Moon Vancouver

by Carolyn B. Heller

  the patio at Dockside Lounge

  MAP 4: Granville Island Hotel, 1253 Johnston St., 604/685-7070, www.docksidevancouver.com; 11:30am-11pm daily

  LIVE MUSIC

  Backstage Lounge

  In the same building as the Granville Island Stage, next to the Public Market, the Backstage Lounge overlooks the water and city skyline. Several nights a week, this cozy pub hosts an eclectic lineup of live music, featuring local artists performing everything from indie rock to world music to open-mic jams.

  MAP 4: 1585 Johnston St., 604/687-1354, www.thebackstagelounge.com; 5pm-2am Mon.-Fri., noon-2am Sat., noon-midnight Sun.; cover $7-12

  Kitsilano Map 5

  PUBS

  Corduroy

  Looking for an offbeat way to spend an evening? Corduroy, an eclectic pub near Kitsilano Beach, is best known for its Rock Paper Scissors tournaments that take place on Monday nights, popular with local university students and 20-somethings. Part game night and part comedy show, the fun starts at 10pm, but plan to arrive by 9pm or earlier to nab a seat. If you laugh so hard that you work up an appetite, you can munch on pizzas, tacos, wings, and poutine.

  MAP 5: 1943 Cornwall Ave., 604/733-0162, www.corduroyrestaurant.com; 4pm-2am Mon.-Sat., 4pm-midnight Sun.

  Local Public Eatery

  Although it’s not actually local to Vancouver (it’s part of a Canada-wide chain), the Local Public Eatery is a lively spot to grab a beer and a bite to eat, with a beach bar vibe. They offer a rotating selection of beer on tap, with a mix of commercial and craft varieties, while the food runs to burgers and other pub fare. The sunny umbrella-lined patio seats opposite Kitsilano Beach are packed with beachgoers and sunseekers all summer.

  MAP 5: 2210 Cornwall Ave., 604/734-3589, http://localkits.com; 11am-1am Mon.-Thurs., 11am-2am Fri., 10am-2am Sat., 10am-1am Sun.

  The Wolf and Hound

  A traditional Irish pub, The Wolf and Hound has a classic wooden bar and pours a proper pint from its changing selection of local and Irish taps. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, typically starting around 8:30pm, there’s live music, with bands playing folk, Celtic, and other tunes.

  MAP 5: 3617 W. Broadway, 604/738-8909, www.wolfandhound.ca; 4pm-midnight Mon., noon-midnight Tues.-Thurs., noon-1am Fri.-Sat., 11am-11pm Sun.

  Cambie Corridor Map 6

  COCKTAIL BARS AND LOUNGES

  The Cascade Room

  A comfortable neighborhood lounge with exposed wood beams and a garage door-style front window, The Cascade Room specializes in classic cocktails, from daiquiris, negronis, and margaritas to many variations on the martini. Like any good Main Street watering hole, they serve a selection of local microbrews, too, with a rotating roster of guest taps. You won’t go hungry here either, with a cascade of updated pub fare like burgers, mussels and fries, or Scotch eggs sharing the table with larger plates that range from wild salmon to venison chops.

  MAP 6: 2616 Main St., 604/709-8650, www.thecascade.ca; 11am-1am Mon.-Thurs., 11am-2am Fri.-Sat., 11am-midnight Sun.

  The Shameful Tiki Room

  If you’re longing for a holiday in the Polynesian islands or a classic tiki bar, there’s no shame in spending an evening at The Shameful Tiki Room, Main Street’s homage to kitschy tiki lounges. In the dimly lit space, adorned with palm fronds, masks, and tapa cloth, you can sip a Singapore sling, a zombie, or other vintage cocktail, while grazing on pupus like Hawaiian-style ribs or teriyaki chicken wings.

  MAP 6: 4362 Main St., no phone, www.shamefultikiroom.com; 5pm-midnight Sun.-Thurs., 5pm-1am Fri.-Sat.

  Commercial Drive Map 7

  CRAFT BEER

  St. Augustine’s

  To find out whether your favorite beer is in stock before heading to this easygoing Commercial Drive pub, check the St. Augustine’s website, which lists their 60 beer taps and how much of each variety is remaining. The friendly beer-loving staff dispense a vast selection of local craft beer and cider, as well as other brews from the Pacific Northwest and farther afield. Pizzas, burgers, and other bar snacks round out the menu.

