Victoria, British Columbia

[kvanderlaag]

I should've asked this before I left!

I have a few days out here in Victoria, and a couple out near Nanaimo. I'm not sure if anyone on the board lives out around here or there, but does anyone have any reccomendations as to things that are definitely worth seeing or doing? The island is absolutely gorgeous, so I'm not terribly worried about having a hard time with this one, but if anyone lives out here and knows the place, and can give me some reccomendations, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks,

 

[Gerry M]

Victoria

Victoria

Hi, Don't live there, but spent some time in Victoria. Butchart (?) Gardens is spectacular. The harbour area and museum are first rate. Chinatown is also very worthwhile. A truly beautiful city. Enjoy your stay.
Gerry

 

[Gerry M]

Nanaimo

Nanaimo

I forgot to mention, if you are in Nanaimo overnight, a short harbour ferry/water taxi ride out to "The Dinghy Dock" for a dinner and to hoist a few is a great time. It is across the harbour at Newcastle Island.
Regards, Gerry

 

[Kin Lau]

Fisherman's Wharf in Victoria, the fish & chips are great, and you can feed the harbour seals too... they sell raw fish right next to the fish & chips place.

The houses on the wharf are quite something also. One of the owners is always happy to give people tours of his place.

 

[jano]

I'm on my way to whistler next week, leaving wed morning. Going for a conference, I hear there's a music festival going on in the city. Are these places close?

 

[DougK]

Keegan, you'll love the place. Victoria is a wonderful city and very photogenic. I wish I'd had a decent camera with me when I went there. I stayed in the Empress Hotel and had a fabulous view of the Parliament building from my window. I'll second the recommendations for Butchart Gardens and Chinatown. You really can't go wrong there.

Jano, Whistler is not terribly close given the time constraints which normally apply when attending a conference. Fun place to visit though, I did a weekend up there with my tai chi class a few years ago.

 

[PhotoJim]

Whistler is on the mainland, about an hour or so north of Vancouver. Victoria is close to Vancouver, but quite a bit south and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca (it's on Vancouver Island; Vancouver is unintuitively on the mainland). Because of the large distance and the very deep water, not to mention the existence of the Cascadia fault (which was subject to a quake of about 9.5 magnitude in 1700 and is due for another quake of that magnitude somewhere between 2050 and 2200), building a bridge will be a very difficult engineering feat indeed. It would take about 4 hours to get from Vancouver to Whistler by car.

Victoria is a gorgeous city. I've only spent three days there but it was great. I look forward to going back.