Author Archives: Rylee Cawthorne

Behind Some of Vancouver’s Top Instagram Spots

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Many people see the perfect Instagram wall, hand their phone off to their friend and they take 173 photos. All are almost the same but the pose and angles just change gradually. What most people don’t know the reason why they are there or even the artists behind them.

Alley Oop

(@beyunique / Instagram)

Alley Oop, also known as “Pink Alley”, used to be a Vancouver alley way that most did not even pay attention to but in September of 2017 there was a bit of a face lift. The bright alley way is now the perfect spot for a photo shoot, there are basketball courts and sometimes even food venders. Student go between classes, night club goers hang out in the laneway and photographers snap photos. This has been a great spot for people to gather and now has triple the amount of visitors and more have been female, which tends to mean this is a safer space. “Alley Oop” is located between Hastings and Pender at Granville and Seymour.

FunAlley

(@fun_alley / Instagram)

FunAlley is located near the Lonsdale Quay and it is the brightest ally North Vancouver has to offer. This alley was nothing special but with a few splashes of paint, it has completely transformed. Lukas Kasper, a travelling artists from Australia, is behind the wall though the program “Studio In The City” by The City of North Vancouver which gives youth opportunities to show their art on various canvas and landscapes throughout the city. “To bring people together thought a display of vibrant colours,” Kasper told Lower Lonsdale about his inspiration for the wall. He went on to say, “Countless people have been brought together in FunAlley and I’m just appreciative that I had the opportunity to work on the project, it’s a great feeling when I pass by and see all those light up faces.”

#kitswings

(@pellvetica / Instagram)

Murals in Vancouver have become quite popular and this is one that has brought a lot of attention. #kitswings unveiled in 2017 and is a 40-foot by 25-foot wall located ay Burrard Street amp West 4th Avenue. The wings were inspired by bald eagles that live near kits, according to the artists, Sandy and Steve Pell, who told the Georgia Straight. The Wings have almost a shell shape to represent the oceans in Vancouver along with being a way to celebrate the sunsets and sunrises. It took about 200 hours for the couple to complete the project and they did a fantastic job. #kitswings has been all over Instagram as it has the perfect dimensions to fit within a camera frame.

Murals of Gratitude

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Gastown was shut down mostly in March due to COVID-19. Kim Briscoe, the owner of a local framing and art store Kimprints, found a way to spread love and hope throughout the community.

Kimprints has been around since 1984. Kim started it by selling local prints and custom framings and as years went on, they opened it up to small gifts, cards and other items. Kimprints is also the hub of where to find local artist Ken Foster’s work. Kimprints has two locations. The first one is on Denman, a two minute walk from English Bay and the second is the Gastown location. This store is located in the old Hotel Europe. The building is amazing and defiantly worth checking out.

Kimprints windows, along with many other businesses, have been boarded up due to shutting down from COVID-19.

Briscoe told CBC, “At a distance, I could see how terrible the building looked and it’s such a beautiful building, so I thought, ‘ok we’ll have to do something about this.’”

Kim saw a chance to use art in order to show love and support to frontline workers and give hope to the community. She reached out to local artists to create murals around her building.

(@kimprintsframing / Instagram)

Other businesses on Robson, Granville and in Gastown have followed Kim and have had artists cover their windows.

Thos movement Briscoe created is called the Murals of Gratitude.

(@kimprintsframing / Instagram)

There are murals of Dr. Bonnie Henry along with Dr. Teresa Tam, Albert’s health officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw, and many messages to nurses and frontline workers.

These murals have had many people stop along the streets and take pictures and some have even left thank you notes on them. This has been a great way to bring the community together and allow for local artists to create some new work.

One of the Most Vibrant Districts of Vancouver

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There are a few cultures that have helped shape Vancouver into the city it is today. Italians are one of them. Starting in the 1940’s-1970’s, Commercial Drive became a place of gather for Italian residents and businesses. They had a great influence in the development and community of Commercial Drive so along came the name, “Little Italy”.

(@italiandayonthedrive / Instagram)

This Vancouver neighbourhood is one of the most colourful, shopping, dining and nightlife districts you will find in the city. Little Italy is 8 blocks which represents 60 years of Italian heritage. Today the vibe of Little Italy is still in the same unique and vibrant district that it was back in the 1970’s. Over time, there have been more ethnicities moving into the area creating a more diverse district but the area has not lost any of its Italian spirit.

