The Winter Olympics appear to be drawing more attention to Nanaimo’s eponymous goodie, with several blogs and articles touting this “Olympic dessert.”

And despite the Nanaimo Bar’s worldwide fame, local tourism gurus say they’re glad to see the extra exposure.

The Chicago Tribune ran a story about the iconic bar and its origins in its food section last week with the headline “An Olympic dessert,” while Cory Hostetter, marketing co-ordinator with Destination Nanaimo, said the treat has received some recent ink from lifestyle magazines in Seattle. Meanwhile, there is no shortage of food blogs featuring Nanaimo Bar recipes and history in honour of a “native” food from the Olympic host country. Included in the mix is a website for a New York-based Irish-American magazine and a blog by a pair of graduate students determined to sample the delicacies of the world.

“That has a lot to do with the marketing we had done a year out. They save those stories until the Olympics and that’s the time they start writing about it or blogging about it,” said Hostetter.

Perhaps tourists won’t flock to Nanaimo because of a popular dessert that bears its name, but she does think the bar will get more people thinking about the community.

“It’s iconic, it has our name attached to it. It’s one of the things that keeps Nanaimo top of mind, and it’s a story that is told in other cities,” said Hostetter.

Zeni Maartman, president of Nanaimo Tourism, said she isn’t surprised that the dessert has been receiving some new attention during the Olympics.

“The Nanaimo Bar is a popular treat that helped put us on the map,” she said.

“Focus Into Flow” is an intensive three session series of Contact Improvisation dance workshops facilitated by Imogen Whyte and Chris Wright to be held at Nanaimo’s Harbour Dance Centre. These workshops will guide participants to dance and to build movement skills within various forms of support. They will explore skills found in the Contact Improvisation repertoire to understand the structure and power found in our bones, our instincts and other somatic systems. The wisdom of a sensitized body can then be brought to play, to trust and to safely move with the surfaces of other moving bodies, the floor and the soft architecture of the self.

Dates: February 21st, March 7th and March 21st
Time: 1pm to 4pm
Place: Harbour Dance Centre, 139 Bastion Street
Price: $ 85 for all 3 classes or $30 for first class only (minimum registration is required, so book early!)

Register: Crimson Coast Dance Society

Call 250 716 3230 or book online at www.crimsoncoastdance.org/tickets.php

The Crimson Coast Dance Society group are staying at the Painted Turtle Guesthouse during their stay in Nanaimo, BC

The inspiring Broadway hit, Godspell!, is playing at the Bailey Theatre on Rosstown Rd. starting February 17 and running through March  6 (Wednesday to Saturday, 8:00pm).  There are two matinees, Sunday,  Feb. 21 and Feb. 28 at 2:00 pm.

Come and enjoy this wonderful musical production with well-known songs, dancing, and gentle humour.  Based on the parables of St. Matthew, Godspell is an exciting and energetic production suitable for all ages.

More information at http://www.bailey.nisa.com

A good Italian Restaurant in Nanaimo

Nanaimo, for whatever reason, has not had a truly Italian restaurant for years, and happily, there is now a very good newcomer on the dining scene. The Grapevine Trattoria in the city’s old quarter (it used to be Christo’s Greek restaurant) is a wonderful example of experienced people opening an establishment that understands the market. Well prepared Italian fare (not the ubiquitous “Mediterranean” we are all too often subjected to in the Hub City) is the order of the day, combined with exceptional service. I’m the guy that posted the less than flattering review of Kasira Thai on another thread, and many responded by excusing the place because it was new. The Grapevine demonstrates that if you know what you’re doing, you can come out of the gate running.

I had the osso bucco special which was exceptional ($16 and included a delicious salad prepared at tableside), while my wife had the platter for the undecided. It contained portions of linguine alfredo, lasagna and chicken parmeggiano. This huge platter ($19) could feed two, and although it wasn’t the best we’ve ever tasted, it was satisfactory. A third person at our table enjoyed a cioppino (an Italian seafood stew with broth). It was brimful with crab legs, mussels, clams, scallops, salmon and halibut, and was wonderful. By the way, homemade warm breadsticks are complimentary. The wine list is adequate and fairly priced. Desserts looked fantastic, but we were stuffed and will leave more room next time. We rejoice! Try this place folks.

