Playland/PNE (Vancouver) Discussion Thread

[Nrthwnd]

Last Thursday, the "PNE Mission" was to check out this year's BC Craft Beer Fest and then later on,

get me some Poutine, "Montreal Style." Both were very, very good.

This way to the BC Craft Beer fest...

What I have to check out. With more varieties available this coming week!

The name alone drew me to it, lol.

The personas, however, was a bit bitter for my tastebuds.

This also shows the 4 oz. "mug" we got, along with 2 beer tix

for our $10 entry. More beer tix were available inside, at $1.50 each.

Yes, it is!

But alas, the Raspberry Ale proved not to be as sweet as I'd hoped it to be.

On to Steam Works, a well known local brewery.

And the Kolsch did taste nicer than the previous two I'd had by then.

Main entrance to the Racing Track.

Back of the Track. (o;

So true, so true.

What the Huck?

Looking out from a tables tent. It was a nice casual afternoon there, amongst all the PNE craziness

that going goes on with families, kids, lovers, etc. The music they were playing was great, too.

A definite local fave of mine - Red Truck.

I got the lager.

And it does not disappoint.

Then there was this brewery.

With a couple of definite...

...IN YOUR FACE beer listings.

I tried the Jerkface 9000. It wasn't bad.

Looking down the walkway towards other beer brewery tents.

(More pix ~ and that poutine ~ to come...)

Edited September 1, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[Nrthwnd]

...Continuing on, I eventually made way over from the Beer Fest to the Rib Fest area, which also had this place called

Unroutine Poutine, and featured one poutine with Montreal smoked meat, sauce, etc. I also had the $1 off coupon

on an order of this (thank you PNE Coupon Book), so that was good enough for me.

 

And the Montreal-Style Poutine did not disappoint! I was impressed with amount of fries (again) used, and the good

portion of smoked meat on top, with a light garlic sauce on top of that. Very tasty and My PNE Food Grade: B+, easy.

...So back to Dead Frog I went, where locals were already approving.

I took a chance on another "fruit" beer, this one called The Seasonal.

Great stuff! It was sweet enough for my taste, and I definitely would love another!

Quick! Find The Mug!

Big Rock Brewery is another well-known local establishment.

I tried this one. I think the visual poster got me, lol.

And yet, Rhinestone Cowboy was very tasty, and worth trying again.

The nice folks at Russell Breweries.

Guess which one I tried?

A pause to look out at the visible end of the Hastings Racing Grandstand.

Good also! I am on a roll, here!

But - it was time to go and get some food.

So here I went for some poutine.

"Montreal-Style" And with a slice of dill pickle too! (o:

I went into the beer tent right beside poutine and Ribs Fest, got a cider, and "Dueling Pianos" was going on.

A very entertaining couple, they really got the crowd going in sing-a-longs, and excellent pianists, too!

The mess that is Poutine....

...And I finished it too! It was great, a "B".

The mini-StarFlyer, less than half the height of our Playland one.

Sun setting.

Grabbed mini-donuts for a quick dessert. These were Mr.Ken's, and there must have been

several different brands of mini-donuts here, too! Quite the increase, from several years ago.

And this is how my PNE visit ended. Beautiful.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[Nrthwnd]

My latest visit to The Fair (Sunday), was checking out both the MARKETPLACE that has so many things you don't need there,

and eating a massive noodle dish at The Noodle Bar. Too many noodles, I found out. But it was good enough to rate a

My PNE Food Grade: C+

 

Also, because we had such massive rainfall and high winds over Saturday, they decided to give us Free Admission for the day!

So the crowds kept building and building throughout the afternoon.

Decided to use the old Playland Entrance. Then found out everybody was getting in FREE!

Went right to one of the many spots to pick up my dollar popcorn and dollar soft drink.

There's a bar right in Playland too, though not very busy at this time of day.

One of a few "not-so secret pathways" that basically avoid the crowd noise, when getting around The Fair.

