I love being a tourist in my hometown and exploring its corners on food tours, history tours, walking tours, and farm tours. One time of year when I go on the most tours is around Halloween. From Ghostly Walks in Victoria to Sins of the City at the Vancouver Police Museum, we’re coming up on a season of hauntingly good tours around Vancouver. Here are a few to consider:
Photo credit: Basedigital Images on Flickr
Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tours
With a stop at Mountain View Cemetery, the Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tour is one of the city’s most popular. Hop on a Vancouver Trolley for two and a half hours of history, spooky tales, and Halloween fun from October 19th to 31st. Tours depart daily at multiple times from Canada Place. More Information…»
Forbidden Vancouver Tour: Lost Souls of Gastown
Will Woods of the Forbidden Vancouver Tour is launching a spirited new walk for the Halloween season. He’ll share the tales of Gassy Jack, “Klondike Kate” Rockwell, and John Bray — three Lost Souls of Gastown on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights at 6:30pm starting October 4th. More Information…»
Haunted Cannery Tour
The 118 year old Gulf of Georgia Cannery is already a pretty creepy place with big old machinery and plenty of history. Now you can tour the old wooden worksite on October 27th and 28th for their themed “not so spooky” kids tours, haunted tours, and extra spooky tour (not recommended for kids). More Information…»
Creatures of the Night in Stanley Park
The Stanley Park Ecology Society is known for its super-informative and educational nature walks that take place year-round. Around Halloween, they add a bit of darkness for a “not too spooky” rendition of their Creatures of the Night tours October 5th through October 31st where you can learn about Stanley Park’s elusive nocturnal animals. More Information…»
Parade of Lost Souls Festival
Running from October 17th to 26th the Parade of Lost Souls Festival will host a series of workshops at Britannia Community Centre along with the Secret Souls Walk on October 27th at a secret location which is yet to be announced. You’ll want to follow the organizers at Public Dreams closely for details. More Information…»
Vancouver Heritage Foundation: West End Tours
The West End is a beautiful neighbourhood to explore in the fall and local historian John Atkin will be hosting walking tours on October 13th (West End Apartments) and October 27th (West End houses) from 10:00am to 12:00pm, setting out from Nelson and Thurlow. More Information…»
Heritage Vancouver: South East False Creek Walking Tour & Beer Tasting
Learn about the industrial history of South East False Creek on this walking tour hosted by Heritage Vancouver and guide Isaac Vanderhorst. Meet at the corner of West 1st and Crowe on October 13th at 1:00pm to take part (tickets usually sell out so make sure to book in advance). After an autumn afternoon stroll the tour will wrap up at Legacy Liquor Store for a beer tasting with snacks. More Information…»
And while they’re not exactly tours, there’s also the Zombie Combat Zone paintball experience, the Zombie Syndrome interactive theatre, the haunted garden, and Fright Nights at the PNE. Mountain View Cemetery usually has a few walking tours as well, which may be announced at a date following this post.
Over the years I have profiled bloggers from the Northwest Territories to the Fraser Valley, anyone that interests me and that I hope will interest you as well. A few years ago I started asking a standard set of questions and I’ve sent these out to a few local bloggers for this week’s series. Click, share, explore, and enjoy.
Teresa Celentano, Kendall Del Frarri, Kristyl Clark
Sex and the Suburb
Twitter: SexAndSuburb
Facebook: SexAndTheSuburb
How long has your blog been around?
We officially launched July 23, 2012, but the concept was born in April while sitting around a patio table partaking in a couple bottles glasses of wine.
What is your role?
The three of us SATS ladies are the co-founders and writers of the Fraser Valley’s newest lifestyle blog, promoting everything fabulous beyond the cosmopolitan.
What does your site do/what is it about
After a night sitting around discussing the stereotypes of suburbia, such as endless big box stores and minivans, we set out to expose the big city glamour in the Fraser Valley. The goal behind our blog is to not only share these great local hotspots, but to also to create a positive and fun place women can go to read a story or two, share their experiences and leave feeling a little more empowered.
What can people see, read, and do when visiting your site?
It’s all written from the personal perspective of three different women ages 25, 30 and 35, touching on everything from the hottest local businesses and events to domestic violence, eating disorders, marrying an older man, and having endometriosis, just to name a few.
Why do you blog?
We value local business because we want them to succeed so we can continue to enjoy restaurants, boutiques and nightlife in our own backyard. We also use Sex and the Suburb as a platform to give back to our communities and share our stories, no matter how personal or controversial they may be – this is our voice.
