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East Side Culture Crawl 2011

Raul — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:32:46 +0000

I’m an East Vancouver boy and I love the East Side Culture Crawl. And while I am still on a blogging hiatus, I felt guilty not to write about the East Side Culture Crawl, so here’s a short post on it.

November 18 + 19 + 20, 2011
The 15th Annual Eastside Culture Crawl – a FREE 3-day visual arts phenomenon. This event involves more than 10,000 people visiting artists in their studios in the area bounded by Main Street and Victoria Drive north of First Avenue in Vancouver, Canada. Program guides are being distributed throughout the city or you can download the printable PDF.

I participated last year in a media preview, but this year I haven’t been able to. Regardless, the East Side Culture Crawl is an iconic event and you should attend.

The Eastside Culture Crawl provides opportunities for member artists to engage with the public through the creation of events, programming and partnerships that foster awareness, encourage visibility and promote artists and their work.

The Eastside Culture Crawl officially began in 1997 with 45 artists in 3 Strathcona area studio buildings and was attended by a few hundred people. Since that time the event has grown to include over 300 artists, craftspeople and designers attracting an audience of more than 10,000. The organization itself has evolved to represent the heart of the East Van creative community.

The Eastside Culture Crawl is a free annual 3-day November event that involves artists on Vancouver’s Eastside opening their studio to the public. The event is focused on the area bounded by Main St., 1st Ave., Victoria Drive, and the Waterfront and involves painters, jewelers, sculptors, furniture makers, musicians, weavers, potters, writers, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers; from emerging artists to those internationally established.

The Red Wagon Café (East Hastings and Nanaimo, East Vancouver)

Raul — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:00:55 +0000

When my good friend Jason Sanders said that we couldn’t have brunch at The Waldorf Hotel because they weren’t open for brunch on Canada Day, I was kind of disappointed as i was looking forward to trying their famous Mexican brunch. But I’m really glad that Jason suggested that we go to The Red Wagon Café, located in Hastings Sunrise. When he told me it was also in East Vancouver, I had to Google it. I’m not really much of an East Vancouver boy that goes beyond Commercial Drive (I know, heresy!).

The Red Wagon Café is located near Nanaimo Street on East Hastings (I’ll even tell you, very close to the Mexican restaurant El Barrio). I had very bad luck with transit so the commute was kind of annoying. But once we got there, and even though we had to wait for about 45 minutes altogether (30 that I was late, sorry Jason! and 15 that we were waiting outside), the wait was totally worth it. And you know me, I don’t wait in line even for a doctor’s appointment.

Seeing how I was in the mood for Mexican breakfast, I ordered Chilaquiles ($9.50, two eggs, corn tortilla chips, salsa verde, feta cheese, crema and red onions). I’ll have to say that I’m glad my Mom hasn’t seen the presentation of the chilaquiles yet. They aren’t really chilaquiles as we know them in Mexico (the red onions look totally weird and I had to order a side of salsa verde to add on top of my scrambled eggs), but I’ll have to say that the flavours were exquisite.

The scrambled eggs were fluffy and cooked to perfection, the salsa verde I could have sworn was made by a Mexican, and the amount of food was absolutely perfect for someone who exercises in the morning and is extremely hungry by 11 am (actually, by then it was noon). The service was spectacularly outstanding, even under the face of extreme pressure, the waitresses (who didn’t have a busser) were absolutely adorable and apologizing all the time about us having to wait a little bit for our food and wait in line.

For the quality of food we received, the amazing service, and the really nice ambiance (not to mention, the chance to hang out with my good friend Jason), I think I’m totally giving The Red Wagon Café a 10 out of 10. Remember, you’ll have to wait in line, but it’s worth it (and there’s lots of cute hipsters to look at while you wait in line). I will definitely come back.

Disclosure: Jason invited me for brunch and he paid for both of our breakfasts out of his own pocket. I am neither obligated nor expected to write this review but I really enjoyed my brunch so that’s why I am writing about it. As always, I retain full editorial control over anything I publish on my site.

East Village Bakery (Hastings Sunrise, East Vancouver)

Raul — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:00:41 +0000

I’m fascinated by local, Mom-and-Pop kind of shops, and the East Village Bakery isn’t an exception. What I find exceptional is the quality of service, the freshness of their baked goods and the friendliness of its owners. Located in the Hastings Sunrise (East Hastings and near Nanaimo) area, East Village Bakery is a fantastic demonstration of how you can have a small business and thrive. The smell of freshly baked goodies was what attracted me and Jason first (we had *just* had brunch, but we couldn’t resist!). I ordered a Pain du Chocolat ($1.95) for myself and I wanted to bring Minna some baked goodies too so I ordered the Callebaut.

We specialize in classic artisan pastries made from scratch only with choice wholesome ingredients. Some of our signature items are Blueberry Crostata, Pain au Chocolat, Croissant, Brioche, Callebaut Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake made with marzipan and our artisan bread selection

You should totally check out this gorgeous bakery and chat with the extremely friendly owners, and make an effort to walk around the area because it’s a pretty neat urban sector.

You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook.

An emerging Community Garden at Broadway and Fraser (Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:00:10 +0000

I have lived in Mount Pleasant (in East Vancouver) for about 5 and a half years, and I loved it from the moment I actually set foot there. I heard stories about how derelict Main and Fraser used to be 10, 15 or 20 years ago (with prostitution and drug trafficking). And it’s nice to see how much more evolved the corner of Broadway and Fraser is getting.

I met the lovely lady behind this emerging community garden at Broadway and Fraser. Lila told me that she wanted to make her neighbourhood more beautiful and to enhance it. I think a community garden is a great idea. Lila also told me that while cleaning up the area was challenging (she found needless in the ground when she was cleaning up for the garden), she is happy to see it flourishing.

And frankly, so am I. I just hope I can find ways to help her with the community garden, to make it grow. And I’m really delighted that the corner of Broadway and Fraser is getting so much nicer.

East Vancouver Love Volume 2 Tweetup #EastVanLove

Raul — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:25:49 +0000

Tonight at the East Vancouver Love Volume 2 Tweetup (to be hosted by Our Town Café, one of my favorites), a number of speakers will be sharing their thoughts, including my friend Shane Gibson. Coincidentally, as it so happens, I live about 8 blocks away from Our Town Café and I am also a resident and a fan of East Vancouver and Mount Pleasant. So even though I am exhausted I will be swinging by for a little bit (literally it is on my way home). Hope you will be there too. The hashtag #EastVanLove will be validated on my livetweetage.

East Van Love Tweetup

Guelph Park (Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:00:45 +0000

I have written guest posts on several parks in Metro Vancouver (Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver) but I rarely write about parks here on my blog. But as I was browsing my Flickr account looking for my hummingbird logo, I came across this photo of the relaxing wooden sculpture that is located in the middle of Guelph Park (in Mount Pleasant, very close to Kingsway and Main).

This park is a smaller, urban park located near Guelph and 7th Avenue, close by an elementary school. I have enjoyed some nice walks around there, and it’s so close to my apartment, it’s a very nice and relaxing walk during the summer time.

McAuley Park (Kingsway and Fraser)

Raul — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:56:52 +0000

I live approximately equidistantly from Main Street and from Fraser Street, and due to the strategic position where my house is located, I’m very lucky in that I can get to my apartment by transit using any of 3 buses that cover the Mount Pleasant area (the 3 Main, 8 Fraser and 19th Metrotown).

I’ve had a fascination for small parks ever since I moved to Vancouver. When I moved here, I was coming from a pretty gray (covered with asphalt) city, where the green spaces were scarce. Thus, seeing so many trees and parks made me think instantly that I had made the right choice.

I am lucky that everywhere I’ve lived, I am within blocks of a park, be it a tiny one (McAuley Park or any of the other pocket parks) or a large one (when I was living in residence at UBC, near Pacific Spirit Park). McAuley Park is a little pocket park located right in the triangle formed by 15th Avenue, Kingsway and Fraser Street. Two gems for foodies are located here: The Lion’s Den (a classic) and Les Faux Burgeoises.

As I was doing some research online to figure out if there was more information about the McAuley Park, I found out on Wikipedia that this little geographical area is called Dickens (and for all I knew, all of this was the neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant!). Quite ironically, McAuley Park is not even mentioned on the Wikipedia entry for Dickens, despite the fact that it is, indeed, within the geographical boundaries of this sub-neigbhourhood!

I love the fact that I can just walk there to see cherry blossoms, and there is a lot of amenities around that make me think that, once again, making the decision of living in East Vancouver was a really good one. I really do think that Fraser is the new Main and it will soon be recognized as that.

La Casa Gelato (Clark and Venables, East Vancouver)

Raul — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:31:50 +0000

Do you ever feel like you need something to push you over the edge and make you feel better? I often do. When this happens, I am mostly drawn to ice cream, or gelato. There are a number of gelato shops in Vancouver, and I even live near by one of them (on Main Street near 16th Avenue). But I have to say that even though I’m a big fan of Mondo Gelato and other shops, I will always be a loyal customer of La Casa Gelato, located on Clark and Venables in East Vancouver.

La Casa Gelato has been in operation for over 20 years, and they offer 218 flavors (yes, you heard right – two hundred and eighteen). Some of the flavors are a bit weird, like curry, but some of them are absolutely delicious. For JT and I, La Casa Gelato is also a place that has fond memories. Our friendship over a decade has been marked by repeated trips to this wonderful ice cream and gelato house. My favorite flavors are bubblegum and cherimoya. What are your favorite ice cream or gelato flavors?

The Regional Assembly of Text (Main Street, Vancouver)

Raul — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:50:01 +0000

Credit: eldan

If you’ve been reading my blog for long enough, you’ll know that I’m a big supporter of small business, eclectic shops and in general anything that has to do with Mount Pleasant and the Main Street area of Vancouver. I live here, and I’m blessed because I get quick access to anything I may possibly need, or within a very quick bus ride. Anyhow, in my previous explorations of Mount Pleasant I had come across The Regional Assembly of Text, but had never remembered to write about it.

I was recently reminded of this cute store, founded in 2005 by Brandy Fedoruk and Rebecca Ann Dolen because I walked by a couple of days ago. The first time I visited was with my friend AF. We both thrive in writing letters the old-fashioned way. I think I’m a natural-born writer, despite the fact that when I was little I never felt competent to write stories. I never thought of myself as a storyteller. At least, not until now that I’ve been blogging for over three years.

In my quest to find more about the Regional Assembly of Text I found this post by Sophie Munn who mentioned she’d like a store like this in her region (I think she lives in Brisbane). One of MANY really cool features of this cute little store is the Letter Writing Club. There is no cost and everyone is welcome. From their paper advertisement:

We provide paper, envelopes, typewriters, tea, cookies & encouragement

The Letter Writing Club takes place every first Thursday of the month at 7:00pm. I seriously hope to attend the next one. If you want to find out more about the Regional Assembly of Text, please check their website or drop by (it’s located near 24th Avenue and Main Street).

Exploring East Vancouver: St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

Raul — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:50:30 +0000

Admittedly, Vancouver is such a multicultural place, there will be tonnes of places for worship. We came across this church while walking east on 19th Avenue and crossing the Cedar Cottage Greenway, and I think it is slightly surprising that in a relatively residential area there were so many churches. This particular one, St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is located at the corner of 18th Avenue and Fleming, relatively close to Clark and East 16th. I also found it rather interesting that this church offers worship in both German AND English. I know that some Catholic churches offer services in Asian languages and even in Spanish, but this was surprising to me. Also, bear in mind that I don’t really know much about other religions other than Catholicism. It’s a beautiful church and I really enjoy coming across beautiful construction while walking around the neighbhourhood.

Cedar Cottage Greenway (East Vancouver)

Raul — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:29:18 +0000

I take Sunday afternoons and evenings off almost as a ritual. JT and I enjoy spending time together on the last day of the weekend and have an opportunity to relax. Given that today I was dog-sitting, we went for a rather long stroll towards Trout Lake, and we ended up walking along 20th Avenue, going down to 19th and finally, crossing the Cedar Cottage Greenway around 19th and Fleming.

I was perplexed by the beauty of this project, and found out that this had been a long-time standing project. From the City of Vancouver Kensington-Cedar Cottage neighbourhood page:

The Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood Greenway transformed the unopened 19th Avenue road allowance into a park-like connection between the neighbourhood and Tyne Elementary School. The greenway follows west from Fleming Street to the adjacent lane. Its design features a winding red brick path, a gazebo with seating, donated perennial flowers and pedestrian lighting. Public art in the form of pebble mosaics are set into the garden area along the path.

This greenway was initiated and built by the community, which continues to maintain it with assistance from the City. Since it was completed in 1994, a community notice board has been added and other improvements to the landscape have been made by residents. This greenway was funded in part by a Parks Board grant and the Public Art Program.

I was pretty marvelled by the greenway. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am always in search of something that will amaze me, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I wish more of these projects were taking place in Vancouver. I wonder how many greenways do we have in other parts of Vancouver. I remember there’s one around 14th and Prince Albert, near Kingsway and Fraser (though I don’t have photos of that one). Hopefully I’ll get to explore more of my beautiful neighbourhood of East Vancouver and will report back.

The planning process and development of Mount Pleasant

Raul — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:25:08 +0000

I am, as many of you know, a researcher of urban sustainability. Much of my research focused on understanding the transformation pathways of industrial regions. Mount Pleasant (and South East False Creek) is one of these previously-industrial-now-mixed-development areas in the city of Vancouver. Mount Pleasant is also where I call home, and I (as many of you know) am in love with this part of Vancouver.

Sadly, I have been unable to participate in the planning process for the Mount Pleasant area. For some reason, the meetings always end up being on a day that I am either overbooked, sick or otherwise unable to join. This time, I am using this post as a placeholder to remind me of the issues surrounding the development of Mount Pleasant, as I am currently linking to the website of the City of Vancouver’s page for the Mount Pleasant Community Planning Program. A schedule of the Community Liaison Meetings (CLM) is posted there.

At some point, hopefully within the next couple of months, I’m going to have to go through their Fact Sheets. It’s really incredible, the amount of work that has been done to understand my neighbourhood, and if I can contribute, by all means, I am going to try. I’m after all, someone who has made urban sustainable planning part of his research areas. It’s hard to fit everything, but heck, by all means I’m going to try!

Restaurant review: The Wallflower Modern Diner (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:16:03 +0000

Just when I thought I had scooped a new restaurant opening, I saw on the newspaper that Andrew Morrison (now of Scout Magazine fame) had already written about the fact that The Wallflower was opening in the space where defunct Aurora Bistro used to be. While I am NOT at all happy with the demise of Aurora Bistro (who would be happy about restaurants closing? Not me, that’s for sure!), I am glad that at least someone decided to use the space, and renovate it in such an interesting way.

The Wallflower Modern Diner is exactly that – a modern diner. Its room is well decorated although during the day may look a bit dark (but that’s ok – it’s not terribly dark). K and L took me there for brunch recently (as we all thrive in trying out new restaurants, and we hadn’t hung out in a long while). K ordered a set of breakfast sliders (small burgers with scrambled eggs as the filling), L ordered a burger with a salad side and I ordered an omelette.

While in my opinion it was good value for the money (omelette for $ 7.00 – about standard in comparison to other breakfast places around the neighbourhood), I wasn’t really excited with the rest of the brunch menu. I have to be fair to them – they just started operations literally, 2 weeks ago. I’d be more than happy to sit down with them and recommend a few items if they wanted me to.

