My Ladyfriend didn’t even know how to ride a bike before she met me.  I’d like to think that I inspired her to get into cycling with my shiny titanium road bike and snug cycling jersey.  Or maybe it was the cycling tanlines that proved that I’m not just an indoor geek who spends 12 hours a day in front of a computer screen… for the record, I only spend 10.  In reality, it was none of the above.  Complete strangers got her riled up about cycling – thousands of them.

It was the inaugural day of Whistler Gran-Fondo and we were surrounded by hoards of cyclists in full-kits, men and women, ready to tackle this seeming huge challenge. I remember the ways her eyes lit up as she looked around in awe and said, “This is so cool!”. Not: “That looks healthy, responsible and so adult-like. Like eating alfalfa sprouts.” When it comes to cycling, I believe that organized events bring more than just attention to the sport – people are inspired to participate because of the huge fun factor. There’s nothing like being surrounded by a community of people who share your passion.

In less than a month, HUB Bike to Work Week will be such an event. We can go on and on about the merits of how cycling benefits your health decreases vehicle congestion, reduces impact on the environment, etc. Yup, everyone already knows that and it’s all true. But we should also remember that it’s a heck of a lot of fun. Between May 27 and June 2, HUB and various sponsors will be encouraging everyone to ride your bike to work or school. Take a week off from driving or public transit and pedal to your destination for a chance to win prizes like a new bike. Throughout the city, you’ll find Celebration Stations on bike routes giving away free snacks, coffee, water, bike tune ups and daily giveaways. Did I mention that you can win prizes? Track your commuting progress on the BTWW online tracker to win!

Photo: Andy Koo – AK Photography 

Remember, the social aspect is half the fun so tell your friends and try out some new ways to get your workplace involved. Trump up a little friendly competition among your colleagues or even other companies. Give the term “rat race” a new meaning! Not part of the 9-to-5 world yet? Remember that schools can get in on the action too. Participating schools teach your kids about cycling through games, giveaways and workshops.

New to commuting on two-wheels or concerned about letting your children ride to school? HUB provides cycling education courses to teach you how to feel safer & more confident on the road. There’s still time to attend one of HUB’s Streetwise Cycling Courses before May 27th – City of Vancouver residents can sign up for only $20.00!

When I first got on a bike, I wasn’t worried about the ozone layer or my carbon footprint. I just wanted to go fast and get to where I needed to go. If you like cycling simply because you get a thrill from the wind whipping through your hair or getting to your favorite restaurant without the hassle of parking, then knock yourself out. All the benefits that come with cycling will simply be a cherry on top. Share the experience with a friend and they’ll thank you later.  I’d still like to think that it was my knicker shorts that got my Ladyfriend on a bike.

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome. Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in!

I’ve featured Xua Xua Productions‘ Show and Tell before, and I’m featuring it again, because it’s an awesome event and it is still incredibly cheap. Next Tuesday, May 14th – doors are at 7:30pm and the show begins at 8pm sharp, is another round of show and tell for grown ups.

Vancouver gets a bad rap sometimes for being an unfriendly city. We know deep down that’s not the case – we care about each other and what’s going on in our lives, and its events like this that highlight that fact. Friends and strangers gather to share a little piece of their story, to ask each other questions, and get to know each other more in a positive way. It’s super friendly, super laid-back, and a lot of fun.

It’s also CHEAP because entry is by donation and you can get drinks for only $4. This event is held in a super-cozy chocolate shop (Cocoanymph), and so audiences are very small. Pre-registration is a definite must (do it here). They accept donations as little as $1 to register for a ticket, so really, this is a community event for everyone.

Show and Tell
Tuesday, May 14th at 7:30
Tickets here.

PS: In other Cheap News this weekend, the Firehall Arts Centre is hosting its annual event, BC Buds, a by-donation weekend festival of boundary-pushing theatre. And don’t forget about the Eastside Flea tomorrow!

IT’S FITNESS FRIDAY! For the next 3 months I’m blogging about my adventure to complete the 36 classes in 90 challenge put on by and in partnership with Barre Fitness! Hopefully you’ll join me and be motivated to get fit! I’ll be sharing recipes, exercises, class and workshop ideas, and more. And *BONUS* if when I complete the challenge and go to 36 classes, I get to give away TWO 2-Week Trial passes to Barre Fitness to some lucky VIA readers! So encourage me on twitter follow the challenge hashtag: #BBFC and I’ll see you at the Barre!

This week Ella from Barre Fitness is bringing you some more workouts that you can do at home (or at the beach like she did!) or in the studio! Seeing that it’s gorgeous and sunny early here in Vancouver, it’s about time you toned that beach body!

Barre Fitness Beach Body Abs Workout (no barre required)

Do these Barre Body Ab moves 3 days per week and work your way up to 5 times per week. Attack those abs, strengthen your core and tighten your tummy just in time for beach season – barre style!
(Beach setting courtesy of Crab Park at Portside, photos: Joel Krich)

1. Plié Twist w/ Weights

- 16 twists to the RIGHT, hold final twist position and do 32 one inch pulses twisting to the RIGHT. Repeat entire set to the LEFT
- TIP: Twist from the obliqués, and drop the tailbone directly beneath you keeping the spine long

2. Plank Knee Twist Extension

- 8 knee twists in plank position reaching the RIGHT knee to the …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

THE OPENING is all about delving into the fascinating, quirky and wonderful visual arts in Vancouver. Each week we’ll feature an artist, cover an exhibition, discuss a lecture and everything else in-between to delve deep into who and what makes art happen!

It is pertinent that Safar/Voyage, the recently-opened exhibition of contemporary Middle Eastern art curated by Dr. Fereshteh Daftari, is at the Museum of Anthropology and not, say, the Vancouver Art Gallery or the CAG. The exhibition’s post-colonial concerns are enriched by the surrounding presence of the museum’s permanent collection  — a testament to the consequences of colonialism in itself. Certainly, a striking impression is made when one emerges from the stands of artifacts and into the exit-red glow of Mona Hatoum’s Hot Spot (2006). Hatoum’s red-hot, steel-and-neon globe provides a far neater introduction to the exhibition than the didactic wall text. It concisely encapsulates the anxiety of displacement and perpetual global emergency, which Fereshteh Daftari connects to the title of a previous Hatoum exhibition: “The entire world is a foreign land.”

Though Safar/Voyage is regionally-specific on paper, the themes that the exhibition is really addressing transcend geography. Narratives about voyage, diaspora, trauma, and desire aren’t exoticised inasmuch as they are foundational stories of immigrants today. As Daftari puts it in his catalogue essay, ‘Passport to Elsewhere’, “Safar/Voyage is a proposition, framed as an open-ended experience, enabled through encounters with fragments of itineraries and a choice of paths.”

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Welcome to the ninth instalment of our “On the Road to…” series! The deal is simple: manufacturers loan us vehicles, we drive them to sweet locations, shoot photos along the way and then share that experience with you.

Chevrolet Canada recently loaned me their 2013 Trax, a compact SUV that they tout as “city-sized”. I took it out to Deep Cove for an experimental day of working remotely (which I wrote about HERE) and then this past weekend on a road trip out to Galiano Island following THIS TRAVEL PANEL on BC1 where Trish Friesen presented Dubai as a travel option and I countered with the idea of going semi-local, staycationing at Bodega Ridge on this beautiful Gulf Island.

As I mentioned in the video linked above, the ferry ride over there is quick; one hour across the Salish Sea from Tsawassen and you’re there. A quick drive after letting off and you’ll find yourself in Montague Harbour Provincial Park chasing herons with a butterfly net.

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>