Noodle Bar!

Here's the Noodle Bar Ladies and their woks. The noodles are cooked using water only, by the way. No oil. (o:

A Bangra (?) group had just finished performing on a stage nearby, and then went for Jamaican food!

I decided to go for this. $9 with a coupon ($2 off)

Hi there! You're all doing a great job there in such cramped quarters.

My meal. Way too many noodles. Bacon all cut up in much smaller pieces than expected.

I threw some crushed peanuts on it, but they were pretty bland. Still a C+ for myself.

I looked over from my table and saw this. Um....should Child Services be notified?

After eats, it was off to The Marketplace.

Crowd Shot #1

Crowd Shot #2

And #3. It was just packed all the time I spent in there.

I found this "British Shoppe" there, and then found....

A Doctor Who button! They didn't have any Dr.Who pins at the Superheros thing. So this was great!

The name is funny.

And it means = making soft serve out of anything!

Candles that never go out!

Lights with bulbs that DO go out. (o;

Bling on a Table.

East Indian spices in small colourful jars.

The display. Sorry for the fuzzy shot.

Spinng Wheels. What more does one need?

And... will check this out (i.e. buy some) on a future Fair visit.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[Nrthwnd]

Well, darnit. I went to The Fair yesterday, planning to see the production of Peter Pan (yeah, I decided to give it a chance),

and get a burger for dinner. Take some photos of the evening, and then head home.

 

But - I found out at The Fair, my camera battery was d-e-a-d.

 

So all I got to show for the night is the reserved seat I got myself for the show, and the

coupon that was destined for my burger.

The show was pretty good, as truncated (90 min) as it was.

The coupon.

Past the Italian thing on the left, Gourmet Burgers was to the right.

I also stopped here, after the show, for a nice bowl of frozen yogurt and stuff! (o:

[Nrthwnd]

So after I finally got my camera battery recharged, I headed back to The PNE yesterday, to check out a few other things

available there for families, including Toon City, some of theGarden Areas around the fair site, and the

all-important Livestoock Bldgs. which brings the farm to the city, especially for the kids. Got myself a pair of

corn dogs for a lunch snack, and then later on when I met up with David, we checked out a couple of the Rib Fest

companies selling their stuff.

 

For the food grade, the corn dogs were very nice, though a tad small. Even so, My PNE Food Grade: C+.

Back to the Playland Entrance I went.

Right to this place for a couple of corn dogs.

The wind was up early in the afternoon, but all the straws were protected in their little sleeves.

Wait! What's this? Some blue skies? We were supposed to get heavy rainfall in the afternoon. Not this!

Two rather smallish corn dogs.

But the corn meal batter was very nice, and the hot dog was, well, a hot dog.

More sky and clouds here and there.

Music Express going strong.

AtmosFEAR looks great with blue sky behind it.

The train doing it's circuit.

Red train today, on Coaster.

The crowd was really not that busy. I think the possibility of rain kept quite a few away today.

Um, shouldn't this come down, finally? I mean, it IS 2015 now.

Another mini-donuts stand at The Fair.

Farm Country = Livestock, bees, vegetables...and Pig Races!

Into the building we go.

Bee Beard Demo? Cool!

...Unfortunately, whoever was doing this wasn't doing it today. But here's where they would do it!

You want Honey? WE got Honey! Lots and LOTS of Honey!!!

Bovines taking a siesta.

[Nrthwnd]

More of Farm Country, including the Pig Races area, which sadly weren't running when I was there,

the horses area, and an Elephant Ear I had, before meeting up with David and heading to the Rib Fest.

 

The Elephant Ear was nice, with ice cream on top. Crunchy in some spots, doughy in others.

My PNE Food Grade: C+

The PNE created a Chef's Garden, to grow veggies for use in the various Fair Food spots.

Not huge, but a pretty good veggie garden nonetheless.

Kids Discovery Farm for...who else? Kids!

