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

One of the Coolest, Most Fleetingly Delicious Facts of Life in Vancouver…


Blackberry season joins our ever-growing list of the coolest things about Vancouver. The window is closing right about now (late August) across the Lower Mainland (trust me, there’s still some out there), but when it’s in full swing there’s a special light that shines over urban foragers and the thorny bushes they poke around in, a light that makes pickers feel like kids again, complete with purple-stained lips and fingertips. It’s a season within a season, one that marks the highpoint of Vancouverites’ inability to recall the last time it rained. Those who appreciate and anticipate it have their secret go-to patch(es) that they raid to make everything from delicious pies and jams to smoothies and cocktail syrups, enduring scrapes and competition in the sweet-smelling process. Just remember the first rule of blackberry season: Never tell anyone where your patch is!

The Floating Respite Within Easy Swimming Reach of Kits Beach

Kits Beach would be a shoe-in for our 1,000 Cool Things About Vancouver project if it wasn't so damn obvious. This makes more sense.

All That Colourful Art on the Walls at ‘The Magnet’ Is Not What It Seems…

Downtown's beer-forward restaurant is a trove of quirky details from bar to bathroom. Here's a cool thing to look out for...

This Mt. Pleasant Restaurant Honours Its Veteran Staff Members in a Really Cool Way

Wallflower Diner recognizes and celebrates its long-serving crew members by affixing their names to the long edge of the wooden bar.

The One Delicious Day of the Year We Actually Looking Forward to Meat Sweats

The annual Brewery and the Beast festival of meat and beer easily cracks our 1,000 Cool Things About Vancouver list.