The Grapevine Trattoria
335 Wesley St., Nanaimo, BC V9R 2T6
Phone: 250-754-5505

Most people who are planning to view events in the 2010 Olympics are madly making arrangements to stay in Vancouver or the surrounding area. Those who do stay downtown will face incredible amounts of traffic and lineups, not to mention ridiculously inflated prices on everything from meals to bread and butter.

So what is the alternative? Why not stay in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island instead? Not only is it a great place to stay, it will help you avoid all the inconveniences associated with a major world event. Since you will be located outside the ‘hot zone’ of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, the accommodations will be much less expensive, and you won’t have to fight to find a place to eat. You can still come and go as you please, with the help of BC Ferries and local bus lines.

As for getting into town to see the events, getting from Nanaimo on Vancouver Island couldn’t be easier. Adult walk on passengers on BC Ferries only pay $13.50 each way, and the bus to downtown Vancouver is only a few dollars. Once you are downtown you have access to all the local events, as well as transportation by bus and skytrain to other events in the area.

For those who are headed up to Whistler to enjoy some of the snow-bound activities, Pacific Coach Lines offers regular service from downtown Vancouver to Whistler. By the time the Olympics roll around next year local organizers will have scheduled regular bus service between all the major venues. No matter where you are going for your 2010 Olympics events you can get their easily while based out of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

The Painted Turtle Guesthouse is welcoming guests from around the world to Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island in February and March 2010 for the Olympic Games. With dorm rates starting at less than $30 per person and a family room for 4 at under $90, there will be plenty of money left over in the budget to explore British Columbia!

The history of Nanaimo has unfolded in a way that demonstrates the coming together of various cultures in a way that perhaps nowhere else in the world can. The Harbour City was first settled by people over 5000 years ago, and over time many cultures have come to call Nanaimo home for many different reasons. With the incredible variety of influences contributing to the art, music, and atmosphere that make up Nanaimo, it’s no wonder that the city was named Cultural Capital of Canada in 2008.

The human history of Nanaimo begins more than 5000 years ago, with the arrival of the forebears of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. The ample fishing and hunting grounds as well as the sheltering harbour made for the perfect spot to live for these people. The abundance of food and materials also meant that the Snuneymuxw peoples had the luxury of time in which to develop a culture of their own, with arts and crafts, particular celebrations, and unique architecture. Read the rest

Saturday, January 9th, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM

The goals of the Mount Benson Legacy Group are to work with all government levels, and with the owners of all properties on the north and east sides of Mount Benson for the following purposes:
-To find an alternative solution to further logging on the front face of the mountain, and to develop a long-term plan to protect the front face of the mountain for recreational, ecological and aesthetic values.

The Bottle Drive is also an excellent way to help us out with a few volunteer hours. If you are able to volunteer a few hours, please call Claire at NALT 714-1990 and sign up today! We need all of the help we can get, and the bottle drives are a great way to help out the Mountain, and have some fun with a great group of people!

We hope to see you there! -NALT

The winter of 2010 has shaped up nicely. Only one real day of snow so far (although it was a doozy and then melted the next day) and not an overly annoying amount of rain… Temperatures have been really nice and all in all - shaping up for a great winter destination for tourists and snowbirds. That certainly was NOT the case last year!!

One of the reasons why so many people in Canada love living in and visiting Southern BC is because of the mild winter weather. However, during the winter of 2009 the snow on Vancouver Island had many long-time residents shaking their heads as they desperately tried to dig their way out of more than one record snowfall.

Most years Nanaimo and the surrounding area receive an average of 93cm of snow over the winter, however in 2008-2009 many snowfall records were broken as moist air combined with many an arctic cold front. In December 2008 traffic and commerce ground to a halt while 116cm of the white stuff fell in just under three weeks, including a record-breaking 33cm overnight on December 13, 2008. Read the rest

Although winter in Nanaimo has been cold and wet this year, we at the Painted Turtle haven’t let the weather dampen our spirit!  Recently, we enjoyed a get-together at a local ice rink in Nanaimo, to try our hand at curling!

Here, Verena gets ready with a special pair of curling shoes.

Read the rest