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

Ten Things That You Should Absolutely Do Between Now And Next Week

unnamed-(3)

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!

ORPHAN THANKSGIVING | Feeling down about the sad can of soup that’s starting to look like it might be your ThanksgivingDinner this year? Don’t. It doesn’t have to be like this! On Saturday, October 11th, our good friends at Here There are hosting Orphan Thanksgiving, a semi-secret dinner party dedicated to celebrating the ones who always get left behind. Dinner will be a big help-yourself-style spread of the Thanksgiving classics. Think roasted turkey, porchetta, autumnal roasted vegetables, sweet potato mash with candied nuts, gratin of blue russian potato and cauliflower, shaved apple and fennel salad, brioche stuffing, and two types of pie. There will also be a cash bar selling holiday cocktails and a stereo playing solid gold jams. It’s all going down in a fun, cozy, dinner party environment where all you’ll need to worry about is what you’re thankful for…
October 11 | 7pm | Undisclosed Location | $40 | DETAILS

CONNECT | The Sustenance Festival is a series of fantastic food-elated events held by the Vancouver Parks Board. They’re designed to connect local communities to the concept of food security. For Sustenance 2014, you can learn about wild and edible mushroom identification, take pickling and canning classes, attend gardening talks, sit in on cheese-making and gluten free baking workshops, dance a Harvest Dance, taste tea – the works. The theme for this year’s festival is “Making Connections and Building Relationships”, so expect to get social.  Events go down at community centres all over the city.
Now – October 19 | City of Vancouver Community & Recreation Centres | DETAILS

GIG | Angus and Julia Stone take the stage at the Vogue this Friday. The brother-sister folk duo are swinging in to town from Australia. Fingers crossed that Angus throws in a track or two from his recent solo album, Broken Brights. Tickets are going quickly, so you might need to try Craigslist.
Fri, Oct 10 | doors 7pm, show 8pm | Vogue Theatre (918 Granville St) | DETAILS

KIDS | Racoons, owls, coyotes, bats, oh my! Racoons, owls, coyotes, bats – discover the critters who live in Stanley Park at night on a candle lit walk with Stanley Park Ecology Society peeps. This kid-friendly program departs from the Stanley Park Miniature Train park each half hour, 6:30-8:30pm on Thursdays and 6:30-9pm, Fri-Sun. Lanterns provided!
Now through October 31 | Various times, various days | DETAILS

LUNCH | Gastown’s much-loved L’Abattoir restaurant is now open for lunch, and there was much rejoicing. Chef Lee Cooper has put together a day time menu that offers two or three course tastings as well as a la carte choices. We recently sat at the bar for a mid-afternoon serving of pasta stuffed with squash, sage, mushrooms – a perfect excuse to skip out of work. Oh, and they do cocktails, like, really really good cocktails.
Lunch is available from Monday to Friday (11:30am – 2:30pm) | DETAILS

COOK | The Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, is coming up (October 17-16). You can get into the spirit by taking a South Asian cooking class at The Roundhouse in Yaletown. Expect to learn about traditional cooking techniques and where to source ingredients in Vancouver. Chipati, roti, lentils and stews – build up your dossier of comfort food recipes for the winter ahead!
Sat, Oct 11 | 2-4pm | Roundhouse Community Centre (183 Roundhouse Mews) DETAILS

OKTOBERFEST | Skip the cologne-soaked versions for authenticity’s sake and guzzle some German pints in celebration of Oktoberfest at The Alpen Club this weekend. They’ve always done it right. From classic German Schlager Songs to Bavarian Buffet and lounge, it’s just the real deal. The club’s slogan says it best: “Real Oktoberfest by Real Germans.” Jawohl!
Oct 10 + 11 | 7:30pm | Vancouver Alpen Club (4875 Victoria) | $30/$80 | DETAILS

FASHION | Lauren and Lyndsey of local clothing company Hey Jude launch their Fall/Winter 2014 pop-up this week. Veterans of the vintage pop-up scene in Vancouver, this pair owns the intersection of classic and contemporary, structured and bohemian. Expect to see silk and wool, rich tones, and monochromatic neutrals. This season of design-inspired vintage will include items for both men and women. The juiciest pieces always fly off the hangers first, so consider hitting the shop on opening night (Thursday, Oct, 8) for a shop + social (6-9pm).
Now – December 22 | 11-7pm Daily | 196 Kingsway (@ 10th Ave) | DETAILS

OCEAN | The Marine Biology team at Nature Vancouver have arranged for a few representatives from The Plastic Oceans Foundation to give a talk about the plague of plastics in our oceans on Wednesday night. We all know it’s a serious problem, but sometimes sitting down to listen to experts tell you just how serious it is can be the kick in the pants that jumpstarts some extra action. Get involved. Keep your beaches and the oceans clean!
Thurs, Oct 9 | 7:30pm | Unitarian Church of Vancouver (949 W. 49) | DETAILS

WATCH | This is the last week of the Vancouver International Film Festival. Screenings continue through Friday and there are still some great films to catch. Narrow things down by browsing by series (organizers have classified films into a number of series such as Cinema of Our Time, BC Spotlight, Nonfiction and Special Presentations) as well as by genre and venue. For a little more direction – have a look at Scout’s  “Nine Movies You Need To Catch At VIFF“.
Now through Oct. 10 | Various Times and Locations | DETAILS

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 is 1 comment

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.