Lowepro’s Passport Sling is what I’ll be taking on our holiday travels abroad this week. This DSLR camera bag is meant to work as either an equipment or everyday bag. There’s enough padded space to accommodate a DSLR body with an attached lens, plus either an extra lens or a flash unit.

I’ve been packing various combinations into the Passport Sling and found that my Nikon D90 (with a 35mm prime attached) plus the Nikon SB-700 speedlight works best.

Once I took off my camera strap, I was able to find the perfect solution to really grabbing the camera on the go. The photo below shows the camera with a 35mm prime lens placed into the bag in a side orientation. Unzipping the bag brought my hand right to the D90′s grip.

The bag can also store extras such as a battery charger or everyday essentials. I was able to get away with carrying three items: the camera body with attached prime, an 18-200mm lens, and in the additional area, the speedlight in the square Nikon carrier bag that came with it.

Side pockets will store small maps or guidebooks, and there’s a front section for a water bottle, point and shoot camera, or small umbrella. A small velcro flap inside stores a memory card.

Two interior side velcro closure pouches are perfect for batteries.

Size, quality, and feature-wise, it compares favourably with BUILT’s Cargo Camera bag (though the two are sweet bags for different reasons).

A great feature of this bag is its ability to collapse down and fit inside your suitcase or carry-on.

The padded shoulder strap is both comfortable and adjustable, and the excess strap tucks neatly into the pocket below.

As well, the cam buckle closes firmly, maintaining the strap’s length without creeping. Lowepro’s attention to detail includes a small square non-slip patch in the centre of the shoulder strap to help keep the strap in place on your shoulder.

This is a smartly-designed bag that will even expand (suitcase-style) in front to store up to 30% more stuff.

What I like best about the bag is that it doesn’t look like a typical camera bag – important when taking on the road and into high traffic tourist spots.

I’ll be taking this bag around long after our travels, as it’s both easy to wear and fits a variety of everyday needs.

The Passport Sling is available in Black (with green interior), Sky Blue, and Mica. There’s a lifetime warranty with Lowepro’s products as well.

The Passport Sling’s dimensions
Interior camera compartment: 4.1″ (10.5 cm) wide, 7.5″ (19 cm) deep, and 7.5″ (19 cm) high
Fully expanded interior (excluding camera compartment): 5.1″ (13 cm) wide, 6.3″ (16 cm) deep, and 15″ (38 cm) high
Weight: 1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg)

It’s available around town (I’ve seen it at London Drugs) for $50 CDN.

Pros
Doesn’t look like a camera bag
Collapses down to store inside luggage
Comfortable to wear
Strong 600d Polyester Polymesh outer fabric (interior contains 210DNylon Brushed Tricot Velcro)
Great for travel, with space for guidebooks, water bottle, small umbrella, souvenirs
Good quality bag for price point

Cons
Inside padded area could be a tad larger to hold larger lens without being too packed in (maybe a future version in “large”?)

Disclosure note for review: I was sent the Passport Sling for the purpose of writing this review: cmply.2

]]>

My good friend and fellow food lover Richard Wolak (better known as Vancouver Foodster) is back with a great new foodie event coming up in mid-February! Tasting Plates Vancouver is a chance to discover a range of delicious edibles from Yaletown to the West End. Billed as a roving food tour, your ticket will allow tastings at over a dozen Vancouver eateries (with more to be added closer to event date).

Each restaurant will serve up a Tasting Plate to enjoy. This unique event is a great way to dine with friends, meet the chefs behind Vancouver’s vibrant dining scene, and learn about what goes into their dishes.

A few key event details:
- Vegetarian options will be available at most of the participating restaurants.
- Prize draws to be held at each participating restaurant throughout the course of the evening.
- The first 300 people to purchase an advance ticket will receive Richard Wolak’s new book, “Vancouver Foodster’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in Vancouver” (a $21.95 value), out in February.
- Visit participating restaurants by walking, transit, bike, or carpool.
- $2 from each ticket purchase will help fund the Vancouver Food Bank.

Participating restaurants include:
Phat Deli Yaletown
Notturno Paninoteca
Cosca Restaurant
Bonchaz
Footo Delights
W2 Media Café

Participating food trucks include:
Juice Truck
Soho Road

Tasting Plates Vancouver
Date: Wednesday, February 15, 6 to 9 pm
Tickets: $25 per person (excludes Eventbrite fee). Ticket price includes tasting plates at each of the participating restaurants throughout the evening.
Note: No tickets will be sold on the day of the event. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges or refunds, however tickets are transferrable with printed proof of ticket. ALL tickets must be purchased online in advance.
*Price does not include beverages. Wine, beer, cocktails and mocktails may be purchased separately at the restaurants.

