I love languages, and at UBC, I took a Swedish course. I fell in love with the language (I also had…read morean awesome teacher, which played a big role in loving Swedish so much), so when I graduated from UBC, I wanted to continue studying Swedish. Unfortunately I was only able to complete one year of Swedish due to the timing of my graduation, and I couldn't take the second year Swedish class after I graduated because the course was only offered during the day, which interfered with having to work. However, I found out that Swedish (and the other Nordic languages) was offered at the Scandinavian Community Center, and took some classes over the years. The teacher was nice, but the quality of the instruction was nothing compared to UBC. But it was definitely better than nothing, and the price was very reasonable. The last time I took lessons at the Scandinavian Community Center was years ago, probably 2013. I'd love to take more lessons, but taking transit there is a nightmare. The community center is in the middle of nowhere, and there are two busses you can take from Metrotown Station, the #110 and #144 buses. The bus ride is quite long, 20 to 30 minutes (because they take these meandering routes), the timing is such that they arrive way before the class starts or minutes after it starts, and the two buses leave Metrotown within minutes of each other, so you miss one, and you miss both. And in the evening, the timing doesn't align with the class's end time, so you either have to leave class early or wait for half an hour in the dark, at an unlit bus stop, that's just a bus stop sign stuck in a ditch on the side of a super busy highway. Perhaps things are different than when I took lessons, but back then, to walk to and from the bus stop to the center (which was at night, as the class starts at 7pm and ends at 9pm), there was no sidewalk so you had to walk on the side of a busy highway and hope a car didn't hit you. It was particularly terrifying when it was pitch black (there was no lighting) and raining. I'd love to give the Scandinavian Community Center more stars, and I'd love to take more Swedish lessons, but the location is horrible and not reasonably transit accessible, and the instruction is only so-so, so not worth it for me to make the trek.

Today I attended a German Meetup.com group function here…read more Sadly this location offers little shade in the amazingly awesome day we had, so sommerfest attendees were left to their own devices with very limited seating and poor bathroom markage. Needless to say the beergarden setup was akin to a cakewalk game.

Mountain View Farm was the perfect venue for our August 2024 wedding!…read more We initially discovered Mountain View Farm through internet searches and were immediately drawn in by the beautiful photos. After visiting the venue in person, we knew it was exactly what we were looking for. Oana, who manages the venue, gave us a tour of the backyard and the house. Seeing it firsthand helped us visualize how we wanted to set things up. The outdoor space was ideal for the event itself. At the same time, the house provided a convenient and cozy option for us and our family to stay together, eliminating any worries about accommodation or travel time. The location is just far enough from Vancouver to feel like a peaceful escape, but close enough that it's easily accessible--only about a 45-minute drive. It ticked all the boxes for us. Venue Details: House rules: No shoes inside, and quiet hours start at 11 PM. Guests are responsible for cleaning up, trash/recycling and collecting towels in the laundry room. Pricing: The indoor house is $1,000 per night (5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms). Outdoor space prices vary by guest count: $135 per hour for up to 25 people, $165 per hour for up to 50 people. Rentals: They offer table and chair rentals (rectangular tables for 6 people, round tables also available) that can be added to your contract. Decor: Oana has decor available for rent, or you can bring your own. We loved the flexibility of choosing our own vendors, although they also provide recommendations. Before the wedding, we visited the farm one more time to finalize the layout and decor details. Oana was incredibly helpful throughout the planning process, and we were thrilled to have her as our day-of coordinator. Her knowledge of the venue and her experience made everything run smoothly. We stayed at the farm for two nights--one night before the wedding and the night of--which was a huge help. It gave us time to settle in, unpack, and handle some of the setup the day before. The house is spacious and lovely, there's room to take it easy and even a jacuzzi, One minor issue some of our guests mentioned was the house's septic system, which requires no tissues to be flushed to avoid a potential flood. Honestly, we found this to be a small sacrifice for such a beautiful venue. The Wedding Day: The day of the wedding was absolutely perfect. Oana played a key role in ensuring everything went off without a hitch. Our guests loved the venue, and many commented on the stunning views. It felt like our little hidden gem, and all our hard work paid off. The photos were breathtaking, especially with the unobstructed views of Golden Ears. In the end, Mountain View Farm was the perfect choice for an outdoor wedding. We're so glad we had the flexibility to customize the space with our own vendors and decorations, and it gave us the beautiful, peaceful setting we were looking for.

We chose Mountain View Farm for my daughter's grad party and it was the best experience we have…read moreever had. With the stunning backdrop and well designed property amenities everyone loved it and had a beautiful time. Oana, Milad and the owner are beyond helpful and accommodating of any needs. We would highly recommend any special occasion to be held here.

We have stayed here a couple of times now and the location is great, easy access to the mall,…read moredining and skytrain. They offer free parking and a decent breakfast, which is super appreciated. The staff is stellar and we have only encountered very accommodating and friendly people so far. The drawback for this location is the noise factor, it's facing the train and even rooms in the back have constant train noise. They do provide complimentary earplugs, which is a great idea and more Hotels should really do. We are definitely going to book again if we plan on coming up, it's a good value for the amenities and area.

