Author Archives: Natalia Cury Manduchi da Silva

The Open-Air Gallery Living in Vancouver

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Vancouver is a city filled with art. If you’re someone who’s always downtown, there’s always something happening: someone is performing, selling is their paintings. There is always a buzz. But there’s a neighbourhood where even the walls are never left empty. They are filled with beautiful portraits, and it feels as if you have entered a painting. If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, Mount Pleasant is known for its many murals all throughout the neighbourhood. This in turn, makes the neighbourhood colorful and transforms Vancouver into a free art gallery anybody can visit.

Coming from a country where street art is everywhere, arriving here and seeing Vancouver with such beautiful murals feels like a little piece of home. And these murals aren’t just random pieces of art, or graffiti, they carry with them culture, history, emotion, and a sense of community.

In 2016, an annual festival called the Vancouver Mural Festival was created to change how Vancouver views street art, allowing people to explore and discover local artists. However, shocking news came out at the beginning of 2025, when the festival organizers announced that it would no longer take place. 2024 would be the last year. During those nine years, more than 400 murals were created, artists got busy bringing a lot of color and history to Mount Pleasant and Vancouver.

Fortunately, in August of this year, a new festival called the Astro Arts Festival was announced. This festival featured 35 experimental murals painted live while everyone was there to have fun, with music, conversation, food, while watching the artists. 

Mount Pleasant is the home of murals. If you have the chance, take a day just to explore the neighbourhood and enjoy these murals. I’ve done it and I highly recommend it. These murals not only decorate the city, they tell stories, and, whether we like it or not, attract many people, such as tourists.

The Cambie: The Bar After the Fire

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Maybe you’ve heard of it, or maybe you have absolutely no idea it even exists, but today I’m here to tell you why one of Vancouver’s oldest bars might be exactly where you should go next time you want to have fun with your friends.

Vancouver is a city that changes constantly. Everything moves fast: shops open, close, fashion trends come and go, and everyone seems obsessed with keeping up with it all.
But almost no one remembers the places that have been here long before any of us, the places with stories older than we have been alive.

The Cambie is one of those places. It’s one of Vancouver’s oldest bars, right in the centre of Gastown. You’ve probably walked past it hundreds of times without even noticing or without caring, but I remember the first time I walked in perfectly, actually, fun fact: The Cambie was my first job in Canada.

I’ll be honest, ok? It’s a different kind of place. It’s charming, rustic, a little rough around the edges, but full of character. Half bar, half hostel, it brings in people from literally all over the world. During the day, it’s quiet, more of a casual restaurant vibe, with just a handful of regulars scattered around (always the same people). But at night? The energy changes completely. The DJ starts, the music is loud, and the place fills up quickly. People are dancing, shouting, laughing and I can guarantee you one thing: it’s impossible not to have fun.

And when I say this bar is old, don’t think “early 2000s old.” No, no. The Cambie showed up in 1897. Here’s some context: On June 13th, 1886, just months after Vancouver officially became a city, a massive fire destroyed almost the entire city in less than an hour. They called it “The Great Vancouver Fire”. When Vancouver started rebuilding itself, The Cambie was born and it has been part of Vancouver ever since. 

Now, from the perspective of someone who didn’t grow up in Canada, this bar feels oddly like home. It’s loud, chaotic, messy, multicultural, but full of history and personality. It feels like the real Vancouver. A little messy not the perfect, tall buildings, modern architecture people talk about.

The Cambie is one of those rare places that has survived time. It has never tried to change its identity, it simply stayed true to what it is and that’s one of the biggest reasons it has survived so long. 

The aesthetic of Vancouver might be the shiny buildings.

But the soul of Vancouver is places like Cambie, tucked away in a corner somewhere, waiting to be explored.

The Loss of the Orpheum

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Every day we wake up, start our day without questioning anything, and live practically in automatic mode. That’s why today I’m going to tell you why you should value the world around you more, notice the things that happen, and the places you pass by.

You’ve probably heard of and even passed by the Orpheum Theatre, but do you know its history? Do you know how magical and beautiful it is inside? Well, this is one of Vancouver’s great places, marking the city’s history, full of culture inside, and beloved for its tradition, art, and elegance.

What is now the stage for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, major shows, and cultural events, was very close to disappearing a few decades ago.

In 1927, the theatre was designed by Scottish architect Marcus Priteca and inaugurated. Right from the start, it was a great success, after all, it was a chic, elegant space, very tasteful, almost as if you were entering a castle. Since nothing is perfect, after 30 years of great success, new movie theatres began to appear and win people’s hearts, so the space became a property of Famous Players, and their idea was to transform the Orpheum into a multiplex. In 1969, the name changed, and it was now called the Vancouver Theatre until 1974, when, after the idea of ​​transforming the place into a more modern cinema for the time, the population didn’t like it and protested. A group of all kinds of culture and art lovers came together to prevent this from happening, until the space was bought for more than 7 million dollars by the City of Vancouver to save it from being demolished.

