A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

SCOUT LIST: 10 Things That You Should Absolutely Do Between Now & Next Week

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…

HERITAGE | If you live in the Grandview area and like living there because of the character of the neighbourhood, take some time to slip in to the The Grandview-Woodland Area Council meeting at Britannia Centre this Monday night to hear historian Jak King talk about the area’s heritage being at risk (Jak wrote the recently released book The Drive: A Retail, Social and Political History of Commercial Drive).
Monday, January 7 | Learning Resources Centre | Britannia Centre (1661 Napier) | DETAILS

ROCK OUT | It’s Jimmy Page’s 69th birthday on Wednesday, January 9th. Sadly, Vancouver can’t even muster a laser Led Zeppelin show to mark the day, so consider marking it on your own by building a first-rate Led Zeppelin playlist and renting It Might Get Loud, a 2008 documentary by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) that puts Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White in a room together to talk about and play electric guitar.) Watch it on iTunes or rent it at Black Dog or Videomatica.

SEX, NEUROSCIENCE, AND WALKABLE URBANISM | When you can travel around your city without getting in the car, chances are good that you are more connected to your surroundings and the people living in them and just generally happier. So if we want Vancouver to be a more vibrant and even happier city, we should take a close look at making sure it’s easy to get around without a car. For a little insight on how we might achieve that, head down to SFU to listen to San Francisco-based transportation planning and engineering expert Jeffrey Tumlin, who works firm that focuses on sustainable mobility, is in town to discuss ways in which cities can Registration required.
Thursday, Jan. 10 | 7pm | SFU Segal Building (500 Granville) | Free, limited seats (reserve) | DETAILS

ART | As part of his gig as the second Audain Visual Artist in Residence for 2012/2013, the Spanish-born, New York-based artist Antoni Muntadas will be at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts this week to present his work About Academia. His show takes a look at the “complicated, often contradictory relationship between the production of knowledge and economic power”. Muntadas will give a talk on opening night (Wednesday, January 9 at 6pm) and engage in a panel discussion on Friday, January 11 at 7pm. About Academia runs January 10 through February 23
Opening: Wed, Jan. 9 | 6pm | Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W Hastings) | Free | DETAILS

FILM | Fahrenheit 451 is playing at the Pacific Cinematheque this weekend. The 1966 science fiction film was based on the famous Ray Bradbury story of a dystopian society devoid of books and full of TV-driven automatons (sound familiar?). The classic was directed by François Truffaut and it stars the handsome Oskar Werner and the lovely Julie Christie. While the whole thing is available on YouTube (if you dig Portuguese subtitles), it’s no doubt better on the big screen. And since Bradbury recently passed away, doing his memory the honour is the right thing to do.
Fri, Jan. 11 + Sat, Jan. 12 | Various times | 1131 Howe | $10.50 | DETAILS

CELEBRATE | Vancouver music legend Dal Richards will be celebrating his 95th birthday on Sunday at the Orpheum. Maestro Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will be taking the stage to pay tribute to Richards with a little Tchaikovsky, some Verdi, and a pinch of Sibelius. Later in the evening things really heat up when Richards and his band join the VSO to break out some big band favourites.  95 is now small accomplishment. Happy birthday dude.
Sunday January 13 | 4pm | Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe St) | from $30 | DETAILS

WINE FEST | Tickets to the Vancouver International Wine Festival go on sale this Wednesday (January 8th) and if you’re a bit of an oenophile you really don’t want to wait on this. The Fest itself doesn’t run until February 25th (through to March 3rd), but the tickets go fast. This year the theme is “California”, and there will be 176 participating wineries from 15 countries giving tastings, plus all the seminars, suppers, after-parties, and assorted soirees. To view a list of participating wineries visit vanwinefest.ca/page412.htm. Tickets can be had by calling 604-873-3311 (or online) starting at 9:30am on January 8th.
PS. Follow VanWineFest on Twitter for up-to-the minute information.

DINE OUT | Strapped for cash after the holidays but still keen on exploring Vancouver’s diverse culinary scene? Enter the 11th annual Dine Out Vancouver restaurant festival – the largest of its kind in Canada. This is the week to map out a plan of attack (with over 200 participating restaurants offering discounted, multi-course, prix fixe meals, you’ll need one!). Reservations are now being accepted. Be sure to also check out the Edible Canada Speaker Series, the Secret Supper Soiree and The Grape Debate, which asks if BC have a signature wine varietal.
January 18 – February 3, 2013 | Various Locations | Various Prices | DETAILS

BUY LOCAL | On the second Sunday of each month, 1st Avenue’s Artech Gallery hosts a market showcasing local talent. That’s this Sunday, so expect artists, designers and food wonks. They describe it as “Culture Crawl meets Farmers Market meets Craft Fair”, so expect to find everything from hand-picked chanterelles and natural cosmetics to handmade jewellery and beadwork.
Sunday January 13 | 11am-4pm | Artech Gallery (336 East 1st Ave) | Free | DETAILS

BE PREPARED | True Vancouverites don’t hide from the rain. We face it head on because we have to (if we took cover from the elements on every one of the 160 rainy days per year, we’d be a pretty sorry bunch). But when we walk, hike or run in the rain, there are a few things to consider (particularly when you hike). Thankfully, the Stanley Park Ecology Centre is offering a Winter Wanderings primer this weekend that will remind us how to enjoy the great outdoors safely this winter by covering all the tips and tricks for wet wanders. Smart move. Pre-register by emailing [email protected].
Sun, January 13 | 1:30-3:30pm | Stanley Park Nature House (by Lost Lagoon) | Free | DETAILS

Check the Globe & Mail every Thursday for our Special Weekend Edition of the Scout List

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late-may-2009-169Michelle 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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From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver, right now.

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From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver, from March 30th to April 5th, 2023.

Scout List, Vol. 599

From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver over the days and weeks ahead.