Wandering around Canada Place this past Saturday, I came across the relatively-newly-opened War of 1812 Experience. Having been in Calgary for the past year, I must've missed the opening of this new cultural site. The site is completely free, so it was a no-brainer for me to drop in and check it out. The War of 1812 Experience at Canada Place commemorates the 200th anniversary of one of the major milestones on Canada’s road to becoming an independent country. Canada would not exist as we know ...
museums
Metropolitan Museum of Art Interior Manhattan New York
Last September, Greg and I spent a week in New York City, mostly checking out the museums and vegan restaurants. One of my favourite museums we visited was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's too bad that we ended up having to visit so many places in one day—we didn't get to spend enough time at the MET. ...
Julia Child’s Kitchen at the National Museum of American History Washington, D.C.
Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History was an exhibit that I was really looking forward to checking out whilst in Washington D.C. Having watched the movie Julie and Julia, based on a book about a woman who was obsessed with cooking from Julia Child's recipe books and blogging about it. I think Greg and I watched this movie with his parents while we were visiting them in the Shushwaps in British Columbia (B.C.). My mom didn't have Julia Child's ...
Independence Hall & Liberty Bell Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Travel
We'd originally planned on being in New York for longer than the 5 days we'd ended up spending there, but we decided to stop in Philadelphia for a day by way of Atlantic City. Having always wanted to visit New England, I was excited to stop in Philadelphia, if only for 1 night. It turns out that accommodation in Philadelphia is much cheaper and better value than that in Washington D.C. and New York, and given the multitude of attractions and veg restaurants to check out, we plan on going back ...
70 Years Ago Today : Pearl Harbor
There are very few places on Earth that don't have war or violence somewhere in their history. Perhaps there are none, wherever humanity has gone. But there are certain places where the record of the war is either written in the landscape, or where the memories of war have been carefully preserved. Because today is Pearl Harbor Day—I'm reminded not only of the bravery and sacrifice on the parts of both soldiers and non-combatants during this global conflict, but also of the sheer horror of ...
Avatar Exhibit at the Science Fiction Museum—Seattle, Washington Travel
The Science Fiction Museum at the Experience Music Project in Seattle Washington is a museum that I like going back to multiple times. The museum used to have an amazing collection of old science fiction books, with tons of information on the history of science fiction. My favourite part of it was the great props from and exhibits of Star Trek shows. Now, in the main space they have an Avatar exhibit, and a Battlestar Galactica exhibit upstairs. I really loved seeing the Avatar movie, and ...
Brittania Heritage Shipyard & Steveston Village—Vancouver Travel
For years, I've heard about a quiet little getaway close to Vancouver—a place with historical buildings, ships and other interesting things to see. Located just south of Richmond (a suburb of Vancouver), Steveston feels like an entirely different place. On a rainy Vancouver day in May, my mom, brother, Greg and I spent a few hours in Steveston—both at the Brittania Heritage Shipyard and Steveston Village. There's enough to look at in the Shipyards to spend an hour or so wandering around ...
West Coast Railway Heritage Park Squamish—Vancouver Travel
Just outside Vancouver, the West Coast Railway Heritage Park lies in the town of Squamish. It is a lovely drive from West Vancouver, up the Sea to Sky Highway and north to Squamish. The heritage park is a great destination to visit from Vancouver, whether you have a full day or afternoon to spend. The heritage park is located in an absolutely beautiful spot—surrounded by trees, and mountains, with the ocean not being too far off. What makes this destination so great is that it would appeal ...
To Portland and Back Again – Portland in Pictures
Portland, Oregon is a place I've always wanted to visit. Everything I'd heard about the city proved to be true - the laid-back bohemian atmosphere, great art institutes, food and shops were all present. I look forward to going back there, if only to check out more of the great vegan restaurants and coffee shops! I love the architecture in Portland! This is where we stayed in Portland, using United (airlines) miles for 2 nights. The Portland Marriot City Center Hotel had a nice décor and ...
The Art of Craft at the Vancouver Museum
The other day I managed to catch the last of the exhibit "The Art of Craft" at the Vancouver Museum. It was a beautiful clear day in the city, so I snapped some pictures of the exterior of the museum as well as some of the works in the exhibit. The beginning of the exhibit had a quote that read: "The absence of a national style for craft may be a good thing for current makers because there is no domineering aesthetic style to overcome." - Rachel Gotlieb, 2009 "Seeing Clouds" by ...