Good news for The Wallflower are that the place seems to be successful so far. When K and L and I went there, it was packed literally 15 minutes after 11 in the morning. I think that it will be a successful venture, as the menu, the room, the decor and the staff are all the same – non-pretentious, comforting, and welcoming. I really want The Wallflower to succeed, to be quite frank. I don’t have a stake in the restaurant (I don’t even really know the owners) but I sincerely wish them well. I want my neighbourhood (Mount Pleasant) to thrive, and in these uncertain economic conditions, I will certainly spend my money in local restaurants.

I haven’t tried The Wallflower for dinner, but once I do (and once my friend K sends me the photo of my brunch) I’ll update this post.

Restaurant review – The Brave Bull (East Hastings & Clark)

Raul — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:25:09 +0000

By now, if you’ve been following Karen’s blog (Tiny Bites) and my blog, you’ll know that Buzz Bishop issued a challenge to us last week – “review The Brave Bull, and demonstrate that you’re not just reviewing only the high-end establishments“. We both bravely accepted (my response – Karen’s response) and I actually found it kind of funny as the restaurant is called “The Brave Bull”. That’s how SteakCamp came to be.

I arrived slightly after 6 pm, as the bus was running late (a guy I bumped into the bus, Martin Rotschild, told me that the evening was going to be better than I expected – and I have to say, that was TOTALLY TRUE). Tom brought along Ryland, Lisa, Candace, Corey. Karen brought Kurt (aka Mr. Tiny Bites) and we were also joined by Steve, Karl and Ryan. I am sure you’ll be seeing lots of Flickr photos around!

Since I knew that the establishment was going to be run only by the elderly Chinese lady who is one of the co-owners, I had already indicated that we should expect slow service. We got there at 6 pm. We finished at 9.20pm. It was a long but awesome affair. The food took long (as expected), and so did the drinks, but everyone seemed to have had a great time.

I ordered a beef and barley soup but with the fact that we had brought an 11 people table, the owner scrambled to manage all of our orders. However, at all times, there was a really sweet and strong feeling of “being home”. For all the negative comments and bad reputation that this area tends to have, people have seriously underestimated The Brave Bull. True, the exterior doesn’t look particularly appealing. True, the fare isn’t upscale. But if you just want a steak and baked potato, for what it is, it’s a good one. I gave it an 8 out of 10.

Remember, this is NOT an upscale establishment. This is a Mom-and-Pop kind of small joint. Nevertheless, I did like it. We all finished our soups really quickly (and although I had to switch my beef and barley soup for clam chowder, I was quite alright). The steak I ordered was well cooked, simply because I don’t like medium rare, or rare, or medium well when I don’t eat in Mexico. I am a lover of Argentinian meat and thus it’s kind of hard to have me have a steak in Vancouver. Nevertheless, I finished EVERY BIT.

The lady owner was EXTREMELY sweet and accomodating to our every need and request. Truth be told, with a group this size, she was always very honest and said “the service is going to be slow”. True, I also had to distribute napkins and cutlery, but I had absolutely no problems and on the contrary, I had a wonderful time with all these folks. And I got to do some geeky talk too

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who showed up, especially Karen and her husband.Thanks also to Rastin and Rebecca for their support. And thanks to everyone who showed up. As I told you guys at the table, my whole intention in answering the challenge was to bring some good business to this elderly couple, to clear some of the bad reputation (which to be quite honest, seems not to be warranted, because CLEARLY this place has patrons that understand very well the way The Brave Bull works – I counted at least 15 different people who were there having for dinner at various times throughout the night – so, for the size of the establishment, that’s not a bad outcome), and to just have fun and create community.

I think I succeeded in my attempt, and I didn’t do it alone – all of the participants in SteakCamp at all times helped me (particularly Karen being such a good sport – sorry to have dragged you into this!). When I went to pay the lady and she counted the money, her eyes widened and said “are you sure you’re leaving THAT tip?”. I just smiled back and said “yes I am sure”. Whatever price I paid for that meal (which yes, was about $12 dollars), and however complicated it was to organize this SteakCamp, her smile back to me was worth every single penny I paid and much more.

Restaurant review – Public Lounge Eatery

Raul — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:14:12 +0000

Technically this should be a “bar review” since we basically had beer and appetizers, but I’ll categorize it as a restaurant review because I think Public Lounge Eatery would rather be identified as a restaurant with good booze than as a bar with some good food.

There are many reasons why I should have been to Public much earlier. First, I *did* drop by a first time with my friend HZ but we were swiftly kicked out because they were closing at 11pm. Now they close at 1:00am. Fine and dandy, only – I never get the chance to come here. Second, I live incredibly close to Public. If my decision to come by was solely based on geographical proximity, this is the first bar I should hit (heck, even closer than The Five Point!). Third, Public has an outdoor patio and I *love* outdoor patios! But I finally, FINALLY made it to Public. I had such a great time too!

Last night, Andy and I went for a beer and some appetizers to Public. I couldn’t have asked for better company. Andy has a great sense of humour and we hadn’t really caught up in a long time, since I had been very busy and he’d been travelling, so it was a great opportunity to catch up.

We ordered a three dip platter (which had some nachos and a weird-shaped toast kind of thingie – looked like a biscotti). Normally (as you all know) I would NEVER eat anything with cheese. First, because I hate cheese. Second, because even if I didn’t hate cheese (which I do) I am lactose intolerant. But I wasn’t about to say no, and Andy seemed to be interested in this dish, so I said “what the heck – this will be my cheese consumption for the whole of 2007 AND 2008“.

The beer we ordered was lemony, and it was light – we shared a pitcher of beer (and given that I am a light-weight, I would say that it had much more of an effect on me than it had on him!) and the 3 dip platter (shown below).

Photo credit: Andy’s photo on my Flickr.

I was also slightly weirded out by the way in which the waitress brought the bill. At The Red Onion (burger joint, really tasty) they bring you the bill underneath a red onion. At Public, they bring it in a weird-shaped holder (see below). Strange.

Photo credit: Andy’s photo on my Flickr.

Anyway, I couldn’t have asked for better company for a first try of Public Eatery Lounge. However, I think that next time I’m going to order something non-cheesy. Not only because I hate cheese, but because I had to pop in the lactaid pills and my tummy complained a bit. Next time, I say All in all it was a great experience and very good company.

Bar review – Stella’s (Commercial Drive)

Raul — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:15:12 +0000

Lately, I’ve been a bit more of a hermit. I fainted recently and that was an alarm signal for me. My energy levels are usually through the roof and I’m never one to say “no” to any invitations. However, this past Sunday I had to miss an invitation to a Tweetup organized by Colleen Coplick to meet Tris Hussey. That was on Sunday evening, which was unfortunate as I had some personal matters to tend to. But on Saturday, I did manage to get myself out of the house and meet with my friend AF.

We tend to be more kind of “fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants” whenever we hang out, so we settled for a leisurely walk on Saturday afternoon around Trout Lake, followed by a couple of drinks at Stella’s on Commercial Drive. I had heard mixed reviews about Stella’s, but after having had a drink and some Belgian fries there, I am not going to complain.

The beer was somewhat on the side of expensive, but since this seemed to be gourmet beer, and AF seemed to like it, I won’t complain. My drink, I think was a Choc O9 Late (Absolut Vodka, White Cacao, Belgian Chocolate) but with amaretto. The drink (a double per my request) was lovely and I got a great buzz. We shared a cone of Belgian fries. The patio is nice although not much of a view (I was looking at the back side of the Grandview Park).

As usual, the company was what made the drinks taste better. I really enjoy “impromptu” hanging out opportunities with friends (when I have the time and can attend!). The thing is, I’m slowly learning to just do the things I have the physical energy, the time, money and resources to attend.

Restaurant review: The Locus (Main Street)

Raul — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:41:44 +0000

Even though I live very close to The Locus, it is rare that I eat at this place. I had dinner there once and was utterly unimpressed. But this week, I had a celebratory lunch and thus had to find something around the neighbourhood. Surprisingly, no restaurant was open. Niether Zipang, nor Crave. So we settled for The Locus. I am glad we did. I had a venison burger with a side of chorizo gumbo (soup) and it was simply outstanding.

So, what is the Locus?

