The sun is still shining
An article declaring Vancouver one of Canada’s most visited tourist attraction was spotlighted this morning on Yahoo!’s main homepage. It’s always good to know the place is still bumpin. Apparently, Grouse Mountainis doing well for itself and I can only imagine things getting better with the winter season coming up. Speaking of Grouse Mountain > Winter > Snowboarding, is it too soon to trade in the wakeboard for something more snow-suitable? Although I do suppose we should try to drag out the warm season as long as we can. There’s tons of fun stuff to do this week to celebrate it… aside from volunteering of course 
Also, Miss 604 wrote a great post informing us about Global’s Comedyfest taking place from September 17th to 27th. I know I’m definitely going to start looking to get Steve Martin tickets.
In other news, Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper and Renée Zellweger were seen at the Mill Marine Bistro yesterday. Well Bradley is a doll, Renee is a lucky girl and where’s Scarlett? I don’t know if I’d be letting a guy like Ryan run around dateless if I were her aaand that’s about all I have to say about that. What I can say is that all three of them have good taste. The view from the patio at the Mill makes for a wonder lunchtime conversation and their array of Caesars are to die for.
Black Hawk Down
By Doug Ward, VANCOUVER SUNVANCOUVER — A hawk became an accidental, but short-lived exhibit at Science World Monday when it became trapped inside a maze-like sculpture near the facility’s entrance.
The medium-sized bird, known as a Cooper’s hawk, was able to fly inside the Tower of Bauble because netting had been removed so that the kinetic-audio structure could be repaired.
The hawk was unable to navigate its way out of the Tower of Bauble and hunkered down on a high rafter once a rescue operation was mounted.
Science World employees, along with staff from OWL, a Delta-based wildlife rescue society, chased the hawk from the rafter and caught the trapped bird mid-flight in a net.
The hawk was released outside of Science World after Rob Hope of the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society determined the bird was uninjured and could fly.
Hope said the hawk probably could have lasted three or four days inside the Tower of Bauble without food.
“But it probably would have hit a window before then and been seriously hurt,” said Hope.
“So with us removing him from the situation, he is now safe and we don’t have to worry about him being hurt.”
Makes an interesting story but honestly, I’m hearing a lot about birds getting themselves into trouble these days. Just yesterday, a crane was doing some damage in a neighbour’s back yard. Thank god for OWL. That poor hawk 
Manic Mondays
Oh Mondays, the ultimate conclusion to our weekend escapades. Always punctuated with a cookie binge or a chat around the water cooler. This Monday decided to prove itself to be just as depressing as any by covering up the beautiful sun that accompanied us all weekend. Now we’re left with a lovely gloomy haze.
So how are you supposed to get rid of the blues when living in one of the rainiest cities in North America? Bring a smile to someone else’s face of course. A little altruism never goes unnoticed in the city and it’s definitely a better use of your time and money than those kit kat runs you go on every half an hour.
The best way to do it? Volunteering. It’s an amazingly rewarding experience and websites like Go Volunteer are tailor-made for the every day Vancouverite looking to donate a little time. They list reputable organizations that are looking for temporary or long-term commitments.
Not sure if you’ll be able to pin it down on your busy schedule? VolWeb offers event volunteer positions for a variety of different charities and foundations. Don’t have anything to do next weekend? You could lend a hand and clean up the shore. Want some chocolate to go with that warm fuzzy feeling? Try giving up a day to volunteer with the West Coast Chocolate Festival.
In addition to those handy websites, keep checking your local community paper or Craigslist for unique and interesting opportunities to help out.
Want fame and fortune?
Ok maybe not exactly fame and maybe not exactly fortune unless you count $10/hr to sit around a good gig.
If you check out 24 hrs on a regular basis, you’ll realize that Robert Pattinson is taking a liking to Section (3)and that Zac Efron is having the time of his life going scuba diving and bungee jumping around North Van. And then of course, you start noticing those neon signs that proclaim TSE is taking place on the next left. P.S. TSE is not a new sushi place- it is the code for the new Twilight movie which should be filming nearby. That’s what happens of course when our dear city starts morphing into what some like to call Hollywood North. So you want in- without spending precious minutes surfing forums and trying to figure out where Kristen gets her coffee.
Be an extra.
Basically an easy way to waste the day and spot your favourite celeb in your own backyard- as long as you can keep yourself from turning into a starstruck screaming lunatic. Doesn’t sound too difficult, right?
But if that seems a little too uncertain for you and you definitely want to experience Edward’s world, pack your video cam and put yourself in your own Twilight movie while taking a Twilight Tour.
Venue
Finally back from vacation (someone send me back!) and I suppose this would be a good time to talk about something most of us 20-somethings have an interest in: clubs.
So Venue is the relatively new venue in town. Formerly known as Plaza (might still be known as Plaza since the large sign is still up there), it is an improvement over its old incarnation but… you still get the sense that you’re at a high school dance. They’ve bathed the club in shades of blue and even added a large electronic marquee behind the stage that is strangely hypnotizing for something so retro. I spent a good five minutes observing clubbers sitting on the couch and being mesmerized by it. Until they brought out the giant balloons and then of course they all scrambled to their feet and started frantically swiping at them. Hey, when all else fails…
I went on a Saturday night and maybe that explains why the stage looked so large and empty. Apparently it features live music during weekdays. On weekends, they’ll let a select few get up their and wave their arms to the music but the whole setup seems a little juvenile.
