City Guide - Nanaimo - Sherry Lu Photography

As you probably have noticed, us girls over here on The Refinery Mag team, love to travel.

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of opportunities to get out there and enjoy this beautiful world, but thankfully we have many friends that do! Take Sherry Lu for example: This amazing photographer seems to travel the world: and we get to benefit from it, because her photos are stunning!

Here is Sherry's recent trip to Nanaimo, and how even a day trip or a weekend to the fair city is worth it. Even if its just for a Nanaimo bar!

From Sherry:

There is something for everyone in Nanaimo. From good eats to good sight seeing, to just chilling on the waterfront, you can find something that will make you feel like you are far away from home: even though we are just a short ferry ride away.
While visiting Nanaimo, I highly suggest enjoying a little mexican, some fresh baked goods, and take in the beautiful west coast scenery!
If you haven't already visited Nanaimo, now is the time!

City Guide - Valparaiso, Chile - Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork (Photography & Videography)

Once in a while you stumble upon something quite wonderful. A couple of weeks ago that something happened for us when we stumbled upon the work of Tomasz Wagner on WedOverHeels. We were astonished by his breathtaking capabilities of capturing life: weddings, celebrations, architecture, moments of love, and capturing moments of travel.

Madison and I have been bringing you inspiration for you to plan your getaway this summer, with last weeks jaunt to gorgeous Philly, and now a little south to Valparaiso, Chile! Tomasz whisked us away with these photos, capturing life in South America and the colourful life it's citizens enjoy. I have always been attracted to the phenomenal energy that Chile exudes, and after seeing these photos, I am definitely putting Chile on my bucket list!

We encourage you to go and check out Tomasz's work on his website: http://mananetwork.net

Also check out some of the other photos from his travels to chile here: http://mananetwork.net/valparaiso-chile/

Enjoy!

- Ainsley

From Tomasz:

There are two things you won’t see in any other city but Valparaiso: maze-like urban design and a taste for art. You’ll love both!

When at home in Vancouver, I have always thoroughly gone through all my travel plans so that I get the most out of each trip. I want to be spending every day of the trip exploring the area I am in. If this trip has taught me anything, it’s to leave a few gaps in the trip as well as your time. Half the fun is exploring the unknown, outside those guides and boundaries, and to find out about those nooks and crannies from those really in-the-know about a place. Who knows? The locals or fellow travelers you meet can really help shape your trip; if you’re open to the idea of course. I’ve brought this up because Valparaiso was not on my radar at first and neither was the hostel (Casa Kreyenberg) which was also recommended to me by a fellow traveler.

The city of Valparaiso was a seaport that played a huge part in Chile’s development in the second half of the 19th century before the Panama Canal was built. You can learn all about this during the Tours4Tips tour walk. The Waldo-styled tour guide starts with a quick history lesson about the city in the oldest part of the harbour. These tour guides are volunteers and so the best way of showing your appreciation is to provide a tip (or not, if you didn’t enjoy the tour, of course).

What I loved most about this city (and why I stayed for a whole week) is the maze-like urban design and the city’s appetite for art. Everywhere I looked, art caught my eye. I found out that home owners would often contract artists to have their homes literally covered in art. Valparaiso was pretty well covered in 402㎢ of gallery space. It was a maze-like city that begged to be explored. For me, this was the most amazing part of Valparaiso.

Why is Valparaiso so bright and colourful? The British ships loaded up on materials from Chile and offered paint, rocks, and metal, for example, in return. I’m not sure if this was considered a fair trade back then but the artists used these materials to build the city’s stairs, sides of buildings, and gates. To complete these structures, they painted them in a beautiful mish-mash of hues.

I’d say you could walk these streets every day for a week and not see even a quarter of this city.

City Guide - Philadelphia City - Sherry Lu Photography

Sherry, of Sherry Lu Photography, is an incredibly lucky young woman. We are always following her travels on facebook, whether it is to NYC, The interior of BC, or somewhere else that produces stunningly eye catching photos.

Recently I (Ainsley) saw Sherry made a trip to the wonderful city of Philly. Home to more than just cream cheese, this city sparks the imagination of historians, foodies and lovers of brick everywhere. Not only that, it makes the perfect destination for a "city guide" honeymoon.

Many of you may have seen our first issue's city guide to the Meat Packing District of NYC by Amanda Picone Photography, and so now we take you across the river to Philadelphia!

Be sure to take a read at the bottom with some travel notes from Sherry!

- Ainsley xo

I chose to share photos of Philadelphia with lots of brick, as this is the most commonly used structural element within the city. While visiting Philly I had the opportunity to take in many cool attractions, including the Franklin Institute - much like our cities Telus World of Science! This whacky and fun science centre has attractions for all ages, and is set within a gorgeous historical building! Check out more info here: Franklin Institute.

Another favourite attraction of mine was the Shake Shack. Originally based only in NYC, they have recently opened in Philly! They serve up a great meal for anyone to enjoy, and my favourite was their burger and of course their milkshakes!

One of the highlights of the city is checking out the City Hall. The public is allowed to walk around the hall, and inside the centre is a gorgeous courtyard worth taking photos of.

Last but not least, I would highly reccommend checking out Statue Park which is located near City Hall, as well as College Hall at the University of Pennsylvania. It is the oldest building on campus, and has amazing architecture!

I hope these photos inspire you to travel to Penn State, and visit the wonderful city of Philadelphia!

- Sherry Lu xo