I believe you!

The "Country Store" they set up every year in Farm Country.

Lots of "homemade stuff" to buy here.

Pig Races! Not happening at this time!

All the contenders.

The race circuit. With a Duck Slide in there, too.

Chickens were here.

At least the horse kept his eyes open.

And this is the horse's name - Wolkenair (pronounced with a 'V').

For those who love Clydesdale horses.

Got milk?

Momma and baby.

Where I got my Elephant Ear from. Couldn't miss the place, if I tried, lol.

Yep. That's what I'm getting.

Here it is, before diving in.

The mess that it eventually becomes.

On site entertainment. They were really good, flashy and lively to make us forget the

grey skies that eventually came overhead.

This is NOT a big crowd here, today. To be continued...

Edited September 4, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[Nrthwnd]

After my Elephant Ear was finished, I wandered around a part of The Fair site, that people really don't

visit much. That being the Gardens Area on the west side of the site. It's a really beautiful set up

with a good amount of statuary and water parts, too. This is where the kids' Toon City was set up, too

 

After that, I toured up to Playland, and got myself a libation at the Ride Side Bar, before meeting up with

David for our meal of ribs.

 

The Rib Fest was not really that busy, with the overcast skies really keeping people away that day.

So everything was basically a walk up, order, pay, and pick up... no problem!

 

The ribs we had were from two companies: Misty Mountain from Hinton Alberta, and Prairie Smoke & Spice

from Regina Saskatchewan. Two portions of ribs (one from each) is all we could handle. Both were good, but

the Misty Mountain ribs were a lot moister and juicier than the Prairie S & S were. So for the record, we both

gave Our PNE Food Grades: MM B+, PS&S C+.

 

Also - with the rain not showing up, this turned into the Best - Uncrowded - PNE Visit - Ever.

The Toon City area for the kids, with play areas and 2 stage shows (Pirates and Mermaids!).

The Pirates show was playing. This eerily reminded me of "America on Parade" figures

when Disneyland and WDW MK did their patriotic parade, back in the mid-1970s.

Four heads are better than one? Part of the Gardens, west side of The Fair.

Some really nice garden areas, here.

All alone, I see?

Really nice and quiet, without any crowds to speak of.

Which to fly away on? A Space Shuttle or a Space Ship? Decisions...

Calf in Repose.

Here comes the PNE Band...

..And there they go... to somewhere else to perform, I suspect.

The Tractor Dirt Flattening Contest is intense! Between shows at the Agrodome.

Skies overcast by now, but still no downpour. Woo hoo!

And now, a quick stop at the Ride Side Bar, in Playland. Wish it was here for the Playland season, too.

My libation of choice, Okanagan Cider, dry.

View to the right of the bar.

View to the left.

And in the middle, The Beast goes on.

Boogie Fever! going on, opposite the Ribs Fest. It was fun, yet scarily familiar to me.

I bought a half rack from here.

And David bought a half rack from here.

Top is Misty Mountain, Bottom is Prairie S&S. Both good, but the Prairie was more

dry, than we thought it should be. Even with extra bbq sauce, it was still...chewy.

David was definitely happy with his choice, although we did share.

Showing off my PNE "Bling" on the TPR backpak.

Free Food! Sample packages to take home with us.

And on our way home, we spotted these.

By the way... THIS was "America On Parade", in Walt Disney World MK, circa 1976.

(Celebrating the USA's 200th Birthday!)

Edited September 4, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[Nrthwnd]

As a postscript to the above posting, I forgot to mention that David and I took in both Haunt Houses

at The Fair as well! The old Playland standby, Haunted Mansion, we went through first, with David leading.

This is great and I miss the fun of going through these things, with at least one other person. It's so

'okay and meh' when you travel solo - not to mention sad and pathetic.

 

And the other haunt (where I led us through) was the Keepers Dolls Factory, a returning haunt from

last Oct.'s Fright Nights at Playland. This was cool, as I didn't do FN last Oct. So this was a neat bonus haunt!

