Living in the West End we often try to avoid Robson street, except when it comes to taking the bus to and from destinations. We prefer the tree-covered strolls of the side streets to the hustle and bustle of tourists, shoppers, students, and those in much more of a hurry than us.

That’s not to say we don’t enjoy the businesses (like London Drugs for the staples, Fogg and Suds for games, 7-Eleven or Blenz for emergency coffee, Robson Market for everything else etc.) but sometime it’s nice to enjoy our little neighbourhood sidewalks and paths that fewer travel.

However, the Robson Street Business Association does do some great work and this season they’re offering a few services that might really come in handy.

Robson Street BA Tree Sale
Location: 800 block of Bute, between Robson and Haro
Hours: Saturday December 13th 11:00am to 7:00pm, and Sunday December 14th, from 11:00am to 7:00pm (they were also there on Friday).

Robson Street BA Gift Wrapping
Location: Haro Park Centre (1233 Haro at Bute)
Hours: December 12, 18, 19, 22-24 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, and December 13, 14, 20 & 21 from 11:00am to 7:00pm.
Details: Gift wrapping service is by donation and proceeds will support Haro Park Centre. “Haro Park Centre provides a variety of housing and service options including Complex Care (Intermediate Care and Extended Care levels), Assisted Living and subsidized Independent Housing.”

They also have a few new shops opening up, including an electronic annex to London Drugs, Lids, and hopefully very soon, Safeway.

At Thursday night’s Best of 604 awards it was revealed that the people’s choice for Best Photo Site in Metro Vancouver for 2008 was Waxy Photography by John Goldsmith. In the spirit of the event, he’s now paying the good fortune forward, selling prints to benefit a very worthy cause.

Photo credit: Waxy on Flickr

For each print sold between now and Dec 31, 2008, Waxy Photography will donate $10 to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. This is a charity that my company has supported for the past two years donating $2000 in photography goods and services. As a father of two beautiful daughters, I’m even more proud to support the BCCHF — I hope you will too. [WaxyPhotography]

You can view the prints that are for sale on his site, along with order instructions. His work really is amazing so owning a part of his collection and helping out the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is definitely worth it.

Cypress, Grouse, and Seymour are the beloved local mountains of our region that provide us with a natural playground, hiking trails, drinking water, and in the winter time a source of much joy and fun as we play and carve through their snowy wonderlands.

Opening dates for the locals had been moved back due to mild conditions and plenty of rain although thanks to a frosty spell over the last week or so the chair lifts will be ready to roll sooner than most actually expected.

I plan on getting up Grouse to experience their outdoor skating rink and I’ll be getting my lovely laminated season pass for Seymour very soon. I encourage everyone to get outdoors and enjoy these fun resources that are all within a short distance from home, whether it’s snowshoeing, skating, skiiing, boarding, or tubing.

This Sunday, December 14th, Howie’s Bistro and Bar will be hosting a food drive to benefit the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society.

“12 hours of giving: The feel good party” will take place from 10:00am until 10:00pm. Admission is a 5-can minimum donation and they’ll have tons of entertainment.

Howie’s review submitted to Food Vancouver: “Delicious Sunday Brunch! I live around the area and there aren’t a lot of places to go to nearby for real food without having to drive to up to Hastings. I occasionally pop in for a coffee and some breakfast and during the week I sometimes go in for a beer. Great music! Great service!”

Howie’s is located at 2830 Bainbridge Avenue in Burnaby and is just a short walk from Sperling SkyTrain station.

Update: There is another event this weekend for a worthy cause. Candice, who will be doing the Team Diabetes marathon, will be hosting a bake sale at Zellers in Central City this Saturday. Stop on by to support her efforts and pick up some goodies if you can.

There’s nothing quite like getting an email from someone offering to do something nice for you, especially at times when you’re the last person on your mind. The other day I was invited to visit In The Pink Boutique in South Surrey to have a look around their designer shop and pick out a dress to wear to my Best of 604 party.

Located on the corner of 140th street and 32nd Avenue in the Elgin area of South Surrey it’s just a quick jaunt off Hwy 99 or the King George Hwy to get to this little oasis of a neighbourhood surrounded by tall trees and filled with quaint restaurants, community centres, and ocean air.

Having clocked in too many highway hours looking for the most sought after “it” items [Tracy] Silvester realized she would set the urban tone in her own backyard. From ground-up construction Tracy dreamt of having a place where the “girls can congregate”. The multi-brand boutique is the setting of a women’s dream closet.

I met up with Tracy and she showed me their collections while hand-picking items for me to try on. There was a healthy selection of local designer items along with the likes of Betsey Johnson (whose pieces I would love to own). On my way to the dressing room she chose another off the rack that I was “iffy” about due to its flat shape on the hanger — John always reminds me to wear items that actually fit my shape and nothing too “tent-y”.

It just so happens that this last selection was it, it was the dress for the evening, and I owe it all to Tracy’s keen eye. I loved the colours (and had the perfect shoes to match) and it was in no way “tent-y”, it was pretty much the perfect shape for my body type.

I knew what I liked when it came to dresses but sometimes it really helps to just put your faith in the hands of a professional. Tracy makes sure to be involved in the region’s fashion scene by checking out some of her favourite shops downtown on occasion, attending trade shows, and scouting out Portobello West so she really knows her stuff.

One of the best parts about this dress mission was being in a boutique shop and not a mall, which adds a very personal feel to the experience. Throughout my visit women were stopping by to chat with Tracy and check out the latest styles she was able to bring in.

Photo credit: Raul on Flickr

Right now In The Pink is having a 25% off sale on items like the lovely dresses I tried on including styles by Bailey 44, Cherry Blossom, Chulo Pony, Ella Moss, Fidelity, Frye, Hudson, James Perse, Level 99, Plenty by Tracy Reese, Splendid, Sugarlime, Sweet Chemise, True Religion, Velvet, and Vince.

My dress was by Vancouver designer, Narcissist, and I think it’s pretty fun that I found it in South Surrey, in a shop run by a woman originally from Richmond. If there’s a 100 mile diet for clothing this is it; make sure to check out boutique shops like this and support local small business (and designers).

I was not paid to write this review however I will disclose that I will be keeping the dress, thanks to In The Pink Boutique.