The Drive offers many different resultants and other businesses owned and operated by Italians. These places are always welcoming you to come and try them out. Some of the best spots along The Drive have been around for as long as 80 years.

There are Restaurants such as Abruzzo, Arriva’s Ristorante, Cafe Calabria, Falconetti’s, Fratelli’s Bakery, Giancarlo’s Sports Bar, Livia Bakery, Lombardo’s Pizzeria and Ristorante, Marcellos’s Ristorante and Pizzeria, Prado Café, Renzo’s Café, Sopra Sotto Pizzeria, The Drive Coffee Bar. All of these are Italian owned and operated with delicious food and drinks.

There are also have many Italian owned businesses such as markets, travel agencies, tattoo shops, liquor stores and clothing shops.

(@lomardospizza / Instagram)

June is Italian heritage month and every June since 2010, Vancouver has has Italian Day on The Drive. Italian Day celebrates the Italian culture and community and has become the largest cultural event and festival in Vancouver.

2012 Italian Day (@italiandayonthedrive / Instagram)

Italian Day usually has over 150 street participants, partners, merchants, vendors and organizers. Over 300,000 people of all ages and cultures attend to support this day.

Unfortunately the 10 year Anniversary had to be canceled this year due to COVID-19 but they still managed to find ways to celebrate. They came up with a new initiative, Italian Day on The Drive for Courage. This was inspired by the songs and music coming from balconies and rooftops, the impact on how COVID brought everyone together on The Drive and an awareness for mental health organizations that have been financially impacted. They received many donations to this cause and it was also able to bring local artists together with playing music from balconies and rooftops during the 7pm tribute to frontline workers.

Little Italy has many spots for people to come shop and dine. Most businesses have been impacted by COVID-19 and this is a great spot to come out to support local businesses.

David Wilson’s Time-Stamp on Pre-COVID

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There is a new art exhibition starting on Thursday until October 22. This exhibition is called, Close to Home by David Wilson. The show will be put on at the Kurbatoff Gallery in South Granville. 

At the start of COVID, Wilson took a while to hit pause to watch and listen to what was happening around him. Just like us all. In a news release, Wilson said, “My thoughts were consumed by the crisis at hand and its implications for me, my family, my community and the world at large.” Two of Wilson’s family members have compromised immune systems and he did not know what that will mean for them if they catch the virus.

These acrylic paintings in Wilson’s show is what he made during COVID after finding some old photos he was able to find comfort in. Wilson said the paintings are “an attempt to time-stamp the tone of the pre-COVID life in Vancouver.”

Most of Wilson’s work is is about where he is from and where he goes. Wilson says, “It’s less about being a literal visual documentation and more of a synthesizing of what I am feeling about the time I was there.”

Kurbatoff Gallery describes Wilson’s art as, “utilizing light, colour and composition to created cityscapes that reflect the pulsing, thriving engird found within the urban landscape.”

Wilson said, “It’s less about being a literal visual documentation and more of a synthesizing of what I am feeling about the time I was there.”

“Come Back To Me” (@davidwilsonartist / Instragram)

Come Back To Me captures a rainy South Granville Street with traffic and pedestrians hiding under their umbrellas.

“Feels Like It Was Only Yesterday” (@davidwilsonartist / Instagram)

Feels Like It Was Only Yesterday shows a chaotic night on Granville Street.

“The Moon and the Sea” (@davidwilsonartist / Instagram)

The Moon and the Sea is one of the last one’s he did for Close to Home. This is a painting of the Burrard Street Bridge, which Wilson says, “I’m especially drawn to the moon in its reference to the rhythm of time, something that seems to resonate more with me these past months.”

You can catch David Wilson’s show at the Kurbatoff Gallery Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00am to 5:00pm, and Sunday 12:00 to 4:00pm.

Jon Cooper Brings the Stanley Cup Back to BC

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Prince George’s, Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightening beat the Dallas Stars last night by a 2-0 win in game 6 of the playoffs at Rodgers Place in Edmonton.

