Eat Fresh and Eat Local

Eat fresh and eat local is on the minds of Vancouverites. Local farmlands are being threatened when cities expand. Vancouver is no exception. Farmlands surrounding Vancouver are being turned into housing communities to meet the population growth of Metro Vancouver.

Much of the food Vancouverites buy comes from outside the local farmlands. Go to a local supermarket and you'll see tomatoes from Mexico and snap peas from China. There may be some locally grown options but much comes from elsewhere.

Obviously more exotic produce might not be grown here and needs to be imported. But so much that is grown here is also imported.

Can you imagine the carbon footprint of snap peas being shipped from China? More and more citizens are concerned with where our food is sourced from and what environmental impact that brings.

Vancouver shoppers are quite savvy when it comes to eating fresh and eating locally produced food. My next few blogs will cover the growing trend of community gardens, farmer's markets, buying seafood right off the boat and visiting local farms for fresh meat and produce.

Stay tuned

Point Grey Fiesta

At myVancouver4u I like to hi-light community events and festivals.  These events showcase the diverse character of the individual neighbourhoods of the city of Vancouver.   Point Grey Fiesta has its roots back to 1986 when Vancouver hosted EXPO 86.

"The Point Grey Fiesta is the community’s annual start-of-summer event for families and friends. Starting with a Saturday parade on West 10th avenue, the Saturday celebration continues in Trimble Park with stage performances, activities and exhibitors. Carnival rides in Trimble Park operate from Friday to Sunday. With the exception of the carnival rides and midway games, Fiesta entertainment and children’s activities are free of charge."  Quoted from website.

Check out this family friendly event.
June 22-24, 2012
Point Grey Fiesta Website

Colourful Vancouver

Vancouver in the springtime shows blooms of vibrant colours. This is just a sample of beautiful, colourful Vancouver.

Top Five Vancouver Beaches Revealed

Just imagine standing on silky warm sand, the ocean waves lapping at your feet. You look around and see tall, majestic snow-capped mountains cradling the city.

This is Vancouver in June.

SUNSET BEACH
Sunset Beach is very protected as it lies at the entrance to False Creek. As you lie back and enjoy the warmth of the sun you watch yachts and sailboats pass you by.

KITSILANO BEACH
Kit's Beach as the locals call it is nestled close to beautiful scenic Cornwall Street. Bring a picnic lunch or visit restaurants like the Local Public Eatery or The Boathouse.

Enjoy the ocean breeze from the beach or from Kit's Pool.

ENGLISH BAY BEACH
English Bay is one of the most picturesque places in the city of Vancouver. English Bay Beach is the most popular beach in the summer for sunbathing, swimming or people watching.

In the summer you'll find the downtown "condo-crowd" catching some rays or just reading a good book on the beach.

SPANISH BANKS BEACH
Spanish Banks is located further west from Vancouver's downtown core. This long beach has room for volleyball, sunbathers and boaters alike. The views of the mountains and the city are awesome from here.

Although Spanish Banks neighbours Wreck Beach you'll have to wear a bathing suit no matter how skimpy it is.

WRECK BEACH
Wreck beach is a clothing optional beach, located on the outskirts of the University of British Columbia.

Seems as though all that education makes people want to run around in their birthday suits. Just a word to the wise, all the pretty people don't always sunbathe at this beach.

No matter which beach you choose you'll enjoy the beauty of Vancouver.

World Famous Stanley Park

Stanley Park is a 1,000 acre city park. This beautiful park sits on the northwest corner of the city. A beautiful 8.8 kilometer seawall walkway circles the park which millions of people use year round.

Stanley park has over 200 kilometers of paths, trails and roads. Some of these trails go through old forest with trees over 300 years old. Many of these trails were made before 1888 by loggers.

During the summer months you can enjoy leisurely horse-drawn carriage tours through the park.

Enjoy swimming at the many beaches around the park or enjoy the 2nd beach outdoor pool.

Attractions in the park include but not limited to: Theatre Under the Stars; Miniature Railway; world famous Vancouver Aquarium; Lost Lagoon and Beaver Lake.

Visitors and residents will find Stanley Park a worthwhile place to spend a day.

Cycling Sanity

Did you know that Metro Vancouver has over 400 kilometers of bike lanes? Mayor Gregor Robertson is on a mission to increase the amount of bike lanes. Bringing more cyclists onto the roads can be a dangerous thing if these cyclist do not obey the rules of the road.

Did you know that cyclists must obey traffic laws just as car drivers must? Just last Monday a cyclist went the wrong way around a traffic circle and smashed into a car. The cyclist was injured, his bike totaled and the car had several thousands of dollars damage. This accident was the cyclist's fault. Too often cyclists believe that they can do things (illegal things) and get away with it. This attitude comes with a heavy price of injury or even death.

Cyclists do not have to go through any training or test before they engage in city traffic. Yet with the proliferation of inept cyclists on the roads these days, one would think that all cyclists that want to travel down Burrard, Granville or Commercial should have passed some basic road test. I'm not for over legislation but when cyclists put their lives and others lives in danger, we may need some strict laws to curb their unlawfulness.

Did you know that a cyclist must wear a helmet, have a bell or horn on the bike, have reflectors on front and rear of bike, and have a headlamp? Check out most bikes out there and you'll see they don't meet the legal standards.

If cyclists want to share the road with drivers then they must meet the standards set forth by law. If cyclists want respect then they must earn it. I am a cyclist in Vancouver, if I can do it properly then why can't others?

Northshore Mountains

This panoramic photo was taken from Richmond overlooking Lansdowne Mall. The beautiful Northshore Mountains, Vancouver and Howe Sound can be seen in the background.

Marcello's on The Drive

Marcello's offers fine Italian cuisine plus thin crust pizza made in a wood burning oven. The ambiance is classic Italian.

Marcello's has been around for ages on 1404 Commercial Drive. When many restaurants have a life span of less than 5 years, Marcello's has stood the test of time.

I've found the food to be very delectable and satisfying. Their thin crust pizza is my favourite. The choice of wines is good.

The quality of service can be sporadic.
At times you couldn't ask for a better waitress and then you seem a little neglected. Even so I would recommend this restaurant.

I would give Marcello's an 8 out of 10.

Supermoon May 2012

Mike Malloy, a good friend of mine takes awesome photos. The photo shown here was taken from Vancouver.

"Hi Everyone, experienced a great photo opportunity last night to capture Supermoon of 2012. This is the last photo of twenty, thank goodness for DSLR'S. I used a circular polarized filter and
maxed out my zoom lens for below image results. Enjoy. "
Mike Malloy

A Little Kindness Goes A Long Way

Last Saturday I was witness to an act of random kindness.

A confused elderly lady was lost on Lonsdale in North Vancouver. A woman passerby stopped and asked if the elderly lady needed help. Through the obvious language barrier the good Samaritan woman helped this lady find her way home.

What a refreshing thing to see. Too often we hear about the bad and not the good. This good Samaritan woman made my day.

If you have seen an act of kindness post it here, we all need to be reminded that "a little kindness goes a long way".

Cellphones are Antisocial

I was on the 99 B-line bus today and I counted at least 15 people texting, speaking or listening to music on their cellphones.

It's amazing how our culture has changed. Fifteen years ago if you saw someone walking down the street talking to themselves you'd figure that someone was disturbed. Today you'd think nothing of it, that someone is most likely using a Bluetooth and talking on their cellphone.

The tools that help us communicate also seem to be the ones that isolate. Cellphones can help us be antisocial. We are in danger of missing out on conversations and relationships when our focus is on that little electronic device in our hands. Hey I'm guilty of it right now, as I blog on my iPhone.

Next time you're on a bus or in a movie line up take a look around, you'll see plenty of people using their devices. Be a rebel start up a conversation with someone next to you. You never know you might find your next best friend.

Just say "hello".

Assaulted Bus Driver Returns to Work

Bus driver Charles Dixon who was assaulted while working has returned to his job.

After 14 months of healing from his injuries, Charles is now wearing a padded helmet in protest of the feeble sentence given the criminal who attacked him.

The feeble sentence handed out to Del Louis by the judge sends the impression that assaults on Bus Drivers are okay. Well here's a news flash assaults aren't okay.

What will it take for judges to see the seriousness of assaults on Bus Drivers?

Judges are able to work in a safe work environment. And heaven forbid if someone assaulted a judge. I'm sure the sentence handed down to a criminal assaulting a judge would be harsh. We see a double standard here.

An assault is a crime no matter which way you slice it.

We as a taxpaying public need to demand that judges hand down minimum jail time to persons like Del Louis for assaulting a Bus Driver.

Every public servant has the right to safety and justice, which unfortunately doesn't happen for Bus Drivers.