How does one see the colour red? Is it the colour of love, of roses, or of blood and murder? Life, death, and artistic struggle form many of the themes in Red, currently playing at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre. This 90 minute, one act play depicts artist Mark Rothko’s life in his atelier, as he takes on an assistant (Ken, played brilliantly by David Coomber), and paints a $35,000 commission for extravagant Four Seasons Restaurant inside New York’s Seagram Building. Considered one of the most expensive commissions in the history of modern art, this famous series of Rothko panels is primed and worked on during the course of the play. As Rothko states his terms of employment (“I am not your rabbi, your father, your friend, your teacher,…”), Ken willingly accepts and immediately gets to work with the Abstract Expressionist hero.

Jim Mezon plays Mark Rothko, a demanding, outspoken, and eccentric Russian artist who spills his emotions onto Ken, who at first is afraid of encountering Rothko during any given moment of the day, not knowing what will spew from his mouth. It’s a demanding role, one in which Mezon’s voice and stature are well suited to play.

Over time however, Ken learns to anticipate Rothko’s emotional roller coaster, and opens up to him about how he too sees red, through the death of his parents. He also begins to state his own opinion about the current art scene, being taken over by the easily consumable Warhols and Lichtensteins of modern times. The play gets really interesting once this begins to happen.

The stage forms a draped cube at the start, opening and closing to reveal new scenes. The studio is simply lit with old style art lamps, and contains a record player, old furnishings of the time period, as well as a mishmash of paint, canvas, and supplies. At times the stage is lit white, other times it morphs into red. The draped cube also forms a great medium for a video containing colourful Warhols and Lichtensteins between one particular set change.

“It’s a risky act to let a painting go out into the world.” This line shows Rothko’s vulnerability as human being, and although he comes off as an arrogant, ego-driven artist, there’s more at work inside his head. It’s around this time in the play that the first paint-infused meltdown occurs.

Many lessons are learned here, but over time, we find that it’s the assistant that teaches the master. In the end, Rothko releases Ken into the outside world, as he finally realizes the value of the next generation of creatives. And more importantly, Rothko ultimately rejects the Four Seasons as a suitable venue to hold his collection – a tribute to both his temperament and (perhaps encouraged by Ken’s viewpoint, his artistic morals).

Red is written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and playwright John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator) and directed by Electric Company Theatre’s Artistic associate director Kim Collier (Studies in Motion, All the Way Home).

Red plays through February 2 at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre. Visit the website for ticket and showtime information.

Photos courtesy of Bruce Zinger.

As I write this post a mere week before heading on a journey that includes a trip to our former home, Holland, I’m excited to bring this dance event to the forefront of the 2012 Chutzpah Festival.

Noord Nederlandse Dans, part of Chutzpah’s Dance Series, is a troupe of 14 contemporary dancers who will present a selection of new works by Artistic Director Stephen Shropshire and Israeli choreographer Emanuel Gat. Neither sound too Dutch, but rest assured, this well known and beloved company is based in the northern university city of Groningen.

Groningen is home to a beautiful museum that in itself is an artwork, situated on water. I’ve been lucky to have seen many exhibitions there, and as lively a city as Groningen is, NND fits right into its creative vibe and youthful culture.

NND has performed at festivals and venues in Brazil, Germany, Spain, Finland, and as far away as Russia, Japan, and for the first time, Canada.

Director Shropshire is Juilliard-trained. He too is highly sought after, having created original works for the Iceland Dance Company, the National Dance Company of Wales, the Holland Dance Festival in The Hague and others.

Emanuel Gat established his own company in 2004, and is the recipient of the Israeli Minister of Culture Award for outstanding dance performance. He also received one of his country’s highest honours as a chosen artist for the Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation.

Visit the Noord Nederlandse Dans event page on the Chutzpah Festival website.

Noord Nederlandse Dans
Venue: Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre, 950 West 41st Ave, Vancouver
Dates: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 8 pm, Thursday, Feb. 16, 8 pm, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 and 7 pm
Tickets: $26 Adults, $22 JCC members and seniors, $16 students (ticket prices do not reflect HST and service charges).
Purchase tickets one of three ways: Online via Tickets Tonight, or by phoning either Chutzpah (604.257.5145) or Tickets Tonight’s (604.684.2787) box offices.

Photo courtesy of Karel Zwaneveld.

