OI Staffer Tim tells it like it is.

What sites/experiences in Victoria do you think are unmissable?

The buildings around town and the history of them. Of course the inner harbour is a must as is just cruising around our long coastline and taking in the sites down Dallas and Beach Drive.

What do you like most about living in Victoria?

I love how pretty everything is and how many cool little neighbourhoods exist. The beautiful weather and all the flowers. I love a city that takes care of itself.

What do you like least about living in Victoria?

I do not like the homeless problem. Victoria needs to fix this.

Favourite place to get lunch in Victoria?

The Italian Imports Deli is the best sandwiches and pasta around and it is super cheap! 5 dollars gets you an awesome meatball panino or the pasta of the day special with meatballs and bread. So good! I can eat a delicious meatball sandwich everyday. Just make sure you have a nap afterwards cause it does slow you down.

Favourite dish on the OI Cafe Menu?

I like the chicken club platter. But I am a big sandwich guy. Chicken club platter with pasta salad will fill you up and taste yummy at the same time.

Tell us a funny story about your summer:

I do not think any of my funny stories are appropriate for this questionnaire haha.

Something you really want us to know:

Undersea gardens is awful.

Gimme a Sign!

The first of our new signs are up!

Lookin' Snazzy

Our Address

We're getting on a bit..

So Pretty!

Hostel Fever

Think you’re hostel-savvy?

Did you know that this year youth hostelling is 100 years old? The first hostel was opened in 1909 in Germany by a teacher who came up with the idea while sheltering from a thunderstorm.

Hostelling is main stream! There are over 2 million hostels world wide. The Backpacking Community is no longer limited to fresh faced and enthusiastic Australians but includes older couples, families and even business travelers!

When you picture a hostel do you think of plain, bland,  dormitory style rooms? Think again. Hostels come in all shapes and sizes. Some like Jumbo Hostel in Stockholm Sweden is actually an old jumbo jet! Kadir’s Tree House in Olympos Turkey,  is, well,  a tree house! Hostel Celicia in Ljubljana, Slovenia is housed in a former prison and  The Gyreum in Siglio, Ireland is a strange hobbit like ringed fort dug into the side of a hill.

Hostels don’t have to mean slummin’ it.  Flashpacking is exactly like backpacking except with your ipod and your laptop and a little extra cash to splurge at boutique hostels like Daddy Long Legs in Cape Town,  South Africa where each room has been designed by a different up and coming artist. Or at Oops Hostel Paris which it is all about designer decor and being hostel chic.

Speaking of hostel chic, here at Ocean Island, we like to think we’ve got all the bases covered from backpacker to flashpacker! We’ve got clean and simple dormitory accomodation and  we’ve got uber classy one bedroom suites! Plus we’ve got a whole range of room types in between!

Endless Summer?

Is summer over? It’s a little chilly and overcast here in Beautiful Victoria.  Looks like the hours of blissful floating about on Thetis Lake have come to an end. Still there is lots to do inside.

Rifflandia Music Festival

Thursday 24-Sunday 27th of September at various venues around the city. The line up features great local and North American Bands. It’s going to be Indietastic! A wristband is $60.00 and gets you into all the shows. Check out www.rifflandia.com for schedules and more info!

Antimatter Film Festival

October 9th-17th a showcase of experimental and art films with screenings, installations and mixed media. Check out www.anitmatter.ws for schedules and venues!

Plus, the rainy weather just makes coffee taste better. We suggest you go on a Coffee House Crawl. It’s like a Pub Crawl but in reverse. You arrive sluggish, you leave peppy!

Here are some recommendations:

Discovery Coffee

664 Discovery St/250-447-2323

Beautiful decor and amazing coffee! Perhaps the best americano in the city. Perfect for a rainy afternoon with the paper

 

2% Jazz Coffee

2621 Douglas St./ 250-384-5282

Consistently touted as the best coffee in Victoria, though not much of hang out it is definitely worth the walk!

 

Habit

552 Pandora Ave./(250) 294-1127

Where all the cool kids are going now. Get a cup of French press coffee and take a listen to whatever’s on the record player.

 

Cafe Fantastico

965 Kings Road/250-3852326

Top notch coffee in Quadra St. Village. Laid back and rustic.

 

Solstice Café

529 Pandora Avenue / (250) 475-0477 / SolsticeCafe.ca

The best hot chocolate in town, local live music and delicious local goodies. It’s the quintessential BC coffee house!

 

Bean Around The World

533 Fisgard Street / (250) 386-7115

The best spot in Chinatown. This place is great for hipster watching. Try the chai latte!

 

Cornerstone Cafe

1301 Gladstone Ave/ 250-381-1884

In the heart of Fernwood, a great place to stop for a hot cup of coffee and a yummy snack.

 

Cafe Mela

784 Humboldt Street / (250) 383-0288

Old World / Vienna style cafe. This is the place to go for high tea if the high tea at the Empress Hotel doesn’t suit your budget. And it’s just as good! They also have good sandwiches and great organic coffee and cappuccino.

