My Top 10 for Vancouver 2007 (Part 1)

(in no particular order)

Boy N The (New) Hood

2007 began for me in the rock-on neighbourhood of South Main.  Or Mount Pleasant.  Or whatever you want to call it, but please, I beg of you, do not call it SoMa… utter absurdity, that is.
I  took up residence at 14th and Grandma.  I called it that because my new home was at the corner of 14th avenue and Sophia street, and that is also my Polish grandmother's first name (Sophia, not fourteenth).  I had moved there December 14, 2006 and welcomed 2007 in this great 'hood. 
I was so down with this place.  Within blocks of my apartment was: a very cool coffee shop with a double-sided fireplace, Vancouver's awesomest record store "Neptoon Records", one of Vancouver's most random nightspots "The Anza Club", Vancouver's coolest-named restaurant "Slickety Jim's Chat 'n Chew", and Planet Bingo where the city's hardest-core gamblers whiled away the hours, dabber in hand.  Here's a moment in time at the corner of 14th and Grandma:

Stanley Park Seawall Re-opens

The night I moved into 14th and Grandma, I was startled awake at 3am by what sounded like an 18-wheeler coming through my brand new bedroom window.  But it was the wind.  FEROCIOUS wind.  More ferocious than the Ice Bear death match now playing in The Golden Compass.  This was a wind that clear cut its way through Stanley Park and left Prospect Point looking like Mother Nature had gotten bored and decided to conduct a logging experiment

11 months later, on November 16, 2007 the grand, beautiful and very-missed seawall around Vancouver's Stanley Park re-opened to walkers, joggers, cyclists and general looky-loo's.  Here's our terrific seawall, back in top form:

Extreme Makeover films new episode on Cambie street

As I grew to love all that makes South Main a little bit 'o fab, it was inevitable I would also occasionally find myself in nearby neighbourhoods, like Cambie Village.  This is where Vancouver temporarily looks like a postcard from Baghdad.  The city's underworld has literally been exposed thanks to one of the most massive infrastructure projects this city has ever seen - the Canada Line, a light rail transit system from Vancouver International Airport to downtown Vancouver.  Check it out…  the construction goes 4 or 5 stories below ground:

A Mid-Summer Night's Stench

Smack dab in the middle of summer 2007 in Vancouver, the city's unionized civic workers, including garbage collectors, went on strike.  Vancouverites endured this job action for about 12 weeks.  So did our tourists and visitors!  All because it went down right in the middle of our high-season for tourism.
I sure hope if you came here during that time that you still enjoyed our beautiful city despite some parts looking like the anti-thesis of Good Housekeepping.  I also hope when I write a Top 10 for 2008 it doesn't include living in harmony with a rat population explosion. 
Thankfully, Vancouver has now regained its stunning and pristine gorgeousness (much like me after an early night and a close shave - neither of which seems to happen anymore).

Becks-couver

Vancouver said hello to The Beckhams - twice - in 2007.  First, in October, soccer hero and Armani underwear model David Beckham came to town with the L.A. Galaxy for an exhibition game with the Vancouver Whitecaps.  Rarely does our BC Place Stadium see most of its 60,000 seats filled.  If David Beckham is a soccer bandwagon, Vancouver jumped it faster than this city shuts down when it snows. 
But it didn't end there.  On December 2nd, Beckham's Stepford wife, Posh, spiced up VanCity on the opening night of the Spice Girls reunion tour.  Poor Posh, though.  She translated Canada's lack of paparazzi culture into Canada's lack of knowing who she is - so, she arranged for photogs to get shots of her shopping on Robson street.  Word!  That's the proof, peeps - at times, certain celebs don't want privacy.

That's the first half of my Vancouver Top 10 for 2007.  More to come...

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About ten months ago, I went to the Marpole Curling Club in Vancouver.  The idea was to try curling for the first time.  "Beyond terrible" would be a charitable way to describe my performance.  I had no aim and I fell over.  Alot.  I found curling to be sorta similar to bowling except way less fun and way more awkward and way colder and way off my list of things to ever try again.

While it was a memorable experience (thanks to the fun gaggle of Americans I was with), I haven't really thought about it much since that day last February.  Until today.  Today the Marpole Curling Club was credited in the brilliant and hilarious new film, Juno.
 
I saw Juno today down at the 'ol Tonsil Town.  I gotta say, it's been a stellar week for me at Tonsil Town.  The other day, after I went there to see Into The Wild, I blogged about it being my favourite movie theatre in Vancouver (its proper name is Tinseltown, but I like to call it Tonsiltown for no other reason than sounding like a dork).

Not only is Tonsiltown the bestest theatre ever, it also has that desirable, consistent tendency to show the bestest movies as well - like Juno. 

This movie is open-hearted hilarity from start to finish.  Juno is the name of the lead character, a 16 year old girl who unexpectedly becomes pregnant, portrayed by Ellen Page (she's from Halifax, Nova Scotia).  The baby-daddy is Bleeker, an orange-Tic Tac-addicted, long-distance runner played by Michael Cera (he's from Brampton, Ontario).  Go Canada.

