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…

HEAT | Looking to escape the heat? How about a seat in an air conditioned movie theatre? Every month, Vancity Theatre’s Cinema Salon producer Melanie Friesen asks a prominent Vancouverite to present their favourite film and speak to its greatness. This month, local author J.J. Lee presents a screening of Michael Mann’s Heat. The action-packed flick tells the story of a cop and criminal tete-a-tete and stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (with a little Val Kilmer thrown in for good measure). Take full advantage of the regulated temperature in the theatre and stay afterwards for a drink and movie-related conversation.
Tuesday, July 2 | 7:30pm | Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour) | $13 | DETAILS

DINE | Three new restaurants open this week: the highly anticipated, Latin-flavoured Cuchillo (Spanish for “Knife”) from Stu Irving and John Cooper on Powell St. off Gore, the Homer St. Cafe & Bar at Smithe and Homer in Yaletown (starring Tableau chefs Marc-Andre Choquette and Tret Jordan), and the Asian-themed, cocktail-heavy Bambudda in Gastown. Get in before the masses!
Cuchillo | 261 Powell Street | (604) 559-7585 | www.cuchillo.ca
Homer St. Cafe & Bar | 898 Homer Street | 604-428- 4299 | www.homerstreetcafebar.com
Bambudda | 99 Powell St | 604-729-8325 | No website yet – it’s THAT new.

ART | Gastown’s Trench Gallery has gathered 20 up-and-coming artists for a show called Monomania. Trench explains: “Monomania, ‘the obsession with a single object/concept/idea’, is cheekily adapted to mean an obsession with diversity multiplicity. [And] what Trench is obsessing over is the astounding array of new talent happening in our city.” Expect a range of styles and tones from clean and austere to bold and busy. Check out the detailed drawings of Janice Wu, geometric renderings of Sarah Gee and the sublime canvasses of Adrienne Rempel. Hooray for art.
Thursday, July 4 | 6pm-9pm | Trench Contemporary Art (148 Alexander St) | DETAILS

DESIGN | Emily Carr has a strong Industrial Design program. Students turn out innovative products and fresh designs like nobody’s business. Truly, if you’ve ever walked through the end of the year grad show, you know we’re talking about solid stuff. But what happens after they leave the program and head out into the world? This week you can find out. Here and Away is a new show at Emily Carr that aims to give us a sense of the different paths (from architecture and entrepreneurship to transportation design and technology development) and heights achieved by past students. Curated by Industrial Designer and Continuing Studies faculty member Ying-Chiu Chan, this is a show that is sure to make us all proud. Oh, plus it’s free.
Thurs, July 4-14 | 10am-6pm | Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Concourse Gallery | DETAILS 

CURATOR’S TALK | How often does the opportunity to tour an exhibition with the Director of Collections and Exhibitions present itself? Not all that often, am I right? Well, get ready to jump on your chance to tag along with Museum of Vancouver Director Joan Seidl as she gives a guided tour of the Foncie’s Fotos exhibit at the MOV on Thursday night. Foncie Pulice is considered to be Vancouver’s most prolific street photographers. They say that he took over 15 million photos while exploring the streets of Vancouver between 1940s and 1970s. That’s a lot of film! Follow Seidl through the tour and get a whole new appreciation of our history.
Thursday, July 4 | 6:30pm | Museum of Vancouver (1100 Chestnut St) | $12 | DETAILS

TWILIGHT CANOEING | Paddling a canoe through a calm lake at sundown sounds like a pretty perfect activity for an early July evening. Don’t have a canoe? A little intimidated by how to get out on the water and where to go? Metro Vancouver can hook you up this Friday night with their Twilight Canoeing program. Take a guided paddle: get your bearings, learn a little about Burnaby Lake and generally let go for a while. This program is geared toward beginners and those interested in practicing basic canoe skills. Family and advanced canoeing classes are also options. Check it out!
Fri, July 5 | Burnaby Lake Regional Park | $21.25 | DETAILS 

MUSIC | The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden kicks off it’s 20th season of the Enchanted Evenings summer concert series this week. Scoot down to the serene oasis of swaying bamboo and lily pad-strewn ponds to listen to Peking Opera. The al fresco concert will see colourful traditional costumes as well as illuminating commentary from SFU Professor Emeritus Jan Walls (Founder of the David Lam Centre). If you can’t make this concert, don’t panic. There will be a total of nine Enchanted Evening shows – that’s every Friday night in July and August – and each will have a unique feel and tempo.
Fridays, July 5 – August 30 | 7:30pm | 578 Carrall St | $25 | DETAILS

GET UP | This Friday brings Creative Mornings, the monthly morning gathering for creative types. Each event includes a 20 minute lecture followed by a 20 minute group discussion. It begins at 8:30am and ends with everyone splitting for work at 10am. This month’s speaker, Mark Brand (Boneta, ‘Sharks + Hammers’, The Diamond, Seamonstr Sushi, PortSide Pub, Save on Meats), will talk about “Space'”, where he finds inspiration and how he applies it. Sign-up for a ticket here (they get snapped up FAST, so don’t wait.)
Friday, July 5 | 8:30-10am | Dodson House (25 E Hastings) | Free | DETAILS

FOODIE ALERT | Love good street food? Get ready for the Hawker’s Market at East Van Studios this Saturday night. There will be a total of 18 vendors on site, some savoury (D Original Sausage will be grilling up Bratwurst sandwiches), some sweet (look for an ‘adult’ sundae bar, Bad Girl Chocolates and Asian flavour-inspired cupcakes Dolce Delights), all delicious. And, not that you weren’t already set to buy your tickets, there will also be drinks, music, and mingling, too. That’s a solid Saturday night right there, kids. Tickets are 10 beans when you grab them in advance and 15 at the door! Snag yours here.
Saturday, 6 July | 7pm | East Van Studios at 870 East Cordova | DETAILS

LEARN | From the Nine-O’Clock Gun and Prospect Point Signal Station to political rallies, protests, love stories and the occasional mystery, Stanley Park has a rich past. Well over a century of it, in fact. Yes, this is the year that the park celebrates it’s 125th birthday, so get busy brushing up on some of its juicier bits. Head down to the park on Sunday for “Stanley Park History 101“, a guided walk that will fill you in on some of the history of the park and leave a well-informed Vancouverite able to impress friends and family with details of local lore. $5 for Stanley Park Ecological Society members, $10 for non-members. Please pre-register by emailing [email protected]
Sun, July 7 | 1:30-3:30pm | Stanley Park Nature House (north end of Alberni @ Chilco) | DETAILS

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

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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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