by Michelle Sproule | 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…

Gig | White Denim is playing at the Biltmore tonight and that is about as solid a show as you’re going to get (listen). Combine it with a pre-gig meal at Budgies Burritos, Cafeteria, or The Acorn and you’re golden.
Monday August 6 | 9pm | Biltmore Cabaret | $15

Art | New show at Catalog Gallery! Neon Nude is a collection of Daniel Cirtis’ favourite things shown in a variety of mediums. Who is Daniel Cirtis? That’s a great question. We think the best way to find out is to piece it together through a perusal of his favourite things. See you there?
Friday, August 10 | Catalog Gallery, 56 Powell (across from The Stussy store) | Details

Culture | The Vancouver Chinatown Festival happens this weekend and it’s a good excuse to pop down to check out what’s going on in this historic neighbourhood. Festival activities include a street market and historical and food walking tours. The website is a challenge, so our suggestion is to just head down and let the flow of the roughly 60,000 people carry you the day. The Keefer (133 Keefer) opens at 5pm, and we recommend grabbing a seat on the patio as quickly as you can.
Saturday August 11+ Sunday August 12 12-6pm |100 block of Keefer and 500 block of Columbia street | Details

Architecture Porn | The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is holding it’s Midcentury Modern Residential House Tour, and it’s going to be hot. Participants get to tour the interiors of 5 ‘significant’ Modernist homes in Vancouver and polish off the whole orgasmic experience with a drink. The whole ball of wax will run you $100 and the price includes bus shuttle and a wine reception. The meeting address will be sent to you in the mail together with your tickets and tax receipt 2-4 weeks prior to the August 2012 tour. Not surprisingly, this even tends to sell out, don’t wait. Get sorted. UPDATE: SOLD OUT
Saturday August 11 | 1-6pm |Various locations | $100

Whytecliff Park | The forecast is for near perfect summer weather, so take some time out to hit a local beach as these days won’t last forever. Consider heading over the Lions Gate Bridge for a day at Whytecliff Park. In our opinion, the water at this little West Van enclave is clearer and more refreshing than the water at any other beach in the city. Climb the rocks. Dive. Swim with seals. Grab a lunch at the concession or stop at Savoury Island Pie Company on the way and build yourself a picnic lunch – their chicken sandwiches are the shit. Pack a blanket, sunscreen, towel and lots of water. Make a day of it.
Any day | Whytecliff Park near Horseshoe Bay | Free | Details

Shoppiness | Cool-kid shop Nouvelle Nouvelle is having a sweet summer market this weekend. Take it slow on Sunday by grabbing a coffee, tea or juice and and wandering the cobblestone streets of Gastown to admire some of NN’s locally made, super lovely clothing and accessories. Word has it they will have everything from tomato sauce (for real) to hip handbags, Wasted Effort accessories, Hendrik Lou knitted goods, and Ora Bags. We’re keen to check out wares from Vancouver jewellery designer Karen La (Broken Promises). Oh, and being the good hosts that they are, Nouvelle Nouvelle will also have summer drinks and homemade treats to sustain you.
Sunday, August 12 | 12-6pm | Nouvelle Nouvelle, 209 Abbott | Details

Nerding Out | Every year around this time, stargazers and naturalists flee the bright lights of the city to catch the the Perseid meteor shower. We think it sounds like a good idea. The Perseid shower is visible from mid-July each year but the most pronounced activity goes down in the pre-dawn hours this coming weekend. They say that at this peak time we can expect to see 60-100 meteors per hour. Pretty much any open sky free of light noise will do the trick but if you want to really get in to it – I’m talking about telescopes provided by volunteers with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – you can hustle out to Aldergrove for the full meal deal. Seriously, how is an experience like this not going to do you good? To camp overnight you must arrive between 5pm and 8 pm. Registration is not required. Find out more about Perseid meteors here.
Saturday, August 11 | 8-11pm | Aldergrove Lake Regional Park (Lefeuvre and Huntingdon, Abbotsford)| $2 | Details

Roller Richmond | Looking to shake things up? How about a trip to Richmond? Head over on Saturday to grab a seat at the Roller Derby. The Bad Reputations take on Public Frenemy and the Terminal City Roller Girls All-Stars take on the Hustlers from the Texas Rollergirls in an evening of gnarl. Afterwards, scoot over to the Richmond Night Market for shitty socks and haggle over iPhone covers to no avail. At some point be sure to sneak away for a bowl of soup dumplings at Chens Shanghai Kitchen (8095 Park Rd). That’s a whole lot of action!
Roller Derby | Saturday, August 11 | Doors 5 pm, match 6 pm | Minoru Arena (7551 Minoru Gate) | Details

Know Your City | Director of the SFU City Program, Gordon Price, is leading a planning tour of Vancouver’s West End on Saturday. “The West End reveals about eight different architectural stages, from fine wooden mansions to functional wooden walk-ups, not to mention more highrise towers than any other neighbourhood in Canada. But how did it all come about and why?” You’ll find out all the juicy bits as Gordon Price explains some of the planning theory and trends that have shaped the West End (he’ll also cover some of the lessons Vancouverites have learned).
Saturday August 11 | 10am | Tour meets in Barclay Heritage Square | $15 | Details

Eat Local | Don’t take one single opportunity to hit-up a Farmers Market for granted. The day will come when those hard working framers will pack up and retreat back to the cold, winter rains and you’ll be sorry you didn’t get to more. Weekends are a great time to buy local, but there are a number of mid-week opportunities, too. See you out there…

Thornton Park | Wednesday | 3pm – 7pm | Main Street Station at Terminal
Oak Street Market | Wednesday | 3-7pm | Oak @ 49th (Unitarian Church)
Kits Pocket Market | Thursday | 4-7pm | 8th @ Vine St
Trout Lake Farmers Market | Saturday | 9am-2pm | Duh, Trout Lake
Kitsilano Farmers Market | Sunday | 10am – 2pm | 2690 Larch @ 10th
West End Farmers Market | Saturday | 9am-2pm | 1100 Block Comox
Dundarave (West Van) Saturday | 9am – 2pm | Between 24 & 25 on Marine
UBC Farm Market: Saturday | 9-1 | UBC Farm

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended 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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