Props go to the supporting cast, too.  Allison Janney plays Juno's stepmom and is perfect in the scene where she tells off an ultrasound technician.  Rainn Wilson shows up right at the start of the movie as a convenience store clerk and is also perfect while telling Juno, who madly shakes her home pregnancy test kit, that it's not an etch-a-sketch and the results won't change no matter how much she shakes it.

Some of the scenes in Juno reminded me of some of the streets in Vancouver.  Scenes showing residential streets with stucco bungalows erected probably in the 50's or 60's.  Their familiarity made me feel even more at home with Juno than I already was.  Then, because we stuck around for closing credits, we learned that Juno was filmed right here in Vancouver.  Nice!  That's what got me thinking about the Marpole Curling Club again - it was thanked in the credits.

I'm fairly certain that of all the films I've seen that were made in Vancouver, Juno is the best of those.  Plus, Juno's soundtrack is overwhelmingly well-chosen for this film.  It's a perfect sonic match to the tone, pace and vibe of the story and the characters.  I've already downloaded it and I'm listening to it right now.

For your viewing and listening pleasure, here's a clip of Moldy Peaches performing Anyone Else But You (from the soundtrack) at the Juno premiere.  A sweet tune, indeed.  The song itself begins at 2:25 into the clip, but the part before the song actually starts is quite funny and worth watching.

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Tinseltown ain't just down south in California, ya know.  It's right here in Vancouver and just so happens to be the name of my favourite movie theatre in this town.  Or, as me and my peeps like to call it... Tonsil Town.

Tinseltown (88 West Pender Street) has the most comfortable seats, the most leg room, the easiest & roomiest wheelchair access, the best "on-a-slope" theatre design which totally prevents your view of the movie screen from being obstructed by someone else's big, fat head.  And when Tinseltown first opened, it also had Vancouver's most reasonable prices to see a movie.  It is a movie house of superlatives, Tinseltown is.
 
But the prices have gone up.  Today I paid $7.75 for a matinee (back in the day you could see a matinee there for 5 bucks!) 

Tinseltown now offers "Super Tuesday" when every seat for every show is $8.75.  Not horrible compared to some other theatres in town.  Mind you, once upon a time, a Tuesday at the movies was known as Two Dollar Tuesdays. 

What's the bigger crime - that prices have risen so much or that I can remember that far back?

The movie I saw is Into The Wild, directed by Sean Penn who also wrote the screenplay.  I realize it's taken me awhile to get around to seeing this one - it was released this past September. Anyhoo, this film is going down as one of the absolute BEST movies I've seen in 2007 (right up there with Superbad and Knocked Up).

Into The Wild tells the true story of Christopher McCandless who, after graduating college in 1990, went completely off the grid in order to live his life completely off the land.  In Alaska, to boot!  Through a narrative from his sister, we hear some likely reasons why this 23 year old guy abandoned his old life for a new one.  But the film itself is centered on his earnest effort to live a pure life, to be with nature, to be with himself, to find himself and, ultimately, to find love.

For me, Into The Wild brings new meaning to the phrase 'motion picture'… it's incredibly moving - like a cinematic Ex-lax.  

Really though, I cannot deny that I was affected a great deal by the story of this guy's time living in the far north, his struggle to stay fed, his endurance of harsh weather conditions and his profound, beautiful connections with nature and wildlife.

Into The Wild is deeply touching and most of all reveals the power of forgiveness.  I cannot recommend it highly enough, if only because it's not everyday one can be touched deeply for less than ten dollars.

If fingers were thumbs, all mine would be enthusiastically pointed straight up.  Word.

When I left the theatre, a sobbing wreck of my former self, I came across several fantastic, framed photographs lining the corridors of Tinseltown.  The photos are of all the big Hollywood stars from the golden age.  I took pictures of a few of the pictures to show you.  I was already in a sentimental mood so I couldn't help but notice how the essence of these photographs perfectly matched my introspection. 

Do yourself some good - pop down to Tinseltown and see Into The Wild - it's unforgettable.  As a bonus, the soundtrack by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam is flawless and so are the supporting performances by Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook - have a look at the trailer...

 

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My first trip to Mexico is etched in my memory for lots of reasons, although the divine taste of perfect guacamole resides near the top of the memorable heap.  Out for dinner at an open-air restaurant in old Vallarta, I witnessed the 60 second miracle that is fresh-made guacamole.

A member of the wait staff wearing a crisp white oxford and pressed black pants appeared beside our table with a trolley carrying avocado, lemon, cilantro, tomato and onion.  With mortar and pestle in hand he spent one short minute mashing these ingredients together for the best guacamole I've. ever. had.  Until that day, I had no idea what guacamole was actually supposed to taste like.