Coach Jon Cooper was asked by Sportsnet what got him to the Stanley Cup today. Cooper said, “I grew up, being influenced by the people around him from Prince George, to Wilcox, to Michigan and all the stops in between. I can’t thank them enough. They made me who I am.”

But, when asked what made the team ready to win, Cooper said, “a heartbreak. Sometimes in failure you find success. It doesn’t come easy,” he continued, “I truly believe it was the heartbreak we suffered that got us here today.”

(@princegeorgematters / Twitter)

Nine of the players on the Lightenings roster have suffered though the same heartbreak over the past five years. In the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Lightening lost to Chicago Blackhawks in game 6 of the first round. The following year they lost to the Pittsburg Penguins in game 7. In 2017 the Lightening did not even make the playoffs and in 2018 they were eliminated on game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals by the Washington Capitals.

But last year was the real heartbreak. Tampa had a all-time record regular season with the most wins at 62 and 128 points. Tampa was feeling pretty confident in themselves and that may have gotten to their head while their competition, Columbus Blue Jacket’s, had to fight to even make it into the playoffs.

Jon Cooper said this season was a blessing and a curse, “You don’t play meaningful hockey for a long time. Then all of a sudden you have to ramp it up. It’s not an excuse, it’s reality,” he continued, “ You have a historic regular season, and we had a historic playoff.”

Playoffs is different hockey. Anything from regular season, really can be thrown out the window as everyone has upped their game and who wants it more.

But last night, Tampa Bay Lightening became Stanley Cup Champions.

(@TBLightening / Twitter)

 

10th Anniversary of the Artists for Conservation Festival

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Starting Thursday, you can catch the 10th Anniversary of the Artists for Conservation Festival held at the VanDusen Botanical Garden until October 4. This is a Canada-based international non-profit organization. Their mission is to support wildlife and habitat conservation and environmental education through art and nature.

This all ages festival, will be featuring local and international artists. Every year, artists travel from around the world to take part and connect with each other. This event highlights the natural and cultural heritage of Vancouver through art exhibits, workshops, musical and cultural performances, along with First Nations presentations and many more. This is a great way for people to learn and educate themselves on some of Vancouver’s history in a fun way.

They are still accepting Volunteers to help out with the festival and are inviting a limited number of value-align corporate partners to support this event.

(@NatureArtists / Twitter)

This year the event will be run differently with many safety measures in place for everyone attending. Social distancing is required and masks are recommended to be worn. They have a limited capacity and have the event all-outdoor and no contact with a self guided participation.

They will also be having virtual events which will include a section of online programming, allowing for more people to enjoy the festival. The virtual events will begin Thursday as well but will run until mid-October. They will be including a 360 degree ritual nature walk in Vancouver’s Maplewood Flats. The annual juried, “International Exhibit of Nature in Art” which is the world’s top conservation art exhibit and sale will be available for free online views. They will be having Facebook Live events, live streaming and re-recorded events, films, artist studio visits along with a downloadable music soundtrack.

Supporting the Artists for Conservation festival, you are able to help artists along with help saving the environment.

To purchase tickets to the Art for Conservation Live or Virtual Festival, head to the VanDusen Botanical Garden website.

Whitecaps Have a New Goalkeeper in Town

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The Vancouver Whitecaps FC have a new goalkeeper in town. They have received Evan Bush, 34, from the Montreal Impact and in exchange, the Impact will be receiving Vancouver’s third round draft pick in the 2021 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

The Whitecaps have had many injuries with their goalkeeper this season. Maxime Crepeu is back to training after fracturing his thumb back in July. The Whitecaps called Thomas Hasal who played nine games with them this season before suffering a concussion and a stress fracture to his left tibia.

The Whitecaps posted to Twitter, “can confirm that Thomas Hasal is set to miss an indefinite period of time with a left tibia and concussion.”

Bryan Meredith has been in net for the past two games but has not been able to pull out a win for the Caps.

Axel Schuster, Whitecaps sporting director, says, “due to the uncertainty around our goalkeeper position, this is a move we needed to make.” After a lot considerations, the Caps decided it was best to have another option for net.

Marc Dos Santos was the one who brought Bus initially to Montreal back in 2011 and he has already played seven years for their goalkeeper coach, Youseef Dahha. It’s like Bush is back to his roots.

Bush has spent the past 10 years goalkeeping for the Impact but has not played a match for them this season as Montreal’s head coach, Theirry Henry, has been relying on Clement Diop.

Bush has played a total of 225 matches in his 12 year professional career.

Evan Bush (@WhitecapsFC / Twitter)

His experience in net will be a great change for the Whitecaps. He is the fifth goalkeeper on the Caps roster this season, joining 18-year-old Issac Boehmer.

Montreal Impact’s sporting director, Olivier Renard, said Montreal made the trade because they are happy with the performance from their other goalkeepers. He also said, “we want to thank Evan for the ten seasons he played in Montreal and for his great professionalism.”

Taps and Tacos Margarita Mix

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Over the course of COVID shutdown, many restraints struggled to stay open but others improvised when June came around. Some expanded their patios and others found new solutions to draw in cliental. Port Moody’s Taps and Tacos, did just that.

Taps and Tacos stayed open for take out bur they also came up with a new idea. they started selling their homemade margarita mix. Over the weeks flavours ranged from lime, spicy pineapple, jalapeño, coconut, cilantro and many others. These margarita mixes were in bottles of 9oz for $6.00 or 18oz for $11.00. The mixes also included 3 dehydrated limes and a recipe card.

 

These margaritas kits were such a hit, Taps and Tacos just relaunched their margarita mix with brand new labels and flavours.

Their Social Media specialist, Kera Chung says, “we started doing the bottled margarita mixes when cover happened and for labels we wanted to do something really fun, uplifting, positive and summery and of course Mexican inspired. You will see on a lot of our labels we have peachy vibes, churches in Salulita, Mexico, palm leaves and sun hats. We are just going for a really fun tropical summery vibe that people can also carry through the fall and winter.”

(@tapsandtacosmargaritamix / Instagram)

This has been a great way for Taps to sick out in the community and it is great that they have decided to carry it on. Give them a follow on Instagram @tapsandtacosmargaritamix or pop in grab your own at Tap and Tacos located at 91 Moody Street.

Minor Hockey is Looking Different This Season

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While minor hockey seasons are back, it is looking a lot different for the players and coaching staff. The kids are excited to be on the ice and so are the coaches but they do have a lot to worry about: developing skills while social distancing.

Langley Lightening midget coach Bianca Ballarin says,

(@langleylighteninggirlsicehockey / Instagram)

“You have to be mindful that if you need to correct something with one of the girls and you are going to break that six feet social distance, you do have to put on a mask and you have to ensure their safety and your safety”

 

The players might not get to play games this season either and it might just be a development season. Although focusing on skills is important, there is nothing players want more than to play against other teams. As for some players, they are in their last year of minor hockey and will not have games to play. There is a small hope that games may happen in the future this season.

Coach Ballarin says, “they may not get to play these games, it may just be all practice times. If things do get better, the association will look into starting games within maybe four teams and you’re constantly playing the same four teams over and over instead of playing twelve teams in a regular season.”

With hopes that BC’s COVID-19 numbers drop, it may allow for hockey and other sporting games to happen.

First Fall Storm Will Be Scaring the Dogs

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Fall hit yesterday and just like that, the first fall storm hit the lower mainland this morning. The storm is set to last until early Friday but rain will carry on until Saturday.

Vancouver is expected to be hit will 40 to 70 millimetres of rain over the course of today. They are expecting flooding from the rain, along with heavy winds, thunder and lightening.

Meteorologist, Mark Madryga says, this is the strongest weather system that some areas have seen in months.

Klahanie, Port Moody

Some people are saying this weather is “unacceptable” and others have different concerns. Thunder and lightening is never good for those who are dog owners as most dogs are scared of it.

A Port Moody dog owner is worried about her dog, Stanley, as he is terrified of thunder and runs anytime he hears it.

She says, “well it’s certainly going to make dog walking interesting. My dog is absolutely terrified of the thunder. I’m sure he will spend the rest of the night hiding at the back of my closet.”

Already, White Rock has 2000 people without power as a tree fell on a power line in the early morning.

BC Ferries are expected to have delays and many cancellations.

Be safe and stay dry out there.