SEEN IN VANCOUVER #432: Cactus Club To Open Its (Who’s Counting?) Location Today
March 20, 2013
At 5:00pm this afternoon (Wed), the Cactus Club will open its new 500 seat Coal Harbour monster, complete with 200 seat patio and 40 seat private room. Sadly, there is no truth to the rumour that this location (the 23rd) also includes a secret 55 seat pre-shift beauty/tanning salon underneath the dining room (built for the exclusive use of the staff). I know this because I invented that rumour. Just now. To celebrate the opening and Cactus Club’s 25th anniversary, the Olympic Cauldron will apparently be lit from 6pm to 10pm tonight. What the….why? Because stop asking questions and sing the anthem, traitor.
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
VANCOUVER DETAIL #283: Who Knows The Origins Of The Mysterious ‘Brite Cafe’ Sign?
March 13, 2013
You may have seen this “Brite Cafe” sign while it was sitting on the floor at Rainier Provisions in Gastown. It was found in the basement of an old building at East Hastings and Heatley but its origins are unknown to us. We’ve googled the hell out of it, but to no avail. If any of our heritage-minded readers can solve the mystery, please let us know in the comments below! Cheers and thanks!
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
VANCOUVER DETAIL #282: Awesome Cycle Tire Pump Just Installed At Hawks & Union
March 11, 2013
The city recently installed this new public bicycle pump on the Adanac Bikeway at Union & Hawks in Strathcona. It’s really simple. Cyclists (or parents with newfangled jogger strollers) just roll up, stabilize whichever tire(s) needs air in the bracket provided, click in and then pump using a handy foot lever. Note that it only works with Schrader valves. If your tires have Presta valves, you’re in luck as another (Presta-friendly) pump was just installed not far away at the entrance to Science World. Bonus: cherry blossoms! Ride on!
UPDATE: It does that Presta valves! You just have to read the pictogram directions!
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Vancouver Detail is an offshoot of Scout’s regular Seen In Vancouver column. With it, we aim to share the less macro scenes of our city’s awesomeness, the things that some of our more hurried readers might miss, from hidden works of art to all manner of unlikely but cool things lying in plain sight.
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
SEEN IN VANCOUVER #431: A Moving Film On The Downtown Eastside’s ‘Rainier Hotel’
March 4, 2013
Colin Askey, a filmmaker and former Portland Hotel Society staffer, recently debuted A Long Journey Home: The Rainier Story. It’s a moving short film on the impact of the Rainier Hotel and the people who have had their lives turned around by the facility’s long-term addiction treatments and clinical care. Sadly, its modus operandi and funding have been up in the air since Christmas. Give it a watch, and let The Tyee provide context as needed. We encourage our readers to send letters of support to The Rainier via savetherainier@phs.ca, and to keep up to date with its goings on through their Twtter @rainierhotel.
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
SEEN IN VANCOUVER #430: “Nothing Else Mattress” Graffiti Appears In MacLean Park
March 2, 2013
Yesterday (March 1st) was moving day across the city, and some fly-by-night asshole thought the western end of Strathcona’s MacLean Park was a good place to dump his/her unwanted shit. One facet of the pile, however, was quickly improved…
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
SEEN IN VANCOUVER #429: A Short Film On The Making Of Chinatown’s The Pie Shoppe
February 26, 2013
Dig this short Zack Lazarus film on the making of The Pie Shoppe, the recently opened, deliciously aromatic 300 square footer at 721 Gore St. in Chinatown from sisters Stephanie and Andrea French (it smells of apple pie and very good coffee). It took them just 9 days to build the place! Our own shots from the first week are below…
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
SEEN IN VANCOUVER #428: Hot Art Wet City Interviews Illustrator Alison Woodward
February 22, 2013
Here’s a charming quickie of an interview with local illustrator/tattoo artist Alison Woodward, via Chris Bentzen over at Hot Art Wet City. Some genuine pearls in here. Fave takeaway: “It’s important to not let art school suck the love of work out of you.”
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
VANCOUVER DETAIL #281: There Is A Gigantic Sundial On The Roof Of Tinseltown
February 13, 2013
What the hell is this for? The top image is from Reddit and the bottom one is from a local realtor who writes:
This picture was taken from my studio listing at The Taylor located at 550 Taylor Street. So this picture was taken from the 20th floor. The building to the left of the picture is the Europa building at 63 Keefer Place. This view is looking West over the roof from the East.
If you look closely, it’s WTF o’clock.
