I’ve heard from some people that actual New Yorkers don’t ever venture into Times Square, that it’s more of a touristy thing. Regardless, this year they have the usual party in the street, a new LED ball, interactive messages that you can text to the big screens above, and you can even go to this website to get a message printed on a piece of confetti that will fall on revelers.

As for Vancouver… what the heck is going on tonight?

The only site that seems to come up during a “New Years Eve Vancouver” search is Club Zone, where you can choose which 19 year olds you want to hang out with, the ones in white miniskirts at Caprice or the ones in mini jean skirts at The Roxy.

For an alternative, the City of Vancouver didn’t really come up with any more options like a First Night, that used to be held at the Library. Neighbouring cities have family-oriented events (I’ve found some in Surrey and Burnaby so far) but it seems as though Vancouver is content on leaving all the partying to Granville, which will be closed to vehicle traffic tonight. Apparently news outlets are also reporting that people in Metro Vancouver are “too scared” to come downtown due to “gang violence” so they’re just going to stay put at home. Is it really that? Or is it that there are no safe alternatives to our entertainment district?

What a year it’s been for John, me, and the other element in our relationship, Miss604.com. Here are a couple items of note for 2007, including my most popular Flickr photos of 2007:

Most Viewed Photos on my Flickrstream from 2007

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I realize that most of the tips and tricks I include in this new series (categorized under: iPhone) will be useful to both men AND women but they’ll certainly have my own spin.

Here’s a current list of apps I’ve installed using Installer that have made life easier (remember, I’ve only had the thing for four days).

(There’s some more info, including how to start from scratch, on LifeHacker).

Also, to make WordPress blog post publishing quick and simple, there’s a plugin – for WordPress, not the phone – called WPhone.

Big thanks to John Biehler for all the resources. More updates and adventures to follow.

I’ve been to the River Rock only once since it’s been a casino, but several times when its tower was a clock for the Riverport Market, which was not dissimilar to the Lonsdale Quay.

Photo credit: Richard Eriksson on Flickr

It was for my birthday and we gambled, had drinks, and scarfed down mounds of prime rib at the buffet – other than that, I don’t remember much else. Now they’ve got a fancy shmancy hotel and will have a Canada Line station there as well. As I was doing a lot of periodical reading the other day, I came across an ad for the River Rock in the Georgia Straight.

Upcoming acts at their theatre include:

Even more interesting acts include:

While this post shouldn’t fall into my “cheap things to do” category, we should be reminded that there are some acts for all tastes that come to Metro Vancouver who don’t perform downtown. Also, seeing as how I rarely, if ever, blog about Richmond, I thought it would be worth noting. Seriously though we would actually consider going to see Brent Butt on January 25th or especially Lewis Black on February 29th (and March 1st).

Tickets for all shows at the River Rock are available through Ticketmaster. If we do end up going to see Mr. Black, I’ll be sure to write about our experience.

I picked up a copy of LouLou Magazine while I was getting my hair done at Envy the other day. Geez, look at me, reading fashion magazines and sitting in a salon for the second time in as many weeks. It was the first time I’d ever glanced at LouLou and the one-page green shopping guide caught my eye. It featured a laptop bag made from recycled seatbelts, a Cargo PlantLove lipstick case made of corn, and a purse that consisted of an old skateboard deck fashioned with a clasp. Admittedly, the skater clutch caught my attention the most and with the url “BeckyCity.com” posted at the end of the page, I knew I’d remember to look it up when I got home.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in New York City, Beck(y) is a shrewdly designed collection of handcrafted, one-of-a-kind bags and accessories constructed with recycled skateboards and plush, high-end fabrics. [Beck(y) Bags]

The Sk8bag handbags look pretty awesome and come in square and curved mini-tote clutches, but Beck(y) also makes two styles of unisex messenger bags, belts, buckles, money clips and even an iPod case.

My neat-meter peaked when I also found out that whenever anyone donates a used deck to be made into a handbag, Beck shares a slice of the profits with skateboarding-related charities.

Beck established the Boards 4 Bowls program. For every used board she receives Beck donates $3 to a variety of non-profit organizations dedicated to building and maintaining public skateparks across the country. Beck currently works with the Tony Hawk Foundation, Jeff Anderson Memorial Fund and Elemental Awareness. [Beck(y) Bags]

On the Beck(y) website it says the Sk8bags should be available in Vancouver at Lark 8th Ave. I may just have to take a trip to Lark (which also has a blog) so I can hopefully spend the rest of my happyfrog funds on something eco-nifty… although I may only be able to afford the money clip, still – it’s worth checking out.

Update: D’oh! I might not be able to count this as a happyfrog purchase cause they’re not made in BC or by a BC company… will be on the lookout for more goodies to share!