Between 1973 and 1975, a lot of renovations, restoration, preparation had to be done to reopen, and all this to become the grand place we know today. If you’ve never been inside the Orpheum, it’s like stepping into another century. The space is enormous, everything shines as if it were pure gold, giant chandeliers, and everything is perfectly in its place.

The Orpheum is proof that culture and history doesn’t survive alone. If it weren’t for the people fighting to keep it standing, maybe today we wouldn’t have such a magical theatre in the city we call home.

Orpheum is a heritage site and an important part of our identity.

Gastown: The Old Soul of Vancouver

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For those who already have gone to Gastown know that the moment you step in there, it’s like to live in two different eras at the same time.

Gastown is one of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhoods and if  you want to travel back in time in history Gastown is the place to be, you feel like you’re stepping into a history book, but in real life.

If we go back in time, to when Vancouver wasn’t even Vancouver yet, a long time ago, before all the technology and modern buildings.

In 1867, a man called John Deighton arrived in Vancouver with his steamboat and him opened a saloon in the area near the port. As this area was full of buildings belonging to large companies at the time, and was also near the port, workers and merchants began to frequent it, and the bar ended up taking off and becoming a success. And because of his nickname, “Gassy,” the place became known as Gassy’s Town, which gradually transformed into what we all know today as Gastown.

(Pixabay)

(Pixabay)

The neighbourhood is truly amazing. The first restaurant I ate at here in Vancouver was the Old Spaghetti Factory, and I immediately fell in love with the place. I felt like I had entered a period drama. You can see how history is preserved in the place, and what especially  creates this feeling is the steam clock. It chimes every 15 minutes and you can see tourists fascinated by it. From every brick that forms the century old buildings, the old facades, the shops, it doesn’t take much to see what this place was like many, many years ago.

Gastown has its old-world charm, but its appeal goes beyond looking like an antique. Even though it seems to have stopped in time, the neighbourhood carries a modernity that comes from creativity. There are many shops, many restaurants, bars, galleries, and everything else that brings identity to the place. It’s what makes me want to leave the house just to stroll around the neighbourhood.

Obviously, not everything in this world is perfect, and Gastown also has its problems. Unfortunately, the problems worsen every year due to the number of homeless people, who congregate in a region of Gastown that many prefer to avoid, but it is still a shock to everyone, especially tourists who have no idea what is on that street and go to Gastown to have fun, see a bit of history, but end up encountering this regrettable situation.

It’s difficult, but it’s still a beautiful neighbourhood. Gastown is culturally important; it’s not perfect, it’s not peaceful, it’s where you see Our Vancouver even before it was Vancouver; it’s history and living history.

The City That Thrifts

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Have you, as a Canadian, ever wondered what an outsider’s perspective on Vancouver is like? Today, I, a Brazilian, will share my perspective on what Vancouver’s culture is for me.

If you’ve been living in Vancouver for a while, you start to notice, both in your daily life and in conversations you have, that thrifting here isn’t just about buying used items, but is actually a culture, almost a local sport! It’s very competitive!

I find it impressive and beautiful how the city has embraced thrift stores so naturally, as if it were part of our nature since the start. Thrifting is a new language, a way to connect, and find yourself as you search through other people’s stories through their belongings, their clothes. 

What many people think thrifting is is buying old and used things. I dare say that most still think that way today, and I have to confess here, until I came to live in Vancouver, I thought the same thing. But here I started going into a thrift store here, then a thrift store there, and that’s how I began to understand the power of these places. It’s like entering a parallel world; you can travel to another era. These spaces carry history, they carry feeling.

I consider Vancouver a city of constant change; it’s always in motion. Many people arriving, many people leaving, and with so many changes, these objects left in thrift stores begin to gain new and new life cycles, learning the stories of the people who left their belonging and becoming part of the stories of people who find it.

(PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay)

It took me a long time to buy something from a thrift store for the first time. It’s the kind of place where you need patience, something I often don’t have, but it takes patience to find things you never even imagined. During this summer, a friend found an analog camera in one of these thrift stores, decided to buy it just to test it out, and that’s where the most fun and story-filled photos of our summer came from. It’s definitely worth a try.

Not to mention the sustainability, which is a very important factor in Vancouver.

So no, thrifting isn’t just about looking at things left behind and cheap. Thrifting is an identity, it’s someone’s story. Each object is a piece of belonging.

When Yoga Meets Puppies

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We’re in that time of year when outdoor activities start to become more difficult to practice; it’s cold, raining, and people don’t want to leave the house. But nowadays it’s easy to find a solution for everything, especially with the internet.

