a peek inside the fishbowl

15 Dec, 2017

Gifts for people who have everything, part 5: an experience

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Oh! Things!

Some of you have seen this already, but my most recent Buying Smart column for Costco Connection magazine is about buying experiences over things and outlines some of the cool ideas available at the Costco warehouse and on their website. (You can read that article over here. You might be surprised in terms of what kind of tickets and gift cards are available. I know I was!)

I really like the idea of giving tickets to experiences! Don’t you? Memories last a lifetime. Talk about gifts that keep giving!

There are many different ways you can go with this gift idea.

  • Restaurant and movie passes. There’s a dealio if you buy them at Costco but the Cineplex and Landmark cinemas aren’t the only game in town. Don’t forget the Mayfair and Bytowne too.

Movie night at the Bytowne Cinema

  • Museum and gallery memberships: There are so many in Ottawa! How about passing along a hint to grandma and grandpa re: a family membership to the Museum of Nature (there’s a new butterfly exhibition!) or the renovated Canada Science and Technology Museum museum? Actually, this family  membership gives admission to THREE Ottawa museums. Check it out.
  • Fishbowl patron, Saunders Farm, has annual passes and gift cards available too. They come with great perks too! Read more about it on the Saunders website.
  • How about a Brew Donkey tour?
  • … or a sightseeing flight in Ottawa?

The tricks is to find out what your recipients will get the most joy out of and start from there. If they’re art lovers, perhaps a membership to the National Gallery. Music and theatre buffs might appreciate a gift card to the NAC.

Got any ideas to add to the list? I’d love to hear if YOU have received the gift of an experience!


No Responses to "Gifts for people who have everything, part 5: an experience"

comment form:

Archives

Me and my pet projects

Ottawa Bucket list

Subscribe via email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


  • Gretchen Humphrey: I had a beautiful bee& birdbath filled with a solar fountain and dozens of antique marbles that were suddenly disappearing. At first I thought my
  • Jinjer: I am sobbing reading this post. And you're right, companion is not enough. Little furry treasured gifts that they are. Thanks for sharing cutie-pi
  • Karen: Dear Andrea, Mark and your daughters I am so very sad for your family xxx Piper was/is my favourite Instagram post. You shared with us so intimately
  • Christina Banuelos: Thank you for sharing Pipers life with us. Your posts of Piper brought me joy. Every time I see your post and see what kind of mischief Piper was gett
  • Carla Slocum: I am sitting here yet again crying at your loss. We have known that loss with Asta the WFT our first pup but now have the enormous gift of Stryker the
  • Janelle Brown: Dear Andrea Thank you for sharing Piper’s story with her followers. I empathise with your grief and emptiness as I lost my 14 year old Westie last
  • Natasha McReynolds-Nicholl: My god reading this is heartbreaking. December 1st was the as you describe longest day of my life, we lost out beautiful WFT hazel. Pipers final momen

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


Connect with me at these places too!

Still calling it Twitter