I was invited yesterday afternoon on a Media Insider’s Tour of Granville Island. This entertaining afternoon was a sneak peek at what the Granville Island Storytelling Contest winner will experience when the judging is in. Winners are chosen every Thursday from now until February 10. Three weeks to go, so get your story in now! The contest is sponsored by Granville Island Works, a community project that puts Granville Island at the ‘working’ heart of Vancouver’s choice spots to visit and enjoy.
GI Works is a collaboration between ZenHouse Media and the Granville Island Business and Community Association (GIBCA).
We started the tour at the Granville Island Brewery, and were given a tour of the premises.
Ingredients, machinery, process – it was all explained as we wandered through the spaces behind the bar portion of the brewery. Afterwards, we were treated to several taster samples of their beer, including an Irish Stout that had been recently created as a limited edition run.
Our next stop was handling glass (with mask, gloves, and apron of course!) at New-Small & Sterling Glassmakers, on Old Bridge Road. The glass-making process starts out as a ball of glass on a heated rod.
With successive tries, using pliers and grip, the glass is moulded and prodded into what will hopefully become a flower.
I had the chance to try my hand at this and hope to pick up my glass flower later today. As I looked around the store at the beautiful products on display, I wondered how long the glassmakers have been practicing to perfect their technique. The finished work makes it look so easy!
An Aquabus tour of False Creek was next on the agenda. Once on board, we were each handed a paper bag containing a box of one of BC’s delicacies: Salmon Candy. The box contained an assortment of flavors. Delicious! We cruised towards BC Place, spotting a harbour seal along the way.
Aquabus tour of False Creek
Our final stop was dinner at the Sandbar Restaurant. This is one of my favourite dining spots in town, and one of the first that my husband and I visited while on holiday in Vancouver over seven years ago, while contemplating a permanent move here.
[Oysters at Sandbar Restaurant]
[Mussels at Sandbar]
[My Mahi-Mahi dish at Sandbar]
All this for writing a story? Sounds like a deal to me! The Granville Island Storytelling Contest is open to the public and invites you to share your favourite Granville Island experience. The contest theme ties in with Valentine’s Day. The team behind the contest is looking for love stories and tales of chance meeting on the Island.
There are four chances to win the grand prize. Each Thursday a winner will be announced for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize. The four grand prize winners and their guests will go on an Insider’s Tour on February 12!
If you’re feeling inspired, submit your story before February 10 to Granville Island Works or email your photo, video, or music submissions to stories [at] granvilleislandworks [dot] com.
