but every place we tried was at least an hour wait.  At Lake Moraine, we saw the canoes and kayaks and wanted to join in!  But the cost ($120 (Canadian)/hr per canoe) was prohibitive.  It would have been $700 for the 13 of us to spend ONE hour on the water!  So, anyway, I'm going to give it a YES for the reasons I stated above but the crowds and expense (we paid $600 (American)/night for our hotel - Hidden Ridge Resort.  Granted, it could sleep 10 people, but still!).  

#227: Montreal's Summer Festivals (pg 771, 2nd Ed, pg 936)

June 20, 2018

I go to Montreal in the SUMMER and read all about their Festivals and figure that as long as I'm not picky about what festival I go to, then I'll hit one because there are dozens of festivals all summer long! But alas, a few nights before arrival, I researched what festival(s) I will be going to (by default of when I will be there) and discovered that sadly, several festivals (Fringe Festival, Mural Festival, Montreal Folk Festival) just ended 3 days ago and the Jazz Festival is getting ready to start next week, so I was super bummed that I just missed a festival on either side of when we are here (the one I REALLY want to go to is the Fireworks Festival from July 7- Aug 8th!)

So, anyway, I had to settle for going to the Place Des Arts on Sainte Catherine St where it all goes down.  We walked all around and saw them taking down and setting up for the festivals that just were and are about to be and got a feel for it all.

 Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

And went to the closest "festival -type experience" I could find. 

Across the street from the Museum of Fine Arts (and just up the road from Place Des Arts where all the festivals take place), I came across opening night of this Moving Dunes temporary exhibition.  Because it was opening night, there was music and food and a bar and people and a festival-type atmosphere.  So, I'm counting it!  The Montreal Summer Festival of the Moving Dunes inauguration!

Verdict:  No.  I totally get why this is a great place to see festivals.  The Place Des Arts on Sainte Catherine Street is absolutely built for festivals.  Huge open spaces.  Several big stages.  A convention-center type building.  Open areas, closed areas.  And on either side of all of this are streets lined with restaurants and shops and such.  But even so, I don't see why seeing a festival here is a must do.  I don't think seeing a festival here versus somewhere else is a "must do before you die."  But if I ever do come back here in the summer, rest assured, it will be during the Fireworks Festival!

Price:  Varies depending on what festival you go to. Some are free.  But this area is open and a pretty impressive place clearly built for the festival experience. 

#226: Vieux Montreal (pg 773, 2nd Ed pg 937)

June 20, 2018

Notre Dame Basilica

The Notre-Dame church was built here in 1672.  By 1824, the congregation outgrew the church and the cornerstone for this beautiful basilica was laid in 1824 and when it was completed, it became the largest church/cathedral in all of North America and remained so for over 50 years!

This is also the place where Celine Dion and her husband Rene Angelil were married and also where Rene's funeral was held.

Enjoying the beautiful weather in Place d'Armes Square

Meeting Duke

And once you meet the horse and know his name.....

You end up on the buggy riding around the town!

What a fun way to see Old Montreal!

St Paul Street.  A fun, cobblestone street in Old Town with lots of fun restaurants and shops.

Verdict:  No.  Maybe it's because we came here straight from QC and all liked QC so much more.  But whatever the reason, none of us fell in love with this city.  It didn't have the European charm that QC had.  It's a nice city and has a lot to offer, but it's not a must-do.

Price: Notre Dame Basilica is $6/adults and $4/children.  Ages 0-6 are free.  The horse and buggy ride is $45 American or $53 Canadian.  Cash only.