And it was great! Very much reminded me of the gross and totally random scenes done in Japanese haunts.

And an actor or two freeking us out, as well, lol.

Haunted Mansion. This was good, as always.

Keepers Doll Factory. Wow, I loved it! It was so Japanese!

[Nrthwnd]

As this was the final weekend of The Fair, I decided to hit it at least two times, before it ended

on Monday (Labor Day). However, after taking in the GI-normous crowds there yesterday, a

second visit was not going to happen for me. Which was fine. I had seen a lot of The Fair by now.

 

I had seen so much of The Fair this year, compared to my one-day visits in years past. And I

got to meet some of the people who ran things, etc. Which was very cool.

 

And, of course there was the awesome Craft Beer Fest, which I ended up visiting three times.

Great choices of beers both weeks, and great crowds to enjoy it with.

 

So here's some of the photos I took, which took me back to the Beer Fest, finally getting to the

Shrimp Boat food stand for a meal, and my last look at The Fair itself, in all it's varied ways...

One more time, through the Main Gate of The PNE.

Lots of early Fall light in the trees.

The Agrodome was holding a horse jumping contest.

Yes! Back to My Fave Part of The PNE! (o;

I went back to Howling Moon, to try their other "Off-Dry" cider, having not enjoyed their dry cider, before.

And it was much better than the regular dry. I also brought along appetizers for the Beer fest. (o:

This was skewered chicken with a sweet tandoori dipping sauce. Very nice along with the beer.

Next, I went back to Dead Frog for a repeat of their The Seasonal beer, which I liked on my first visit here.

And I had it with Appetizers #2. Both great.

Decided to try a new one, and Yellow Dog caught my attention.

I tried the "Take A Walk Wit". WIT, I don't know what type of beer that is. Anybody help?

But it was good!

Only a Real Man can wear pink camouflage pants, right?

I wanted to repeat having my Eastern Promises Beer with Russell Breweries.

But they were changing kegs and it wasn't going quite right. Took a bit longer than expected.

That was okay. I went looking for something else, then came back to it.

Mini-StarFlyer in action.

I saw this one.

But I was only interested in it's IPA display. Goose Eggs = Beer?

I decided to try something from Powell Street, instead.

The "Ode To Citra" had me interested.

And - it was great. I think I am really starting to enjoy ales and lagers with a bit of

fruit of some kind in them, as well as the hops, etc. Citrus fruit definitely seems to agree with me.

(More to come..)

[Nrthwnd]

Here's the rest of my final visit (Friday) to this year's PNE.

 

I will miss the Craft Beer Fest and Ribs Fest.

And I will miss only a few of the food stands.

 

And I thought the Shrimp Boats food was way overrated.

And it was just a bunch of popcorn shrimp, on top of potato chips.

Oh, and some okay sauce. Anyway, it was a miss, so My PNE Food Grade: C-.

 

But I also exited The Fair, with a little concoction of mini-donuts and stuff on them.

And they were awesome! So for Cin City Mini-Donuts, My PNE Food Grade: B.

The beer looks clear, here! (bad rhyming, I know)

The crowds are getting bigger at the Beer Fest.

Quick shot beyond the PNE, over the race track.

Intelligent Beer Fest Graffiti.

My last beer was from Russell (Evening Promises), after they got their kegs going again!

And it was just as awesome-tasting this time, as it was last week. Yes!

A last look at a really nice day, today.

Don't forget this, if you're riding rides, right? (o;

The classy Exit of the Beer Fest

Eek! The crowds are really big around the Ribs Fest place. Time to keep moving on...

Double Eek! Boogie Fever rises again, on another day!

The main pathway between Playland and front of The Fair.

Went to Shrimp Boat with my coupon. The lineup wasn't that long compared to other food stands.

The coupon was good only for the Wiggle Popcorn Shrimp, so that's what I went with.

