Video • Creative • Brand Development
It’s hard not to get on the Canucks bandwagon right now. The boys are on fire and so is Van city. There have been a number of fan made viral video and songs, and in a city with a deep talent pool, it was only a matter of time before some professionals stepped into the ring. Kyprios’ YouTube based Canuck tribute “How the West Was Won” is actually pretty cool. Next up Moka Only>?
Go Canucks!
The Gladstone Hotel is the original Queen Street West boutique hotel. Set on the corner of Gladstone and Queen Street West near Dufferin, the hotel is in the midst of a neighbourhood undergoing rapid gentrification.
This area of Queen Street West once home to junkies, crappy diners, laundromats, and other old school shops, is now the home to some of Toronto’s hippest bars and boutiques.
The Gladstone was first on the scene of the hip retro-conversion hotel, and remains the most authentic to date. The nearby Drake Hotel has mimicked the Gladstone in it’s approach, and has perhaps executed it even better, but is still lacking in the street cred that the Gladstone eschews.
The hotel itself is an old building complete with super old elevator requiring an operator. The rooms are all individually personalized with different art and decor, and each is a unique spot unto itself.
At times the hotel can be a bit noisy due to the hipster/scenester crowd that tends to hang out here, but if you’re looking for a fun and eclectic place to stay here in the 416, the Gladstone is a good choice.
The rooms are comfortable and the hotel oozes personality. There is also a live-in artist in residence.
While it’s a little far from the business districts to walk, if you can spare the time the Gladstone is an interesting choice and a welcome change from the typical business class fare.
Poutine Hot Dog from La Banquise
La Banquise seems to be the de facto poutine standard from most people I talk to in Montreal. Equal parts tourist attraction and local poutine haunt, this is the place to go with over 25 different types of poutine on their menu. They also serve a good selection of local beer to complement your poutine experience.
In the summer months there’s a nice terrace out back to enjoy the eating.
Open 24 hours, this place is usually fairly busy, so you may want to avoid peak dining hours like 6pm. At odd times it’s easy to get a seat, but at peak times the line can be out the door.
If you’re looking for the best poutine in Montreal definitely check out La Banquise and also read The Great Montreal Poutine Diary which chronicles my adventures in poutinism.
In the Spring of 2008 I went to the highly recommended poutine establishment La Banquise in Montréal — supposedly the best poutine in Montréal. A delicious first round left me daydreaming of a place where I could eat poutine to my heart’s content without any cares to the potential health issues. What ensued was a personal challenge to eat/mange my way through the 25 different types of poutine, one at a time, on every subsequent trip to Montréal. Surely these trips would be well spaced enough to allow my poor body time to recuperate. The following is an account of my artery clogging journey.
Poutine #1 - Classic Poutine - Spring 2008
Poutine #2 - Hot Dog Poutine - Fall 2008
Poutine #3 - Poutine Rachel/Veggie Poutine (take-out) - Later Fall 2008
Update: September 13, 2010
So in between my last trip and now La Banquise has actually added 3 new kinds of poutine bringing the grand total to 28. I need to come here more often. This kind of negative progress is disenchanting! On another note, I’ve also decided not to follow a completely linear order, but instead skip around the menu a bit. You know…keep life interesting.
Poutine #4 - Poutine Bacon - September 2010
Poutine #5 - Poutine Matty - September 2010
Poutine #6 - Poutine T-Rex - September 2010
The La Banquise Poutine Menu / My Poutine Checklist as of September 13, 2010
Overall Impression
Every now and again you get saddled with a limited work travel budget, and while it might sound like I’m whining, I really tried to make the best of this one.
On my recent business trip to Vancouver I had limited funds for hotels and needed a place to stay. I’ve seen the HoJo on Kingsway near Main Street on Travelocity before and it’s always extremely affordable. I like the neighbourhood around 12th and Main (also known as South Main, Mount Pleasant, or SoMa), and have always wanted to stay there, but the accommodation choices are limited to fairly low-rent motels and the HoJo, so for this trip it was the perfect excuse.
I’ll say that compared to a typical business hotel like a Delta or Sheraton the HoJo doesn’t really stand a chance. The beds aren’t particularly comfortable, the rooms are dingy, and the decor severely outdated, but what I did like about the HoJo was the local colour.
The hotel was formerly The Biltmore, and is now home to a couple of different bars, one of which is the namesake of the old hotel. The Biltmore Cabaret is a favourite watering hole of the Main Street hipster crowd and is a fun place to spend a night out and on some nights (Sunday I believe) even catch a classic burlesque show. The noise on Friday and Saturday night could keep you up all night if you enjoy silence, but I didn’t mind the rowdies out on the street below my hotel room.
While I hope to never stay at this particular HoJo again, I would have to say it was an adequate place to stay and I enjoyed the odd mix of people I kept running into in the lobby and the hallways. In that sense it was certainly more interesting than staying at a higher end business hotel where everyone is kind of drab and boring. So if you have the chance stay at the HoJo for the culture, not for the beds.
Location
While there is very little immediately around the hotel other than the Biltmore Cabaret, there are plenty of great coffee shops, lounges, and eateries over on Main Street which is a few minutes away on foot. Downtown Vancouver is a short bus or cab ride away, and about 20-30 minutes on foot. The airport is about 20-25 minutes by car depending on traffic.
Amenities
Not much, but there was an ice machine at the end of the 4th floor hallway.
Service
Not bad for this level of hotel. It was neither here nor there for me.
Elevator Speed
Painfully slow old elevator, but it had those old school huge buttons which I like.
Atmosphere
Low-rent hotel with casino carpets
Bed Comfort
The bed was adequate, but nothing great. They had the crappy coverlet/fleece blanket combo which I loathe.
Internet
Free wireless internet. That is a bonus.
Room Cleanliness
Average.
Toiletries
Suave. No high end stuff here!
Family Friendly
Sort of. This isn’t really the best neighbourhood in which to entertain your kids, but there are interesting family activities close by. Also, the bar-centric nature of this hotel may not be great for all families.
Rates
I wouldn’t pay more than $110 US for this place and that would have to be in peak season.
Other Notes
It wasn’t that bad, but know what you’re getting into beforehand. Website pictures can be deceiving.
Number of Stays
1
When
Spring 2010
Frequent Flyer Miles / Hotel Points
Wyndham Rewards
Vancouver is such a great coffee city and Commercial Drive is a particularly awesome place to go for a coffee. When on the Drive I seem to have two favourites these days, both at opposite ends. On the South End I prefer Prado Cafe, and on the North End I seem to frequent Turks.
Turks just seems like one of those places you go to write a great novel or something like that. I like the vibe, and there’s always people sitting around chatting or pounding out text on their laptop, or making notes in their Moleskine notebook. The crowd’s a little arty, but hey, it’s Commercial Drive. As is par for the course on The Drive, some great ethically sourced espresso can be found at Turks.