This is what gets three stars though – the three bars on the lower level which were relatively close to each other. There wasn’t too much of a wait for a drink. And if you’re in a real hurry to get wasted, you can try going upstairs to the bar on the weakly utilized balcony (the seating area is nice but it just seemed like a place for the stiletto-worn feet to take a rest instead of a lounging space). Here’s a big minus though- ladies bathroom on the second floor? I witnessed two slip ups and one unfortunate face-plant incident. It’s just not very savetheupskirt-friendly.
So on weekends, Venue is trying embrace it’s hipster side- one look at their website proves it- without going too out there. The music selection suited my tastes but some of my companions were a little less enthusiastic about it. The DJ redeemed himself with I’m on a Boat though, everyone seemed pretty happy about that.
Crowd was okay. As far as I could tell, it was a mix of everyone. The dance floor started getting heated up around eleven and by twelve, everyone who wanted to party was parting.
If you’re planning on going, I’d say make a guestlist over two weeks in advance and try e-mailing Ruby. She’s a sweetheart and hooked us up with the VIP line. We had a few guestlists running that night but the people on Ruby’s list got in faster and cheaper.
All in all, it wasn’t a terrible night. It wasn’t wonderful either. Staff were very helpful and to be honest, I can’t really pinpoint exactly what would have made it spectacular. Venue seems to have tried to get it all together but it is definitely missing the sparkle that someone of the more hyped-up clubs have out there. Then again, with a name like Venue, maybe that’s on purpose?
Grand Villa Casino
The Grand Villa Casino opened up sometime last year and we were all in awe. I wasn’t there for the opening but we started going in December and it was fun fun fun. At one point, my friend A and I used to frequent it every night. A place where you can go hang out at 4 in the morning that isn’t a Superstore Parking Lot? Score! Although I’m not dissing parking lots, they’re tons of fun when you’re in high school and you think Miley Cyrus is cool- we were 20 and even though we thought Miley Cyrus was cool, we knew the LG days were over.
So here comes Grand Villa. A seemingly classier place than any other casino we’d been to- namely the Great Canadian.
What can I say? It’s just so pretty-looking. Nothing compared to Vegas- of course but it can hold its own in this city.
After parking across the street, you’ll walk into a huge lobby coated in marble and purple drapes. You know instantly that you’re in a happy place (and not just because the doorman ID’d you… ok, maybe a little) well, as happy a place where you lose all your money can get. The man interior room features the circular bar and a large step fountain. Trust me, it’s the good stuff.
From my experience, the staff was courteous. The service was great. Bartenders were great. Fastfood servers were great. Prices for drinks and meals were fairly cheap too. If you check out their promotions, you’ll find some good deals too.
Not sure about the dining and hotel bit as I’ve never experienced it- but I’d have to give the casino an A. The vibe was good and it’s pretty much as good as it gets in Burnaby. I’m glad someone had the good sense to bring a classy establishment to that part of town.
Carly Rae Jepsen
If any of you watch Canadian Idol, I’m sure you’ve heard of Carly Rae Jepsen. I absolutely love the gorgeous songstress from Misson. My own personal favourite of hers is Tug of War but the popular choice seems to be Bucket, a whimsical feel-good tune that plays with the memory of an old children’s song. Listening to it while tanning at English Bay: a great way to pass away the summer days.
I strongly recommend you check out the rest of her album too; all of her songs are just so sweet. Anyone sense the next Colbie Caillat? I think so!
Terry Fox
If you have heard about Terry Fox, our local hometown hero who struggled with Cancer, I strongly suggest you start reading up on him and his foundation.
These days, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding him because a lot of people are really starting to take notice.
A few days ago, I was reading up about a petition to rename the airport after him. I think it’s a pretty interesting idea.
I’ve grown up doing the Terry Fox run. We used to groan about it until we remembered what it was really about- Terry. And everything he had taught us. It sounds sappy but it’s true. Terry Fox was an inspiration to all of us in this corner of the world. It was the one time in the year when we could get together and concentrate to doing something bigger than ourselves instead of worrying about our math grades and pool party invitations.
This year, the Terry Fox run in Port Coquitlam is going to be even bigger than before. The Terry Fox Weekend is spanning three days and features a variety of events that I am really excited about:
Friday, September 11th: A Terry Fox documentary about his original Marathon of Hope will be screened at Leigh Square in the outdoor cinema. I hope it’s the one they showed us in middle school, I remember being really moved by it and I’d love to see it again.
Saturday, September 12th: At 4 PM, a head shave will be taking place at Leigh Square where volunteers can step up and get rid of the locks for a good cause.
Sunday, September 13th: On this day, the run will take place in different parts of Vancouver. So go ahead and register for a run in your community.
Also, if you have a little bit of time to help the foundation, you can contact Dave Teixeira at 604-418-9177 or email dave@dave.ca.
I’d like to thank the foundation and the volunteers for putting on this great weekend- I’m looking forward to it.
Hello world!
Welcome to Vancouver- possibly the best city in the world. And I’d know, I’ve lived in a few.
So this is a blog chronicling the going-ons in this city/region/place. Not sure if it’ll be of interest to anyone but I hope I’ll eventually get a few events recorded that I can look back on and remember. Vancouver is such a rapidly changing city that it’s hard to keep track of everything that is going on.
The new development, increasing land values and the upcoming Olympics are putting Vancouver into the eyes of the world. People are starting to figure out where it is and what it means.
But we can’t forget that Vancouver is our home. We are locals. We know what it’s all about. And I think it’s time we start sharing it with each other and the world.
