Holiday Lights

Date Idea: Festival of Lights at VanDusen Garden

Location: VanDusen Garden, 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver

Price: $13.50 per person

More Info: 604-257-8665 or www.vandusengarden.org

Until January 2, 2012, the Festival of Lights are going on at VanDusen Garden. We were trying to figure out how many lights there were, but we could only estimate that it could be in the millions. After you get in, you can head to one of the food kiosks where you can grab a hot chocolate or a spiced apple cider along with a small snake for you and your date, and then take a stroll through the gardens taking a look at the lights. You can also find Santa in his 'living room' along with carolers. Try to see if you can find the 'anatomically correct' mistletoe monster. Perhaps one of the fun things to watch there are the 'Dancing Lights'. During the Dancing Lights, there's a small island in the middle of the lake that has lights that appear to dance in unison with the music. This show comes on every half hour. But after you've seen one, make sure to come back half an hour later as the second show is different.

The garden is open from 4:30pm to 9pm, but make sure to get there early as line ups can get fairly long to get in.

BONUS DINNER PAIRING:
Located beside the garden is the Shaughnessy Restaurant. Make a reservation a bit earlier in the night for dinner, and then when the sun goes down, the setting will be perfect to go into the garden to go for a stroll to look at the lights.




As you walk around

Science World

Date Idea: Science World

Location: Science World, 1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver

Price: $23.50 per person for admission only; $29 per person for admission and an IMAX movie

More Info: www.scienceworld.ca or 604-443-7443

Science World may be kid focused but its still a fun place for adults to go to be a kid. Recently, Science World has undergone some renovations and is now re-open for business. There are hands on exhibits where you can learn about the world while still having fun. That big ball on the roof is an IMAX theatre where you and your date can watch some eye popping movies that fill your field of vision (extra cost for IMAX). Every few months, there are new exhibits that move in so make sure to check out their website to see what's going on. This may a better idea for an afternoon date as Science World is open from 10am-5pm on weekdays, and 10am-6pm on weekends and holidays.

With the new renovations that went on, Science World made a "Lip-Dub" video to highlight the building.

Outdoor Skating

Date Idea: Outdoor Skating at GE Plaza Ice Rink

Location: Robson Square, corner of Robson at Howe, Vancouver

Price: Free! ($3 if you rent skates)

More Info: http://yougottabehere.com/new_events_centre/events_and_happenings_at_robson_square

The weather outside is getting colder, which is great when it comes to outdoor skate rinks. The GE Plaza Ice Rink at Robson Square opens tomorrow for the season and is open until the end of February. Living in the Lower Mainland, we know about the wet weather that often plagues this area. However, even though the GE Plaza Ice Rink is outdoor, it is covered. So you can still go skating no matter what the weather is like. The best part about this is that you can go skating for free as long as you have your skates. The rental price for a pair of skates is only a few dollars. This is a low cost way to have fun with your date. You can either be their knight in shining armour as you help them skate, or your date can have a good laugh at your skating skills. The rink opens at 9am daily and closes at 9pm, except on Friday and Saturday night when it closes at 11pm.

With the arena's central location in downtown Vancouver, it is easily accessible by transit being only a block from the Granville and City Centre skytrain stations, or you can park underground next door at the Pacific Centre for a few dollars. Come early for a casual skate and you can walk a few blocks down the street and find several restaurants for dinner including some of the more well known restaurants such as Joey Burrard, Coast Seafood, Kobe Japanese Steakhouse, and Earls.

Christmas Craft Fair

Date Idea: Christmas Market

Location: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 650 Hamilton Street, Vancouver

Price: $5 per person

More Info: www.vancouverchristmasmarket.com

With the holiday season coming up, you’ll start to see more postings regarding the festive season. This week’s is the Vancouver Christmas Market at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, which opens tomorrow, November 24 and stays open until Christmas Eve. The market is open from 11am to 9pm. It’s a nice place to go on a casual date where you can stroll amongst the little huts looking at handmade gifts including ornaments and nutcrackers. Last year, I ended up buying my sister a rabbit toque complete with ears. I also bought some honey sticks for myself as a snack. As you look around, you’ll hear festive music and come across carolers. Don’t forget to grab a treat and a drink while you’re there.

ALTERNATE MARKET

Want to go to the market but you live in the suburbs? Several city also host their own markets and craft fairs. The Coquitlam Craft Fair is going on Dec 2-4 at the Poirier Community Centre at 624 Poirier Street. Tickets for that are $2. On the Friday night, there’s a Canucks Alumni game against the Coquitlam Fire Fighters at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex which is across the street at 633 Poirier. Tickets are $7 and are available at www.pocomo.org with proceeds supporting the PoCoMo Youth Services Society.

So on Friday, Dec 2, you can have a night for both him and her. Head on down early to check out the craft fair, and then head across the street for the Canuck Alumni game. You may find something for her at the fair, and something for him (like an autograph) at the game.

Laser Light Show

Date Idea: Laser Light Show at the Planetarium

Location: HR MacMillan Space Centre at Vanier Park, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver

Price: $10.75 per person or $19 per person for the double feature.

More Info: 604-738-7828 or www.spacecentre.ca/laser

I was hoping the save this one for the new year, but after 30+ years of this attraction running at the Space Centre, it is coming to an end. So now's the time to see a show if you haven't done so already. If you and your date are fans of Radiohead, Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, you can enjoy a dazzling laser and light show to the music of these artists.

The shows run Friday and Saturday nights in November and January with the last show EVER being January 28, 2012. There are no shows scheduled for December. The first show starts at 8:15pm on Friday nights and at 9:20pm on Saturday nights. With the space centre being in Vanier Park and in the Kitsilano area, bring your date down early and head up to West 4th or Broadway where you can find several restaurants suited for different likes and tastes such as Naam for Vegetarian, Las Margaritas for Mexican, or Trattoria for Italian, just to name a few.