Lately, Puppy Yoga has been getting more and more attention, and Vancouver has already jumped on this trend. Manu yoga studios are adopting this new practice that combines the opportunity to exercise with cute puppies. So you are exercising and getting a lot of affection, and kisses. 

I must admit the first time I heard about it, I thought it was a lie! After all, how can you practice something as deep as yoga that requires such great focus while these super cute puppies walk all over the room?

But the truth is that this is the perfect therapy. What more do you need to feel good than to do the downward-facing dog pose while you have a dog underneath you, right?

And puppy yoga is all the rage because it involves animals along with the students, but it’s still a physical activity that’s very good for our bodies and minds.

If you have the opportunity, give yourself the chance to have this new experience. It all starts as soon as you enter the room. You are greeted by the puppies. You spend some time with them relaxing and clearing your mind. Even the teachers understand the reality of the practice and accept that no one is in class to be perfect or have perfect posture, instead the focus is to exercise while being comforted by a puppy.

The best part of all this is that these yoga studios have partnerships with breeders and adoption centres, so in addition to them doing us a lot of good, we are also giving a lot of love to these puppies. Many of them are in the socialization phase, which is when they are learning to deal with noises, interact with and trust humans, and control their energy.

There really are no downsides, everyone wins, and that one hour can become more important than you imagine. In a city like Vancouver where everything seems to happen too fast, and you’re lonely, puppy yoga is all you need. So whenever you’re feeling down, think: You could have a puppy lying in your lap right now, taking away all the bad energy!

Vancouver Through My Eyes: Living Inside a Movie Set

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Are you tired of hearing people ask, “Did you know that scene with Deadpool was filmed on this street?” You’re probably tired of hearing about Vancouver being the second Hollywood and articles listing places to visit where some TV series was filmed. 

But today, as an international student, I’m going to show you this scenery from a different perspective. Through my eyes, through the eyes of someone who came from a place where this isn’t common and ended up in Vancouver. A place where a sea of ​​filming locations have marked my life.

(Alexandra_Koch/Pixabay)

The first time I saw a street closed for filming was a few streets away from my house. I thought it was an accident, and a bad one at that, so I walked past. The next day I went there again and guess what, the street was closed. I thought it might just be a coincidence and didn’t pay much attention, but there was a third day when I realized it was something more, so I stopped to look and I was amazed. My eyes were shining, and I didn’t even know what was being filmed, but it really affected me.

Even today, after 2 years of living in Vancouver, I can’t get used to it. For me, even just passing by the filming for a few seconds is a magical experience. People keep walking around as if it’s nothing, and I understand. If you live with this your whole life, it becomes just another common thing happening in your day.

And now for my honest opinion: I see Vancouver not acting like a city, but rather like a film set. Does that make sense? I’ll try to show you what’s going on in my head. Maybe for you, who have lived here for years, this goes unnoticed, but for those who arrive, it’s impossible not to notice how Vancouver is several cities within just one.

As I walk around, I realize I’ve seen that street somewhere before, in some movie where the scenery was actually New York, or I go to a beach that was actually set in California in the TV series, or an alley that was actually a space taken over by a zombie apocalypse.

And I’ll tell you what’s even funnier, I feel like while I’m walking around here, it’s as if I already know all these places, but I don’t. It’s a feeling of déjà vu, I’ve seen this before, but I don’t know where, when, or why.

Anyway, for this and a million other reasons, I love Vancouver. For someone born here, it might seem like the most common thing, but for me, discovering that the street I walk to work is the same street that’s in a Hollywood movie… that changes everything.

The Wedding You Didn’t Know You Were Invited To

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Have you ever imagined leaving home to see a play and you come to see a wedding taking place, and even more, you’re participating in it? Here I present to you Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, a play that is slowly taking over the Famme Furlane of Vancouver.

If you’ve ever been to an Italian-Canadian wedding, you know what I’m talking about. It’s impossible to come away unscathed from so much fun, good food, lots of love and even a little family drama, right? Now imagine that whole scenario multiplied by 1000, in a play that is an immersive experience where you watch the theater but are also one of the guests. You get to be at the wedding dinner. It’s got music, improvisation, of course laughter and just a bit of little chaos.

The play Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, which has been a hit for several years, is now finally in Vancouver. It’s aiming to bring even more people to this wedding. If you are someone who is not content just to sit in the theater and watch, this is the moment you have always dreamed of. Here you dive headfirst into the story, eat while having fun, and who knows, you might even end up dancing with someone you don’t even know. The best part is you don’t know if they’re from the cast or just a guest.

In addition to being an Italian-Canadian wedding, it also has an Italian house in Vancouver. The Famee Furlane of Vancouver. The place is beautiful, magical, and super sophisticated with wooden floors and chandeliers. It truly reminds you of a wedding reception hall.