Nice regular sized StarFler/AtmosFEAR.

On the other (non-Main Concert) stage, we had some country being sung.

I don`t remember her name, but she sang good, and did some great covers.

The Wiggle Popcorn Shrimp `boat.`Meh. It was popcorn shrimp on LOTS OF potato chips, with sauce. Not impressed.

So for a sweet exit, I chose another mini-donut stand, here inside the Marketplace.

I ended up choosing the Strawberry-Whipped Cream one #2.

And it definitely looked like the photo. And it was good! Better than the shrimpboatchipswhatever.

[Nrthwnd]

So, as The PNE is ending today, I just wanted to sum up a few observations of my two weeks' visits there.

 

1) Beer Craft Fest and Beer Gardens are AWESOME and should be a "must have" at every PNE! I counted at least

three beer spots/gardens on site, along with the Beer fest, and ended up at two of them and the Fest. And loved

the set up of it, while screaming families and strollers were passing by. An oasis in the craziness that is PNE.

 

2) Doing the whole two weeks is much better, than all-at-once in one exhausting visit. The Pass is worth 2-1/2 visits

to The Fair, and with the bonus of the Coupon Book, I also got to try the standards and newbies in PNE food on site.

Some great. Others, not so. And my bus passes took a hit with several visits back and forth. But that was okay.

I enjoyed it and the challenge of figuring out what to see, do and/or eat, day to day.

 

3) The Ribs Fest is still a must, although I feel the "Contest" part of it is just dumb. They only have four ribs companies

compete, and two of them were from the USA, when it was advertised as an "all-Canadian" challenge. And then the 'Title'

of The Winner seems to rotate from summer to summer, with the public's vote. Sad, because for us, Misty Mountain

was the clear winner this year, as last couple of years. Yet this round, out of three winners, it came...4th Which

means it went from first to last, using the same wonderful bbq sauce, etc. Bring more ribs in, scrap the Contest. Rant over.

 

SO the PNE closes after today, and Playland reopens only for weekends, this month. Then it closes to get ready for Fright Nights in October.

And in two days, me and David head to Amsterdam (Walibi Holland) and Paris (Disney) for a couple of weeks.

 

Happy Labor Day Everybody! And remember....

It's almost like Las Vegas! (o; My last photo of The Fair. Bye bye, till the last Playland weekend this month!

[Nrthwnd]

The Fair is over, Playland is now closed, but there's one more thing this year at the park...

 

www.pne.ca

Hmmm. Can't seem to crop out that dark box on the right.

[LuminousAphid]

Ok, I actually went to get my Enhanced Driver's License today so that I can go across the border, so if I get the hard copy in the mail before this ends you might see me there.

edit: meaning Fright Nights. Should I get a rapid pass if I go on a week day?

[BCTom]

Ok, I actually went to get my Enhanced Driver's License today so that I can go across the border, so if I get the hard copy in the mail before this ends you might see me there.

edit: meaning Fright Nights. Should I get a rapid pass if I go on a week day?

 

I went last year on a rainy Thursday evening. It was raining pretty hard when we arrived for opening, which may have impacted crowds.

 

We were able to do most of the mazes first thing with pretty much no wait. It got busier as the night progressed, and we waited 40 minutes for the newest maze later in the evening. We didn't do many rides, but the coaster was a minimal wait (while still raining).

 

We left about 2.5 hours after opening. By then the rain had subsided and mazes had larger crowds waiting.

 

They don't let too many people into a maze at a time, which makes for a good experience but it doesn't take very many people to have significant wait times.

 

If you arrive early, you may be able to get a lot done with a minimal wait, but weather will impact this. You'll probably have no problem doing everything, but every haunt event I've ever been to (not just Playland) has long wait times. I imagine this event would be much more fun with the rapid pass in general. Even if i you don't need it at opening, you'll make use of it later to revisit any favourites.

[Nrthwnd]

Here's the quote I found about the Rapid Pass on Fright Night...

