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 January 10 to January 16, 2018 Please note that you can now get the Scout List – with a few extra pieces of intel included – sent to your inbox every Thursday. Sign up for your subscription in the sidebar.
FILM | Bored with dreary January already? Ridley Scott’s magnum opus Blade Runner: The Final Cut plays at The Rio on Thursday night at 6:15pm followed by Blade Runner 2049 (directed by Denis Villeneuve) at 8:45pm. Done right, back-to-back Blade Runner films could feel like a mini-vacation into the future. Add a grilled cheese and a tasty beer from the concession and you’re golden! Find out more.
DRAW | Dig out your art materials and make your way to East Van on Thursday evening to exercise your drawing muscles at Slice of Life’s monthly life drawing night, led by local artist and tattooer, Katie So. If you’re a life drawing enthusiast or an artist looking to brush up on your skills then you’ll definitely appreciate the unusually affordable $5 – $10 sliding scale fee. If you’re simply interested in dabbling in a new, indoor hobby this season then you’ll also appreciate the laid back vibes and beer! BYO-supplies or purchase them at the studio. Bonus: East Van Brewing is located virtually across the street, so you can fortify with some tasty beer beforehand and check out their slick new tasting room before putting charcoal to paper. Find out more.
DISCUSS | What happens when a bunch of men are stripped down and photographed in a sudsy bubble bath….while being barraged with 11 questions about feminism? Find out and join in the discourse on Thursday night when e-publication Girls Who Say Fuck present “Men Who Take Baths”. Drinks are included in the ($20) ticket price. What more excuse do you need to get downtown and get steamy? Find out more.
LISTEN | How about a little classical music to set the tone for your weekend? Hit up the Orpheum (Sat, Sun, Mon) to catch Music Director Designate Maestro Otto Tausk and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra perform a little Brahms (Symphony No. 1) and Dvorak (Cello Concerto). Sit back , let your mind wander and enjoy the music! Find out more.
LAUGH | Comedian and bad writing sadist Sara Bynoe hosts another one of her hilarious Teen Angst evenings this Friday night. From Sara’s website: “Somewhere in the back of your closet gathering dust and turning yellow with age is comedic gold. Those old journals, poems, and essays you wrote as a teenager when you thought you could do no wrong, would probably make you cringe if you were to read them today. Now, imagine sharing them in front of an audience. That’s exactly what happens at Teen Angst Night. You held on to those diaries for a reason, right? This is that reason!” Chill, listen and laugh. Find out more.
FRESH AIR | Looking for new and interesting ways to work exercise in to your life but also want to make sure you are having enough fun? Consider snowshoeing. Seymour Mountain offers a cool “Legends and Lanterns” tour on Saturday night that sounds like the best of both worlds as it takes participants on a crisp hike “through towering trees to the glowing light of lanterns while enjoying folkloric legends of the forest creatures and the night sky.” The tour includes an experienced snowshoe guide (not to take home, just for use on the trails), snowshoe rental and trail pass, as well as a post-tour mug of hot chocolate. Find out more.
MAKE | The Chinatown art and craft facility Blim is offering a beginner’s screenprint workshop this weekend. This three hour class will walk you through the process of burning an image to a screen with photo emulsion. This image can then be used to print on paper or textiles. The cost of the workshop ($91) includes materials and a really good time. Make something! Find out more.
TASTE | Hustle yourself up Main Street this weekend to check out the newly opened Autostrada. The 30 seat, Italian-themed pasta and wine bar has a clean-lined and unfussy aesthetic and a straightforward menu (seven pastas and a risotto as well as close to a dozen starters that would be perfect for sharing with a table of friends). For more details, have a read through our preview of Autostrada here. Hours of operation are 5pm to 10pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Find out more.
ESCAPE | Still racking your brain for escapist activities that will get you out of the house and through the SADD season? Well, Monday evening is your chance to escape the chilly, rainy present-day Vancouver and delve into a vision of the 2144 future, when local sci-fi author Analee Newitz delivers a reading from her new novel, Autonomous, at Main Street’s Massy Books. The story touches on pertinent topics like drug-addiction and personal freedom within a comfortable time-distance of over a century. Take home a signed copy and you’ll not only be prolonging the escapism for several more hours in the comfort of your own home (or Cartems, across the street), but you’ll also be supporting a local writer and an independent business! Find out more.
CHINATOWN | Between visitors and travelling and shopping and working, the holiday late December to early January can leave your head spinning. This is a good time to recalibrate. Take yourself for a nice long hike on a winter beach or in a quiet forest, clean the house, cook some food to share with friends or take a few hours to explore your city – get reacquainted. If you’re looking for some inspiration of where to go and what to do, we suggest you flip through our recently published Scout Guide To Chinatown.