If you are as interested as I am, the play will take place on December 5, 6, and 13, from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm. It’s directed by Jeff Laurin, so it’s limited. Hurry and secure your spot. And I imagine you’re wondering, “Ah, but what exactly happens? I want to be prepared.”

Everything, everything you can muster, because the night promises to be amazing. It starts with the ceremony, followed by dinner, where those watching the play will also eat. Then the craziness starts with hilarious toasts, fights, drama, dancing. If you’ve never thought about attending an Italian wedding party, this is your moment.

Tickets can be found on Eventbrite, with prices ranging from $95 to $100 depending on the section, and please, ladies, don’t wear white, this is a request and a warning. I wouldn’t want anyone at my wedding in white, so imagine that for Tina.

Your plans for next weekend are already chosen, now it’s up to you. Invite your mom, dad, boyfriend, parrot, whoever you have to bring. The more the merrier.

And remember, there you are part of the family!

Black Friday, Vancouver Style

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November arrives and everyone’s talking about one thing: Black Friday.

I love sales and saving money on things I most want to buy. Black Friday is the biggest sale of the year. But do you know the history of this holiday?

Black Friday started in Philadelphia, USA, around the 1960s. Why does it always happen at the end of November? Because it’s close to the end-of-year holidays. Its to give people a chance at the end of Thanksgiving to start buying Christmas presents. What everyone knows about Black Friday is how everyone rushes to the stores and everything becomes crazy. It was a very chaotic period, but gradually businesses began to realize that they could turn that situation into something positive.

In accounting, when a number is negative, it turns red, but if it’s positive, it turns black. Hence the term Black Friday. It comes from this accounting idea and the fact that at that time retailers were always making a lot of profit.

Nowadays, not only the United States but many other countries have Black Friday, and Canada is no exception. As someone who works in retail, I can say for sure that Vancouver goes crazy this time of year. It seems like people’s lives revolve around buying discounts. Everywhere I go, at least one person will ask me, “So, what are you going to buy this Black Friday?”

(StockSnap/Pixabay)

The stores are all prepared for the madness a week before in Vancouver. We do what we call a “warm-up” for their customers. They start with a small discount, increasing it throughout the week, until on Friday, the official promotion arrives. Vancouver is aggressive when it comes to discounts; they display real discounts which is why people go crazy.

Places like Outlet McArthurGlen, Pacific Centre, Metropolis at Metrotown, Robson Street, and many more open earlier, and close later. They have strict security, and are packed with people from beginning to end.

What can I say, coming from a country where Black Friday culture isn’t very strong. I have learned that in Vancouver it’s a tradition, an event, a time to spend with family and friends. The city prepares for it for so long, the stores have their discounts and everyone experiences the chaos of the discounts. I have to be honest, I love it.

The Hawkins Gang Is Back

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The wait for all Hawkins fans is over. The Upside Down is darker than ever, and finally, its now available on your screens. After three and a half years of conspiring many theories, living off small appearances of the characters, missing the most determined group of kids they know, Stranger Things is back. Its launching its new and final season tomorrow, November 26th, and it promises a lot of adventure, tension, and dark creatures.

Since it’s been a while, I doubt you remember everything that happened in the fourth season, so let’s recap a bit of that story. In the fourth season, we have Vecna, and I dare say he’s the darkest villain in the series; he can enter people’s minds using their trauma. 

Our favorite group ends up separating into three groups where we have Eleven, Will, Mike, Jonathan, and Argyle in California, and then Eleven loses her powers and ends up trapped in a laboratory. Dustin, Lucas, Max, Steve, Robin, and Nancy are in Hawkins investigating several deaths and discover that Vecna ​​is actually Henry Creel, a patient from the same lab where Eleven was created. Joyce, Murray, and Hopper are in Russia, where they discover that Hopper is alive and they go there to save him. 

Max becomes one of Vecna’s targets, which causes her to be seriously injured at the end of the season. Eddie Munson, who comes to help the group in Hawkins, ends up dying, and in the final battle, Vecna ​​opens several portals around Hawkins, causing the Upside Down to connect with the real world.

We didn’t have a sad ending, but it wasn’t the happy ending everyone was hoping for. The last episode left a lot of cliffhangers. So this is an important moment for the phases of Stranger Things. It’s the moment when the answers will finally appear and the cycles will close completely.

Now, for those who have never watched the series, Stranger Things does not disappoint. It’s a production set in the 1980s. It has many visual effects, a soundtrack you will recognize without even watching the show. It has nostalgia, horror, comedy, and suspense. A recipe for the perfect show.

Write it down so you don’t forget. November 26th. Have you freed up your whole day to stay under the covers and watch this unmissable premiere?