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Vancouver Detail is an offshoot of Scout’s regular Seen In Vancouver column. With it, we aim to share the less macro scenes of our city’s awesomeness, the things that some of our more hurried readers might miss, from hidden works of art to all manner of unlikely but cool things lying in plain sight.
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
SEEN IN VANCOUVER #427: Sweet Video On The Making Of A BETA5 Valentine Treat
February 8, 2013
Want. FYI, Beta5 is actually doing a special six course Valentine dessert tasting on February 14th and 15th, so if you found this video as alluring as we did and you’ve yet to make plans, you might want to pounce on the tickets here. Pass it on.
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
SEEN IN VANCOUVER #426: The Slow Bean & Culture Club At 99 W. Pender (At Abbott)
February 7, 2013
by Rommy Ghaly | Have you walked past the repurposed Budget Rent-A-Car lot on the northeast corner of Abbott and Pender in recent months and wondered what the hell? Of course you have.
Back in June of last year, a local videographer named Mairin Cooley took over the building under the auspices of DOVA (Drop Out Video Arts), a local arts and culture non-profit. Inside, she opened The Nines’ Slow Bean & Culture Club. It’s a cafe that doubles as an artist-run center, meeting place and gallery (and vice versa), the intention being “to use this building to boldly express, support, foster, and experiment with the kinds of cultural programming that mostly happens in the underground scene of Vancouver.”
And so, from 11am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, it serves up tasty vegetarian and vegan dishes at ridiculously affordable prices – $5 for a bowl (curry/stew served over rice) and $8 for a bowl and a salad – making it so that anyone who walks in off the street can take some time out to enjoy a good, healthy, midday meal without having to worry that much about cost or clogged arteries.
At night when the food service shuts, DOVA steps up to organize exhibitions, regular game evenings (last Thursday of every month), movie nights, speakers, and pretty much anything else that could be deemed interesting, fun, and in the interests of community building.
Stop and check it out next time. It’s at 99 West Pender — hence the “Nines” in the name.
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
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Rommy Ghaly was born and raised in New York. He’s spent the past sixteen years moving around from city to city and country to country, trying (and failing miserably) to find himself. You may see him out in the streets with his cameras taking photos of people he doesn’t know. The results of those adventures can be found at vancouverish.com.
SEEN IN VANCOUVER #425: How Our Most Iconic Intersections Are Seen By Designers
January 31, 2013
As noted in the Scout List this week, every major city intersection has a personality that is characterized by its architecture, its environment, and the velocity of its traffic. They are markers, meeting places and transfer points; places where fascinating stories begin, end, or pass right on by. To celebrate Vancouver’s intersections, seven of the city’s top graphic designers have created posters representing the most iconic ones. Scout has been given exclusive access to these, and you can take a peek below, together with explanatory notes from the designers themselves. The series is to debut tonight at The Chinatown Experiment (434 Columbia St.) from 6pm to 9pm. Note that none of the posters are on sale just yet. There will be a special postcard set featuring all the designs for free tonight, and then all the posters will move to Waterfront Station where they will be displayed until some point in the summer. Prints may be available down the road, so stay quick on the draw by following them on Twitter, Facebook, and on their website.
The one of Denman & Davie is our fave. Check them all out after the jump… Read more
VANCOUVER DETAIL #280: Easter Island “Moai” Statue Hiding On A Strathcona Roof
January 28, 2013
Because of course, right? Viewable from Hawks Ave on the eastern edge of Maclean Park in Strathcona.
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Vancouver Detail is an offshoot of Scout’s regular Seen In Vancouver column. With it, we aim to share the less macro scenes of our city’s awesomeness, the things that some of our more hurried readers might miss, from hidden works of art to all manner of unlikely but cool things lying in plain sight.
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
SEEN IN VANCOUVER #424: Hell’s Kitchen Shuttering In Kits A Case Of Abandonment?
January 24, 2013
The natural consequence of a dozen really good pizzerias opening in Vancouver within a couple of years of each other? Some of the old (and especially the shitty) ones whither and die. Exhibit C: Hell’s Kitchen pizzeria at 2401 West 4th Ave has “closed its doors permanently”. This happened a few days ago, apparently to the financial dismay of many (image found via Reddit).
UPDATE: A few people have commented below or contacted me directly to say that all is not as it seems with this note, specifically that it was written by the landlord. What’s more, several letters of support from staff/suppliers that were taped over the note have reportedly been taken down. So take it with a grain of salt.
