With all that being said, today’s post is from Vancouver. Two weeks ago I literally spent 25 hours in the city. I was attending a conference at the new Vancouver Convention Center. After touching down in the city, I took a walk along the Vancouver Seawall. Here’s what you can see along the way…

1. Start: Is that a Blue Vuvuzela?

I’ve spent too much time in South Africa that now I think I’m seeing vuvuzelas everywhere. Turns out it’s just a blue sculpture on the side of the convention center.

2. Follow the path along the water

The scenery is spectacular.

3. Soak up the Sun at Harbor Green Park

Take a break and lie on the grass. When was the last time you felt the feeling of grass?

4.Watch the Seaplanes take off and land

And if you have the time and money, why not take a ride in one yourself?

5. Admire the Boats Docked Along the Seawall

My Canadian readers will enjoy the name of the boat: Prairie Oyster

6. Chart Your Path Through Stanley Park

You could spend a few hours here walking it’s paths, so wander aimlessly or if you’re short on time, make a plan.

7. Swing by the Aquarium

You can pay to go in, or watch the whales and seals for free. They’re just around the corner.

8. Have a Picnic in the Park

Bring your own, or purchase from the grill.

9. Finish: Return & End at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Torch

It’s located right next to the Vancouver Convention Center. Be sure to check out the Killer Whale Sculpture too. It’s pixelated.

Today’s Lesson: Sometimes a stroll through a city, in it’s simplicity, can be the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Cheap, good for your health and unexpected surprises may delight you along the way.

What’s your favorite city to walk in?

I’ll see you out there…!

The Essentials

For More Information: Here’s the official information from the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. I’ve also posted additional photos from my walk along the Vancouver Seawall on Facebook.

Costs: Absolutely free, except for meals or bike rentals.

How to get there: Start at the convention center, located downtown and follow the water. You can’t get lost. Just ask where the Olympic Torch is located and you’ll be all set.

Suggested Time to Experience Fully: Depending on your pace, budget at least 2 hours. Remember, however far you walk away, you have to walk that distance back. Cabs are available around Stanley Park if necessary.

Best Time to Visit: I’ve only been in summer. It was perfect. The weather was warm but not hot. Everything was green. It was perfect.

Ben Recommends: Have lunch at a restaurant along the seawall and ice cream in the park. Bring a book to read or a blanket to lay out on the grass. Just enjoy the day by doing nothing. Relax.

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If I was to ask you, “What is Canadian?” You’d probably say Maple Syrup, Maple Leafs, Mounties and Hockey. After one trip to Canada you’ll also add…Tim Hortons.

Tim Hortons is a Canadian Coffee and Donut Shop (though their menu is much more elaborate than that). There are Tim’s (as they are called locally), on virtually every street corner. People go to Tim’s multiple times a week. Cashiers at Tim Hortons sometimes know their customers so well that their orders are ready the moment their car pulls into the parking lot. Canadians grew up going to Tim’s. Tim Hortons is the Canadian equivalent of Walt Disney – no exaggeration. There’s a fanaticism throughout the country towards Tim Hortons, their coffee and their donuts. And now they can add an American to the group – me!

I’ve become such a fan that I had to visit the very first Tim Hortons store. Store #1, located in Hamilton, Ontario opened in 1964. Tim Horton was a Canadian Hockey Player who wanted to invest in a business. With a commitment to great tasting, fresh food, Tim Hortons was born. There are now 3,500 stores in Canada, the United States (but not yet in Florida), and Ireland.

While the exterior has changed since ’64, the interior preserves the past with a small, interesting museum of Tim Hortons memorabilia.

Gate 166 at the Toronto Airport has a Tim Hortons. So just in case you couldn’t visit a physical store, you have one last chance before you depart to the United States. And that’s just what I did on my last day in Canada. See for yourself in this YouTube video.

Tim Hortons is as Canadian as Apple Pie is American. A trip to Canada isn’t complete without a trip to Tim’s.

What I enjoyed most about my trip to store #1 is it’s simplicity. It all started here. Think about all the businesses in your community; The big and the small. They all started somewhere by someone. Someone who had a dream. Someone who had a passion. Someone who wanted to make a difference in the lives of others.

Each of our communities has stories like these. But they’re often lost in the giant corporate management structures of today. But at least at store #1 in Hamilton, Ontario, that history remains, reminding every customer who visits every day that the coffee and donuts that are now symbolic of Canada had a start by a man with a dream. A man named Tim.

So I’d like to know. Does your community have a story like this? Is there a first store, memorial or marker to the beginning of a dream in your hometown. Comment with your answer.

For more Tim Hortons photos, visit my Facebook fan page here. You can also become a fan of Tim Hortons on their facebook page here.

I’ll see you out there…!

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Last week’s post may have caught you by surprise; Your eyes weren’t fooling you. I was wearing a cowboy hat!

After a successful week at work in the City of Calgary, my host and client wanted to thank my colleague and I for a job well-done with a Calgary Tradition: A White Hat. Out of respect for my client and my personal full-time job, I won’t share the details of what I did to earn the hat, but the tradition in Calgary dates back all the way to 1961. But the popularity of the hat goes back even further.

Tourism Calgary was kind enough to share a magazine article with me that explained where this tradition began. In 1947 Bill Herron (a local oilman), and his family, wore white hats to the annual Calgary Stampede Parade. His family won “best dressed” and demand for the hats skyrocketed. Morris Shumiatcher of Smithbilt Hats was the hat maker that, 60 years later, continues to make these white hats.

Don Mackay, a fan of the hats and then Mayor of Calgary started presenting them as gifts to visiting dignitaries. Today, according to the Tourism Calgary website,

“The Honorary White Hat Awards recognize individuals and organizations that have shown a long-term commitment to the hospitality and tourism industry, and have strengthened Calgary’s reputation as a world class city.”

Famous Recipients of a White Hat include:

• Bill Clinton
• Rudy Giuliani
• Janet Jackson
• Mickey Mouse
• David Letterman
• Pope John Paul II
• Oprah Winfrey
• The Rolling Stones
• Luciano Pavarotti

I guess I’m in good company.

To be clear, I didn’t win THE official White Hat Award, but rather a local award symbolic of the official one. I think it’s just as special. I’ll forever cherish it. Thank you!

And because every Cowboy needs a gun…

What do you think? Is the cowboy look for me? Share your opinion by commenting below.

I’ll see you out there!

If you’d like to see more photos of me posing with my Cowboy hat. Visit my facebook fan page here. Why not become a fan too?

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Did you know…? The proper way to rest your cowboy hat is to turn it upside down? That way the brim doesn’t bend in a way that is shouldn’t – at least according to the lady behind me at the airport x-ray who noticed I put it down in the bin the wrong way.