Souvenirs

Canada > Archive by tag 'souvenirs'

Érablière Escuminac Birch Syrup, Quebec

By Kat Tancock

Maple syrup is a potent symbol of Canadiana and a key staple in many of our nation’s pantries. But what you may not know is that the sugar maple doesn’t have a monopoly on the business of sweet sap. A growing industry is making use of birch trees to produce a similar sugary nectar.

Like maple syrup, birch syrup is produced by tapping mature trees—usually 30 to 70 years old, and at least 10 inches in diameter—in early spring, then evaporating and filtering the sap before bottling. Érablière Escuminac, in the Gaspésie region of Quebec, currently taps 6,000 trees annually, though the property has the capacity to harvest from up to 25,000 as demand increases. (more…)

Hot Dining: Best of BC’s Edible Souvenirs

The retail store at Edible Canada. Photo by KK Law

Save your stocking stuffing for the retail store in Edible Canada’s stylish new space (pictured), where you’ll find gourmet goodies from across the province, from dressings and herb-infused oils to jellies and pickled nibbles. Our pick? The Vancouver-themed salts by Sea to Sky Seasonings, which are a souvenir and a savoury treat all rolled into one. For those on your list who have been extra good this year, select a gorgeous gift basket—then try to resist keeping it for yourself.—Kristina Urquhart

More information:

EDIBLE CANADA AT THE MARKET . $$. B/L/D (daily). Granville Island Public Market, 1689 Johnston St. 604-682-6675. www.ediblecanada.com

Hot Shopping: 2011 Where to Shop Awards Whistler

We asked. Where readers voted. Here are your top spots to shop.

Whistler Village photo copyright Hartemink/Dreamstime.com

Apparel
Roots.

Honourable Mentions
Lululemon.
Hatley Scoops.

Fine Art
Mountain Galleries.

Honourable Mentions
Adele Campbell Fine Art Gallery.
The Plaza Galleries.
Black Tusk Gallery.

Outdoor Gear
The North Face.

Honourable Mentions
Affinity Sports.
Escape Route.

Souvenirs
Cows Whistler.

Honourable Mentions
The Trading Post. 604-938-6204.
Sea to Sky Souvenirs. 604-932-3201.

Spa
Scandinave Spa.

Honourable Mentions
The Spa at the Four Seasons.
Vida Spa.

To vote for next year’s winners, visit www.where.ca/whistler.
To see Vancouver’s winners, visit www.where.ca/vancouver.

Saskatoon Berry Jams, Syrups and Pies

By Kat Tancock

Saskatoon berries, also called juneberries, are antioxidant-rich, sweet blue-purple berries with (edible) seeds.

Though the berries grow elsewhere in the northwestern US and western Canada, the Canadian Prairies are where you’ll find most of the world’s commercial production of Saskatoons, and in Okotoks, Alberta, about 20 km south of Calgary, you’ll find the Saskatoon Farm, home to 50 acres of pick-your-own saskatoon berries, usually ready in mid-July. (more…)

15 Things We Love About Whistler

Photo by Chad Chomlack courtesy Tourism Whistler

1 Spectacular scenery, such as the gorgeous Whistler Olympic Park with its welcoming inukshuk. Whichever way you turn, you’ll see a picture postcard come to life.
2 Devouring a juicy Triple O burger at White Spot. This local restaurant chain was founded in 1928.
3 The abundance of festivals and special events, everything from bike races to rock concerts to a children’s art festival.
4 Looking for reminders of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Their spirit lives on in venues such as the Whistler Sliding Centre. (more…)

Hot Dining: Island Fever

Stuart's Bakery in Granville Island Public Market is a delicious pit stop, serving tarts, cakes, cookies and breads. Photo by KK Law

