Archive for September, 2011

Design Lives is a new project launched by Inform Interiors and IDSwest, supported by Vancouver Is Awesome. It’s an ongoing interview project that will catalogue the personal and professional stories of Vancouver’s design community, conducted in the window of Inform Interiors at 50 Water Street in Gastown.

Enjoy this first interview with Michael Green of MGB Architecture and keep checking back for more in the coming days, weeks and months.

http://vimeo.com/29441185

LOCATION: Pitt Meadows (Click for Map) There’s no doubt about it, it’s fall. It will never cease to amaze me how so much can change in such a small amount of time. I decided to take a look back in time for this week’s Pickr and came across this image by Ron Hole, made around this time last year. Now, I’m still feeling a wee bit philosophical (if I dare put my thoughts in that category!) about the changing of the seasons and I really thought that this image was a good send-off for summer and an attempt at a look into what the future might hold, however tenuous that hold may be…either we can almost just make out where we’re headed or are starting to lose sight of where we’ve just been. Besides that this is quite simply a beautiful image and well, I’m a sucker for fog!

Thank you Ron. Do make sure to stop by Ron’s photostream for a look at many more beautiful images.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big huge congratulations to VIA, Unplugged, Bob and Michael for forging an exciting new Community Partnership with BC Parks. Read all about it here and check out BC Parks beautifully made and super interesting Great Ranger Experience videos here. Great work everyone. It’s all go!

There was a lot of amazing photography in the pool this week folks, please keep posting and spreading the word about the Unplugged Flickr Pickr.

It’s that point in your consciousness where you can feel at one with nature, escaping the trappings of the day-to-day to an almost dream-like place where nothing else seems to exist besides you and your natural surroundings. It is our opinion here at VIA that Vancouver holds a unique place in the civilized world in that reaching this state often requires no more effort than simply pulling off to the side of the road, pocketing your keys and taking a few steps into the forest

Every day we share a single photo from our Flickr Pool shot by one of our faithful and talented readers (that’s you!)

Another day, and another photograph that shows me something I’ve never seen before. Or perhaps more accurately, something that I’ve simply never noticed before – people fishing from the seawall in Stanley Park. And it also makes me wonder just how many of the photos that have have been featured in this space are from Stanley Park. I know I’ve posted my fair share.

I really like Larissa Sayer‘s different take on the Girl in a Wetsuit – she seems absolutely oblivious to the three men casting their lines in the water near her perch. But then again, I don’t think they are paying too much attention to her either – they are angling for something else: they are Stanley Park Fishermen.

Gary

The Bassment is a weekly article bringing you coverage of the best in Hip Hop and Electronic music from around Vancouver. Weekly interviews, event coverage, album and concert reviews that show how awesome our city’s electronic and hip hop scene really is.If you think there is someone or something that needs coverage in this city in regards to the Hip Hop / Electronic community then get in touch with us.

Summer’s over in case you didn’t notice. 6 weeks of sun this summer was a bummer but seems like there is always tons of action going on this time of year. Olio, VIFF, yada. I checked out the 11th annual New Forms Festival on Sep. 9 and also was at the Concrete Park jam at the Woodwards’ atrium on Wednesday night. New Forms really should be higher on the radar in the city. I think for doing what they do and combining what they combine together they are not worth missing. The media art and electronic music festival has been doing it up for over a decade which of course is no joke in this town. And as we sadly are missing the Livestock block party this year (though they had that thing at Strathcona park earlier this summer), the Hastings Set and W2‘s Concrete Park jam in the Woodward’s atrium could turn out to be a cool replacement. It was in the spirit of the old school hip hop park jams with the soundsystem, bboying and best of all, a free event in a nice public space.

Check out the review and tons of pics below.

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There are certain words in the English language that are reserved for special situations. These are terms we use carefully because to do otherwise would diminish their value. Some examples include love, family, beliefs, values and partners. You wouldn’t tell someone you loved them unless you really meant it right? Ok, well the majority of us wouldn’t. We take the use of these terms seriously because they represent something special, something we are proud of, often times something that defines us. So it is with a significant level of pride and unimaginable thanks to the hard work of our Managing Editor / Executive Director Bob Kronbauer that went into making this happen that I get to announce that Vancouver is Awesome has engaged in a new partnership.

As you know at V.I.A. we are ridiculously proud of our natural surroundings, so much so that we dedicate this weekly UNPLUGGED feature to extolling their virtues. As Vancouverites our mountains, parks, rivers and sea define our very existence. The care of much of this treasured land falls to a division of The Ministry of Environment known as BC Parks. These are the people who ensure we get to enjoy these gifts for years to come and it just so happens that this year marks their 100th birthday. In an effort to help promote BC Parks and all they do on the 100th anniversary of their creation V.I.A. is now officially a Community Partner of BC Parks.

As a BC Parks Community Partner we will be using this UNPLUGGED feature once a month to promote some of the excellent things they are doing for the Lower Mainland and beyond. In this months segment we are showcasing an incredibly well done video feature BC Parks is calling The Great Ranger Experience, an ongoing video series where various Park Rangers share their personal experiences working to promote and protect various BC Parks.

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VANCOUVER DAZE showcases and highlights the social life and scene of our beautiful city, covering all the misadventures and shenanigans at various cultural events, mixers, parties, meetups, and local happenings. We fiercely promote all the fun times the city has to offer along with the interesting people behind them. Follow more of my work/coverage over at RICKCHUNG.COM and on Twitter at @RICKCHUNG. You can pitch me HERE.

Volume 35: The Social Feed long table communal dinner at Nelson the Seagull on September 22, 2011. More photos available on Flickr and Minoru Blvd.

Last night, I joined the ultimate experience in social dining. An adventure in long table social eating interaction, I joined the folks at The Social Feed for one of their dining adventures at everyone’s favourite, new Gastown coffee shop and eatery.

At Nelson, named after the former President of South Africa, we dined on a relatively basic yet delicious set three course meal mixed with social interactions among friends and strangers. It was fun having dinner after hours in the daytime cafe.
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A new kitty once a week! Yup, we want YOUR cat photos and stories! Click here to find out how your cat can appear on Van City Kitty.

VIA reader Chris Zawada knows that two kitties = double the fun. Meet Neeko & Marley:

Name: Neeko Breed/Colouring: Siamese/Himalayan Hood: Chinatown Habits: Scratching new furniture, attacking his brother, attacking our legs, noshing on thawing meat, laying in the sink, trying to escape our apartment, tripping out on catnip, sleeping on his dad’s lap, snuggling with his mom at night, meeting us at the door Hangouts: On the window ledge, on the bed, on the couch, on the printer, on the office chair, on the floor, in the closet, under the bed Name: Marley Breed/Colouring: Mystery Cat Hood: Chinatown Habits: Sleeping, eating, sleeping, eating, playing with his mouse, playing with his ball, watching the birds, sleeping, eating, sleeping, eating Hangouts: Anywhere he can eat or sleep Are you looking for a (or another) little furry beast to love? Please check out Happy Tails, our weekly segment featuring the BC SPCA and one of the animals they currently have available for adoption. (You may have noticed that many of the Van City Kitties came from the SPCA!) Check back every Saturday for a new Happy Tails segment! And if you adopted your pet from the SPCA and would like to share your awesome story on Happy Tails, send an email to Rory.Blanchard@novusnow.ca.

 

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