Love the location of this Hotel! Staff very friendly and…read morevery knowledgeable of the area which helped us out a great deal. Very busy location for traffic as well as pedestrians. Connect to one of the largest Mall Canada. Across the street is the Sky Train, which is very good transportation to avoid the traffic. The hotel is very secure, if just checking in you have to get buzzed in at the front door to enter the hotel. Once you have your room key, that Accesses everything within the hotel such as scan to get into the hotel, scan to use the elevator, scan the dining room for breakfast, most importantly scan to get in your room. Scan the fitness room, After hours you have to scan to get into the underground parking lot. - Plenty of parking - EV charging stations Complimentary Breakfast with your stay, now keep in mined it's the same menu everyday does not change.(not while we were there) Best to arrive early due to the size of the seating area. Quit cozy with lounge chairs by a fire place. The staff are very diligent keeping the dining area clean. - in fridge: milk, yogurt, hard boiled egg, cream cheese - touch less juice machine - bowls of fresh apples, oranges, bananas - Dry Cereal, oat meal with topping - scrambled egg, pork / beef sausage, Bacon - pancake machine - toast, Eggo waffles, English muffins - muffins - cinnamon buns - coffee, tea If you get tried of the same breakfast there is coffee shops very close. Coffee shops such as Tim Horton, Starbucks is located at street level of the hotel. The rooms were very clean, located away from the elevator, did not hear people in the hallways or the traffic outside. Had a wonder stay, and will be returning!

I was at a client Christmas party last December and had a ball. The food, the custom cocktails and…read morethe wine seletions were fantastic. Staff were really friendly, helpful and eager to show you how to cook and make drinks. The space is unique and the only problem was it was night and daylight is required to completely appreciate the view. It is the perfect wedding reception venue, cocktail party and dinner venue.

From the owner: If you want your next event to be remembered and compared to, let us host your WEDDING RECEPTION,…read moreCOMPANY PARTY or COCKTAIL RECEPTION. Our private penthouse event space with 360 degree views of downtown, waterfront and gastown with personalized menu, wine pairings, custom signature cocktails, interactive meal preparation and friendly staff will make it a memorable one. With options to suit any budget, let us host your next party and leave all the details to us.

This is a nice space for an exhibit, really nice. It's spacious and when you get the tunes…read morespinning inside, it doesn't echo too much. Add to it the charm of a restored building, wow! I really like this. Came here for the annual 12X12 exhibit. This is a photgraphy competition, friendly of course, but there are catches., with a new catch for this year's 2012 competition. http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/salt-building-vancouver?select=L_6w9BcDkIY4mFJkwd59SQ#Tauo1LC-G8fbqfxbek4lVA Each competitor must: 1. Take 1 photograph of a theme announced once, every hour on the hour 2. Intepret the announced theme in a single shot 3. 12 shots in total meaning you're on the hunt to interpret a theme each hour for 12 hours. 4. The photograph is on film. Not digital. 5. This year's catch is.... black and white film only. I've come out to this exhibit every year since it's inception. They had it at another venue in previous years, but it was horribly crowded and stuffy. This was a welcomed change, much welcomed. Maybe next year I'll do it. I'll have to dust off one of my film cameras.

What an entirely grand and beautifully restored heritage building. Seeing, and more importantly,…read morebeing able to enjoy spaces like this are rare, especially in cities like ours where there seems to be an overwhelming need to make everything shiny and new. (yes there are foundations in place to protect our heritage buildings, but I'm making sweeping generalizations here) When the Salt Building was first being revitalized during the pre-Olympic building-frenzy era, there was talk of the space being used as a pub or high-end restaurant or some other variation on that theme. Though it may have been entirely acceptable -- and maybe even great -- if that were the case today (and who knows, it may very well be the case in the future), but it almost seems as though that would be a bastardization of this minimal bare-bones structure. The building is gorgeous. Bookended with mammoth-sized windows, allowing plenty of light to pour in throughout the almost 14,000sq foot space, exposing the elaborate timber trusses and metal hardware, and shining of the polished concrete floor, there is not one thing I'd change here. It would be a shame to cover any of it up. A perfect event location, an ideal gathering space, an overwhelmingly stunning surprise in an area that is known for making everything "pretty," the Salt Building is, at this moment, a perfect homage to its historic past.

Today I joined a meetup group of maybe 14 people for their Wednesday morning 10.6km walk around the…read morelake. A fantastic easy leveled trail that is more tree covered than lake bordered. Quite enjoyable. I've been advised that cyclists aren't allowed on the trail however dogs on leashes and horses are. (We didn't see any horses today although there was at least one pile of horse manure and a few horseshoe prints on some of the trails). Some notices posted on bears being in the area though. I will definitely be back. Today we walked the 10.6km in 1 hour 41 minutes.

Great option for watching and/or producing programs. The James Cowan Theater seats 285 and has…read moregreat sight lines. The small Studio Theater is more intimate. This is an older building, but well-kept. The grounds are beautiful, as is the newer atrium annex.

À beautiful place to take any sort of art lessons!…read more The place has multiple theatres and studios asking with a ton of classes to choose from. All the work displayed on the walls are from students and is routinely changed so there is always something inspiring to look at! Really love this place I honestly thought that it was a much newer building than it actually is! Good design transcends time. The amount of talent that comes out of here is amazing

Very big hall with some rooms. Came here a few years ago for a craft fair. There is an option to…read moreuse the small room and or the big room. Both craft fairs have been in either or. Good layout.