NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 582

Camping
Privately operated Blue Spruce RV Park and Campground (9180 Hwy. 97 S, 250/
963-7577, tenting $25, hookups $33-40) is five kilometers (3.1 miles) south on Highway 97
from downtown. Like most RV parks around the city, it fills up each night during the busy
summer months. Each site has a picnic table and a barbecue grate, and the facilities include
spotlessly clean heated bathrooms and wireless Internet.
The closest provincial park to Prince George is at Purden Lake (519/826-6850 or 800/
689-9025, www.discovercamping.ca , mid-May-late Sept., $16), 55 kilometers (34 miles)
east of the city on Highway 16. The picturesque lake has a small stretch of sandy beach and
offers fishing for rainbow trout and burbot.
FOOD
The dining scene in Prince George has improved greatly in the last decade. It's now worth
venturing beyond the fast food chains lining the highway and heading downtown to enjoy
freshly roasted coffee, healthy breakfasts and lunches, and a selection of recommended res-
taurants.
Zoe's Java House (1259 4th Ave., 250/563-4369, 7:30am-5:30pm Mon.-Fri.,
9:30am-3:30pm Sat.-Sun.) is a mid-sized café filled with an eclectic collection of furnish-
ings. The emphasis is on top-notch coffee and loose -leaf teas, which are accompanied by a
choice of soups and sandwiches listed on an ever-changing blackboard menu.
Located within the city's premier bookstore, Books & Company, Cafe Voltaire (1685
3rd Ave., 250/563-6637, 7am-7pm Mon.-Wed., 7am-9pm Thurs., 7am-10pm Fri., 7am-6pm
Sat., 9am-5pm Sun., lunches $6-8.50) is an artsy-themed café with an excellent selection of
coffee and teas, as well breakfast wraps, light lunches, and baked goods.
A good choice for a reliable, inexpensive meal in an interesting setting is Papaya Grove
Restaurant (Esther's Inn, 1151 Commercial Cres., 250/562-4131, 6am-9pm daily, $14-15),
where diners choose from three different seating areas within a massive tropical atrium: un-
der a thatched roof, around the pool, or in the bar. A set menu is offered, but the buffets
draw the crowds. The lunch buffet (11am-1:30pm Thurs.-Sat., $15) has a different theme
each day. Sunday brunch (10am-2pm) is particularly good; for $21.95 you get all the usu-
al breakfast choices, along with salmon, prawns, roast beef, and a staggering number of
desserts. Dinner is also à la carte or themed; Wednesday is steak and lobster for $25, Friday
is all-you-can-eat pasta for $16, and Saturday is a roast beef and turkey buffet for $18.
Don't be put off by the strip mall setting: Shiraz Café (Parkwood Mall, 1600 15th Ave.,
250/596-7397, 11:30am-9pm Mon.-Thurs., 11:30am-9:30pm Fri.-Sat., noon-8:30pm Sun.,