Archive for February, 2012

I recently read a theory that going for 50 coffees with people you’ve never met is the entrepreneurs equivalent to the theory that doing anything for 10,000 hours will make you an expert on it. While I get the idea, 50 coffees is far easier than practicing something for ten years, and while I’m far from lazy I’ve decided to set out on a fairly simple mission: over the next 50 weeks I’m going to invite 50 interesting Vancouverites, most of whom I have never met before, to go for coffee. I’m going to use this as an exercise in networking for myself and for V.I.A. while also using it as a platform to introduce you to some people who are doing really cool stuff in the city you live in. COFFEE #26 Name: Michael Eckford Occupation: TV and radio host Beverage: Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned

Meet Michael Eckford. Co-host of Urban Rush with Fiona Forbes on Shaw and also the co-host of the Bro Jake Show on Rock 101. Unlike the behind-the-scenes folks whom I’ve mostly been introducing you to in this series I imagine you’re already familiar with this guy and his current hairstyle.

We went for an afternoon “coffee” at the Fairmont Pacific Rim after I reached out on Twitter letting him know I was enjoying hearing him during my morning commute. As I mentioned, he’s now co-hosting Bro Jake and he’s doing a fantastic job at it. I feel like Michael is the bridge between The Bro and people who are around my age and like to listen to classic rock in the morning. I will not say a bad word about The Bro (in fact I will capitalize the “T” in “The” for him) but I will say that Michael adds a certain zing to the show that could have been missing up until a couple of months ago.

So we talked about his new radio gig, about his long-running TV gig (15 years this week!), and then about how he manages both of those as well as being a father and a husband. I left knowing that the guy you see on TV and hear on the radio is the same guy in real life, and that’s awesome.

Oh! And as you likely noticed, that is not a caffeinated beverage in Michael’s hand. No sir, that’s a good old fashioned Old Fashioned. When you get up at 4AM to do a live radio show and after that you do a daytime TV talk show, by the time the rest of us are having our second cup of coffee it’s essentially mid-evening for you. “You” being Michael Eckford, and “you” are not only allowed to have a cocktail at this hour but in fact I would encourage “you” to.

Follow Michael on Twitter, watch him on Shaw (15 years deep!) and listen to him on Rock 101.

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

What an awesome photo from Jeff.Zipp in today’s Daily Flickr Pickr pool. Sunsets are cool to photograph, aren’t they? They’re quite challenging to shoot too, ’cause you have to get the shot you want at just the right time. I also like the fact that the Playland roller coaster is in this shot too. Fun times. ;)
Very good job on this one Jeff.

Enjoy february sunset from Jeff.Zipp

John

We’ve already shared the story of Save On Meats with you (a few times!) but I really wanted to take a moment today to point out the incredible work that Mark Brand and his team have done in making the latest incarnation of this Vancouver mainstay a positive one for the Downtown Eastside. They partner with local organizations like SoleFood, UGM and others, they employ folks that live in the DTES, they provide food at an attainable price point… it is basically unquestionable that they serve the neighbourhood, and they serve it well.

Stay tuned for more Random Acts!

TONIGHT! At the Waldorf is the FOURTH Polaris Prize Salon, where instead of talking about one record, we’ll have a panel of Polaris Prize jury members discussing albums released in the first half of the qualifying period that they think should make the long list. Click here to read more about the event!

The Panel:
Glenn Alderson (www.beatroute.ca)
Lana Gay (www.cbcmusic.ca)
Alex Hudson (www.chippedhip.com)
Alan Ranta (www.tinymixtapes.com)

I will be moderating/hosting the night, Steamwhistle is the beer sponsor (so get there on time for beer!), there will be a ClarityOne earbud giveaway, and SEVERAL prizes to hand out!

Should be a great time so head on down! Doors are at 8, it gets started around 9pm!
See you there!

