Walking past the Gate of Harmonious Interest along Fisgard Street in Victoria, British Columbia, the city’s tiny - but mighty - Chinatown opens before me. Shops, restaurants, lanterns… it might only go a block or so, but the effect is outsized. And indeed, that is the biggest takeaway from a visit here to what is…
Standing on the end of one of the pier’s of Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria, British Columbia, I watch as a research vessel of the University of Victoria is cleaned and offloaded from a morning of… whatever it was doing. I stare at the water, and try to make sense of this city, and the Inner…
I was here once, on a day trip via a ferry from Seattle, back when I was probably 8 or 9. I went to Butchart Gardens, and if I did anything else, I don’t remember. Of course, that was back when a drivers license got you into Canada, and such a day trip was much…
A dumpling place on the corner. A bakery a few doors down. A Jamaican take-out restaurant across the street, flanked by a taco hut and a gourmet cheese shop. Down the street, Chilean empanadas, Portuguese cuisine, a cannabis store, a burger place, and at least two hipster coffee shops. If ever a neighborhood could represent…
In 1860, Edward, Prince of Wales (who would become King Edward VII), opened a large park in the center of Toronto. Named in honor of his mother, Queen Victoria, Queen’s Park would become the heart of the city’s cultural, educational, and governmental functions, an intersection that it still occupies today. The entirety of Queen’s Park…
Sitting on a long bench on the shore of Lake Ontario, I stare out at Centre Island just off the shore. The sun is shining, but my sunglasses keep the sparkle of the water out of my eyes as I watch sailboats ply the blue, and the occasional tourist boat tour navigate between them. I…
It was bound to happen eventually. I love Canada, and have been to our neighbor to the north dozens of times, but I have never been to Toronto. I may have driven through on a Niagara Falls trip as a kid, but I certainly didn’t spend any time in the city. But I’ve always wanted…
Editor’s note: Vancouver is seriously one of the most wonderful places in the world. My guide, which you can see here, covers some of the same places as this beautiful piece by Sam Spector, although he fills in some important gaps. This is one of the reasons I love having other voices on The Royal…
Canada. The Great White North. For many Americans, it's the closest country to visit (Mexico for me living in Los Angeles), and yet, beyond a few large cities, few of us have seen much of what this amazing country has to offer. I've been to Canada at least eight times I can easily recall, but…
Canada's third largest city and the jewel of British Columbia is one of the most diverse metropolitan areas in the world. Home to incredible green spaces, natural beauty, a huge commercial harbor and a wonderful walking downtown, Vancouver attracts tourists from all over the globe for its mild weather, outdoor adventures, and spectacular food scene.…