Parkside Victoria Travel Blog

By Nicole Rutherford

Down at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, nestled between the classic works of national icon and local resident, Emily Carr, and historical works from the Chinese and Japanese portrait artists is Victoria’s newest contemporary art exhibition: Traces, which opened up on January 18^th and runs through until April 21^st . The gallery’s newest exhibition is a collaboration of three Canadian artists: Daniel Barrow, Alison Norlen, and Ed Pien, each of whom claim to specialize in drawing— though each has managed to rip the artistic genre wide open.

 “Traces is an exhibition about contemporary drawing and the possibility and potential for what that can be.” Says the gallery’s curator, Nicole Stanbridge, who further goes on to describe how each of the artists push the boundaries of this definition.

“[These pieces show] that drawing is beyond an intimate sketch in a note book; it’s much bigger and more elaborate.”

By Sanem Le Gresley

Parkside is proud to partner again with the Victoria Film Festival as a venue. Our HD movie theatre with large, plush seating is all set for February. 

Here's a list of films showing at Parkside Feb. 2-10.

Talking to the Trees

Saturday • February 2nd • 7:15PM

Mia is a beautiful, successful Parisian photographer who dreams of motherhood. One day, she flies to Cambodia to surprise her husband. However, the surprise is hers when she finds him brothel-deep with a bare wisp of a girl. With her eyes open and her heart shattered, her desire to end one cycle of abuse sends her down a path that only grows darker with each step.

By Jessica Natale Woollard

Totem poles are one of the most recognizable cultural emblems of the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. Each one is a unique work of art, a love poem to the West Coast wilderness and its people.

About the Totem Poles

The poles display animals meticulously hand carved, one on top of the other, into the trunks of trees. Red cedar was the medium of choice for centuries, selected for its malleability, resistance to rotting, and abundance in the temporal rainforests of the West Coast. The poles range in height, from 3 to 20 metres. Victoria boasts one pole that claims to be the tallest totem in the world at 127 feet 7 inches; it towers in Beacon Hill Park, facing the Straight of Juan de Fuca.

By Nicole Rutherford

Victoria may be the city that gets the least amount of snow in Canada, but it certainly doesn’t lack in holiday spirit! Each year people seem to be ready for Christmas and the winter season a little bit earlier—heck, the Island Farm’s Santa’s Light Parade happened November 17^th this year! However, if you missed out on that you don’t have to worry; there are dozens of fun events and activities still coming up for tourists and residents alike to enjoy.

To start off (and to catch you up on your holiday parade quota) why not visit the Sydney Sparkles parade coming up on Saturday November 24th at 5:00? This traditional parade also includes as an island-appropriate “SailPast Parade” where embellished boats light up the Sydney Wharf! Still want more? The very next week, December 1^st at 7:00 pm, you can head to downtown Victoria for the 14^th annual Island Equipment Owners Association’s truck parade where owners of large trucks and heavy equipment have carefully decorated their vehicles to become giant, illuminated floats.

Need more lights? At 5:00pm on November 27^th at the Legislative lawn is the Lights Across Canada event featuring live instrumental music, two children’s choirs, and complimentary hot chocolate and cookies as the giant Sequoia Tree is lit up. If you like this, you’ll also love the Festival of Trees at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, where spectators can vote on their favorite-themed tree put together by local businesses and organizations while raising money for the BC Children’s Hospital. For a final lights attraction, starting December 1^st you can also see the Christmas Lights Tour at the Butchart Gardens and try to track down all 12 of the themes of the 12-days of Christmas.

By Nicole Rutherford

As autumn rolls around there are several remarkable changes to make note of: a harvest moon in the early morning, the brisk nip of the air on an outdoor stroll, and the plethora of pumpkin-flavored drinks and goodies to be found in every café. However, the most distinguished feature of fall is the inflamed coloring of our deciduous trees, a very worthwhile—if not underplayed— attraction in our beautiful city of flowers. So, grab a cozy cardigan and a hot cup of tea and take a look at some of the top five color-changing locations in Victoria:

1. Beacon Hill Park: Victoria’s most famous park is famous for a reason. Beacon hill has a very wide variety of plant life to view so that in one lovely walk you can view orange maple trees overhanging the old stone bridge at the duck pond, to coniferous trees dropping their cones on a pine needle carpet, to the brightly colored tropical flowers and palm fronds across from the kid’s playground. If you’re walking through the park then you must also make your way to Cook Street Village and stop at the Moka House for an almond milk hot chocolate or a hot apple cider, and then meander through the antique shops, book stores, and the unique local boutiques that make the village famous.

