This morning it was announced that Sears was closing its downtown Vancouver location, along with others in Calgary and Ottawa, by October 31st [News1130]. While rumours are flying about what will move into the Pacific Centre Sears spot, which they took over from Eaton’s back in 1999, my immediately reaction was that now we can finally do something about that building.

Photo credit: Maurice Li on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.

Bordering Georgia, Howe, Granville, and Robson, its blank stone walls lock out the public and offer one of the most unwelcoming sidewalk views in the city. A few years ago many talked about projections and artwork to liven up the building and during the Olympics, the broadcast projection was rather successful.

History
The TD Tower and the adjacent Eaton’s (Sears) building, as a part of Pacific Centre, actually sit on the site of the first and second iterations of the Hotel Vancouver.

1923 – Georgia at Howe. Second Hotel Vancouver. Archives Item# CVA 677-951.

The second Hotel Vancouver stayed at that spot until 1939, when the hotel as we know it today opened up on Burrard and Georgia.

1939 – View of 2nd and 3rd Hotel Vancouvers. Archives Item# CVA 1376-154.

After the second Hotel Vancouver was demolished, Georgia at Granville became nothing but a parking lot until the Pacific Centre development began.

1969 – Granville looking West to Georgia. Archives Item# 2010-006.095.

1969 – Pacific Centre construction. Archives item# cva 1135-41 & cva 1135-42.
Photographer: William E. Graham.

In the late 1960s, Eaton’s Department store moved from Hastings (where SFU’s Harbour Centre campus is now) to the brand new Pacific Centre Mall location [Source].

Photo credit: vjm. on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.

Now that a new tenant will be moving in, Cadillac Fairview could take advantage of this opportunity to provide street-level access, bring in more foot traffic, and even open up sidewalk-level retailers around the perimeter.

I’d love to know your thoughts. Would you like something to be done with the building now that it will be undergoing a tenant transition?

Update July 19, 2012: CTV News confirmed that Nordstrom will be moving in.

Carousel Theatre, the award-winning theatre for young people on Granville Island, presents A Year with Frog and Toad starting Saturday, March 3, 2012.

Todd Talbot, Allan Zinyk. Photo by Tim Matheson for Carousel Theatre.

“After playing to sold out houses and critical acclaim in 2010, Carousel Theatre is proud to bring the musical treat A Year with Frog and Toad back to the Waterfront Stage for an encore run. Join Frog, Toad, and friends for four seasons of adventures, and enjoy your favorite songs and stories all over again. Arnold Lobel’s beloved amphibian heroes come to life on stage in this charming musical exploration of friendship and fun.”

Where The Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright on Granville Island)
Who The show is for ages 3 and up, just not babes in arms.
Dates Saturday, March 3 to Sunday, April 8, 2012.
Times Performances at 10:00am (some days, all ages) and 2:00pm.
Tickets Available online starting at $15 (for ages 3 to 17), $29 for adults, and $25 for seniors and college students. A seating map is available online as well.

Kaylee Harwood, Darren Burkett, Janet Gigliotti. Photo by Tim Matheson for Carousel Theatre.

I have a four-pack of tickets available to a show during the last two weeks of the run, March 25th to April 8th. The winner will be able to choose their performance time and invite 3 friends, young and old, to join them. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 11:00am. The winner will be contacted right away so that we can arrange ticket to the performance of their choice after March 25th.

Update The winner is Christie C!

Tourism Richmond launched a campaign this week to hire a blogger to dine out at one of 800 local restaurants every day for a year, providing social media updates and posts about their experience. The winning applicant will be set up with a gym pass for the Richmond Olympic Oval, a negotiated daily stipend for meals, and a salary of $50,000 for the year — a blogger’s dream job.

Photo credit: nonstopdesign on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.

I spoke with Tracy Lakeman, CEO of Tourism Richmond, to find out more about the project who said the inspiration simply came from local love for Richmond’s asian cuisine. “We have been experiencing a lot of exposure from media, residents, and visitors and we were thinking ‘how can we elevate the exposure of our wonderful asian cuisine?’.” While this would appear to be the perfect fit for a food blogger, the chosen individual will be enjoying more than dining in the island city.

“It’s about one individual connecting with the entire community,” Lakeman told me. “They’ll be engaging, getting to know the locals, getting to know the people who live, work, and play here.”