Located at Vancouver’s busy and thriving trendy Main Street neighborhood, the Locus Restaurant offers an eclectic fusion of modern and classic favourites. The staff sources the best local and seasonal ingredients to create innovative dishes and delicious daily specials.
[The Locus website]

The decor would turn off someone like me, who does not thrive in kind of gothy, dark, red light kind of decor. However, admittedly, the food is simply excellent, so I am not going to complain about that. What I really wanted was to consume good, well prepared food, which is the highlight of the Locus. I would come back during the day. At night I think I’d be a little bit creeped out. But the place is so popular, I can understand how some people might like their unique and eclectic decor.

I have heard that it’s also a great place for brunch though I’ve never tried it. They have a great patio, so maybe it’d be a good place for some beers and brunch. We’ll see.

Trout Lake, the Farmers Market and bloggers on the loose

Raul — Sun, 18 May 2008 00:36:00 +0000

A view of Trout Lake. Photo credit: Me

When Nancy asked me whether I’d like to check out the Farmers Market at Trout Lake, I jumped at the possibility and immediately said YES. We hadn’t had a chance to hang out in a while and I always enjoy our conversations, so I headed out to meet Nancy at The End Cafe and then we walked to the Farmers Market at Trout Lake.

I took lots of photos thinking that I could use them to write a review of the park for Miss604′s Park Series, but as it turns out, Rebecca has already written a thorough and comprehensive post on Trout Lake. So I’m just going to ask you to mosey over there and then come back. Done? Ok, now I can continue with my recap. Yes, I’ve been doing a lot of fun activities lately, but I just didn’t want to let this particular post stay in my archives for too long, as it fulfills several purposes.

First, it answers Chris’ question – YES, I *did* blog about it. As I mentioned before…”bloggers are people, we do what we do… and then we blog about it“.

Second, it allows YOU my dear readers to check the beautiful scenery I enjoyed this early afternoon.

Third, it allows ME to feel a bit less guilty about not providing content over the long weekend.

Fourth, it is a nice link to my next post, which is a short summary of a conversation I had with Nancy (and that I have had with everybody who means something to me and with whom I’ve had a significant amount of time to talk about): my mantra of ALWAYS being amazed at something, EVERY single day.

More Trout Lake. Photo credit: Me

The sheer beauty of some of Vancouver’s inner city locations still blows me away. The most embarrassing thing is that I had to admit to my lovely friend Monica Hamburg that in 12 years, I had NEVER been to Trout Lake. However, I am glad I was able to walk around there with Nancy and that we bumped into Chris and Monica.

This little “jump, jump and take a poem” made my day

Is there anything better than spending a couple of hours sharing some good laughs and great interesting and intellectual conversations with people you care about? Or playing Rock Band? Or going out for dinner? Or just simply hanging out? I would say, very, very little.

Upcoming event – Living Car Free – Climate Cafe

Raul — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:30:47 +0000

I always knew that some day, someone would finally clue in and decide to host more environmentally-oriented events in my neighbourhood. Of course, I am pretty sure that almost 90% of you don’t know that throughout the month, Rhizome Cafe plays host to a LOT of events, many of which are focused on social justice and sustainability. But it’s only one venue. There should be MANY events in other venues. Main Street/Mount Pleasant has LOTS to offer in terms of great spaces for socially responsible happenings.

Well, it turns out that someone realized that the concept of the Philosopher Cafe could be applied now as a Climate Cafe, so via Stephen Rees, I found out about the Climate Cafe that will take place on May 20th at Bean Around the World on Main and almost Broadway. Living Car Free is the theme of this month’s Climate Cafe.

I kind of feel guilty that with all the stuff that has been happening around me, I haven’t been paying much attention to upcoming events and thus might have kept you my dear readers a bit out of the loop. I promise to be more “on the ball” next time Hat tips to Stephen Rees for always reminding me of stuff that I probably should know about but have been insanely busy to remember. His blog is awesome!

There is a world beyond Cambie, you know?

Raul — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Having met so many new great folks in Vancouver has also meant that I’ve had to share pretty much my personal history time and again. Every time I say “I live around Main Street, in the Mount Pleasant area”, EVERYBODY tells me something like “oh that is such a great neighbourhood, it’s so lively, it’s a very happening part of town, Main is so great“. True, Main is a great area, I will not deny it.

Photo credit: CanadaPenguin on Flickr.

Many people seem to think that Main is also a hotbed for hipsters and artsy folks. I won’t deny that either. With trendy, awesome galleries like Jem Gallery, Blim and Little Mountain Studios, it’s kind of hard not to see Main as a happening, artsy, trendy, chic area.

That’s the reason why I was so incredibly taken aback when I heard numerous people tell me that “they never go as far east as Cambie“. EXCUSE ME? There IS a world beyond Cambie, you know? I will confess that when I lived in Point Grey, Fairview Slopes and South Granville, I rarely ventured beyond Cambie. But denying that there is much more to explore beyond Cambie is kind of ridiculous.

*SIGH* Don’t get me wrong. I love Cambie, and I’ve had great times around there. But I have fully embraced my condition of East Van boy (well, technically not that much of a boy as much as a young man), and I’m fully happy with it. Funny how it goes, a lot of people tell me “you’re not really East Van. You’re *barely* East Van, you’re pretty much West Side”. Hmmm. No, I don’t think so. And I’m proud of living in East Vancouver, having a little cute apartment around Main and being a Mount Pleasant/Riley Park resident. So there.

Restaurant review: Splitz (Main Street)

Raul — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:45:25 +0000

There are many reasons why I love the Main Street area (from 2nd Avenue to 41st is the area I know best). You can find almost anything you want, you can do anything you want (although outdoorsy activities are somewhat limited to the pocket parks). One of the best assets that Main Street has is its restaurant scene.

You can find almost anything you want (Ethiopian, with Nyala – Indian, with East is East, Chinese – with Sun Sui Wah). In my case, I was craving burgers. Hat tips to Matt Collinge who pointed me to Splitz Grill. I *needed* another solid, reliable burger joint, since the demise of Sodas Diner. Plus, The Red Onion is not precisely very close to me.

Located almost at 28th Avenue and Main St., Splitz offers what I would say are the best if not some of the best (competing with The Red Onion) burgers in town. Inexpensive, large burgers, great service, the Splitz sauce is to-die-for, family-friendly. My only complaint is that you get to order in line, so it becomes slightly fast-food-ish. But the food is OUTSTANDING. I would definitely go back! And next time I do so, I’ll be very happy if I’m joined by fellow readers/bloggers.

I have scheduled this post around lunch time so that people can get hungry, hehehe.

PS – Hat tips to Michael Kwan for spotting typo!

Petition: JJ Beans should have WiFi

Raul — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:16:05 +0000

Everybody who knows me well will know that I am a fan of JJ Beans House of Coffee. It’s a local chain of coffee shops

JJ Bean offers some of Vancouver’s finest coffee, freshly roasted in small batches every day. We have five retail stores in the Vancouver area, and we supply wholesale coffee to over three-hundred cafes and fine-dining restaurants in the lower mainland.

Our passion is great coffee. Our goal is to share that passion with everyone we touch. Come visit us and discover just how great coffee can be.[JJ Beans]

They have a location very close to my apartment, so I *love* meeting my former students, colleagues and friends there. It provides a comfortable atmosphere where you can chat, discuss career options (for my former students) or just simply edit a paper. There is ONE thing you can’t do there, though: surf the internet (thus, you can’t use Twitter or MSN or GTalk or write a blog post).

While having coffee at Bean Around the World with Rastin and Teresa we were complaining about the fact that JJ Beans doesn’t have Wi-Fi. Teresa has commented about this on her blog, and we all agreed that we should start a petition to have JJ Beans reconsider and offer Wi-Fi.

WHY SHOULD JJ BEANS HAVE Wi-Fi?