Fast forward to lunch at Cobre the other day, with a mouthful of guacamole, and I was reminded of that first trip to Mexico.

Cobre (52 Powell Street) is Spanish for copper and it's yet another new restaurant in Vancouver's always-improving Gastown district.  It opened last July.  Once the sole territory of those who ask for (and clearly need) a lot of spare change, Gastown is now like fertile F&B soil giving life to a totally decent new restaurant every month or two.

The cuisine at Cobre is nuevo latino, a self-bestowed descriptor.  Nuevo Latino features ways of eating inspired by places like Argentina and Mexico, Cuba and Brazil. 

This Gastown restaurant is a really comfortable space - red brick walls surround you, exposed wooden beams are up above and appealing, colour-filled canvases have been placed around the room.

The menu includes so many Spanish words that I started to feel like Madonna singing La Isla Bonita - trying my best to get the pronunciation down pat, but nobody's really buying it.  And that's just the pronunciation.  Forget about what the words actually mean! 

Thankfully, Cobre offers a printed glossary of food terms from the menu containing the English translation.  A very handy tool indeed.  The glossary is also on their website if you want to bone up on your Espagnol before you head down to Cobre.

Once I understood what my lunch choices were, I started with the tuna ceviche featuring local albacore.  It was served on a small, tasty pile of cold, purple potatoes. 

Next was crispy chicken taquitos, assembled like a taco log cabin with fantastic guacamole.  I can't honestly say the guac was as good as that unforgettable experience in Puerto Vallarta, but it was pretty darn good. 

As for the taquitos?  They were okay, a little bland but well-placed beside a pool of hot sauce.  Here's a pic of the taquitos and the guacamole (I don't know what's wrong with my camera phone right now, but for some reason this picture makes the taquitos look like they're floating on an ice sheet although really it's just a white plate).

Dessert was a fabulous creation with caramel and pineapple - here's a picture of it from above which really doesn't make it look nearly as scrumptious as it was.

We had a really good time at Cobre - our server approached us with ease and subtlety while our food went down very well.  So when you're in Gastown, look beyond the souvenir shops for another reason to chill in Vancouver's oldest neighbourhood.
                                                Good Times Alert! 

Dine Out Vancouver is coming January 16 - February 3 and right now is a good time to remind you that the big reveal is January 2nd - the reveal of the list of participating restaurants for Dine Out Vancouver 2008.  You'll see that list right here so remember to check back to see if Cobre is on the list. 

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"…slapstick comics, and dewy-eyed soubrettes, nimble magicians and world-famed musicians, wise-cracking jugglers and sweaty acrobatic teams, standup comedians and dignified divas, and the fabled names of the movies." - Chuck Davis

These are the just some of the types of entertainers that have graced the stage
at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver.  And Monday night, one of the most unique names in music took to that same stage - Tori Amos.

Truth is, I'm a wee bit of a fan to say the least.  I've seen Tori Amos in concert
6 times now; this was the second time I've seen her at The Orpheum.

The Orpheum Theatre is one of Vancouver's grandest and most-storied entertainment venues.  Here's a great description of it from The History of Metropolitan Vancouver:  "All around the theatre, on every floor, are ornamental grace notes-murals, paintings and other art work, decorated wall fabrics, tiling, fancy balustrades, gilded mirrors, ironwork, ornate chandeliers, sconces, corbels, tapestries, plush carpeting, varied and exotic architectural embellishments-a never-ending feast for the eye."

For the Tori Amos concert, we bought special (read: expensive) tickets - they included admission to the sound check.  There were about 25 of us in this "VIP" group.  Seating was unassigned.  We chose row 3 and watched Tori come on stage.  She only said "hello" and 'this is what it looks like when we rehearse'.  Despite her brief chatter, we were beyond thrilled to see this very private performance. 

After the two songs, she still didn't say a word.  She just sat on her piano bench for a few moments adjusting something.  Our "VIP" group got up in complete silence and began to exit the theatre.  It was so weird and awkward that nobody said anything!  I couldn't stand it anymore so, I said aloud "thank you" and she waved back.  She gave this cute little wave that looks like she's using her hand to teach a child how to count to 5, 10, 15… you know the wave.

A little while later, the concert started and went on for two glorious hours.  Here's a picture Nicole took from our great seats in the tenth row.

Tori Amos is the epitome of rock star.  Citing Led Zeppelin and Nirvana as influences, she breathes a fiery life into her instrument of choice - a Bosendorfer piano.  The way she straddles her piano bench could easily receive NC-17 rating if the MPAA were in the room.

Tori is quite obviously a fan of Vancouver.  During the show, she said "it's awfully nice to be here, you never know, I might be here more often."  With that, she launched into a charming little ditty: "If things keep going like they've been going, Canada I'm coming home."  It was pretty cute, much like Tori herself. 

Check out actual video of this tribute to Vancouver - it's about 1 minute long and was filmed by someone sitting a couple rows behind us: