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

SCOUTLIST

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. You can also check it out in the Globe & Mail, from our calendar to theirs…and yours!

PUBLIC ART | Poodle sculptures, 16 ft sparrows, murals, installations – does public art add to the texture of the urban landscape? When well planned and genuinely considered, of course it can contribute not only to the beauty of a neighbourhood but to the dialogue within and between communities. At the main branch of the Vancouver Public Library this Wednesday night, there’s a talk focusing on not only the purpose and benefit of public art, but also “the process behind the management and production of public-art commissions”. See you there.
Wed, April 9 | 6:30-8:30 pm | Alice MacKay Room, VPL Main Branch | Free | DETAILS

FILM FEAST | There’s an imaginative pairing of film and food taking place at Lost & Found Cafe this Thursday night. Get this: the Winner Winner team of Chen-Wei Lee (Wildebeest, Blacktail Florist), Stanley Yung (Dirty Apron), and Alain Chow (Bao Bei) are cooking a pop-up dinner that takes inspiration from Tampopo, the mid-80’s Japanese flick that was a (back then) strange hybrid foodie/comedy that focused on the quest for a perfect bowl of ramen. For $35 (when was the last time you had a meal and a movie for that price) expect Nori Popcorn, Ahirun (duck) ramen with nukazuke pickles, and a butter mochi cake to finish. This event will sell out, so don’t wait!
Thurs, April 10 | 7pm | Lost & Found Cafe (33 W Hastings St) | $35 | DETAILS

SHOP HOP |  The Gastown Spring Shop Hop happens this Thursday night. The one-night-only event offers Vancouverites the opportunity to cruise 44 of Gastown’s best shops, check out all of the new spring wares, and be treated to great deals, in-store specials and the occasional cupcake or glass of bubbly. And get this, the kind people of Gastown want to make sure that you don’t get weighed down by the trying on of clothes and the carrying of bags, so with every purchase you make you’ll receive a food or drink voucher to one of your favourite nearby participating restaurants (think Nicli Antica Pizzeria, Salt, Peckinpah, Pourhouse). Even if you’re not looking to spend, the vibe is good and the business owners are friendly. Bonus: The Block is unpacking fresh boxes of A.P.C.’s spring collection this week!
Thurs, April 10 | 5pm–9pm | Various very cool locations | FREE to browse | DETAILS

EAT THIS | Ever heard of the Hult Prize For Social Enterprise? No? Neither had I. It’s a start-up accelerator that annually sees over 10,000 international college and MBA student teams compete to be awarded one million dollar dollars toward establishing their business. So it’s not small potatoes. The 2013 winners were a group of McGill University students who devised a system for insect farming that aims to address issues of hunger and malnutrition by providing protein through bugs. This team will be at The Four Seasons to conduct a panel discussion about food security and sustainability that will undoubtedly be fascinating and informative from both a food security and business perspective. Bonus: there will be a cash bar and, I kid you not,  grasshoppers to munch on. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required (register HERE)
Thurs, April 10 | 6pm | Arbutus Room, Four Seasons (791 W Georgia St) | Free | DETAILS

RUMBLE TIME | The Warriors is on at the Rio this week. Can you dig it? Recall, if you will, The Riffs, The Rogues, The Orphans, The Lizzies, The Baseball Furies. Man, those Furies still freak me out! Made in 1979, it’s a ”highly stylized action classic set in New York. A messianic crime lord calls a meeting of all the city’s gangs with plans to unite them against the cops. He gets assassinated and The Warriors are set up by a rival gang to take the fall. The Warriors then find themselves fighting for their lives on their way across the city to their home turf of Coney Island.” But it’s waaaay creepy. Particularly those Baseball Furies. Warriors…come out to play-ay-ay!
Fri, Apr. 11 | 11:30pm | Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway) | $8 ($6 in film-related costume) | DETAILS