Because we like to geek out to good coffee. And JJ Beans has awesome coffee.
Because it would attract a whole new crowd, including the students who love multi-tasking and the geeks.
Because it would make my life SO easy.
[Add your own reason]

Since I’m not on Facebook, I can’t start a petition on it. But I’m more than happy to talk to the managers about it. I’ve had some great conversations (one of the most recent, with Jonathon Narvey) while having a coffee at JJ Beans, so what could be better than being able to geek out there with blogo-friends?

Restaurant review – Cafe Deux Soleils

Raul — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:06:16 +0000

(SIDE NOTE – I was looking for a photo to showcase Cafe Deux Soleils and ghastly, I didn’t get any on Flickr. So you’ll have to just be happy to see a photo of some food on here to make the post pretty, hehehe – I’ll have a full-blown rant about Flickr a bit later).

I am a fan of Commercial Drive, anybody who knows me even a little will know this for sure. I am, after all, an East Van boy. Since my groups of friends span all areas of the Greater Vancouver area, I decided on a relatively central spot to say farewell to my friends H, I and their newborn L. They are flying back to Europe this weekend and we wanted to say goodbye before they left. Unfortunately A couldn’t make it, but M, H, C and I went to meet them, and since H is a vegetarian AND a Mom, I suggested the most family-friendly place I could find that would serve vegetarian dishes: Cafe Deux Soleils.

Now, since I speak French, it’s not difficult for me to know the difference between Deux and Du. The problem is that sometimes I get confused on which one is the right one. So, for all of you who have the same problem – Cafe Du Soleil is near Hastings on Commercial, so in the Northern part of The Drive, and Cafe Deux Soleils is in the Southern part, closer to the post office and the Skytrain. The vegetarian one is Deux Soleils. The little hidden gem is Du Soleil. Confused enough? Ok, good.

Since they seem to offer a fairly good selection of vegetarian burgers, most of us tried different versions. I tried their basic burger and I have to say that while the burger itself was tasty, I was pretty disappointed with the fries. The fries were cut in a strange manner, and they were also under-cooked. Although I have to say, the staff were VERY friendly and VERY patient.

NOTE TO SELF – Don’t organize an intimate friends’ dinner on Open Mic night at Cafe Deux Soleils – it gets LOUD. But on the other hand, another NOTE TO SELF – Lots of eye-candy on Open Mic Night. So, I’ll have to organize a Vancouver Bloggers Meetup here or a simple gathering on a Thursday

While we all had a really great time, and I am grateful that I got to see little L and H and I, I found myself again seeing close friends of mine going away. This has become a recurring pattern, which of course has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with this city’s multicultural, transient population. Last night, as J was driving L and me home from dinner with C and B, we were talking about how much we dislike the fact that this city doesn’t provide stability. Your friends can just as easily move to another country or city or region in a whim. This doesn’t allow us to create long-lasting bonds that easily.

So, back to the restaurant review – I have been a devout patron of Cafe Deux Soleils even though I’m not strictly a vegetarian (I do eat organic meat), and their brunch menu is also really good. I do have some minor negative associations with the fact that my ex was a vegetarian and a fan of this place so we came here for brunch all the time, but that’s why I always organize new gatherings with close friends, to erase whatever minor reminiscences I have from past lives.

I would seriously recommend Cafe Deux Soleils for a laid-back, family-friendly (or singleton-friendly) brunch or dinner with friends. I for one will make sure to organize a meeting with a few local bloggers here for dinner sometime.

Eatery review – La Grotta Del Fromaggio

Raul — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:32:30 +0000

I never know how to call these, since La Grotta Del Fromaggio (literally, the cavern of cheese) is more than just a deli. It is a small little piece of heaven tucked in the heart of Commercial Drive, kitty corner from my favorite coffee place, Continental. It is kind of obvious (as those of you who have read my About page) that I shouldn’t really know about La Grotta Del Fromaggio, simply because I don’t eat cheese. But today I met with my good friends H and I, who flew in from the Netherlands, and we went there for lunch.

OH MY GOD. BEST-SANDWICHES-EVER! I had a small bun Montreal smoked meat sandwich ($ 5.00) and it was so filling I am still feeling full. I’m headed over to Uva Wine Bar for a Tweetup, and I still don’t feel the need to eat, because I am SO full. I’m glad that I and H brought me there, not only because it gave me an opportunity to try a new place to eat (inexpensive as well!) but also because I could practice my Italian. Of course, I ended up throwing some Portuguese and Spanish here and there, but overall, it sounded really good.

I’ll post more about the reasons why I am so happy I saw H and I, but I have to head to Uva for the Tweetup. So I’ll talk to you guys later.

Coffee shop review – Gene (Kingsway and Main)

Raul — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:05:43 +0000

This new coffee shop serves up a nice coffee (within the same price as any other coffee shop, around $2.00 for a 12 oz regular coffee). Has wi-fi (secured, so you need to ask for the password) and it is spacious, even though it looks weird because it is located in the wedge that is formed at the corner of 7th Avenue, Kingsway and Main (yes, it’s pretty much across from The Foundation, the new Mount Pleasant Community Centre and the Venus Theatre. The coffee is fairly good. Yesterday (which was the day that I visited), it was a tad too hot indoors but I think they’ve fixed that now. It may be hard to work there on a sunny day because there’s an insane amount of natural light coming in. I got lots of glare from my laptop screen. But I’d recommend it, for sure.

The realities of the Downtown East Side

Raul — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:56:42 +0000

I had been wanting to walk through Crab Park for a while (being so sensitive to people’s pain means that I have a really really hard time spending any time within the Downtown East Side, DTES). Up until today, I hadn’t been able to walk through the DTES for more than 3 minutes. I am not kidding you… if I spend any substantial amount of time (e.g. more than five minutes) in the DTES I start shivering, having goosebumps and I’m almost reduced to tears. Those friends of mine who have had the misfortune of having witnessed this know very well that I should not be allowed within the DTES.

However, this afternoon I wanted to challenge myself and see how much could I take it, since I know that Crab Park is a beautiful walk as it is close to the Port of Vancouver. Unfortunately for me and my unusual sensitivity, it is also very close to Main and Hastings, so walking around this area I risk feeling really sick to my stomach. Anyhow, JT and I went for a walk there this afternoon. It was a very nice walk despite the fact that I shivered through about 70% of the entire time I spent there.

I wanted to explore a bit (and test my resilience further) so we walked from Main and Alexander to about Railway and Dunleavy. I joked with JT about the fact that this area looked secluded enough to come at night and perform non-pure acts in a car. He laughed at my comment and said “well, how did you know? maybe you saw the two already used preservatives lying on the street?“. I was shocked. I hadn’t seen those, and they were clearly used.

Now, knowing that I’ve lived in Vancouver for over a decade, you might be somewhat amused at the fact that I was so shocked. In fact, the DTES has a reputation for being one of the locations where most of the carnal trade takes place, so being as it was that I was walking in the DTES, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

But bear in mind – I walked through this area at around 4.30pm. I didn’t expect to see that stuff that early during the day. And truth be told I probably wouldn’t venture in the DTES later than 6 pm anyways. But seeing that stuff on the street and witnessing poverty and pain so close made me reflect on how much more work needs to be done in the DTES.

I do feel as though I contribute a tiny, tiny bit to addressing this problem (I volunteer my time and support a number of charities that provide meals to HIV positive people and homeless persons in the DTES) but I wonder what else can I do to help. I realize that in trying to protect myself and my unusual, unique sensitivity to pain and suffering, I sometimes have been shielded from seeing the realities of the DTES first-hand. I am, however, happy because I challenged myself to see how much pain I could take and that gave me at least a bit of a better picture of the sad state of this area. I hope that through my blogging, raising awareness and other efforts, I will be able to help some of these people, I really do.

SIDEBAR – I actually live in Mount Pleasant, and even though I had argued before that this neighbourhood has changed quite a bit and it has improved a lot, I also found a couple of used preservatives half a block from my house. The movie Mount Pleasant, which I reviewed a year and a half ago, is a depiction of how this neighbourhood used to look like. And apparently, even though I thought much had been evolved, not so much… you can still walk around here and find used preservatives and sometimes, syringes.

FOOTNOTE – You may have noticed that I linked to the Wikipedia description of the DTES. The neutrality of this Wikipedia entry is heavily contested, and if you are interested in issues on the DTES, I find the discussion page a very telling source around the controversies. I find that sometimes people are so overwhelmed that they don’t take enough time to look at all sources, so I find that this discussion page has provided me with another perspective on the DTES.

ADDENDUM – And if you want to hear another story about this troubled area, you can mosey over to Keira’s post. Her account of her experiences while walking her dogs around Crab Park is quite touching.

Coffee shop review – Our Town Cafe (Kingsway and Broadway)

Raul — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:39:00 +0000

Well, while we are on the topic of coffee shops, I have to say that one of the cutest (and most relaxing ones) I’ve ever been at is Our Town Café. Located at the corner of Kingsway and Broadway, Our Town Café is the epitome of relaxation. I wouldn’t recommend you to come to OTC if you really like to have an ebullient atmosphere.

OTC is the ideal coffee shop to come and read a book, relax, take the day easy. The food is nice (they’ve got some organic items there too) and the coffee is good too (although I wouldn’t actually say it’s Artigiano’s coffee). The most important element: the relaxing atmosphere you get here. Best place to have a nice coffee or tea and read a book. Even when it’s raining.

Blogging from Flickr

Raul — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 01:10:00 +0000

the clock mt pleasant
From the Flickr photostream of Raul P-V (Rolex)

Given the number of entries I’ve posted on this blog (nearing 600!), you’d think I’m more of a geek than I admit to be. Well, not really. My good friends are usually the ones I run to, asking for advice on “how should I sync my iPod with my computer?” or even the super lame “I can’t get my GMail to talk to my Flickr“.

Anyhow, I have managed to link my Flickr to my Blogger pages and now I can blog a photograph directly from my Flickr photostream. Nomade Moderne suggested in a recent comment that I should find a way to add the Creative Commons license to my site and to my Flickr account so that people can use my photographs and content and link back to it. I think that his idea is pretty smart and I have started doing that, now that I have a bit more time. I am not 100% sure I have the right license on my Flickr account, but I think that the right one is here in my blog.

I have also increased the number of photographs on my blog posts, not only to make them look pretty (although they are nowhere near as pretty as some of my fellow bloggers!), but also to start transitioning from Blogger Padawan to Blogger Jedi. And yes, I know… that transition may require WordPress!

Liveblogging Vancouver Blogger Meetup

Raul — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:28:00 +0000

9:56 pm – Well, Mom wasn’t available on Skype and I feel as though I let down my neighbour DMcN as I didn’t pick up a jug of cider but we’ll leave that to the weekend. I was too busy with the liveblogging! Exhausted and starving, I had to pat myself in the back for having prepared dinner and lunch for the next three days. Quick defrosting in a microwave and now I’m enjoying a nice curry chicken with basmati rice while I polish my liveblog.

9:06 pm – This would be the end of my liveblogging as I have to run and chat with my Mom on Skype, but I hope you guys enjoy the liveblog. It was fun. Rebecca, if you’re reading this, you can tell me what you think [Man, am I ever hungry...]

Damn – I almost forgot – had a chance to chat with Jan (the great Dane) who happens to be friends with Tanya (aka NetChick). So… in the chat, Richard is mentioning that he is going to do the introduction to blogging seminar at Northern Voice, YET he is not blogging that much! That is so funny

Here’s the pic with Richard, Jan and Na’im.

8:56 pm – Even though he’s about to leave, it was nice to chat with John Biehler. John, Al, Monica and I were discussing about what my blog is about, and Al made an important observation when I ranted about the young woman who refused my kindness this morning – he said “you should’ve just asked – do you need a hug?”.
I normally would be just that bold, but for some reason, I didn’t feel up to it. But his point is well taken. In the picture you can appreciate John, Al and Monica.

I also had a chance to chat with Carola from The Jem Gallery and Bev Davies. Bev is a photographer and you should totally check her Flickr stream. And Carola is appearing on The Georgia Straight tomorrow, so we’ll have to read it!

8:40 pm – Jonathon and Na’im have left (well, Jonathon is on his way out) but I already made new good blogger friends. Had a very nice (but short) chat with Morten (who has 6 blogs?!)… but it’s really hard to liveblog, pay attention, socialize and then upload photos. Hope everyone is having fun though!

8:27 pm - Unbelievably, I bumped into Jonathon Narvey. You’ll wonder – why unbelievable? Well, because when you start reading someones blog, it becomes a fun phenomenon when you meet the person. And he is so nice to talk to… we have some very similar interests, and of course, we will continue having opposing opinions sometimes, but definitely, we respect each other very much. That’s always fun. And in this photo, you can see Jonathon and Shane (yes, Shane from the contest to reclaim top Vancouver blogger spot). It will be fun to see what happens with the contest

8:06 pm – Just had a very pleasant chat with Ronald where he asked me why I am on Blogspot. Truth is, first platform I knew. So, now I need to move over to WordPress. But I feel a bit as though I’m breaking up with a partner… it’s hard to let go! But his site is on WP and he says it is awesome so I have to try it. Angela and Morten also were trying to sway me on the WP bandwagon… and they’re right! They are SO right! This liveblog would be SO much easier if I were on the WP platform. *sigh* Lesson learned

I have to admit that I was very amused with the Pink and Yellow website (since Angela says she’s yellow and Morten is pink – for someone like me, who is an immigrant himself, this type of characterization is fun to make – in my case, I guess I’d be hmmm… red [because of the chillies?] … dunno, maybe stretching the analogy). In the picture, Angela, Morten, Ronald and … I forgot his name, rats… I’ll ask him

7:52 pm - Na’im kindly collected the names and blogs of the “side tables”. We’re pretty much clustered in two groups (this coffee shop is awesome, but it doesn’t have enough seating for us right now I think). I have been to the Our Town Cafe before only once, but EVERY time I walk by, I see at least two or three people reading a book LEISURELY. I am not kidding. You can tell that they are enjoying their reading and it’s pleasant. The last time I read a book at my leisure was, what… 2001? *sigh*

Ok, so in the picture above you see Karen, Na’im, Al, David … I am a bit embarrassed to have had to ask them to write their names and all, given that I have photographic memory, but I think I’m a little bit too excited about being here. Al and I should totally talk, since he is the creator of the Bokashi method, a simple, indoor, hassle-free composting method. And quite obviously I am a student of the environment, so…

* Feel free to submit comments on the liveblog!

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7:45pm I begin taking pictures and introducing myself. Maybe a little bit intrusive on my part as I interrupted a couple of conversations. But it’s always nice to actually put a face to the person. I am actually missing Rebecca Bollwitt (aka Miss604) a lot, since I spoke with her on GChat earlier and she mentioned she was super busy before she heads to the island with Keira-Anne. And since she’s not here, I guess it’s up to me to live-blog. I hope I can live up to her high standards, because she IS the top Vancouver liveblogger!!! On the picture you find Isabella and Katy.

7:30 pm Na’im from VancouverVibe.ca just came to kindly introduce himself. Very pleasant conversation, we were commenting about the fact that I hate linking my own stuff on VancouverVibe.ca, but if you feel some of my writing is worth it, then by all means, please feel free to link it there. As for me, I’ll link the stuff I read and I find exciting. Also very exciting to see that Karen Fung is here (the organizer from TransitCamp).

7:15pm – I arrive wet but in one piece at the Vancouver Blogger Meetup. Quickly I get introduced to Isabella Mori and Richard from JustAGwailo (who overheard my blog’s name and just mentioned that he ‘hears’ the voice of the blogger once he meets them). Very fun to be here.

Note – VancouverVibe.ca already has a blog!

I have my digital camera so I’ll try to post some as soon as I can. We are at the Our Town Cafe at the corner of Kingsway and Broadway.