  MAP 7: 2360 Commercial Dr., 604/569-1911; http://staugustinesvancouver.com; 11am-1am Sun.-Thurs., 11am-2am Fri.-Sat.

  PUBS

  S Storm Crow Tavern

  Consider yourself a nerd? Then this Commercial Drive pub, which bills itself as “Vancouver’s Original Nerd Bar,” is your place. Its walls decorated with ray guns and science fiction photos, Storm Crow Tavern hosts nerd trivia nights (first and third Tuesday of the month), provides stacks of board games to play, and shows sci-fi (never sports!) on their TVs. To pair with locally made craft beer, the nerd-themed munchies run from Romulan Wings of Vengeance (chicken wings) to Patton Oswalt’s Sadness Bowl (which involves a mess of french fries, chili, cheese, gravy, and meat) to the Dungeon Master’s Sinister Sundae.

  MAP 7: 1305 Commercial Dr., 604/566-9669, www.stormcrowtavern.com; 11am-1am Mon.-Sat., 11am-midnight Sun.

  Havana

  Open since 1996, this Commercial Drive fixture is a pub, restaurant, art gallery, and performance space rolled into one. Havana serves Cuban-inspired cocktails and Latin-influenced bar food out on their heated watch-the-world-go-by patio and in their cozy interior. An eclectic musical lineup performs on a small stage several nights a week—comedy, magic, fringe theater, and more.

  the sunny patio at Havana

  MAP 7: 1212 Commercial Dr., 604/253-9119, www.havanarestaurant.ca; 10am-11pm Sun.-Thurs., 10am-midnight Fri.-Sat.

  La Mezcaleria

  The front door of La Mezcaleria proclaims: “Para Todo Mal Mezcal, Para Todo Bien Tambien” (“For everything bad, mescal, and for everything good, too.”) If that’s your philosophy, then raise a glass at this lively Mexican pub that pours a large selection of mescal, tequila, and south-of-the-border cocktails. Nibble some ceviche or guacamole while you sip. There’s a second location in Gastown.

  snacks at La Mezcaleria

  MAP 7: 1622 Commercial Dr., 604/559-8226, www.lamezcaleria.ca; 5pm-11pm Tues., 11am-11pm Wed.-Thurs., 11am-midnight Fri., 9am-midnight Sat., 9am-11pm Sun.

  ARTS AND CULTURE

  Highlights

  Downtown and the West End

  Gastown and Chinatown

  Yaletown and False Creek

  Granville Island

  Kitsilano

  UBC and Point Grey

  Cambie Corridor

  Commercial Drive

  Festivals and Events

  Vancouver’s major cultural institutions include a symphony orchestra, ballet and opera companies, and local repertory theaters, with the majority of these arts organizations performing downtown, on Granville Island, and on the University of British Columbia campus. Throughout the city, smaller venues, like the Vancouver East Cultural Centre near Commercial Drive, host plays, dance performances, concerts, and other productions featuring local, national, and international performers. Special events, including annual jazz, folk music, fringe theater, and film festivals, round out the cultural calendar.

  Vancouver’s gallery scene is particularly strong on works by aboriginal artists from British Columbia and along North America’s west coast. Several Gastown galleries specialize in art by First Nations and Inuit artists, as do galleries on Granville Island and on nearby South Granville Street. For other contemporary art, explore Granville Island or head for The Flats, an emerging arts district centered off East 2nd Avenue, at Main Street.

  The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs at the Orpheum Theatre.

  For local event listings, see the Georgia Straight (www.straight.com), the Vancouver Theatre Guide (www.gvpta.ca) from the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Association, or Inside Vancouver (www.insidevancouver.ca). The blog Miss 604 (www.miss604.com) also publishes monthly lists of upcoming events.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  S HOW TO GET ACQUAINTED WITH ABORIGINAL ART: Wander through the spacious Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery, which specializes in Northwest Coast and Inuit artwork, displaying masks, carvings, jewelry, and more (cli
ck here).

  S TOP SHOP FOR ABORIGINAL-THEMED GIFTS: Hill’s Native Art stocks T-shirts, jewelry, and books with aboriginal themes, along with high-quality First Nations art (click here).

