The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit. The Scout List is our carefully considered, first rate agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours…

NEW EATS | Check out the brand new Union in Strathcona. The Southeast-Asian joint from the folks who brought us Habit and The Cascade on Main is now open and looking pretty darn swell. Chef Lisa Henderson used to do a mean Pad Thai at her Tofino restaurant (Raincoast) back in the day, so we anticipate more of that same awesomeness at this 84 seater. Weekends here are gonna be nuts, so be smart and go on a weekday.
219 Union St. (off Main in Chinatown) | DETAILS

FLICK | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Opens Friday at the Rio. Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, Joely Richardson, Peter Haber, Robin Wright, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgard. It looks like a good flick (have a look at a recent Guardian review here). If your blood is racing after this one, stick around for the midnight movie, which – drum roll – is The Shawshank Redemption.
1660 E Broadway @ Commerical, Vancouver, BC – (604) 878-3456 | DETAILS

STAGE | A little Samuel Beckett puts a new twist on things. Get cultured – catch Waiting For Godot at the Cultch. The ‘profound comedic masterpiece’ is on right now and runs until January 21. | DETAILS

SHOOTING | New Years Resolutions are lame. I don’t make them. I don’t make them, but do I have a list of things in my head that I want to accomplish in 2012. I want to eat more kale and less sugar. I wan’t to get back to the seawall in the morning and I want to take a little time develop my photographic skill. Those sound a lot like resolutions, right? But here is the difference – I’m going to do something about this list. First up: photography. I recently found out about this cool line-up of classes going down at Cineworks in Railtown taught by two photographers who recently moved to Vancouver from Chicago, Virginie Lamarche and Bastien Desfriches Doria. The two are offering everything from a Basics 4-hour Crash Course to intermediate courses in Documentary Photography and advanced courses like Landscapes in Medium & Large Format Photography. Classes start this weekend and next week, but this Thursday night they are having an informal “Apéro Photo” gathering at the Cineworks Annex. I’m heading down to check things out. Come.
Thursday, January 5 | 6:30-9pm | Cineworks Annex (235 Alexander) | Free | DETAILS

SCHOOLED | Get inspired with a morning lecture at the W2 Media Cafe. Creative Mornings is a monthly morning gathering for those working in creative fields with a lecture followed by a discussion. This Friday, Amanda Gibbs (Writer, Communications strategist and facilitator, previously Museum of Vancouver) gives a brief talk to get the ball rolling. Afterwards, scarf waffles at Medina.
Friday, 6 January | W2 Media Cafe | DETAILS

REVENGE IS BEST SERVED AWAY | The last we met the Boston Bruins, it ended rather poorly for Vancouver (understatement of the new year). For the first time since that awful summer evening that culminated in an embarrassment worse than our liquor laws, our Vancouver Canucks will have the opportunity to strike back, this time in Boston. The most important Canuck game since the last most important Canuck game. Watch it on Sportsnet Pacific.
Saturday, January 7th | 10:00am | DETAILS

GET DIRTY | The Chinatown art and craft facility Blim is offering a beginners screenprint workshop that will cover how to screenprint your images on t-shirts, posters, bags, cards, vinyl stickers, cds, jewel cases, and pretty much everything else. As always, they’re throwing in good conversation and fine music for free. Everything Cafe is just down the street for killer chai and croissants.
Saturday, January 7 | 2–5pm | Blim (115 Pender) | $60 (including materials) | DETAILS

EAT LOCAL | The Winter Farmers Market goes down Saturday. Get back on track with some fresh local food. I’m planning to load up on broccolini and kale to pile atop a pile of soba noodles in miso broth. Healthy, fast and satisfying. Also pick up fresh locally made breads, dried fruit, preserves and herbs.
Saturday | 30th and Ontario Street in the East Parking lot and Plaza of Nat Bailey Stadium | DETAILS

MOVING ON | For those who’ve been holding on to the Christmas dream, it’s time to move on. At its arboreal end, your tree has gotten crispy, so take the ornaments off and get that sucker to a chipper. This weekend is the weekend to do it. Both Saturday and Sunday offer options, but neither lessen the pain.
Parking lots of Kingsgate Mall | Kerrisdale Community Centre | Kits Beach | Sunset Beach | DETAILS

FISHINESS | If you’ve never been out to the Beatty Biodiversity Museum out at UBC, this weekend would be a time to rectify that. The 2012 Way Cool Biodiversity series begins this Sunday with a lecture about what makes salmon so cool. “Salmon lead incredibly difficult lives! They must make large migrations that demand a lot of energy and time, and must escape every predator imaginable along the way – including birds, bears, and humans. Until recently, it has been difficult to fully understand the challenges salmon triumph over. With the invention of small tags that emit an acoustic signal, we can now tag and track salmon throughout their lives, giving insight and understanding to the different types of migrations these fish make. Join Alison Collins, a Master of Science student in the UBC Forestry department, to follow the life quest of one courageous salmon for success.” If you’re living in BC, you need to know and respect the salmon. Get busy.
Sunday, January 8 | 1pm | UBC Biodiversity Museum | Free with $12 admission | DETAILS

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended Bond University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives in beautiful Strathcona and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

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