NATURE | Although the city and people of Vancouver demonstrate a respect and connection to nature that is at the core of our civic identity, we also know that this city, like any city, has dramatically altered the natural environment around it. The Museum of Vancouver is currently showing Rewilding Vancouver, an exhibition that does it’s best (using everything from taxidermy specimens and clever dioramas to video installations and soundscapes) to get us thinking about ways in which we (as humans and Vancouverites) shape nature, as well as the ways in which nature shapes us. This show is curated by author J.B. MacKinnon (The Once and Future World; co-author of The 100-Mile Diet) who will be at the MOV on Friday night to lead a discussion of “how the past can teach us about what a healthy ecological world looks like, and delve into how we’re learning here in Vancouver, and beyond, how to raise the bar on what we see as the ‘normal’ state of nature.”
Friday, April 11 | Doors 6pm | Talk at 7pm | MoV, 1100 Chestnut | $14 | DETAILS

EXPLORE | The Great Bear Rainforest, the temperate coastal forest of Northern BC, is said to be one of the most stunningly beautiful and pristine ecosystems on earth. By all accounts, time spent in this region will effect you profoundly, but it’s a bit of a trek and not everyone has the experience, funds or time to make the journey. Now you don’t have to travel to get a sense of the place. The Beaty Biodiversity Museum out at UBC will launch the Wondrous: The Forest and Sea of the Great Bear exhibition this month. It invites Vancouverites to wander a series of photographs and sound recordings aimed at transporting us to the region to illustrate “the relationship between the land and the ocean, forest and river, economy and ecology.” All events related to Wondrous are free with entry to the museum.
Saturday, April 12 | 10:30am | Beaty Biodiversity Museum (2212 Main Mall, UBC) | DETAILS

PARK WALK | Get to know a little bit about the wildlife of Stanley Park this Sunday evening with a special twilight stroll along the shores of Lost Lagoon and into the trails around Beaver Lake. As you wander, the knowledgeable Stanley Park Ecology Society volunteer leaders will explain the habitats of the otter and beaver populations of the park. You’ll learn to  listen for the sound of a beaver tail slap across the water and will hear all about the sneaky ways of the otter.
April 13 | 6-7:30pm | Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon | $10 | 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 sausage, there will be a bazaar to pick though upstairs. 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).
Sunday, April 13 | 11am-3:30pm | Ukrainian Cultural Centre (805 E Pender) Street | DETAILS

LAUGH | Vancouverites love Portland. It’s a magical land that celebrates all we hold dear (good food, craft beer, artisanal cheese, unpretentious wine and casual fashion) but without the astronomical real-estate prices, stifling bylaws, or heavy taxes that are so pervasive here. It’s our sexier and adventurous big sister. Even so, the ‘independent’ mantra that coats (like locally-sourced honey) every little detail of life and sometimes (like an over-waxed moustache) it makes us want giggle. Enter Portlandiapalooza! Yup, hit The Rio Theatre this Sunday for a daylong ‘bingefest’ of seasons 1-3 of Portlandia! Indulge in the guilty pleasure of laughing at the city that we long to be. From The Rio: “There will be birds on things. Pickled popcorn. Artisanal grilled cheese sandwiches. A selection of some of Portland’s very best craft beer courtesy of the fine folks at Copper & Theory. Official Portlandia swag signed by stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. and…series co-creator and star Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers) will be joining us for a live Skype Q&A!”
Sunday, April 13 | 1pm | The Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway) | $15 | DETAILS

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

——————————————————————————————-

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 streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy (but faithful) camera.

——————————————————————————————–

There are 3 comments

  1. There is also the APACC 5K run on Sunday 🙂

    The Aboriginal Physical Activity and Cultural Circle Association is a new National non-profit network for Aboriginal people who are involved in Sports, Recreation, Fitness and Traditional Activities.

    Sunday, April 13, 2014
    Time: 9:00 am
    New Musqueam Recreation Centre
    6777 Salish Drive, Vancouver, BC

    http://events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=10341

  2. Re: Eat This
    My understanding is that these business students hitched their wagon to Jakub Dzamba’s star. He created the insect farm that they are receiving this award for and he is the real story! If people are interested in future food sources – like crickets – check out the Future Food Salons happening in conjunction with Alimentary Initiatives – philosophers of food. I’d love to see MOA or the VAG or Science World pick up this event featuring savoury & sweet crickets with wine pairings!! It’s happened in Toronto, Austin, NYC and coming to Montreal. Hope to see it posted here soon in Vancouver.

Transition Into 2024 with Some Quality Downtime

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 now until January 8th, 2024.

Scout List, Vol. 601

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.

Scout List, Vol. 600

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.