On Tuesday night, the 8th annual PuSh International Performing Arts Festival got underway with its opening gala, held this year at the über-cool East Vancouver hotspot, the Waldorf Hotel. Here’s a glimpse into the people, entertainment, and random guests that appeared within the hotel’s three themed rooms.

[L: Author/comedian Charlie Demers]

[Tiki Bar]

[Hostess CTV's Keri Adams]

[Artistic Director Norman Armour]

[Ryan Beil and Charles Demers]

[Watching Fang perform at the Cabaret Room]

[Fang at the Cabaret Room]

[Fang at the Cabaret Room]

[e.s.l. at the Cabaret Room]

[e.s.l. at the Cabaret Room]

[Dan Mangan]

[Pacific Theatre's Andrea Loewen and Alison Chisholm]

[A Fringe Festival reunion?]

[Flamenco Dancer Karen Flamenco!]

[R: Councillor Heather Deal]

[PixStar photobooth]

More photos from Tuesday night’s opening gala can be found here.

Glory Days is a fun and sometimes tender romp through the post-adolescent reunion of four high school football team rejects: Will, Skip, Andy and Jack. Currently on at The Cultch’s Vancity Culture Lab, this 90 minute musical sees four university first year students living out recent memories of high school and beyond. The simple stage set of bleachers with a band performing the numbers in the background allows both the story and musical numbers to shine.

Glory Days is a modern tale that focuses on the coming out of one member of the merry group that not all four are willing to accept. The rest of the story deals with how the other three come to grips with this change. There are a couple of other small life changes that occur over that year apart, however the coming out is the focal point here.

According to the program notes, the cast of four happen to be close friends all equally excited to be working together in this production. All four are seasoned theater veterans who have appeared in many local productions to date.

I recommend this production for the strong vocal talent from Adam Charles (Will), Brandyn Eddy (Skip), Colin Sheen (Andy) and Darren Burkett (Jack). The four mesh well on stage and it’s a kick to remember the little things in high school that irked us all.

Glory Days is directed by actress/up and coming director Sara-Jeanne Hosie and is scored by Nick Blaemire.

Catch The Boys Upstairs production of Glory Days at The Cultch through January 28. I’ve included a list of showtimes below.

Glory Days
Venue: The Cultch Vancity Culture Lab, 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver
Dates: January 18 to 28, 2012
January 19 to 25: Thursday to Saturday, 8 pm
January 26 to 31: Tuesday to Saturday, 8 pm
January 18 and 25: 1 pm matinee
January 21, 22, and 28: 2 pm matinee

All photos courtesy of Paul H Wright.

Last night, I was invited to Max’s Burgers for their media launch. Owner Bruce Redpath of Redpath Foods brought in chef Connor Butler (formerly of Restaurant Connor Butler, Pearl on the Rock, and C) to this casual 1,240 square foot Fairview space to design the gourmet burger and comfort food menu.

Redpath is also behind Max’s Deli and Stuart’s Bakery (the latter of which supplies Max’s Burgers with hamburger buns and desserts).

[Chef Connor Butler, Owner Bruce Redpath]

This new burger destination, smack dab in the Cambie/Broadway corridor, will feature fresh Albertan beef, Kennebec fries with fresh black truffle mayo, and sinful drink concoctions such as the Fraser River Mud Shake and the Pop Shoppe Pina Colada Float.

In other words, an adult top-quality version of a kid’s hamburger chain. Max’s Burgers uses as many local ingredients as possible, creating some seriously tasty burgers as well as competition for Vancouver’s other top quality gourmet burger establishments.

We were treated to a sampling of Max’s burgers in a smaller slider style, in order to fit everything in on the menu! There’s a British Columbia burger (my favourite of the group) with Applewood smoked bacon, bacon marmalade, and cheddar cheese, the Rooster on a Tailgate (grilled chicken, red onion rings, 40 Creek BBQ, chipotle mayo and Swiss cheese), a King crab Po’Boy, and for the vegetarians, Gargamel’s Stuffed Toadstool burgers, with portobello mushroom, charred tomatoes, and Swiss cheese.

[Chef de Cuisine Travis Redpath serving up the sliders]

If calories aren’t an issue, consider The Behemoth, where for $55, four mouths can be properly fed on 24 ounces of hand-formed patty on a custom roasted garlic bun, over a pound of toppings, an ice cold pitcher of draft and a Triple By Pass (yams, fries, ‘n’ rings).

Chef Butler was busy drizzling gravy on the poutine when I caught up with him at the counter. Being close to the action, I also checked out the gorgeous array of desserts ready to be served afterwards.

