We had a fantastic time at the 2022 Dragon Boat Festival. The music was fantastic, especially…read moreDesiree Dawson on Sunday afternoon. Races were exciting, open to all ages and genders. How great it was to see that. There could have been more booths and displays, but the curtain is just rising after a pandemic shut down. It was very hot, but we found shade, and we were comfortable. The lines were long to get drinks, but there were lots of people racing, who needed to hydrate afterwards. All in all, we had a great time.

* Foreshadowing of the Olympics *…read more Ok, I love the various multicultural events we have in Vancouver. It is one of the highlights of living in Vancouver. But this one was really just WAAAY too corporate. Watching the races was fun. Although I do wonder why boat #5 won in SOOOO many races. What is up with that?!?!?!? But the bulk of the tents and activities were all major corporations with people mindlessly lining up for their chance to enter a corporate raffle/spin a wheel/get a free sample/etc. So you could have you picture taken in front of the Great Wall of China and get a Cathay Pacific logo on it at their booth, or spin a wheel at the Rogers booth after waiting in a 30 minute line where they hand you fliers about their mobile phone plans, or visit BC Hydro and be told how to save electricity, or stand on line for 30 minutes to get a free bottle of the latest energy drink. Oy...... Perhaps the most disturbing was the folks from Edgewater Casino that were handing out snacks to children and then grabbing the parents to tell them about the wonderful gambling "opportunities" at the Casino. I did enjoy the musical performance by En Karma (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/en-karma-vancouver#hrid:DzcF67lQ4m5fO6WYzGnlwg). They mix traditional bhangra with rock, R&B and reggae - giving a glimpse of the multi-cultural wonder of Vancouver. Bhangra at a Dragon Boat festival. Go figure! Overall I fear this was strong foreshadowing of what will be a terribly corporate time during the Olympics. Bleh!

Go to breakfast and lunch spot in the Gateway area. Great homemade dumplings, soup, salad, rice,…read moreand sandwich options. Pastries and coffees to great too. Lovely people and nice clean area to sit and eat. Highly recommend.

A cute little mom n pop shop in the basement of the Gateway Skytrain station building. Enjoyed my…read morefoamy and strong cappuccino.

In the southwest corner of Steveston Community Park, there's a large firehouse-looking garage…read morebuilding, in which you can find a museum containing a restored tram car, from the days when such things operated regularly, ferrying passengers all the way into Vancouver, many kilometers to the north. I'm not sure if admission is free all year round, or if we just happened to be lucky, but we quickly pounced on the opportunity to check it out. For the young ones, repeat visits to this museum can net you junior conductor pins or badges, based on how many times you've been here, which is a cute little perk for them. Our young toddler son loved exploring the car, running up and down, and poking about everywhere he could (including places he probably wasn't supposed to), but the staff were friendly and good-natured about it. There's plenty of historical information about the tram, and its use in the region, on various plaques and displays throughout the building, for those who are interested. If nothing else, the simple fact that they preserved this icon piece of local history, and tend to it with such care and devotion, is charming enough in itself.

A small museum with free entry. I went midday on a Friday and there was only one other group there…read more The staff, Cathy, was there was dressed and was very enthusiastic about the history of the town and the tram system - absolutely loved talking to her! The forms of information (videos, boards, infographics, etc.) are very engaging and true to the period. I was very impressed with how the museum has been maintained. Despite being small, there are many things to do, especially for children. There are conductor costumes for both adults and children for photo ops. The tram and its interior were stunning and it's a replica made specifically for the museum! In all, my visit was about 40 minutes. We spent a lot of time talking to Cathy and I do highly recommend that with whatever staff is there. There's nothing better than to talk to a local about history.

Such an amazing woman!!!…read more That has such a GREAT knowledge for healing and relaxation techniques. I always enjoyed the Reiki sessions that I did with her in person. I would always walk out feeling more relaxed and less stressed. And now that I am living in a different province we are doing Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) sessions. With the same GREAT outcome. Thanks for all your help and ideas on how to relax and feel less stress!

Unknowingly competitive and not…read more.. While other chains are probably analysing data on how to better gouge the consumer, from their special mobile apps, bs points cards, and other precious bs customers have to suffer through lugging around & using just to get what they imagine to be decent value from where they shop... This store appears to be pricing their items based on an entirely different manner of some kind... perhaps just running a grocery store. Just compare say the same brand & volume for a tin of anchovies... $6 at S.O.F. (brutal) $4 at N.F. & S.S. (unless a different brand, for which S.S jacks an extra $1 over N.F. for the same kind... wtf?) vs... wait for it... $3! at S.V!

Unless you forget to buy something at No Frills or Super Store, don't go here. Uber expensive for…read morea good handful of things.. *sigh*

Fantastic selection of Chinese groceries. Everything you want, they have. Just like Costco,…read moreeveryone likes to buy in boxes bec it is so inexpensive. Way cheaper than t&t supermarket and superstore or ghetto MoM and Pop shops. It is suppose to be a wholesaler so everything is in boxes and prices are marked outside the boxes. Shop here and you will feel like you just stepped into a real Chinese supermarket! Cash only! Free plastic bags.

I have really fond memories from Blenz from a few years ago... but now I'm wondering if I'm…read moreremembering it incorrectly - or maybe they're just going downhill. I ordered a breakfast bagel and a vanilla latte with oat milk. There were no other customers there and my order took a very long time. The person taking my order kept getting distracted by watching somebody outside and had to keep asking me to repeat things. So it seemed like forever before my order even went in. Once I got it, everything was pretty nasty. The latte was bitter and super thick and the bagel was like a toasted blob of flavours I couldn't distinguish. I remember Blenz being an affordable quick stop for a good coffee... that is definitely not what it is anymore.

This is my all time favourite blenz shop. I was incredibly sad when they closed down for a year and…read morea half and super excited when they re-opened. The venue is perfect as it is close to my place and the decor is nice. I love their drinks, especially their teas, matcha latte and their hot chocolates. There are so many options! It is a nice place for catching up with friends, working on projects and just relaxing. I will be back often and regularly!

stopped by this starbucks located inside the hyatt regency vancouver (655 burrard street) for a…read moremuch needed hydration break and my first caffeine fix of the day. the layout inside features a really cool, towering mural of the vancouver mountain skyline on the back wall. the service counter is clean and neatly organized by alphabetical mobile order pickup zones, and the baristas were fast and friendly. i was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too busy at all before 3:00 pm, making it the perfect spot to sit down, catch my breath, and relax for a while between appointments. tried their pumpkin cream matcha with oat milk for the first time and it was delicious, creamy, perfectly sweet, and a great twist on a matcha latte. because i had some extra time to kill, i took advantage of their complimentary refill policy for registered rewards members and grabbed a refreshing passionfruit iced tea before heading out. it's a fantastic, spacious downtown location if you need to unwind or work comfortably for an hour.

Conveniently located in the hotel lobby, it is the first coffee shop to open around the area that I…read moresaw. When I got there at opening, no one was there which was nice. You can sit inside or outside. Service was quick and efficient and employees were nice. Coffee was good. Food was average but what do you expect for something they put in the microwave? Gave it four stars because they were out of a lot of the food options. It was clean and I would go there again.