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

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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!

LEARN | Hit up the UBC Reads sustainability talk by Raj Patel (author of best sellers The Value of Nothing, Stuffed and Starved) to bring yourself up to speed on the global food crisis this Thursday. Raj is one badass activist and research professor who has been paving the way for sustainable food practices. Expect to hear stories from some of the world’s poorest citizens, to learn legitimate ways to combat the downfalls of our current food system, and to envision a future world where the nine billion won’t go hungry.
Thu, Feb. 11 | 12-2pm | AMS Student Nest Great Hall UBC (6133 University Blvd) | $5 | DETAILS

CAPITALISM TO CRAFT | There’s a Built City lecture going down at the Museum of Vancouver this week. As explained by the MOV, these lectures are a series of talks aimed at engaging “city thinkers from all disciplines and areas of interest to make connections between community, policy and governance, to the ideals and economics of architectural theory and practice.” Thursday’s talk, entitled Capitalism to Craft – Rethinking the Built Environment sees visual artist Germaine Koh and architect D’Arcy Jones joining forces to talk about everything from the “successes and failures in the pursuit of craft within the limits of contemporary” to building small dwellings, DIY community, and creative strategies for occupying urban space.
Thu, Feb. 11 | 7pm | Museum of Vancouver (1100 Chestnut Street) | $15 | DETAILS

CLASSICS | The Rio Theatre is showing Casablanca this Friday night. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman with a little Claude Rains and Peter Lorre thrown in for good measure? A romantic classic! Grab a date and settle in to be reminded of what happens when you play it again, Sam.
Fri, Feb. 12 | 6pm | Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway) | $12 | DETAILS

SCIENCE | February 12th is Charles Darwin’s birthday. Go big and celebrate by taking a trip out to UBC to get in on an entire festival focused on the evolution of life. FestEVOLVE honours the science, theories and physical evidence of evolution through talks, museum tours, as well as an evolution-themed cake competition. Festivities begin with cake judging at 4:30pm and is followed by Nerd Nite, Darwin Day Edition, sy
Cake | Fri, Feb. 12 | 4pm | Beaty Biodiversity Museum | Free | DETAILS 
Nerd Nite | Fri, Feb. 12 | 6:30-9:30pm | Beaty Biodiversity Museum | $9 | TICKETS

EASTSIDE FLEA | Somewhere between a boutique vintage pop-up and a garage sale, a well executed flea market offers thrifty treasure hunters the chance to score unique goods at reasonable prices. If the key components are good selection, low prices and a mix of old and new, then The Eastside Flea at the WISE Hall is a home run. Find out for yourself this weekend. Expect found, salvaged and reclaimed goods, vintage clothing and vinyl, hand made soaps, jewellery and accessories as well as plants, paper products, furniture and tasty food. From Eastside Flea: “Join us under the twinkling lights of the historic East Van Wise Hall one last time for our farewell market to this beautiful space we’ve called home for the past 3 years!! It’s sure to be 2 exciting days of friendly faces, cool tunes, local vendors and amazing goods!” Don’t worry, Eastside Flea isn’t going anywhere, to find out what they are up to next, scoot over here.
Sat + Sun, Feb 13 + 14 | 10am | The Wise Hall (1882 Adanac St) | $3 | DETAILS

FAST TIMES AT SAD MAG HIGH | Sad Mag is a cool local magazine that celebrates independent art and culture in Vancouver. It’s issued on a quarterly basis and contains some seriously compelling pages packed with beautiful imagery. This Saturday night they’re hosting the launch party for their latest issue (no. 20) and its High School theme. From Sad Mag: “We’ll have a Strokes cover band, drag by Rose Butch, choir stylings from the Kingsgate Chorus, and a dance party to the high school era faves of our editorial team.” Sounds pretty rad to us!
Sat, Feb. 13 | 7:30pm-late | Remington Gallery (108 E Hastings) | $8 in advance, $10 at the door | DETAILS

CROWS | Have you ever witnessed the menacing stream of crows (aka the Crow Commute) cutting across the Vancouver skyline at sundown and wondered where they’re headed? Well, this Saturday you’re invited to hop on your bicycle and follow them to find out. The Still Moon Arts Society have organized their annual Crow Roost Twilight Bike Ride that follows the crows to their roost. This is a rain or shine gig, so be smart and dress for the weather. To take part, meet fellow riders at Lakewood and Grandview Hwy North (the Central Valley Greenway bike route) at 4:30pm. If you miss the 4:30 departure, catch up with everyone at the Renfrew Skytrain Station at 4:45pm.
Sat, Feb. 13 | 4:30pm | Lakewood and Grandview Hwy | Free | DETAILS

YEAR OF THE MONKEY | Find a way (that doesn’t include driving) to get yourself to Chinatown for the Chinese New Year parade on Sunday. The crowds are always huge (we’re talking in the 100,000+ range) but don’t let that stop you – this is a Vancouver tradition! The parade starts at 11am at the Millennium Gate on Pender and travels east along Pender to Gore. It then turns south onto Gore and west onto Keefer before ending at Carrall. We suggest you take along a hot drink to keep your hands warm and wear a nice thick red (a lucky colour) sweater.
Sun, Feb 14 | 11am | Chinatown | Parade – Free | DETAILS

PIZZA ART | Hit up the always imaginative Hot Art Wet City Gallery this Thursday for the opening of I Chew Chew Chew You and take in what surely must be Vancouver’s only pizza inspired art exhibition. Over 80 artists have contributed paintings, drawings, and digital works celebrating everyones’ favourite moving-day meal. The opening reception goes down Friday (Feb 12), from 7-11pm and we enthusiastically encourage attendance (yes, edible pizza will also be involved). This show continues to February 27th.
Feb 11-27 | 12-5 pm 7-11 pm | Hot Art Wet City Gallery (2206 Main St) | DETAILS

HOW ROMANTIC | Stanley Park is a great place for running, walking, birding, exploring and picnicking, but it’s also known to be a pretty good place for romance (because nothing says love like a make-out session in the park). If you’re looking for some inspirational evidence of this, there’s a walk going down this Sunday afternoon. It’s called Romantic Stanley Park: Amorous, Curious, and Scandalous Sides. Pull on your gumboots (trails can be a little muddy and gumboots are sexy) and learn about some of the juicy bits of park history that you may not have been aware of. Pre-registration is advised given the popularity of these programs. To pre-register, click here.
Sun, Feb. 14 | 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm | Lost Lagoon Nature House | $10 | DETAILS

To submit an event for consideration, email events [at] scoutmagazine.ca

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.

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