Sara is the only person on the face of the planet who can make me laugh so hard that I pee my pants. She is chilled out and down to earth, and even a little bit shy at first, so if you only met her once, you’d never believe that she regularly dances around her house singing in nonsensical dialects and made up accents.
Language is truly her gift. She has never been afraid to say anything to anyone. When she was young enough to be wearing pink onesies with feet in them our dad complimented her jumpsuit. Without a trace of fear she responded, “It’s not a jumpsuit you jerk.”
Imagination, conversation and an intuitive cultural sense continue to be some of her finest traits. It is no wonder that she has become a fantastic freelance writer. She has been dedicated to developing her craft for more than a decade. Her English degree from UBC and her fluency in several languages seem only natural given her early and prolific ability to communicate with the world around her. I am truly in awe and a little jealous of my sister.
–Benjamin Tollestrup

The Proof

01 I love that Vancouver is only 90 minutes away from one of the most beautiful places in the world –Halfmoon Bay. I’m fortunate that my grandpa had the foresight to buy land there in the 1940′s.

02 Almost every day I have veggie juice for breakfast:
2 red beets
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 apple
4 kale leaves
a loonie-sized chunk of ginger

03 I’ve had nine months of pregnancy and one month of raising a newborn to realize that I’m a mom, but it’s still a bit surreal. Now toys like this knit RCMP doll are all over my house.

04 No matter how old I get, I still feel like a 4 year old when I cross the suspension bridge at Lynn Canyon. I love the massive cedar trees that line the trail to 30 Foot pool too. (Chris Owen photo)

05 Finch’s on Pender has the best sandwiches in the city. My two favourite menu items are the Pear, Brie and Prosciutto baguette and the Gypsy Salami baguette. It’s also a great place for people watching because everyone from grannies and hipsters to suits and bike couriers eat lunch there.

06 My husband Chris says the answer to every question is six. I laugh and roll my eyes when he says stuff like that, but truthfully I love even the most ridiculous things he says and does.

07 This is the most recent addition to our art collection and the best Christmas gift I’ve ever been given. Ben Tour is so talented. It’s also pretty rad that he lives and works in Gibsons not far from Halfmoon Bay.

08 The chairlift at Mt. Seymour doubles as an office and a place of refuge for me. Some days I use the time to answer emails on my phone. Other days I just stare at the snow-covered trees and breathe in the mountain air. (Chris Owen photo)

The Questions
What neighborhood do you live in?
Lynn Valley – born and raised, and I have watched it change in many ways. It blows my mind that the ugly pastel homes I grew up around are now million dollar fixer-uppers, but I love that the woods I played in as a little girl still surround the area.

What do you do and where?
I am a freelance writer and copy editor. I  also do some social media and marketing.  My workspace is wherever my laptop is whether that is my kitchen table, a cabin in the mountains or the Langdale ferry.

What are you working on?
My husband and I had a son just over a month ago, so these days most of my time is dedicated to raising Julien. With a baby in one arm and one hand free to type, I’m working on stories for the 2012-13 issues of Snowboard Magazine, Snowboard Canada Women’s Annual and whatever Lifetime Collective throws my way. For fun I’m contemplating/dismissing the idea of starting my own blog and learning to shoot various film cameras in my husband’s collection.

Where can we find your work?
www.snowboardmag.com and the print editions of the aforementioned publications. Lifetime Collective’s zine #2 is coming out next month along with their Spring ’12 line and  www.lifetimecollective.com.

SCENE AND HEARD showcases the independent music scene here in Vancouver. We interview some of our favourite local artists, post weekly guest playlists comprised of Vancouver artists and ‘Last Week in Music’ highlights some of the concerts happening around the city…

From Valentine’s Day, to another Toque Session, to Jordan Klassen’s EP Release, to Said The Whale at Rogers Arena, and finally The Matinee at Venue…it’s been a wonderful week of music in Vancouver.

THIS WEEK IN MUSIC: starts with a very special Polaris Prize Salon at the Waldorf TONIGHT! I’ll be moderating a panel of Polaris Jury members talking about some of the albums released this year. Also, it’s sponsored by our friends at Steamwhistle…so you DEFINITELY dont want to miss this! Wednesday at the Biltmore, Maurice is in town and will be performing, as will Library, and Redgy Blackout. Thursday check out the Hey Ocean Toque session at the CBC, followed by The Sumner Brother tour kick off at the Waldorf, with The Greff Band, and Dave Phillips Band. Friday…is slightly insane. There are basically ALL of the shows happening…so here goes: Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, and Acres Of Lions are performing as part of Winterruption on Granville Island, Wintermitts are having their album release party at Interurban Gallery, Sunny Pompeii and Badgerchild are doing acoustic sets at Our Town, The Ruffled Feathers are over at The Cellar, and Pleasure Cruise and The Gay Nineties are at The Astoria. – Saturday, isn’t too less crazy. First head to The Rio for the Little Mountain (Said The Whale’s new album) advanced listening party and screening of the videos created by our besties at Amazing Factory…then haul it over to Performance Works for Aidan Knight, and The Belle Game as they perform for Winterruption. Lastly Jasper Sloan Yip is doing two sets for the same festival on Sunday and they are both free! – then sleep my friends, sleep.