Personally, I would love to see someone like a Jaeger Mah, who lived at YVR Airport for 80 days, get the position. Someone dedicated to creating content and engaging with the community – and it looks like Tourism Richmond is in that mindset as well.

The job description does call for an experienced blogger but hobby and part-time bloggers are very welcome to apply. Lakeman added that it’s all about quality. “If the right individual is creative and social media savvy, they are just as eligible as a professional blogger. This is about someone who is adventurous, willing to try new things, and who can get that across through printed words, photography, and video.” She highly recommends that bloggers of every type apply.

When it comes to the duration of the stay, the blogger will need to be in Richmond for the full-pull, 365 days. However, they are free to explore Metro Vancouver at their liesure throughout the day, thanks to the Canada Line and proximity to Vancouver, New Westminster, and neighbouring cities. On top of eating, which is a great draw on its own, the individual will also get to experience everyday life and activities. Lakeman said they could jump on a bike, walk around Steveston and have lunch on the docks, or head out to London Heritage Farm for tea.

The position is not asking for a food critic, but more-so for a personable documentarian. They will be fully expected to provide transparent and authentic experiences and their content will be determined with minimal input from Tourism Richmond.

Download the full job description PDF and apply online before March 31, 2012 if you’re up for experiencing and telling the story of life (and food) in Richmond.

The 32nd annual Genie Awards, for excellence in Canadian cinema, roll out the red carpet next Thursday, March 8, 2012 live on the CBC.

Hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos and Andrea Martin, special guests during the broadcast will include Gordon Pinsent, Adam Beach, Allan Hawco, Zaib Shaikh, Jason Priestley, Tyler Labine, Fefe Dobson, Gabrielle Miller, Kim Coates, and more.

Musical guests such as Johnny Reid, The Sheepdogs, and K’NAAN will be performing.

Figure skaters Joannie Rochette, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier will provide a special presentation for this year’s Best Original Song nominees.

Nominees
Best Picture:
A Dangerous Method, Cafe de Flore, Monsieur Lazhar, Starbuck, The Whistleblower.

Director:
David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method), Steven Silver (The Bang Bang Club), Jean-Marc Vallee (Cafe de Flore), Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar), Larysa Kondracki (The Whistleblower).

Actor in a Leading Role:
Fellag (Monsieur Lazhar), Garret Dillahunt (Monsieur Lazhar), Garret Dillahunt (Oliver Sherman), Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method), Patrick Huard (Starbuck), Scott Speedman (Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster).

Actress in a Leading Role:
Catherine de Lean (Nuit #1), Pascale Montpetit (The Girl in the White Coat), Vanessa Paradis (Cafe de Flore), Rachel Weisz (The Whistleblower), Michelle Williams (Take This Waltz).

View the full list online in this PDF. Preview some of the year’s best films on the Canadian iTunes store under the special Genie Awards section.

The Golden Reel Award for highest domestic gross at the Canadian box office went to Starbuck earlier this week. It also won the Vancouver International Film Festival’s “Best Canadian Film Award” in 2011.

The Genie Awards red carpet in Toronto will be hosted by Canadian supermodel Stacey McKenzie (Canada’s Next Top Model) and the broadcast will begin at 8:00pm Eastern, 5:00pm Pacific. Follow the online conversation via @CBCLive and @TheGenieAwards, using the tag #GenieAwards on Twitter.

This Saturday you can catch Nardwuar and his band, The Evaporators, at Neptoon Records as they play a free concert for their Busy Doing Nothing record release party.

This new compilation album features international artists and local artists — like Franz Ferdinand, Andrew W.K., Kate Nash, The Cribs, and Jill Barber — covering nothing but tunes from Vancouver punk bands like The Pointed Sticks, Cub, and more.

When you purchase the album it also comes packaged with a 40-page punk rock calendar featuring the legendary rock photos of East Vancouver’s own Bev Davies. You also get a free digital download and full liner notes are currently available online.

Pre-order now for March 6th or stop by the release party at Neptoon (3561 Main) on Saturday, March 3, at 2:00pm. Catch The Evaporators with Andrew W.K. later that night at Venue (881 Granville) for a 19+ show.

Find out more online and by following the unforgettable interviewer Nardwuar The Human Serviette on Twitter.