 

Rapid Pass Gate Admission offers the same access as a regular gate pass PLUS access to an expedited line for each Haunted House and once for The Beast, Wooden Roller Coaster, Music Express, Atmosfear and Hellevator. Valid only for the date purchased.

 

So the Haunts you can only have one entry, and the 5 major rides here, only allow one

Rapid Pass entry to ride. From what I make of the quote, here.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[LuminousAphid]

I dunno, I'm going more for the rides--though I might really like the haunts, I have never been to a quality one--so it's a bummer that for 2x the price you only get an express line once each. If I get the express, I will have to play the "wait until the line is longest" game to get the most of it, which sort of puts me off.

 

I think I might just get the regular pass online in advance, and hope the lines aren't bad. Does anyone know if there is any opportunity to upgrade once there? I highly doubt it...

 

Also, does the Enterprise allow single riders? I have never ridden one and got DENIED at the fair due to I was sad and alone

Any other rides with 'no single rider' policies?

[Nrthwnd]

^ I believe there was a Customer Service Bldg. opposite you, as you entered the gate, to do just that. Upgrade from General Entry

to adding the Rapid Pass. But, don't quote me. This was two Halloweens (years) ago, when I saw this. And checking through

the site, all it lists is prices for online and Gate entry tix, both General and Rapid Pass. No mention of "adding on to = Rapid Pass"

is there. You could actually contact them by email, to find out about that question. They are pretty good (and fast) in answering.

 

I have gone as a Single Rider on practically everything offered in Playland - off season. For events like this, and the PNE, they usually

don't allow it. On Coaster. For the rest of the rides, I don't know.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[BCTom]

"Yes, the Rapid Pass card can only be used once per house and once per ride on five select rides and only on the date the card was purchased for."

 

via http://frightnights.ca/guest-services.html

[LuminousAphid]

^

Yeah I saw that yesterday, I was gonna post it but I guess you got here before me. Looks like I'll try to go on a week day and bring someone with so I can ride everything (selfish much? )

[Nrthwnd]

I'm going to make the attempt to actually go this year, regardless of the weather.

I chickened out last fall. But - I can easily buy tix online, once I know what the weather will be,

in advance, give or take an overcast sky or so. Hoping for at least overcast skies.

And if I go, I'm going on one of these evenings, 15th (Thurs) or 21st (Wed).

 

I'll see, soon enough.

[Nrthwnd]

The way the weather predictions look like right now, I think I'll most likely be going to Fright Nights on

Thursday, October 21st. It still looks to be a clear night, with no rain involved.

 

I know a bunch of buddies are going to hit FN tomorrow night. But honestly, it looks to be the

most rainfall of the entire weekend! So, no to that.

 

Stay tuned.

 

EDIT to add: Eep. Now it looks like I might have to do Right Night on Oct.15th - a Thursday.

Stay tuned until I finally decide on Sunday, I guess. Weather permitting.

[Nrthwnd]

Got my Rapid Pass Ticket for this coming Thursday, October 15th.

 

And us getting rain that evening, is estimated at 10%. Roughly.

What I just got.

When I'm going. This Thursday! (o:

[LuminousAphid]

NIce, I'm sure you'll have fun. You always make sure to fill us in on the important stuff, and since I still haven't made it up there, I appreciate it

[Nrthwnd]

^ Thanks, I shall do my best.

 

 

www.pne.ca

Ands over in a corner there...

Keepers Doll Factory will be back in business again, since the PNE debut.

Ooh, I think I see my Rapid Pass entrance, too! (o: (Photos were taken at the PNE last August)

Edited October 14, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[LuminousAphid]

just got my Enhanced Drivers License in the mail, but I just realized that I will have to go on Sunday and really jam it in with my other stuff, but I will try! I have to head to Idaho on Thursday so that's the last time I will be able to go. The only issue is I have to be at work at 7 AM the next morning