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Welcome to the latest series of Super, Neighbours blog posts where we highlight incredible travel destinations in British Columbia! This is the last of 5 posts on our trip out to Harrison Hot Springs, a 90 minute drive from Vancouver. To break it down: PART 1 – Getting There PART 2 – Accommodations PART 3 – The Food PART 4 – The Spa I hinted about the awesomeness of my fishing adventure in almost all of the first 4 posts because it’s such a cool story, far beyond getting out and reeling in a big fish, though I will admit that’s a large part of it. If you look beyond this photo of us holding a 150 pound fish as a trophy (which we let go seconds after this photo was taken) you’ll see a story of conservation and of people coming together to help save a species.

I caught this 150 pound sturgeon. It’s about 75 years old. Wowza!

As a lifelong hobby fisherman of freshwater lakes, over the past three and a half decades I’ve spent what would amount to months of my life with a line in the water. Mostly pulling out rainbow trout that weigh less than a pound, fishing for sturgeon is something I never really put much thought into pursuing. I admit that up until I started researching for this series I didn’t see a point in sturgeon fishing because the white sturgeon of the Fraser (and Harrison) River is an endangered species and if you keep one you go to jail. Hell, not only did I not see a point in it but I saw it as a disservice to these prehistoric beasts; I wondered that why after we’ve pushed this species close to extinction that we now have to add insult to injury and pull them out of the water just to get our pictures taken with them.

Tony Nootebos, the proprietor of the BC Sportfishing Group which has a fleet of 22 fishing vessels, changed this entire perception I had of sturgeon fishing. As one of the many supporters of the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society, along with chairman Rick Hansen (yes, the Man In Motion), he’s not only out on the river to make a livelihood but he’s there for the sake of conserving and restoring this fish stock.

The society is a not-for-profit dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wild Fraser River white sturgeon and it’s made up of charter operators, commercial fishermen, first nations and others. At the heart of what they do is tracking every single sturgeon that they reel in, and they input all of their stats into a database so that they can track their growth, their patterns, and how well they’re doing as a whole. If not for this not-for-profit nobody would be tracking this fish, the fish that is on the top of the food chain which reflects the overall health of the river system itself.

And not only do they track the fish but they build awareness as well: they introduced curriculum into a number of schools in 2005, teaching kids in the Lower Mainland about the history and the importance of the Fraser River white sturgeon. The hard costs of all of their work is paid for by donors and the provincial government and the lions share of work is done by volunteers, those who are basically re-investing in their own future by helping ensure the future of the white sturgeon.

I went along to catch a huge fish but I also went along to help Tony gather data which would then be input into the database. I went there (mostly) on a conservation mission.

So that’s the backstory. Let’s introduce you to the experience now, shall we?

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

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

Gastown is my favorite part of the city. Hands down. I’ve worked for, and had businesses in Gastown for the better part of 15+ years and I love it. It’s in my blood. Even when I was a kid I loved it. My favorite place was a restaurant on the corner of Carrall and Cordova called The Meat Market. Anyone remember that place? (The most recent place to inhabit that space was Boneta.)
My 2 fondest memories of that restaurant were 1) Stealing all the change out of the wishing well with my little sister (my dad made us march back in there and give it all back…) and 2) The skeleton in the closet. Really, they had a freakin’ Skeleton in a Closet there! I kid you not. That was an awesome restaurant…
Anyway, me and Gastown go way back and I just love the area. I especially love it when I see awesome photographs of it in all it’s glory. Like this long exposure one from Clayton Perry. Very well captured Clayton.

Enjoy Rain City Nights from Clayton Perry

John