What is the ultimate goal for your site, how would you like to see it grow?
Sex and the Suburb aims to increase our readership by becoming an online community for women in the suburbs to interact with others in the Fraser Valley. Our goal is to inspire people of all ages to live their life to the fullest and not worry what other’s think about their choices. Eventually, we would like to write a book featuring inspirational women from our neck of the woods.
Follow Teresa Celentano, Kendall Del Frarri, and Kristyl Clark on their blog Sex and the Suburb, on Twitter, and on Facebook.
Read all entries in my Blogger Profile series and feel free to suggest a blogger for possible feature in the comments of this post.
The Vancouver International Film Festival will be hosting the World Premiere of Random Acts of Romance, the latest offering from award-winning Director Katrin Bowen.
Love is never perfect, and director Katrin Bowen’s follow-up to Amazon Falls (VIFF 10) shows us just how messy it can be. This anti-romantic comedy revolves around two couples whose relationships are falling apart: David and Holly, newlyweds who have quickly settled into a monotonous married life; and Dianne and Matt who are headed for trouble. Other players in this tangled web of love are quirky singles, including an eccentric receptionist who favours stalking her conquests, and a self-involved, bachelor-playboy who treats women like disposable pleasures.
Sanctuary star Amanda Tapping shines as Diane, the fed-up wife who sacrificed her career to be with, and eventually marry, her former student Matt—a sacrifice that continues to wedge itself between them. Vulnerable and frustrated, Diane is ready to leave, if given the right provocation. Meanwhile, Holly and David live in blissful ignorance… until fate plots a collision course for these two couples. Here, Bowen throws intense characters into extreme relationship situations. The result is a hilarious exploration of the crazy and obsessive behaviours that spring from that thing called love. The story is paced like an emotional roller coaster, punctuated by moments of uncomfortably familiar humour, as characters confront situations we can all identify with. No doubt, Bowen’s film proves that it’s love’s imperfection that makes us all human.
Pre-film festival, Director Katrin Bowen has been cutting trailers, getting posters out online, and making sure the world is ready to receive the film. “We literally finished it two weeks ago,” she told me over the phone. The project has been in the works for about four years as she signed on with VFS Writing for Film & Television grads Kevin McComiskie and Jillian Mannion to re-work McComiskie’s original script.
“The three of us went into a great headspace and worked together. I’m really glad they were so open to ideas.” Bowen said working with the pair was an incredibly positive experience and while they won’t be in town for VIFF, Random Acts of Romance will be sent to several European and UK film festivals where they will hopefully get the chance to show it off to the international audience.
“It’s all Vancouver. Everything is Vancouver in it, really.”
When looking at the film’s listing there are some things that immediately jump out, like the impressive roster of Canadian actors that include Amanda Tapping, Zak Santiago, Ted Whittall, Robert Moloney, Laura Bertram, Katherine Isabelle, Sonja Bennett. Bowen said there’s a sense of humour and a sense of humanity that shines through from each of them. “A lot of the actors are playing against type and playing in roles that you would never see them in normally. They’ve been very brave and exciting.”
Another standout for Random Acts of Romance is that the cast, crew, and director are all based in Vancouver and the film is set in Vancouver. Bowen also took great pride in selecting local music to use. In fact 95% of the music in the film is local, from acts like Adaline, Guilty About Girls, Mother Mother, and others that Bowen found by going to the Biltmore or having friends send her links and playlists. “We’re really going to town. I think it’s a very sort of Rock and Roll film.”
Random Acts of Romance premieres at VIFF on October 5th at 6:00pm with additional screenings on October 9th at 12:00pm and October 12 at 6:00pm. Tickets are now available for all screenings and I have a pair to give away to the premiere as well. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment giving one quick piece of relationship advice (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries on Monday, October 1, 2012. Follow Random Acts of Romance on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Miss604.com is a proud media sponsor of the 2012 Vancouver International Film Festival and Random Acts of Romance at VIFF.
Update The winner is Emily!
The following post was written by movie enthusiast Marina Antunes who has contributed VIFF preview information for Miss604.com for the last four years.
There always seems to be one festival or another running in Vancouver but come Thursday, the City will really enter the so called “festival season” when it plays host to one of the largest film festivals in North America.
The Vancouver International Film Festival will kick off on September 27th and for the next 15 days it will present over 300 films from around the globe. The festival always draws the cinephiles out of the woodwork, including budding ones but with so many titles to choose from it can be difficult to navigate and find the one movie you’ll be telling your friends about for the next few months.