[Lemon Meringue Tart]

[Red velvet cupcake]

Desserts will be priced at $3.99 each. As well, Max’s plans to serve seasonal house baked pies at $3.99 a slice.

[Chocolate Decadense Cake]

[NY Cheesecake]

The full Max’s Burgers experience also involves trying some of their drink concoctions. Case in point: Liquid Lunch (bacon infused Stoli, Tabasco sauce, worcestershire sauce, clamato, celery salt rim garnished with lime wedge, pepperoncini pepper and crispy bacon stick). I wasn’t sure whether to call it a drink or a meal!

[Liquid Lunch]

Further down the beverage list, the tantalizing Fraser River Mud Shake (Southern Comfort, Kahlua, vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup) and the Orange Creamsicle Shake (Stoli, Triple Sec, orange reduction, vanilla ice cream and candied orange peel garnish) catered to the sweet-with-a-touch-of-alcohol-tooth in me.

There’s also a decent range of soda fountain offerings, as well as beer, wine, and highballs.

Kennebec Fries are served with bits of black truffle atop the mayo. Schloppy Chili Cheese Rings just ooze with chili and cheese for the onion ring lovers out there. I enjoyed the poutine, served with just the right amount of curds and gravy.

Look for Max’s Burgers at 521 West 8th Avenue in Vancouver (west of Cambie Street, across from Whole Foods). They will be open for lunch and dinner starting January 23.

It’s gourmet cupcake time! The Cupcake Throwdown is an annual event benefiting the H.A.V.E. Culinary Training Society, an important community member of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

H.A.V.E.’s mandate is to provide residents of their community with culinary training, Food Safe certification, and supportive work placements. H.A.V.E. aims to “eliminate the experience of social isolation associated with unemployment in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside while increasing self sufficiency and access to employment for those who have been excluded from meaningful work”. Many DTES lives have been changed through this vital awareness program.

H.A.V.E.’s onsite cafe, located at 374 Powell Street, is also open to the public from Monday to Friday (9 am to 2 pm) for full breakfast and lunch. H.A.V.E. infuses the same passion and care they have for their students into their food, preparing all items from scratch using locally sourced ingredients.

For three years, The Cupcake Throwdown has hosted bakers going head to head, vying for cupcake supremacy. This delicious, sugar-fueled event raises much needed funds for H.A.V.E. Attendees can help the organization “one cupcake at a time”. And who doesn’t love a tasty cupcake or two? If you would like to volunteer, bake, or support the event in any way, contact Stephanie either by email vancouver.cupcake.throwdown [at] gmail [dot] com or by phone: 604.506.0112.

Event sponsors as of this writing include kunstudios, DJ Hebegebe, Nicli Antica Pizzeria, John Fluevog Shoes, ACME Cafe and Chapel Arts.

Cupcake Throwdown
Venue: Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy Street, Vancouver
Date: February 16, 7 to 10 pm
Tickets: $10 admission includes five tastings. Additional tasting tickets $1 each; all proceeds go to H.A.V.E.

Last year’s sold out Secret Supper Soiree event is back! Swallow Tail Secret Supper Club is fine dining in the most unlikely locations. The events feature wild sourced BC ingredients from land, air and sea, with expertly paired wines.

This one’s a Prohibition-era inspired, bootleggers adventure! Swallow Tail Secret Supper Club returns with a fresh menu of exquisite food prepared by guest chef Andrea Carlson (Bishop’s), new secret locations, and an exclusive list of wines not available for purchase in Vancouver.

Each event’s locations remain a mystery until guests have arrived at a predetermined meeting point. For this event, guests will meet at Pacific Central Station and from there, disappear into the night aboard a classic double decker bus. There will be a room of unsolved murder mysteries and a classy underground bar hidden in a Chinatown warehouse.

According to Elianna Lev, a guest from last years Secret Supper Soiree, “I don’t think I’ve ever experience so much element of wonder than I did in one evening spent on the whimsical Secret Supper Soiree.”

Drinks served:
1 Pims Cup à la Boardwalk Empire
3 BC wine tastings

Food menu:
5 tasting plates (vegetarian option available)

Prohibition Era Adventure with Swallow Tail Secret Supper Club
Venue: Pacific Central Station meeting point at 4 pm
Dates: Saturday, January 21, 4 pm; Saturday, January 28, 4 pm; Saturday, February 4, 4 pm
Tickets: $129 with wine pairings, $89 without
$99 group rate can be purchased via Tickets Tonight. Reservation instructions are available online. Tickets are currently over 50% sold.

1930’s Speakeasy attire encouraged ~ Don’t forget an umbrella!