Symposium Venue

The event is held at The Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel - all symposium activities happen here !

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Accommodations

Sheraton Guildford - We have arranged a preferential booking rate of $115 per night with The Sheraton Guildford. Please note that bookings must be made before August 9th, 2010. To book call: Locally 604 582-9288 or Toll Free 1-888-627-8063. When booking be sure to mention the Woodturning Symposium. The Sheraton Guildford Hotel is located in North Surrey, minutes from Highway 1 and the Port Mann Bridge, gateway to Greater Vancouver.

Ramada Inn & Suites Guildford, 604 - 930-4700

Sandman Suites Guildford, 604 - 582-7263

Dogwood Campground

Visit: Surrey Tourism and Tourism BC website for lots of information about the local area and all around British Columbia.

 

Sights 'n' Bites - recommendations from The President - Kerry Deane-Cloutier

Vancouver is a diverse city with a lot to offer. The following is a selection of some of my personal favourites, with some dining suggestions provided by Art Liestman:

Woodturning shopping destinations: For everything from the new lathe you have been lusting over, some spectacular curly big leaf maple to those great callipers, go to Lee Valley Tools, KMS Tools, Island Woodcraft, Bow River Specialty Woods.

Granville Island is full of interesting places, from the Public Market and all the good things to eat, to galleries, art supply stores, artisanal shoe makers, silk weavers, arts and craft furniture makers, and artisanal sake makers. For a picnic to remember, make sure you go to Oyama Sausage Co. for some charcuterie, and La Baguette et L'echalote for a baguette to go with it. Both of these are must-stops for me every time I go there. Once lunch is done, check out the many galleries, including the Circle Craft Cooperative Shop and Gallery, and Crafthouse to see what a wide variety of woodturners and other artists are doing in their media.

Waterfront sightseeing: there are two great ways to see the waterfront along False Creek and English Bay. The first is to walk (or bike – there are tonnes of rental places) along the sea wall paths that front virtually every body of water. The second is to take to the water, on the Aquabus or False Creek Ferry. For a few dollars, the charm of these little ferries is hard to beat.

Grouse Mountain: known as the peak of Vancouver, there are two ways to get to the top for the view. The easy way is to take the tram, the hard way is the Grouse Grind, a steep 2.9 km hike.

Robson Street Shopping: this is a great street to stroll along, day or night. It is home to many shops, including Lululemon, but the people-watching may be the best part.

Commercial Drive: This is the heart of Vancouver's Little Italy, and a totally different experience than Robson Street. A wander down the drive is a funky, slightly hippy-ish, couple of hours of entertainment. Get a coffee at Prado, drop into the Italian bakeries for a snack, or get a panini or some cheese at La Grotto Del Formaggio. This is a street full of independent stores, not the same outlets you find at every mall on the continent. The shops and restaurants along the Drive gather a lot of awards in the Georgia Straight’s annual Best Of Vancouver.

Steveston Village: once a small fishing port, it has been swallowed up by Metro Vancouver, but still retains the port and that small town feel. Do any of the 101 things the Village suggests, such as walk around the streets and the fish docks, do a little eagle or seal watching, walk along the dyke, see the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, and have the best fish and chips at Pajo's.

Chinatown: While it might not be as big as some in the USA, Vancouver has Canada's largest Chinatown. This is the place to browse, look at the architecture (the Sam Kee Building is only 6 feet wide), ask questions in the traditional medicine shops, respond with “Really!?!”, and pick up some of those harder-to-find items you have always wanted. Don't miss the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden, another peaceful place to unwind while watching the Karp nibble at the feet of the ducklings.

Whistler: This is the place to go for a day or two of alpine adventure, with a beautifully scenic drive there and back on the Sea to Sky highway. Hiking and mountain biking are the big draws, but there is also golf, ziplining, kayaking, fishing and other activities, and the Village of Whistler itself is also worth your time.

Museum of Anthropology: Having just spent $55.5M on renos, the museum is bigger and better than ever. The Haida art of Bill Reid is particularly worth seeking out. While in the UBC area, don't miss the Nitobe Memorial Garden, ranked in the top five of Japanese Gardens outside of Japan. If the stress of travel has got to you, this should be your first stop in Vancouver.

Vancouver Aquarium: who can resist the smiles of the beluga whales in their spectacular and huge tank, or the seals that line up on the water side of the glass and stare in amazement at the people lined up on the other side.

Parks: In addition to the waterfront paths and woodland trails of Stanley Park, the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens and Queen Elizabeth Parks are gorgeous places to spend an afternoon wandering through.

Dining: Vancouver's dining scene is hard to beat. Quality is outstandingly high, prices tend to be pretty reasonable, and casual dress is always at home. Try one of the following (in roughly ascending order of price):

Coffee: Vancouver is a coffee tourism destination (yes, there is such a thing as coffee tourism!). Don't just settle for a cup of joe at the Starbucks you will find on every corner. Try the Elysian Room, Artigiano Caffe, Wicked Cafe, JJBean or Prado.

If bizarre is your thing, do not miss Japadog, a hot dog stand with unusual fixings (nori, daikon, bonito flakes, etc) on great sausages.

Pajo's Fish and Chips, on the dock in Steveston (and elsewhere), a straight-off-the-boat place for the best fish and chips.

For the best falafel and other Lebanese fare, go to the Golden Pita in Burnaby. Saturday is the best day, when they make things that are too time consuming to offer on weekdays.

Go Fish, right beside Fisherman's Wharf near Granville Island, for really fresh fish. Try fish tacones and oyster po'boys on a picnic table by the water (no website! 1504 West 1st Ave).

For a little theatre, go to the Legendary Noodle and watch them make the noodles before you eat them. I like to start with the Garlic Pea Shoots, have some dumplings, and one of the noodle soups. This is a great place to share dishes.

Another great Chinese restaurant is Chen's Shanghai Kitchen, where you can get terrific xiao long bao, those Shanghai dumplings with soup inside (no website!.8095 Park Road, Richmond)

A real taste of Vancouver can be found at Vera's Burger Shack, a place that many swear has the best burgers in town.

The Argo Cafe is also a Vancouver Institution.

For Ethiopian cuisine, try the Nyala where inerja, the large Ethiopian flat bread, stands in for cutlery.

For Turkish food, go to Anatolia's Gate Restaurant, where you can fill up on kabobs, curries, kofte and lavash.

Stella's Tap and Tapas Bar on Commercial Drive. For an eclectic menu of small plates from their world citizen menu, and Belgian (and other) beer to wash it down.

For a glass of some top-drawer local BC wine and a selection of fantastic charcuterie and cheeses, head to Salt Tasting Room. It can be hard to find, since its door opens onto Blood Alley, but call on your phone when you are in the area and they will guide you in.

For what the New York Times describes as “easily one of the best Indian restaurants in the world”, go to Vij's – truly a memorable place that will change everything you thought about Indian food.

For fabulous cocktails, Belgian beer, and moule (mussels) and frites try Chambar, a Belgian restaurant.

For Japanese food like you have never had it before, go to Tojo's. The best thing to do is put yourself in their hands and have one of the Omakase menus. Omakase means “entrust” - and will guarantee you an amazing dinner.

bon appetit !