Join locals and visitors at bustling Granville Island Public Market for a day of fun-filled shopping and good eats. Find sweet treats aplenty at Stuart’s Bakery (pictured). Artfully stacked fruit sits ripe for the picking at numerous produce shops. Grab handmade ravioli for later or fresh-cut flowers to use as a thank-you gift. Souvenir-worthy items line the shelves at Edible BC, including honey, jam and chocolate, all made in British Columbia.—Jennifer Patterson

Hot Shopping: T.O. Coasters

A souvenir of your Toronto trip need not be kitschy. Take home a sophisticated birch plywood coaster map of the city, which can double as a show-and-tell tool as you inform family and friends of the fantastic restaurants along Eglinton Avenue, the luxe shopping on Bloor Street or your adventures on the Toronto Islands. A set of four “I Kinda Like it Here” coasters is $40; available at Russet and Empire.

Olympic Legacy

It’s been a year since the 2010 Winter Games invigorated Vancouver, but their spirit lives on

By Sheri Radford

The Richmond Olympic Oval. Photo by KK Law

Even though the 2010 Winter Games are long over, ways to relive the experience abound.

Visit the Olympic Cauldron downtown, which was lit on the opening night of the Games by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. A picturesque reflecting pool now surrounds the cauldron. It is situated next to the west building of the Vancouver Convention Centre, which was completed in time for the Games and was used throughout as the main media centre. This eco-friendly building and its green roof (complete with four beehives and a full-time beekeeper) have won several awards for design.

Hop on the Canada Line SkyTrain, which was also completed just prior to the Games and which whisks visitors from the airport to downtown in 26 minutes. While in Richmond, visit the Richmond Olympic Oval, where speed skaters competed during the Games. This stunning, environmentally friendly building now houses an array of fitness facilities.

Pull on a pair of Olympic red mittens. If yours have worn out—or you weren’t lucky enough to snag any during Games fever—pick up a similar pair of maple-leaf-adorned mittens at The Bay. Proceeds go to the Canadian Olympic Foundation.

Olympic Cauldron in Jack Poole Plaza. Photo by Sheri Radford

If you’re searching for the perfect Quatchi, Miga, Mukmuk or Sumi souvenir, you’ll find the mascots’ smiling faces in Gastown’s many souvenir shops. To complete your Olympic coin collection—or catch a glimpse of some Olympic medals—visit the Royal Canadian Mint pop-up shop downtown on Granville Street. It’s only here until the end of February, but don’t worry: line-ups are shorter than the eight-hour waits common during the Games.

Olympic fever in Vancouver? It still burns on.

Hot Shopping: Where to Shop 2010

We asked. Where readers voted. Here are your top spots to shop.

Whistler Village photo copyright Steve Rosset/Dreamstime

To vote for next year’s winners, visit www.where.ca/whistler. To see Vancouver’s winners, visit www.where.ca/vancouver.

The 12 Gifts of Christmas

By Jennifer Patterson

On the first day of Christmas my uncle gave to me a bevvy to toast the season: one bottle of Blasted Church’s Hatfield’s Fuse (at liquor stores).

ONE

On the second day of Christmas my father gave to me two made-to-order gifts: including the whisky cave from the newly renovated two-level Louis Vuitton.

TWO

On the third day of Christmas my sister gave to me a festive holiday outfit: a red three-piece ensemble from La Vie En Rose.

THREE

On the fourth day of Christmas my brother gave to me four event tickets: a pair to The Nutcracker and a pair to a Vancouver Canucks game.

FOUR (Photo by Chictype copyright IStock)

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five golden rings from Tiffany & Co.

FIVE

On the sixth day of Christmas my mother gave to me art from all six of these First Nations galleries: Douglas Reynolds, Inuit Gallery, Hill’s Native Art, Bill Reid, Spirit Wrestler and Coastal Peoples.

SIX (Photo courtesy Bill Reid Gallery)

On the seventh day of Christmas my cousin gave to me seven treats from Chanel: the seven-piece holiday collection with four eye shadows, a nail polish, lip gloss and blush (available at Murale).

