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 February 7 to February 13, 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.

GIG | Vancouver indie-folk superheroes Destroyer play The Commodore Ballroom Friday night. Dan Bejar + home crowd + cold beer + Friday night? That’s some good math right there. Adding to the good time is NYC-via-Seattle songwriter Erin Birgy’s pop/lounge/rock/jazz vibe with Mega Bog – the perfect opener! Tickets won’t last so score ’em here. Find out more.

EAT LOCAL | A long weekend is a great time to plan a meal with friends. We suggest you hit up the Winter Farmer’s Market for provisions as no one does a better job of providing tasty fruits and vegetables than the people who actually grow them, and don’t forget about all the fresh bread, pastries, jams, pickles, and cheese! There are two markets to choose from this weekend: Nat Bailey Stadium parking lot on Saturday and the PNE on Sunday. Don’t forget to pack your reusable tote bags! Find out more.

FILM | As the 90th Academy Awards approach (March 4), we need to educate ourselves on what’s in the running. I’m digging The Shape of Water, Call Me By Your Name, Ladybird, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (so great), and there’s still time to catch the big guns at theatres around town. In an effort to bring you up to speed some of the lesser known films in the line-up, Vancity Theatre will be screening the nominees for the Academy Award for Best Short Film in the Live Action and Animation categories now through March 3. There’s some really great stuff hiding in the quieter categories. Don’t forget the little guys! Find out more.

SHOP | Feeling spendy? If you’re in a social shopping mood then this weekend is a goodie! Not only is the Eastside Flea happening all weekend (Saturday and Sunday) but neighbouring Chinatown studio High Five Studio is also holding a two day “Sip + Shop: Best F*cking Friends Forever Edition” arts market mere blocks away. Assemble your best and most enabling buds together for a double dose of shop-hopping and drinking ($3 beer and wine at High Five!) between the two venues. BONUS: The distance between the Flea and High Five may be short, but the amount of bars and snacks en route and between is plenty. The Boxcar, Juke’s Fried Chicken, Pizzeria Farina, The Keefer and The Tuck Shoppe are all nearby, to name just a few. Find out more.

EAT YOUR VEGGIES | Give yourself a night of “ethical hedonism” at Grapes & Soda’s February 11th Heartwarmer Dinner. The multi-course, plant-based feast comes courtesy of a trifecta of awesome: Existential Eating chef Heather Dosman, MuseumEats teacher Camille Flanjak and South Granville’s coolest cocktail bar, Grapes & Soda. Mindful of how difficult this time of year can be on our mental and – by extension – physical health, the trio have concocted an evening that includes a nourishing menu paired with a glass of bubbly to warm your spirits and, to cap it off, some live comedy to put a bit of laughing colour in your cheeks. Also included in the $65 ticket price (including taxes and tip) is the implied nonliteral heart-warming effect, because a portion of the profits support an organization whose mission it is to promote environments favourable to good mental health. Secure your spot at one of the two seatings (6:30pm or 8pm) here. Find out more.

WINTER | Feeling the weight of winter? Looking to add to your arsenal of coping mechanisms without breaking the bank with a trip to Hawaii? Maybe dear Mother Nature can impart some wisdom… “From chickadees to crows, insects to amphibians, and shrews to squirrels, animals display a bewildering variety of adaptations for surviving the winter.” Bundle up and tag along with Stanley Park Ecology Centre peeps to learn about techniques that resident wintering animals use to beat the cold and keep themselves fed. Even if you don’t walk away with any intel directly applicable to your winter strategy, at least you’ll feel better that you don’t have to burrow into mud to stay warm and survive on bugs. That’s something, right? Find out more.

FAMILY DAY | Hooray for family! If you don’t have one, you can always build one out of friends, and sometimes it’s easier that way. However you roll, make good use of this day off by getting together with the people you love. Take a walk, linger over coffee, maybe sit down for a good meal. We suggest hustling over to the Pacific Spirit Regional Park where there will be a Nature Fun by the Fire event involving wildlife story-telling and songs, nature talks and marshmallows roasting — all in a beautiful rainforest! Everyone is welcome and the event is free. Meet at park entrance on 16 Avenue, 400m west of Blanca Street. Find out more.

KIDS | Academia can be off-puttingly tight-assed at times, but there’s short term solution for the stuffiness planned for this Monday that sounds like a good time for all. Get this: “For too long, UBC has been run by adults. It’s time for kids to take charge. During Kids Takeover UBC, youth are given meaningful roles alongside staff and volunteers to set agendas and participate in arts and culture. At Museum of Anthropology, they’ll make art, dance and take in performances. At Old Auditorium, kids will get to meet Cinderella and friends at the Opera and play costumes dress-up and make-up. Belkin Art Gallery presents Poem Power. UBC Theatre will be featuring Axis Theatre’s spectacular Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish.” Also expect a kid-friendly food truck festival, photo booths, the Thunderbird marching band, crafts and more. Too bad they aren’t in charge of budgeting, exam marking, dissertation scheduling and handing out bursaries too! This sounds like a fun start. Find out more.

CITY | Whether you’re new to the city or just interested in brushing up on local history, an Architectural Institute of British Columbia walking tour is a great way to get to know Vancouver. This long weekend the AIBC is hosting a Family Day walking tour of Gastown. Meet in the lobby of the Architecture Centre (440 Cambie Street) and follow along on this walk to view the personality of the city through the prisms of its landmarks, buildings, structures and streets. Two tours will be held on Family Day at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The AIBC asks that participants arrive 15 minutes before departure time. A distance of 3 kilometres (2 miles) is covered over a period of 1.5 to 2 hours. Find out more.

KISS KISS | The monthly Noir series Movies in the Morgue is happening next Tuesday with a screening of the comedic thriller, “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, starring Robert Downey Jr.. If you’ve been coping with the winter by basking in the glow of your computer screen on an exhaustive streaming spree of TV and movies, then it might be time for a change of scenery. And while curling up in the Police Museum’s morgue for a night of Noir may not sound like the warmest way to enjoy a film, it’s inarguably a uniquely immersive experience that can’t be replicated at home. So dig out your sleeping bag and give your couch a night off by grabbing your tickets now. Find out more.