Dog Friendly Trail/Park: Pacific Spirit Regional Park (Vancouver)

Waking up this morning with the sun shining through my windows, I knew that it would be a great day to take my dog out for a long walk.   It is wonderful not having work on Easter Monday.

I love taking my dog to the Pacific Spirit Regional Park near UBC.  Not only does it have several off-leash dog trails but the people who frequents the park have well-behaved dogs. There is also free parking and free doggy poop bag available near the park entrance. Just be sure to keep a look out for your little dogs as there has been coyote sightings in the area.

Description of the park accordingly to the Greater Vancouver Parks website:

"Pacific Spirit Regional Park comprises 763 hectares of forest and foreshore immediately west of Vancouver. The park's forests stretch across Point Grey separating the city from the University of British Columbia. Its thin foreshore wraps around the tip of the peninsula and touches the Fraser River, the Strait of Georgia and Burrard Inlet. The park's closeness to both the university and the city entices visitors to reach it by foot, bus or bike."


http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/PacificSpirit.html

My little Tiggy enjoying her walk and climbing on a fallen log.

T-shirt: Banana Republic, Jacket: North Face, Jeggings: Gap, Flats: Unknown Brand from Ross

I will be honest, another reason why I wanted to go for a walk is so that I can sport my newly acquired North Face jacket.  I love the bright coral color, it is an instant mood enhancer!

Check Please! Restaurant Bill...Pay for All? To Split? Share?

I am sure you have all experienced the awkwardness that occurs when the bill comes after a meal with your friends or relatives. What do you do now? 

Well there are essentially 4 options: Treating Everyone to the Meal, Separate Bills, Split the Bill Accordingly or Split the Meal Equally between all the Diners! 

When I was young and living in Indonesia, I always remember my mom and her friends/relatives constantly FIGHTING for the restaurant bill to the point that it was embarrassing. Why would anyone want to pay for everyone's meals unless it was for a special occasion.  I remember asking my mom why people would want to pay, and she laughed and said "It shows that you have manners."

I love it when restaurants provide separate bills to each diner.  This way, you can know what to expect before the bill arrives.  I am sure you had days when money was running low and you only had enough money to order an appetizer.  It will lessen the after dinner tension when the bill arrives. 

Then of course there are times when a restaurant provides one bill for the whole table, it is up to the diners to decide whether to pay according to what was ordered or split the bill equally. If everyone ordered approximately the same value of food, splitting the bill equally is simple and easy.  If not, then splitting the bill accordingly is the best option but requires a lot of calculation and is a hassle. 

With my closer group of friends, we usually eyeball our portion of the meal and round up.  If there is too much money afterwards, we will just split it back up. And if there is not enough money after everyone contributes, then everyone will just have to pay a bit more.   Not only does it not create tension, but it unifies the group of diners. 

I remember having a group of friends who would whip out the calculator and count to the penny on what their share of the bill was.  I am sorry but not only was it embarrassing, it was such a downer after a great meal!  I use to dread eating out with these group of friends. 

How do you and your group of friends split the bill?