Every year VIFF delivers an assortment of award winning titles and this year is no different. There’s Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winning “Amour” (trailer), a hard hitting tale of love and loss, Nikolaj Arcel’s period drama “A Royal Affair” (trailer) which won two Silver Bears in Berlin, and the Sundance Audience Award winner and feel good hit “The Sessions” (trailer) starring Oscar Nominated John Hawkes and Oscar Winner Helen Hunt.
The Special Presentations series is always a good place to start for those who feel overwhelmed but more adventurous viewer may want to take a chance on less mainstream fare. Here are five titles, you can call these “Marina’s Picks”, which seem to be flying low on the VIFF radar:
1. A master of the microbudget and telling intimate but enthralling stories, director Sean Baker made a name for himself with two well received but largely under seen films (“Take Out” and “Prince of Broadway”) but he makes his first festival appearance with “Starlet,” a modern day “The Odd Couple” set in the San Fernando Valley.
2. The few that were on hand two years ago to see Jo Sunghee’s debut “End of Animal” were treated to an intense tale of survival after the apocalypse but for his follow-up, the director turns his attention to a the sweetly fantastical with “A Werewolf Boy” (trailer) the tale of a feral young man who is rescued by a girl who he then falls in love with.
3. On a completely more realistic note, last year’s Oscar winner Melissa Leo continues her run of hard-hitting dramas with “Francine” (Wagner’s Dream” (trailer) director Susan Froemke goes behind the scenes to see what it takes to get this production off the ground.
5. Jason Buxton makes his debut with “Blackbird” (trailer) the story of a misunderstood and alienated teen. TV’s Connor Jessup plays the lead character in what looks to be an understated performance.
Be sure to check out all of the recommended titles as well as the full line-up at the VIFF website, follow the festival on Twitter for updated news and most importantly, be sure to have a good time! The festival isn’t only a good way to see great movies, it’s also a great place to meet interesting new people. If you’re waiting in line, be sure to say hello to the person in front and behind you. You never know, they could recommend the best movie you’ll ever see!
See you at the festival!
Marina is the Assistant Managing Editor at Quietearth.us. Follow her on Twitter @TheMarina.
Last week Vancity launched the second round of their Good Money Mob in support of three local businesses. As their partner for this round, I selected Uprising Breads Bakery, CocoaNymph Chocolates & Confections, and Woodland Smokehouse & Commissary. The public can vote now on which business they would like to support through the Good Money Mob, meaning the business will get the support of Vancity and a “cash mob” from customers.
For the next few days, I’ll be featuring each of the participants and offering up a treat for my readers. With a chocolate croissant teasing me from the corner of my desk, the spotlight is on Uprising Breads Bakery today.
About Uprising Breads
Location #1: Venables at Commercial (1697 Venables, Vancouver)
Open every day at 7:00am, closing at 7:00pm Monday to Friday and 6:00pm on the weekends.
Location #2:Broadway at Balaclava (3066 West Broadway, Vancouver)
Open Monday to Sunday from 8:00am to 8:00pm.
Through their two bakery cafes, Uprising Breads serves two Vancouver neighbourhoods and also wholesales its products to markets (including IGA and Whole Foods) throughout the Lower Mainland.
I stopped by this morning to pick up a selection of muffins, scones and croissants, which are all baked on-premises each day. I also grabbed some of their granola (with pineapple and pumpkin seed). After doing a few laps I finally noticed the bread wall. Finnish Loaf, Irish Soda Bread, 100% Whole Wheat, Gluten-Free, Flax, Sourdough Light Rye, Raisin Bread, and much more.
The deli case contained salads, wraps, and sandwiches and the Salt Spring Coffee was flowing as a steady stream of customers in need of their morning pick-me-up came through the doors of the bakery on Venables. I even ran into a colleague who was sitting in the window with a coffee.
Their treats are honey or molasses sweetened, the breads contain natural ingredients (and nutritional info is available online), and they’ve been in business for over three decades.
Contest
I have a $50 gift card available for Uprising Breads Bakery to give away today so that one lucky reader can experience their cafes and tasty treats. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming your favourite bakery item (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow Uprising Breads Bakery on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about them. I will draw one winner at random from all entries tomorrow morning at 9:00am, before the next Good Money Mob business spotlight and giveaway — and be sure to VOTE!
Update The winner is Leah!