  S WHERE TO FIND EAGLES, RAVENS, AND OTHER CREATURES: The museum-like Eagle Spirit Gallery displays high-quality stone carvings, totem poles, masks, and more by First Nations and Inuit artists (click here).

  S BEST VARIETY OF CANADIAN ART: The Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery shows work by its emerging and established member artists from across Canada (click here).

  S BEST WAY TO LAUGH YOURSELF SILLY: Catch a show from the city’s top improv troupe, the Vancouver Theatre Sports League (click here).

  S BEST PERFORMANCE SPACE: The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts presents jazz, blues, world music, and orchestral concerts in a curvaceous, modern building (click here).

  S WHERE TO SEE WHAT’S NEW IN CANADIAN ART: Bau-Xi Gallery regularly shows work by a wide range of Canadian painters, photographers, and other artists (click here).

  S TOP SPOT TO BUY A TOTEM POLE: The Douglas Reynolds Gallery shows and sells museum-worthy First Nations art—even totem poles (click here).

  S MOST OFFBEAT THEATER OFFERINGS: The Vancouver East Cultural Centre, aka “The Cultch,” presents eclectic, always-interesting theater, dance, and music events, showcasing local, Canadian, and international performers (click here).

  S BEST REASON TO WEAR A RAINBOW: The annual Vancouver Pride Festival celebrates the city’s LGBT community with parties, picnics, and a high-spirited parade (click here).

  Downtown and the West End Map 1

  GALLERIES

  Pendulum Gallery

  In the lobby of the HSBC Building, this small gallery space mounts different exhibits throughout the year. Recent shows have varied from “The Art of Dr. Seuss,” to paintings by Newfoundland artist David Blackwood, to “Canstruction,” featuring sculptures made entirely from cans of food; the dismantled creations were donated to the local food bank at the end of the exhibition. Also on view in the atrium-style lobby is a massive, swinging stainless steel pendulum, an art piece called Broken Column by Alan Storey, which HSBC Bank commissioned. The building’s air circulation system provides the power that keeps the pendulum moving.

  MAP 1: 885 W. Georgia St., 604/250-9682, www.pendulumgallery.bc.ca; 9am-6pm Mon.-Wed., 9am-9pm Thurs.-Fri., 9am-5pm Sat.; free

  THEATER

  Tickets Tonight

  Tickets Tonight sells same-day, half-price theater tickets from their counter inside the Tourism Vancouver Visitor Centre near Canada Place downtown. Check the current day’s availability by phone, on the website, or via their Twitter feed, @TicketsTonight. You have to buy tickets in person, before noon for matinee performances and 4pm for evening shows. Tickets Tonight also sells full-price advance tickets to many local productions.

  MAP 1: Tourism Vancouver Visitor Centre, 210-200 Burrard St., 604/684-2787, www.ticketstonight.ca; 9am-5pm daily

  MUSIC

  CBC Musical Nooners

  Looking for lunchtime entertainment? CBC Musical Nooners is a free summertime concert series that brings pop, blues, folk, and world music performers to the plaza in front of the CBC building downtown for an hour of weekday live music. Bring your lunch, if you’d like.

  MAP 1: CBC Plaza, 700 Hamilton St., www.cbc.ca; noon Mon.-Fri. early July-mid-Aug., free

  Vancouver Opera

  Canada’s second largest opera company, the Vancouver Opera stages its productions downtown in the 2,765-seat Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton St.) or at the adjacent Vancouver Playhouse (630 Hamilton St.). Recent shows have included Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the contemporary opera Dead Man Walking, and Stickboy, a new work about bullying, with a libretto by Canadian spoken word artist Shane Koyczan. Attend a preview talk, free to all ticketholders, an hour before each performance for an introduction to the show. If you’re between the ages of 19 and 34, the Vancouver Opera’s Get O.U.T. (Get Opera Under Thirty-Five) program sets aside a limited number of $35 tickets for younger patrons at certain performances.

  MAP 1: 604/683-0222, www.vancouveropera.ca; $30-165

  Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

  Established in 1919, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs 150 concerts every year. Their main venue is the historic Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe St.) downtown. They also play at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd.) on the UBC Campus and at several other spaces. In addition to traditional classical performances, the orchestra presents pops concerts, a new music festival, events for children, and even movie nights, where the musicians accompany a film. If you’re under age 35 or a full-time student, sign up online for the All-Access Pass, which lets you buy up to two $15 tickets to many performances.

  MAP 1: 604/876-3434, www.vancouversymphony.ca; $20-95

  DANCE

  Ballet BC

  Vancouver’s professional contemporary ballet company, Ballet BC presents several productions a year at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre downtown. The company’s repertoire emphasizes works from the late 20th century to the present day, created by choreographers from Canada and around the world. They frequently stage new pieces by B.C.-based choreographers, including Crystal Pite, Wen Wei Wang, and the company’s own artistic director, Emily Molnar. They have also collaborated with international choreographers, including Barcelona’s Cayetano Soto and Ohad Naharin of Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company.

  MAP 1: 650 Hamilton St., 855/985-2787, www.balletbc.com; $22-92

  DanceHouse

  Fans of contemporary and modern dance should check out the offerings from DanceHouse, which brings Canadian and international dance companies to downtown’s Vancouver Playhouse stage. They produce several shows each year. In recent seasons, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Brazil’s Companhia Urbana de Dança, and Hofesh Shechter from the UK are among the groups that have taken the stage. DanceHouse also presented Betroffenheit, a unique dance-theater collaboration between two Vancouver-based organizations, Kidd Pivot Dance and the Electric Company Theatre.

  MAP 1: 630 Hamilton St., 604/801-6225, www.dancehouse.ca; $40-80

  COMEDY

  The Comedy Mix

  Stand-up comics perform several nights a week at The Comedy Mix, a cabaret-style comedy club at the Century Plaza Hotel downtown. Among the comedians who’ve taken the stage here are Charlie Demers (a Vancouver-based performer who’s a regular on CBC Radio’s The Debaters), Maria Bamford (known for her web series The Maria Bamford Show), and Al Madrigal, who has appeared on The Daily Show. Tuesdays are “ProAm” nights, where aspiring comedians try out their material, while more established performers make you laugh later in the week.

  MAP 1: 1015 Burrard St., 604/684-5050, www.thecomedymix.com; shows 8:30pm Tues.-Thurs., 8pm and 10:30pm Fri.-Sat.; $8-20

  Gastown and Chinatown Map 2

  GALLERIES

  S Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery

  Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery specializes in Northwest Coast and Inuit artwork in their spacious, modern gallery in a brick Gastown building. On view are masks, carvings, and jewelry, with works ranging in price from several hundred to thousands of dollars.

  MAP 2: 312 Water St., 604/684-9222, www.coastalpeoples.com; 10am-7pm daily mid-Apr.-mid-Oct., 10am-6pm daily mid-Oct.-mid-Apr.; free

  S Hill’s Native Art

  Lloyd and Frances Hill first began showing and selling native art after they acquired the Koksilah General Store on Vancouver Island’s east coast in 1946. Their business has grown to several locations, housing one of North America’s largest collections of Northwest Coast native art. Three-story Hill’s Native Art in Gastown carries a large range of First Nations and Inuit works, from souvenir-style items to fine art. Head for the top floor, where a wall of windows looks out over Water Street, to find high-quality artworks, carvings, and more by noted aboriginal artists. On the lower levels, they carry T-shirts printed with native designs, jewelry, books, cards, and heavy wool Cowichan sweaters.


  MAP 2: 165 Water St., 604/685-4249, www.hills.ca; 9am-9pm daily; free

  Inuit Gallery of Vancouver

  A specialist in Canadian aboriginal art, the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, which has been operating since 1979, exhibits works by First Nations and Inuit people in their light and open second-floor Gastown space. They showcase an extensive collection of sculpture, carved from stone, alabaster, or bone. They also show drawings, prints, wall hangings, carvings, and jewelry.

  MAP 2: 206 Cambie St., 604/688-7323, www.inuit.com; 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-5pm Sun.; free

  Urban Aboriginal Fair Trade Gallery

  On the main floor of Skwachàys Lodge, a boutique aboriginal art hotel, the small Urban Aboriginal Fair Trade Gallery showcases works by Canadian aboriginal artists, including many from British Columbia. The nonprofit Vancouver Native Housing Society owns the gallery, and proceeds from the prints, carvings, and jewelry sold here help support the society’s mission to provide affordable urban housing for aboriginal people.