Tag: Bill Reid

This round of major revisions is done, and it went really well.  I got caught up on one of the chapters for a few days and went through several drafts of it until I got one that worked.  But it’s done and it’s off to a spectacular agent.  Here’s hoping they dig the draft!

So I’m taking a few days off.  My brain is mega tired from the past 3 weeks of work; 3 weeks of injecting jeopardy, pain, peril, and raising the emotional stakes for every character in my novel.  It’s been a good exercise, but a long time to be mentally sprinting.

Time to do something else and have a break!  Like do a critique on my friend’s screenplay!  And write a blog entry!  (NO!  Bad Heidi!  Go watch some cartoons or eat some ice cream or something non-writing related!  okay okay okay.)

Speaking of my yearly Tourism Passport Challenge…

Every year, anyone that works in the tourism industry in Vancouver has a chance to participate in a wonderful program, aimed at getting everyone in the industry familiarized with everything there is to do in Vancouver.  The idea is that then we can tell people where to go after they visit us at our tourist destination.

So the month of May is when we spend time going from destination to destination, getting to know museums, galleries, and attractions of every kind imaginable.

Here’s my passport, a little worse for wear:

And a typical page (the stamps need to be collected as proof of visit):

15 stamps gets you a Privilege Pass, which is basically a key to the city as far as tourism goes.  I picked mine up on the first day I could.  It gets me into anything in the passport, plus a guest.  Man it’s awesome!

The attractions I visited to earn this privilege are below.  It’s all clickable, in case you’re interested in going to any of them!

The Vancouver Lookout (a must-visit for someone arriving in Vancouver for the first time; an incredible view of the city, and a great way to get your bearings!)

The Vancouver Art Gallery (and I’ll be going back soon to see their Douglas Copland exhibit!)

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens (absolutely beautiful- I go to the free portion of the gardens all the time, just to sit and relax and look at the lilies and turtles and koi.  Their tour (paid admission to a private part of the gardens) is well worth it, and is quite informative.)

Science World (a landmark of the Vancouver skyline.  Be sure to check out a film at the OMNIMAX theatre inside that awesome dome!  wink wink)

The Bill Reid Gallery (probably Canada’s best known First Nations artist- my favourite piece is his “Galaxy” necklace)

FlyOver Canada (a ride- I haven’t been on it yet but I went to scope it out so I knew what it was all about)

Canada Place (walked the Walk and looked at all the place names- my goodness we have some weird town names in this country!)

False Creek Ferries (boating around false creek, delivering people from downtown to Granville Island, from several docks)

Museum Of Vancouver (oh man that place is awesome!  I love learning about Vancouver, and MOV sure was a treat)

H.R.MacMillan Space Centre (AKA The Planetarium!  With some of our astronauts achieving rock-star status it’s no wonder that space exploration is seeing a resurgence in the public awareness.  To the future!)

Vancouver Maritime Museum (I love me some nautical history, and this was an interesting visit.)

VanDusen Botanical Gardens (absolutely gorgeous- photos below)

I also visited the Vancouver Convention Centre, and Tourism Vancouver.  (And just in case you’re counting and noticed this only accounts for 14 stamps: I got two stamps from Science World, an extra one for visiting the magnificent OMNIMAX Theatre.)

So that’s what’s up with me lately.  Feels good to have a break.  Hope all is well with you, dear readers.  In finishing, here are some photos of my day at VanDusen Botanical Gardens.  Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full album here, if you want to see a TON more flowers!
 
Or, if you just want to see some more of that nifty BLOND Canada Goose! I’ve never seen one like that before.