SEVEN

On the eighth day of Christmas my grandmother gave to me a little help in the kitchen with eight local cookbooks: Vij’s at Home, Vancouver Cooks 2, Blue Water Cafe, West, Araxi, Simply Bishop’s, C Food and Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill (at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks).

EIGHT

On the ninth day of Christmas my kids gave to me a reminder of yesteryear: a nine-piece wooden lotus flower puzzle from Dilly Dally Kids.

NINE

On the tenth day of Christmas my boss gave to me no excuse to be late for a meeting ever again: 10 timepieces by Ice-Watch (at Zoë Boutiques).

TEN

On the eleventh day of Christmas my aunt gave to me a little make-up guidance: the 11-piece Lash Stash kit from Sephora.

ELEVEN

And on the twelfth day of Christmas my best friend gave to me 12 misfits: too-cute-for-words felt dolls by Usus, at the One of a Kind Show and Sale (Dec. 9 to 12).

TWELVE

Hot Art: Festival Fun

Works by many artists, including Rachael Ashe, are on display at the Eastside Culture Crawl

Potters and painters and photographers, oh my! See the work of more than 350 local artists in their studios during the Eastside Culture Crawl (Nov. 26 to 28). Plan your own walking tour of this free festival to pick up lovely and interesting West Coast souvenirs such as “Looking for Signs of a Safe Return Home” (pictured) by mixed-media artist Rachael Ashe.—Kristina Urquhart

Back to School

The University of British Columbia earns an A+ for attractions

By Jennifer Patterson & Kristina Urquhart

The Museum of Anthropology’s Great Hall nods to traditional Northwest Coast post-and-beam architecture. Photo by KK Law

School’s in session, so rally your team spirit but leave your protractors and pencils behind. Head out to the University of British Columbia (UBC), where the stunning views are not just for the 41,000-plus students.

UBC has it all. The sprawling campus is the largest in Canada, at 402 hectares (993 acres). Millionaire real-estate moguls vie for the hilltop homes. Hikers and joggers love the trails through the nearby 763-hectare (1,144-acre) Pacific Spirit Regional Park, while nudists bare it all on Wreck Beach. And if the great outdoors aren’t enough, spend a day touring these campus hot spots.

Museum of Anthropology
History buffs head to this recently renovated museum, designed by Vancouver’s own Arthur Erickson, a celebrated architect responsible for some of the city’s most recognizable buildings. Unearth British Columbia’s past with Northwest Coast First Nations artifacts, including bentwood boxes, totem poles and the magnificent Bill Reid carving “The Raven and the First Men.” Peruse 10,000 objects from around the world in the Multiversity Galleries, or discover the Great Hall’s reflection in the outdoor pond, recently filled to complete Erickson’s original vision when he designed the museum in 1971.

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
Since opening in 1997, the Chan Centre has become one of the top venues in the city for the arts. Inside, the stunning Chan Shun Concert Hall serves as the main concert space with its huge acoustic canopy. The Telus Studio Theatre and Royal Bank Cinema cater to smaller performances, films and lectures. This

A concert hall, playhouse and cinema in The Chan Centre stage recitals, films and theatre productions. Photo by KK Law

month, enjoy concerts by Spanish singer Buika and Mexican songbird Lila Downs (Nov. 7), the UBC Symphonic Wind ensemble (Nov. 18) and the UBC Chamber Strings orchestra (Nov. 19).

The Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Science lovers, rejoice! This brand new museum opened last month. Check out the herbarium, with over half a million plant specimens; the entomological collection, with over 600,000 insect and aquatic items; the marine invertebrate collection, with an array of mollusk shells; the vertebrate collection, with over 40,000 specimens of mammals, birds and reptiles; the fish museum, with over 800,000 jarred skeletons, fossils and DNA samples; and the fossil collection, which showcases everything from recent shells to ancient blue-green algae—the oldest evidence of life on earth. This modern-day menagerie’s crown jewel: a skeleton of a blue whale, earth’s largest living animal.