The historical development of Mount Pleasant in Vancouver (teaser)

Raul — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:24:00 +0000

I promised Rebecca (aka Miss604) that I would write a whole post on the history of Mount Pleasant (the neighbourhood where I live now), but just wanted to give you all dear readers a mini-teaser. I am a bit frustrated because I can’t find the photographs I took from the intersection of Main Street and 12th Avenue, but I’ll take a few pictures and upload them to complement said guest post on Rebecca’s blog.

But for now, let me just tell you that I’m a big fan of industry. Yes, I admit it. Having factories is a necessary element of societal development, and despite the current apparent trend towards a “post-Fordist” society, where industry will decline, we still need industrial plants. And Mount Pleasant used to be an industrial area.

One of the elements that makes Mount Pleasant very interesting and peculiar is that there are still some signs of evident industrial activity. For example, if you have ever been to The Whip (on 6th Avenue and Main), right across from it you can find what used to be a brewery.

I am fascinated by this trend of transforming industrial land to residential zoned areas (this is something I actually analyze in my day job). It was also funny to find out that there used to be two slaughter houses and a tannery (not surprisingly, since these industrial activities are part of the same commodity chain). From the Vancouver Archives, I dug out some information and apparently this tannery was to be built around 1890.

The City of Vancouver’s website provides some interesting tidbits on the history of Mount Pleasant: [City of Vancouver]

The proximity to the business district of Vancouver and the availability of a quality water supply (Brewery Creek) made the area an ideal place for early industry and settlement. Early expectations were that Mount Pleasant would develop as Vancouver’s fashionable “uptown.” The area high above False Creek was named “Mount Pleasant” in 1888, after the Irish birthplace of the wife of H.V. Edmonds. Edmonds, clerk of the municipal council in New Westminster, was the original owner of much of Mount Pleasant.

By 1904, Mount Pleasant was home to a tannery, two slaughter houses, four breweries, and a train station. Industrial expansion brought residential development. By 1912, Mount Pleasant had a thriving residential population and community facilities such as an elementary school (the Kingsgate Mail site), a firehall, a first run theatre, and Vancouver’s first skyscraper (the Lee Building). Mount Pleasant was also a terminus for the streetcar network.

I really hope that development plans for this area will try to preserve the peculiar flavor of this industrial/residential neighbourhood. Have you ever walked on 17th Avenue almost corner of Ontario Street? You will find a wax factory (not sure if it still operating, I would seriously doubt it).

My dream house? The house at the corner of 18th Avenue and Columbia Street. It has a little detached place that I am guessing used to be a corner store. I am sure I shared this story with many of my friends: I would have loved to buy that house, and start a little coffee shop or a dance studio in the space where the corner store used to be.

There are lots of haunts that I could talk about and that I am sure you’d love to visit in your next stop by Mount Pleasant. However, that’ll have to wait until I finish writing the guest blog post for Rebecca. Until then, stay tuned!

Upcoming event – Vancouver Blogger Meetup January 2008

Raul — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:28:00 +0000

I have been trying to attend one of the Vancouver Blogger Meetups and haven’t had a chance to do it (been out of town, triple-booked, etc.) At any rate, I just checked the link (it says the event is full, but I don’t care – I am still going to show up). Here are the details, as shown on the Vancouver Blogger Meetup website.

When: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Where: Our Town Cafe, 245 E. Broadway, Vancouver , BC V5T 1W4

I hope to see a few of the bloggers whom I have chatted with on email there.

Snow in Vancouver can make you happy… or not

Raul — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Some of my Vancouverite friends are so excited about how beautiful the city looks with all this snow. I admit it, it looks pretty. But if I tell you what happened to me last night, you’ll understand why I am so angry at the weather. I was working late, but I knew that unless I took the last 99 B-Line, I’d be stuck at my office, so I ran out the door (in the snow, without an umbrella and without a toque) and headed to the bus stop.

As I was making my way to the bus stop, the 99 B-Line started its engine and quickly left. I was literally 4 seconds away from the bus, and the bus driver still didn’t wait for me. I screamed “WAIT, WAIT, WAIT” at the top of my lungs and he still wouldn’t do it. I’m not that surprised, but I got really angry.

So I figured “oh well, I’ll just stay overnight at the office” and what is my surprise when I realize that I don’t have my electronic key to the building. So now I am all wet, my hair is white from all the snow, I’m freezing and have to wait for the stupid bus.

It took me a good hour and 20 minutes to get home (a commute that on a good day is 30 minutes). By the time I got home, I was furious. But surprisingly, I was still in good enough of a mood to do some work until 4.30am. I work really well at night. But this morning I saw the heavy snow and I decided I was going to work at home.

I may (potentially) get out and snap a few pictures, just for the beauty. But I am SO happy that a friend e-mailed me the piece of work I had to process today. So very very very happy! I did not want to go to the office today.

Restaurant review – Seto Cafe (Commercial Drive)

Raul — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:40:00 +0000

I write this review as I am listening again and again to the song “Who Knows” by Natasha Bedingfield (by the way, I just found out that the song is not included in the soundtrack, which totally sucks – this song would be the sole reason why I’d buy the soundtrack). Anyhow, this afternoon (just before meeting J for dinner and a movie), I had brunch with L, M and A after our volleyball game at a nice little cafe that has one of the cheapest brunches in town ($3.50 for breakfast is hard to beat).

Cafe Seto (on Commercial Drive) is located pretty close to JJ Beans and near 6th and Commercial (if I’m not mistaken). It only takes cash and debit, so that’s a bit of a problem for those like me, who totally love plastic (e.g. credit cards). But the price is almost unbeatable. And the food is REALLY good.

It was very nice to spend some time with L and M (two of my best volleyball players) outside our customary environment (e.g. a volleyball court). I have to say that I am pretty damn proud. My volleyball team this term is super solid, and we get along famously. As S put it very truthfully, “we are freakishly laid-back”.

Back to the review. I had their All Day Breakfast (actually I ordered the ADB but they gave me the 2-2-2, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 pancakes). Awesome, very filling. I think that the only issue I am having with brunch at the moment is that I do need coffee with my toast and a soft drink (e.g. Pepsi) with my eggs. Call me weird, but I can’t really fathom a brunch without those two drinks. Anyhow, I highly recommend Cafe Seto. Cheap brunch – almost unbeatable!

My faith in the world has been restored.

Raul — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 01:15:00 +0000

Or at least, partially (if my neighbours were a lot more considerate about not letting their kid run in their house, I’d say it has been almost totally restored). Anyhow. Today I went for brunch with BS to the Nice Café. It’s a nice neat little restaurant on 8th Avenue and (almost) Main.

We had (as we usually do) a great time. At some point, as it happens when I’m enthralled with the conversation with my friends, I must have pulled (inadvertently) my house keys off of my pocket. Since it was so cold, I didn’t have my gloves nor toque, the sensibility of my fingers was minimal. Therefore, the keys fell off without me noticing.

When I got home, my keys were nowhere to be found, and of course, I panicked. I re-traced my steps, hoping that someone would have found my keys and left them at one of the places I had just been to. Well, lo- and behold, my keys were sitting in a small wedge on the corner of Broadway and Main.

I have to say that, while I am extremely grateful, am not so surprised. I have always had a good feeling about the neighbourhood, so finding my keys only came to reinforce that positive energy I get from here. Clearly, there are reasons to be grateful to The-Powers-That-Be, and I am indeed very very thankful. Hence why my faith in the world has been restored.

Coffe place review – Bean Around the World (Main and Broadway)

Raul — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:53:00 +0000

Theoretically, this location will eventually become Bean Around the World. Right now, it is a coffee shop right beside where Monsoon used to be and in the location formerly known as the home of SoMa. The coffee is good, not too harsh on my tummy, and the barista is pretty nice.

I actually couldn’t use the wireless, although they do have it, but my wireless card didn’t seem to be talking with their router. The place is well illuminated, and quite spacious. It looks as though a few people have taken it up as their centre of operations. I still see many more people at Waves, or at Lugz. But as somebody said, there’s always space for everyone.

