Science World

Who said that Vancouver was a no fun city? Even though I make my living as a freelance writer and I work primarily from home, I still need to take a break from time to time to calm the monkeys in the brain (so to speak). While this past weekend, it does show some of the fun activities that you can enjoy on a budget.

Bodyworlds (and the Brain)

On Friday, I made my way over to the Telus World of Science (better known to locals as Science World) to check out the Bodyworlds exhibit. This isn’t the first time that the exhibit has made its way to Vancouver, but this was the first time that I went to check it out. In case you’re not familiar, Bodyworlds takes real human bodies and makes them into plastic models.

Most of the displays have the human cadavers stripped of their skin, so you can see the muscles, ligaments, organs, and other internal workings of the bodies. I wouldn’t say that I learned anything by going (we all learn about this stuff in school), but it was utterly fascinating to see these displays in the flesh (no pun intended). They had a restriction in place against photos, but Buzz Bishop has some shots of when Bodyworlds was in Calgary earlier this year.

Dot Com Pho: Where’s Leo?

On Saturday, I woke up bright and early (at noon) to hit up Dot Com Pho. This is a weekly gathering of (mostly) Internet professionals and other work-from-home entrepreneurs. We shoot a video of our discussions, which can have incredibly varying subject matter, and then we post it on the Internet.

I was responsible for the previous two weeks, so Ed Lau took over for this week. We talk about spending six billion dollars, finding Leo, and the BlackBerry Torch. Anyone is welcome to join us and we usually meet up on Saturdays at 12:30pm. Follow @dotcompho on Twitter for the latest updates.

Alice in Nightmareland

During the summer, it’s a tradition to visit the PNE. During the fall, you’re supposed to make your way to Stanley Park to check out the Ghost Train. Strangely enough, I’ve never gone, so it was great that I won some tickets from Rebecca (Miss604).

This year’s theme for the train ride is “Alice in Nightmareland.” The train ride, which lasts about 15 minutes, took on a somewhat twisted perspective of the popular Alice in Wonderland story. I wouldn’t say that it was all that scary, since it is largely catering to children, but it was still pretty fun. I’ve included some pictures below (click on the thumbnails to see larger version), as well as a brief video.

Stanley Park Ghost Train 2010

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There’s always something fun to do and you don’t have to break the bank to do it. Bodyworlds was about $20. Pho cost me about $12. The Ghost Train cost me nothing, but regular tickets are only $10 for adults. These are affordable options for some family-friendly fun on a budget and I’m sure there are similar options wherever you might call home.