UBC Botanical Garden
Step into the Land of the Rising Sun at Nitobe Memorial Garden, an authentic representation of a Japanese tea and stroll garden and part of the UBC Botanical Garden. Waterfalls, stones, lanterns, a ceremonial teahouse and lush plantings (think azaleas, cherry trees and maple trees) make this horticultural haven a tranquil place for reflection. You’ll also find other lovely escapes on the university grounds, including the David C. Lam Asian Garden, an alpine garden, a food garden and a BC native species garden.

The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is home to a 26-m (85-ft) skeleton of a blue whale, found off Prince Edward Island. Photo by KK Law

Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
Art aficionados adore this contemporary gallery, which highlights current emerging artists and Canadian avant-garde pieces from the 1960s and 1970s. The gallery also houses the university’s art collection of more than 2,500 items from Canada and around the globe. Past exhibitions have included pieces by Vancouverite Douglas Coupland and BC artist Jack Shadbolt. On now at the gallery: film installations by Amsterdam artist Mark Boulos (to Dec. 5).

UBC Bookstore
You don’t have to be a student to shop at this glass-walled bookstore, which sells not only textbooks but also a range of best-sellers, fiction and non-fiction. Stock up on campus gear, from coffee mugs to clocks to clothing, including pieces emblazoned with the logo of the school’s athletic team, the Thunderbirds. An official Apple boutique is located within the store, with discounts available for students. A satellite location of the UBC Bookstore can be found downtown at Robson Square.

Mahony & Sons Public House
Students and locals flock to this pub for chilled pints, hearty Irish fare and live music. The decor is cozy and traditional, with lots of wood and Celtic artwork, and the menu offers burgers, pizza and the always-popular Irish faves: bangers and mash and Irish stew. Try the best of the Emerald Isle with the sampler featuring four nearly half-pint glasses of Guinness, Kilkenny, Smithwicks and Harp. Slàinte!

Vancouver for Book Lovers

From bookstores to author readings to a thriving literary scene, this city has everything a bibliophile could desire

By Sheri Radford

The central branch of the Vancouver Public Library fills a full city block and sports a living roof. Photo by KK Law

Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival
Name a well-known author and chances are that writer has appeared at this annual festival in the past 22 years. Among the most celebrated previous guests: JK Rowling (Harry Potter), Salman Rushdie (The Satanic Verses) and Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler’s Wife). This year’s festival (Oct. 19 to 24) showcases more than 100 authors in 67 lively events, ranging from a poetry bash to a literary cabaret to daytime events (some in French) for schoolchildren. It’s six days of heaven for readers.

A Salon with Yann Martel
Spanish-born Canadian author Yann Martel took the world by storm with Life of Pi, a novel about an Indian boy trapped on a life raft with a tiger. His new book, Beatrice & Virgil, is an allegorical tale about the Holocaust. Readers fortunate enough to snag a ticket to A Salon with Yann Martel (Oct. 24), which is a pre-event for the JCC Jewish Book Festival (www.jccgv.com/JewishBookFest), will enjoy a cocktail reception with the master storyteller in a private home. L’chayim!

Vancouver Authors
It doesn’t matter whether an author was born here, moved here or just spent a few years here—we claim them all as Vancouverites, because we know they’re all West Coasters at heart.
•   Linda Bailey, Stanley’s Party
•   Wayson Choy, The Jade Peony
•   Douglas Coupland, Generation X
•   Sarah Ellis, Pick-Up Sticks
•   William Gibson, Neuromancer
•   Nan Gregory, How Smudge Came
•   Joy Kogawa, Obasan
•   Evelyn Lau, Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid
•   Annabel Lyon, The Golden Mean
•   Kit Pearson, Awake and Dreaming
•   Al Purdy, The Cariboo Horses
•   David Suzuki, The Sacred Balance
•   Timothy Taylor, Stanley Park

Everything about Kidsbooks appeals to young readers. Photo by KK Law

Vancouver Magazines
You might already be reading local magazines without even knowing it. Adbusters (www.adbusters.org), Modern Dog (www.moderndogmagazine.com) and Nuvo (www.nuvomagazine.com) are all produced right here in Vancouver.