Think we’re missing out on some good brew? Let us know your favourite coffee spot in Victoria!

Ocean Island is 10 years Old

We’ve been running seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day since we opened in 1999. That’s a lot of  beds slept in, toilets cleaned, coffee poured,  friendships made etc. To celebrate we had a special Open Mic where we gave away pieces of cake to thank all our guests and friends that have supported us over the years. There were a lot of people too…Tim had to be posted at the door so we didn’t go over capacity. It’s shocking what happens when there’s free cake. 

This cake was so delicious. People went into sugar shock.

Cake! Cake! Cake!

We also held a special quiz fundraiser and silent auction on September 4th for our next door neighbour WIN’s (Victoria Women In Need Community Cooperative) Self-sufficiency program which provides “women with education, training, personal development or any life-changing opportunities to move forward.”  We’ve admired the work WIN has been doing for years and are frequent shoppers and donaters at their resale stores. We decided a fundraiser was long overdue, and we were delighted with the response. A big thanks to everyone who came out and supported the work WIN is doing in our community!

Victoria Daily Photo

One of my favourite Victoria blogs is Victoria Daily Photo. It always reminds me how beautiful and vibrant Victoria is – something that’s easy to take for granted when you’ve lived here for awhile. Ocean Island’s Trompe L’oeil mural was featured on Victoria Daily Photo in May of last year. A lot of people were worried we’d paint over it when we repainted this summer, but rest assured The Honeymooners remain, although it doesn’t quite match the window trim anymore.

We Like Mustaches!

Who has got the best mustache bar none?

Equal Opportunities

A very beautiful girl drops off her resume at the front desk.  The two OI staff members behind the desk are blown away by her pulchritude.

Coworker #1 : Holy bacon bits,  I hope they hire her.

Coworker #2: No, they cannot hire her she would be too distracting.

Coworker #1 : You’re right. You’re right.  Too distracting.

[scribbles on resume ] HIRE HER!

Everyone loves Free-Bs!

Here’s the lineup for this year’s Free Outdoor B-Movie Festival. All shows  are at 9PM at the Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park.  It’s bring your own delicious snacks, bring your own comfy seats and bring your own delightful friends. ( Or make some new friends in the Ocean Island Cafe and convince them to come along.)

August 7 – Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D (PG)

August 8 – Cry Baby (PG)

August 15 – Buffy the Vampire Slayer (PG)

August 22 – Nightmare Castle (PG)

August 28 – American Graffitti (G)

August 29 – The Dark Crystal (G)

Complete lineup details

I am pretty excited to see Luke Perry on the big screen.

Prefer to see your Free B-Movies on wheels? Mayfair Mall resuscitates the drive-in with an outdoor movie screen on top of  Toys R Us. Limited free parking passes available every Saturday from the Concierge at Mayfair Mall.  Walk-ins and bike-ins welcome.

Thursday, August 6 - ET
Thursday, August 13 - Dirty Dancing
Thursday, August 20 - Ghostbusters

Speaking of Freebies, check out Frugal Victoria for tips on how to get more bang for your buck while you are in our fine city!

Lanterns, Rain and Gypsies!

Luminara, the festival of lights, is one  my favourite Victorian experiences.  Beacon Hill Park is transformed by light sculptures, musicians and performance artists into a strange and beautiful world. The line between spectator and performer is blurred, as attendees are encouraged to dress up and bring their own lanterns. It is a magical evening of exploration and wonder!

Lanterns at Luminara (photo by glassghost)

This year’s festival was partially rained out.  It has been a really dry summer on the island but,  bizarrely, the night of Luminara  between dusk and about 11pm when the festival ends, there was a thunderstorm. The light displays were just piles of wet, coloured paper. I was grumpy. My glowstick hairsculpture was somewhat bedraggled.  My feet were damp but nowhere near as wet as Stefan’s. He accidentally stood in a duck pond. In short, we were all prepared to go home. And then we discovered Bučan Bučan. Bučan Bučan are Victoria’s Number One 14-piece gypsy band and they are nothing short of awesome. The washboard player was dressed up as an eyeball,the percussionist as a pony; the rest were in tutus and glow, giant mustaches and flashing lights. They led a growing crowd on  a twisting march through Beacon Hill Park, trilling and playing and dancing! We turned out of the park toward the ocean and they marched us out on to a playing field and one of them, in threatening tones, proclaimed, ‘Now we’re going to have to kill you!’  I knew it! I thought to myself. But they didn’t and so I now I am going to see them play at Logan’s Tavern on August 13th along with five other local bands. If you are in town on the 13th I recommend you come, you won’t be murdered and I expect you will have an amazing time. Here they are playing an earlier show at this year’s Luminara:

Here’s Bučan Bučan’s myspace

If you missed Luminara this year be sure to check it out next year!