If I had woken up at a decent hour, I probably would have come here to work and spent the whole day looking at the beautiful mountains (this location has a gorgeous view of the snowed mountains). The night lighting is quite good, and if you need to stay late, you could very well stay here until 10pm. But that’s the drawback. This coffee shop only opens until 10pm (and I think only until 8pm on weekends).

I would still come back to work here. There’s more than enough space to work, and enough hotties that walk by to provide good eye candy. It’s a good place to do people watching too.

Coffee shop review – The End Cafe (Commercial Drive)

Raul — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:39:00 +0000

There is a gazillion reasons why you should mosey over to Commercial Drive. It’s a vibrant and diverse community that has managed to create a mosaic of exciting and fun events. If you want to be up-to-date on the comings and goings on The Drive, I’d recommend the blog “Commercial Drive – Live!“.

I’m writing this post as I sit at The End Cafe (corner of N Grandview Hwy and Commercial Drive, pretty much at 6th Avenue and Commercial). I have met friends of mine here on our way to dinner or a movie. However, this is the very first time I actually have spent any time at The End Cafe.

I have heard rave reviews of the place, particularly jazz nights on Sundays (7-9 pm). Admittedly, that kind of clashes with my evenings with J, but I am sure I can convince him to come and listen to jazz (he wasn’t very keen on acid jazz when we went to the Fairview pub, but hey it’s all about having an open mind, don’t you think?)

The coffee is pretty good, and I have to say that the layout is very conducive to doing everything: from doing work on your laptop (there are two side bars with plenty of jacks to connect to the electrical energy, and free wireless internet) to having a relaxed evening reading a book and having a coffee (comfy couches) to doing school homework (plenty of tables with enough seating to entertain a small army of school brats) to having a drink (they’re licensed to serve alcohol until 11.45pm).

I read on the Girlports website that there is an informal queer women group every second Wednesday at the End Cafe.

Another habitual haunt for the lesbian set, the End Café is especially helpful for travelers with their free wifi access. They’ve got a nice loungey feel and serve coffee, soups, fresh organic sandwiches, burgers, breakfast and desserts. Every other Wednesday there’s an informal lesbian meet’n’greet you may want to keep your eyes open for.[Girlports website]

I can’t praise enough the management of End Cafe for being this queer-positive. Of course, this is one of the most diverse and culturally-aware neighbourhoods in Vancouver!

Eatery review – Uncle Fatih’s Pizza (Commercial and Broadway)

Raul — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:26:00 +0000

Since I got back to Vancouver, I’ve been working at the office and doing lots of errands. Thus, by the time I head back home, I’m totally exhausted. As it often happens to me when I take the 99 B-Line home, I ended up sleeping and missing my stop. So I had to go back from Commercial and Broadway (good thing the 99 B-Line wasn’t one of those ‘Boundary’ ones or else I would’ve been royally in trouble).

On my way back, a nagging feeling and a slight headache started to bug me. Having just shopped at Safeway, I figured that it was nothing, but by the time I crossed the street west over to Commercial and Broadway, the lion inside me woke up and started to demand food. Being the case that pizza is the only thing with cheese that I allow myself to consume (just because I can’t even taste the cheese with all those toppings), I stopped at Uncle Fatih’s Pizza.

Since I started hanging out on Commercial Drive, I had promised myself that one day, I’d make a quick stop at Uncle Fatih’s. The line-up is always long and there’s all sorts of people (from men in suits to young guys in rags) consuming pizza. Determined not to let this opportunity pass, I stopped and ordered a full dinner (2 slices and a pop for a whooping $ 3.50, even cheaper than a latte at Starbucks).

Admittedly, my definition of cheap eats is substantially different to that of Andrew Morrison from Urban Diner (I just read his weekly West Ender column on cheap eats, and he suggested that he could do dinner for $20 or so – my definition of cheap eats is dinner for less than 7 bucks). This is most definitely a place for cheap, affordable, tasty and satisfying pizza. I’ll be back, for sure!

And apparently other reviewers agree with me

Restaurant review – Toshi’s (Main Street)

Raul — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:53:00 +0000

We had heard lots, and lots, and lots of people raving about the sushi that Toshi’s offers. The line-up outside the little establishment (30 seats, 6 waitresses) on 16th Avenue between Quebec and Main Streets can extend at times to the end of the block. We had driven by, a good 60 times (and I am not kidding) and we had never been able to make it there on time to avoid the line-ups.

Thus, we wanted to celebrate M’s birthday there and therefore I ended up standing outside since 4:30pm. M and I had agreed she’d show up at 5:30pm (bad idea since I could have gotten us a table at 5:00pm sharp, since the line was short). By the way, thank you to the guy who loaned me his cell phone to call M’s office (another reason why I need a new cell phone!).

Anyhow, we got to seat at around 5:45 pm and ordered edamame, go mae, a few rolls and some tofu. And I am going to say that I found the sushi not as good as Kaide’s, and certainly not as good as Kishu Mountain. So I’m quite disappointed. For all the hype (and having to stand out in the cold for a good half hour), neither M nor I were impressed.

Would I go back to Toshi’s? No. Definitely not. Maybe they were having an off day, but with two great choices for sushi where I don’t need to stand out in the cold. It was good to know first-hand about Toshi’s though. The guy who loaned me his cell phone was raving about Toshi’s (and funny how it goes, we had already bumped into each other before, but I doubt he remembers) and I was quite underwhelmed. No more Toshi’s for me, please.

Getting sweet SWAG from Ark Clothing (Main Street)

Raul — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:41:00 +0000

Also known as “the Stuff We All Get”, swag is sort of a made-up word that I hadn’t heard until I started reading blogs. The Urban Dictionary defines swag as:

Promotional merchandise for a band, record label, or other entity in the music business, usually distributed at concerts. May include t-shirts, stickers, promo CDs, posters, etc. Often free, but not necessarily.[Urban Dictionary]

I picked up some swag from The Ark Store, on Main Street and the corner of 10th Avenue. I love this store. They have some ridiculously amazing things. I saw a beautiful set of two necklaces that have pieces of a puzzle (two pieces that fit perfectly and have the words ME and YOU) engraved in brass. These necklaces almost made me melt.

My friend L purchased a set of awesome tights, and in general I’d say the store is awesome. You should check it out.

Upcoming event – 2 Degrees of Fire and Desire: A Theatrical Inquiry into Climate Change

Raul — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:46:00 +0000

As a former actor (I say former since I haven’t really done much acting in Canada in the past few years), I am always looking forward to events that showcase local theatrical talent. This is one of those opportunities, and it combines many of my personal interests.

Are you worried about climate change? Do you want to learn more and educate yourself about the challenges Canada and British Columbia are facing? What better way to learn than through non-orthodox methods? Going to see a play seems like a very non-orthodox way to learn about the climate change debate.

2o of Fear and Desire: A Theatrical Inquiry into Climate Change is being put on by Headlines Theatre, hosted by Rhizome Cafe and hopefully will be well attended. It will take place on November 8th, 9th and 10th at 7 pm. Admission is by donation.

From Headlines Theatre’s website we can read a description of the performance:

The play will tell a story in which characters are struggling with the complex issues emerging from climate change. [Headlines Theatre]

I am always amazed by great, innovative and non-orthodox ideas. I will be going to the play and probably will write a review, but you should seriously consider attending. The more I read about the kind of work that Headlines Theatre is doing, the more impressed I am. This is clearly well thought out and intends to have an impact on people’s lives.

One of the things I found more exciting about this project is that they have done a variety of other work, including examining the issue of crystal meth addiction, immigration, racism, bullying, etc. Had I known a few years ago about Headlines Theatre, I probably would have gotten involved myself. Not that it’s too late though!

UPDATE – I just remembered that I have volleyball on Thursday November 8th, so the only day I can attend is November 9th, so with no further ado, if you want to join me, you’ll have to show up on the 9th…