Vancouver Public Library
If the central branch of the library looks familiar, it may be because the distinctive building has popped up in movies and TV shows such as The Sixth Day, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Battlestar Galactica. (Or it may be because architect Moshe Safdie’s striking design evokes thoughts of the Roman Colosseum.) Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the downtown building regularly hosts free events such as book club meetings, computer workshops, film screenings and talks. This month, authors Annabel Lyon (Oct. 4), Caroline Adderson (Oct. 5) and Keith Billington (Oct. 26) all discuss their latest releases. To buy books of your own, stop by the library’s annual fall sale (Oct. 21 to 24) and search for a treasured tome among the thousands of used books. Or simply find a quiet corner on one of the library’s seven floors to relax with a novel or magazine.

Kidsbooks
Lively colours and kid-friendly decor fill all three locations of this store, inviting children into the magical world of books. The eager readers on staff each carry around at least a card catalogue’s worth of information in their heads, easily answering questions about which titles a seven-year-old reluctant reader or 11-year-old goth girl or 16-year-old sports fanatic might enjoy. This month, David Wiesner (Oct. 13) and Pseudonymous Bosch (Oct. 14) drop by the West Broadway location to entertain kids of all ages.

Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks
If your twin passions are reading and cooking, are you ever in luck. This store is crammed full of books that get mouths watering. In addition to the expected cookbooks and epicurean magazines from around the world, some hidden treasures make slow, thorough browsing a necessity: out-of-print books and other rare finds hide tucked away in the corners, carefully chosen by owner Barbara-jo McIntosh. She’s both a foodie and an author, having

Three floors of reading material galore await in Chapters on Robson. Photo by KK Law

published titles such as Tin Fish Gourmet and Cooking for Me and Sometimes You: A Parisienne Romance with Recipes. Special events in-store this month include a knife skills class (Oct. 2), slow-cooker demonstration with Erik Akis (Oct. 22) and Indian tea with Madhur Jaffrey (Oct. 24).

Chapters/Indigo
Readers flock to Canada’s largest bookstore chain for the in-store Starbucks cafes, the assortment of gift items and—above all else—the huge selection of books, magazines and newspapers. Touch-screen kiosks allow immediate access to a seemingly endless array of titles for sale on the company’s popular website (chapters.indigo .ca)—handy for those whose tastes run more to the obscure and less to the teetering stacks of Stephen King and Nora Roberts novels. Special events at the Chapters on Robson include talks by authors Robert Herjavec (Oct. 4) and R.A. Salvatore (Oct. 16).

Books About Vancouver
Forget the tacky t-shirts and snow globes—books make much better souvenirs.

Douglas Coupland’s City of Glass (Douglas & McIntyre, $24.95) is a love letter to the city, filled with insider knowledge such as how Vancouver is similar to The Simpsons, where “the nakedest place in Canada” is and why the Grouse Grind is better than a singles bar.

Compiled by the Chef’s Table Society of BC, Vancouver Cooks 2 (Douglas & McIntyre, $40) bursts with more than 100 recipes from 70 local chefs, making it an ideal memento for foodies.

Vancouver Then and Now (Thunder Bay Press, $22.95) by Francis Mansbridge explores the city through paired photographs—one old, one new—of prominent locations.