By Nicole Rutherford

As September rolls along in Victoria, you may notice something different in the air. No, it’s not the influx of students to our fair capital, nor is it the delightful ‘bop’ from those Gary Oaks dropping their acorns on the ground. No, it’s more like a growing vibration; a hum of anticipation sweeping city-wide and it’s accentuated by points of bass-beat rhythms, guitar riffs, tickled-brass trills, and lyrics from all across the world. Yes, it’s that time again: Rifflandia.

The four-day music festival, running from September 13-16, is one of growing reputability that features headliners such as Mother Mother, Cake, Sloan, Band of Skulls, The Flaming Lips, Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis, The Dudes, as well as local bands such as Current Swell and Hey Ocean amongst the 112 performers. Every genre from reggae, to experimental rock, to indie grunge and everything in between is featured in this year’s line-up and will be spread out across nine venues throughout the city.

This year will be the festival’s fifth year, and the amount it has grown since its origin is nothing less than astounding. Starting in 2008 as little more than a pop-up tent in front of the McPherson Playhouse, the event has carved a new niche for itself in Victoria that goes beyond the city’s picturesque tea-time depiction and broadcasts Victoria as a music authority.

By Jessica Woollard

For all those lazy, hazy, crazy holidays in the capital city, breakfast is the meal of choice for late-night revelers and late-morning loungers alike. Lucky for all, downtown Victoria offers several top-drawer eateries for your favourite meal of the day. Enjoy eggs made every way imaginable, French toast dipped in scrumptious secret ingredients, taters fried to golden perfection, and waffles with tantalizing toppings—mounds of fresh fruit dribbled with heavenly syrups and homemade jams.

Each of the top five breakfast eateries below serves amazing, mouthwatering breakfasts. No, the menu alone might not help you choose which place to try; instead, the key to your choice might lie in the décor, the history, the vibe, or the approach to cooking. Here’s an overview to help you choose the best spot at which to start your day:

Shine Café, 1320 Blanshard Street (downtown location); 1548 Fort Street (Oak Bay Junction location)

We love a romantic story at Parkside. So when one of our guests decided to propose to his girlfriend in our atrium lobby on Friday, we couldn't resist sharing the news.

Kelowna residents Manjit and his girlfriend, Jillian, stayed with us for a romantic weekend getaway, but Jillian also got a lovely surprise! Armed with a bouquet of red roses, Manjit requested the help of our Guest Services team to deliver the flowers, one at a time, to Jillian, who was seated in our atrium thinking she was simply meeting a friend.

When half of the bouquet had been delivered, Manjit appeared with six more roses, got down on one knee and proposed to Jillian. Our Guest Services team was all smiles when she said YES!

Congratulations to Manjit and Jillian - we wish you much health and happiness in your union!

Photos: Gwendolyn Ewart Photography

By Jessica Woollard

Guided walking tours are a great way to get to know the history of a city and scope out some neat places to return to later on your own. But there’s also something to be said about the spontaneity that comes with wandering through city streets on your own, discovering a delightful hole-in-the-wall café, an intriguing shop at the end of an alley, or an intimate art gallery.

Self-guided walking tours offer the best of both worlds, and I was thrilled to come across a set of four Do-It-Yourself heritage walking tours for downtown Victoria. Even after living here for six years, I learned a lot about this beautiful city—and the tours were a great way to get some fresh air and exercise!

The four “Secrets of the City” tours lead you around the downtown area, indicating significant landmarks and the stories that have made them memorable.If you’re worried about your level of fitness, it's important to note:

While we're still busy giving our special Valentine's spa treatments until Saturday Feb. 18, our team has launched a sparkling new website!

The eye-catching site is easy to navigate, learn about spa treatments and escapes, and request reservations.

You can also view videos, photos, subscribe to our newsletter and get a snapshot of some of the spa buzz on Twitter.

Check us out at victoria.aquaterre.net