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

SCOUT LIST: 11 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…

PECHA KUCHA | Pecha Kucha Night Vol.27 goes down this week. As per usual, the gathering of local creatives will be presenting 20 images (for 20 seconds each) on what inspires them. Participants include a fascinating group of artists, musicians, community activists and business owners. This month’s speaker line up has great range, from Brandon Grossutti of PiDGiN Restaurant and the creative peeps behind Definitely Raining to Emily Smith of Vancouver Mini Maker Faire and Brian Wakelin of Public: Architecture + Communication. PKN remains one of the greatest mind-expanding, culturally significant ways to spend your time in Vancouver. We have a pair of tickets to give away, so stay tuned!
Thursday, Apr. 11 | Doors 6:30 | Vogue Theatre | 918 Granville St | $15 | DETAILS

POP-UP | If you’ve never been to a pop-up by The Found and the Freed before, this is a good weekend to start. Brought to you by a couple of great gals who source vintage and antique artifacts from all over (and then dust them off, fix them up and bring them to a convenient location for you to sift through), this is the kind of gig that you always hope you’ll find when you follow up on one of those pop-up leads. Be warned: the best items tend to fly out the doors, so don’t sit on whatever you fancy for too long. As we noted this morning, they’re taking over the former Chrome Yellow digs at 207 Abbott St. in Gastown beginning Friday night with regular hours starting on the Monday (to Friday 11am to 7pm and from 11am to 5pm on the weekends).
Fri, April 12 (to May 10) | 7pm | 207 Abbott | DETAILS

ART | Cultural hub, hideout, public venue or meeting place — a hotel is a many faceted creature that simultaneously bears witness to fleeting relationships and long-standing traditions. Responding to the complex, evocative and global phenomenon of The Hotel, the Vancouver Art Gallery opens a new exhibition this week, Grand Hotel: Redesigning Modern Life. This show, commissioned and produced by the Vancouver Art Gallery, “charts the evolution of the hotel from an isolated and utilitarian structure to a cultural phenomenon that figures prominently around the world.” Follow up with a civilized cocktail in a hotel lounge. Best bets: Yew, Tableau, Hawksworth.
Sat, April 13 | Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby St) | $19.50 | DETAILS

LEARN | In collaboration with Vancouver Opera, The Vancouver Public Library is hosting an evening talk about tea this week. This free public lecture ties in with upcoming (May 4-11) opera Tea: A Mirror of The Soul, which tells the story of a Japanese prince and his tragic path to the wisdom of The Book of Tea. Tea experts will be on hand to discuss the history, mythology and rituals associated with Chinese and Japanese teas. Free admission, but seating is limited.
Tues, April 9 | 7pm | Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch (350 W. Georgia St.) | DETAILS

BUY LOCAL | Make your way to Heritage Hall this Sunday for the annual Nifty For Fifty sale. Everything from clothes and shoes to trinkets and awesome accessories are on sale for $50 or less. Everything on site will be vintage or made by local designers like Adhesif Clothing, Allison Wonderland, Daub+Design, Toodlebunny, C’est La Vie … (the list goes on and on and it all sounds straight up fantastic).
Sun, April 14 | 11am–8pm | Heritage Hall (3102 Main) | $1 | DETAILS

VINTAGE | Since you’re in the neighbourhood for the Nifty For Fifty Sale already, you might as well tack on a scoot down to the ANZA Club for a flip through the Frugal Fashionista Market. Organizers have assembled used and vintage clothing experts, retailers and stylists to outfit stalls and tables with loads of great deals for your sponge shopping pleasure.
Sun, April 14 | 12-6pm | Anza Club (3 W. 8th Ave) | $2 | DETAILS

SUNDAY SCHOOL | The Vancouver Urban Winery kicks off a series of laid-back and ‘irreverent’ wine education classes this week. Hosted by sommeliers David Stansfield and Lisa Cook, Sunday School wine classes are intended to be a fun and informal introduction to drinking, buying and talking wine without any pomp. The first in the series of seminars, Wine 101: A World Tour of Wine, will furnish attendees with flights of wine to help them taste the difference between wines produced in different regions around the world – there is no better way to learn than to experience, right? Upcoming classes: April 28, BC vs. The World; May 12, Better Know a BC Winery: Joie Farms and May 26, How to Buy Wine and Influence People.
Sun, April 14 | 7pm | 55 Dunlevy Ave | $35/$120 for 4 classes | DETAILS

SPRING | Along with daffodil-studded boulevards, cherry blossoms and occasional blue skies, the annual Spring perogy lunch at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Strathcona is a sure indicator of the true arrival of the most welcome of seasons. In addition to the shining linoleum floored basement lined with communal lunch tables ready for plates of home-made borscht, perogies and kielbasa, there will be a bazaar and kids swap meet to pick though. Leave with a full belly and a few treasures from the sale, grab a cup of tea at The Wilder Snail and then park your bum in MacLean Park for a hang out session (weather permitting).
Sun, April 14 | 11am | Ukrainian Cultural Centre (805 E Pender) Street | DETAILS

ZERO WASTE | This is Earth Month, folks. Join Marnie Newell from The Society Promoting Environmental Conservation and Jen Rustemeyer from The Clean Bin Project at The Homesteader’s Emporium for a Zero Waste Kitchen and Bath Workshop that will teach you how to throw fewer things out.
Sun, April 14 | 2-3:30pm | Homesteader’s Emporium (at 649 E Hastings St) | DETAILS

HUNGRY HERONS | Great blue herons are busily having babies right now. Head down to the Stanley Park Nature House on the edge of Lost Lagoon to learn about Vancouver’s heron population, their mating habits and the unique ways in which they feed and care for their offspring. Pre-registration for this program is advised. Email [email protected]
Sun, April 14 | 1:30pm-3:30pm | Stanley Park Nature House | By Donation | DETAILS

FOOD | Hustle down to Barbara-Jo’s Books To Cooks on Sunday afternoon for a visit (and a little bit of food truck love) with James Cunningham, host of TV’s Eat Street. Cunningham will be on site (along with Vikram Vij who will be cooking from Vij’s Railway Express menu) to bring Vancouver the Eat Street cookbook, which is full of recipes from food trucks and street vendors. The price of your ticket includes refreshments and a signed book.
Sunday, April 14 | 2pm | 1740 West 2nd Ave | $25 | 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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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.