Hot Art: Souvenir Stroll

See artists in action during Whistler's Art Walk. Photo by Andy Dittrich

If you’re looking for lovely BC keepsakes, Whistler is a treasure trove on a normal day. Summer kicks it up a notch with ArtWalk (to Aug. 31), a free walking tour promoting the work of 50 local artists. Wander through cafes, restaurants, galleries, hotels and stores to view or purchase beautiful baubles, photographs, paintings and pottery. On Aug. 6, the Function Block pARTy rocks the village’s Function Junction neighbourhood, boasting artisans, food and live music.—Kristina Urquhart

Hot Art: Picture Perfect

Photo by Mark Richards

Beautiful BC mementos abound at Mark Richards Gallery. He fine-tunes his high-res photos (“Sunset at Khyber,” pictured) with paint, giving them a lovely luminosity.—Kristina Urquhart

You Are Here: Granville Island Public Market

A trip to the market is a chance to sniff, taste, photograph and purchase some of the freshest items in the city

By Jennifer Patterson

The public market on the waterfront. Photo by Danielle Hayes courtesy Tourism BC

FRESH FOOD
Locals and visitors converge at this bustling waterfront market where battling the weekend crowds is half the fun. Inside, tables of artfully stacked seasonal fruit and veggies sit next to rows of fresh-cut flowers—the sight alone is worth the trip. Sample a piece of candied salmon while perusing the cases of Dungeness crab and in-season sweet BC spot prawns. Wander the aisles as vendors wow with their selection of loose-leaf tea, lime leaves, rainbow-striped ravioli, maple syrup, homemade chicken potpie and doughnuts. Bottles of house-made salad dressing and crème fraîche literally fly off the shelves. Enjoy the view of sailboats from a table in the food lounge; here you’ll find everything from hot samosas to colourful fruit kebabs.

LOCAL SOUVENIRS
Foodies go wild for anything and everything local: jam, honey, chocolate, balsamic vinegar and even pre-made curries from famed Vancouver chef Vikram Vij. An impromptu picnic on the waterfront is a great way to enjoy your recent purchases. If you’re on the hunt for cool collectables to tote home, the abundance of paintings, jewellery and West Coast-inspired photographs should tickle your fancy.

Fresh veggies and fruit at the public market. Photo by Albert Normandin courtesy Tourism BC

FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
Buskers both young and old impress the crowds with their guitar riffs and vocal range. A more conventional performance venue: the New Revue Stage—former home to TheatreSports—reopened last month with Anosh Irani’s My Granny the Goldfish (to May 15).

SHOPPING LIST
Caramelized apple jam Edible BC
Fresh baguette Terra Breads
Wild boar prosciutto Oyama Sausage Co.
Chocolate éclair Stuart’s Bakery
Tall Americano JJ Bean

Hop aboard Aquabus or False Creek Ferries for a quick ride to Granville Island. Or take the bus: the #50 stops at the island entrance.

Hot Art: Native Art

Mask by Reg Davidson courtesy Coastal Peoples Fine Art Gallery

To find the perfect BC souvenir, visit Aboriginal art galleries. Masks, jewellery and prints by Haida master Bill Reid are at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. Other gorgeous pieces (think carvings and totem poles) are readily available; try Coastal Peoples Fine Art Gallery, Douglas Reynolds Gallery, Eagle Spirit Gallery, Hill’s Native Art, Lattimer Gallery and Spirit Wrestler Gallery. Inuit Gallery of Vancouver and Marion Scott Gallery offer a wide selection of Inuit art, including drawings and stone sculpture.—Kristina Urquhart

Hot Art: Aboriginal Artistry

O Siyam is a picture-perfect keepsake from the 2010 Winter Games

Explore diverse art in O Siyam: Aboriginal Art Inspired by the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (Wiley, $35). This vibrant book is filled with images of Canadian works, including carvings and paintings, created by First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists. As Canada welcomes the world for the 2010 Winter Games, O Siyam (an Aboriginal salutation) greets readers with the stories behind the paintings and sculpture showcased at Games venues. Available at The Olympic Store and local bookstores.—Susie Hill