Vancouver Is Awesome

The Weekly Ledge(r) – Episode #1

2010-09-03T20:43:13Z

Skateboard culture is deeply rooted in this fine city of ours. Not only does Metro Vancouver produce some of the world’s finest wood-wheelers, it’s also a major migratory destination for skaters from all over Canada. The Weekly Ledge(r) exists to update you on skate-related news and happenings in our town. Know the ledge, it’s not just used for sitting…

My first skate-related post on VIA went up on August 25th, 2008, during the site’s early days (you can find my whole archive since then by clicking here). And starting today, these posts have a new home! Get your stunt-wood fix every Friday on The Weekly Ledge(r). Anyways, game on:

Rob “Sluggo” Boyce has been seriously ripping this summer – backside air on the squid hip at Hastings. Last weekend, 3 sweet events crammed the calendar slots: the C1RCA Skate Pentathlon, The Battle At Hastings, and the Bowl Series 16 final up in Whistler. Click here for photos and commentary from all 3.

Remember Da Barge? Well, North Delta’s Ryan Decenzo along with Magnus Hanson took part in the latest Red Bull stunt on Canadian soil. Learn all about what they pulled off on the busy corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto right here.

Emerica shoes’ latest epic Stay Gold was seen here in Vancouver for the first time (in Canada) at the Rio, and it’s now available for all on DVD and iTunes.

Vancouver’s (and world renowned) skateboard and motorcycle photographer extraordinaire, Scott Pommier, was recently featured on A Photo Editor (and it’s a good read). Speaking of websites, North Van’s RDS Apparel has a new one (be sure to visit the “tattoo” section).

Main Street homie Corey Sheppard is the Creative Director behind VIVO Headwear, and he’s featured in the latest video installment of their ongoing series. Over on SkateNewSpot.com, Livestock manager and OG roller (and old pal of mine) Rod Ferens has the latest interview.

V.I.A.’s Weekly Nardwuar – Week 1Nardwuar Vs. Semi Precious Weapons (+ Bonus w/Drake!)

2010-08-28T00:43:40Z

Every week from here on out we’re going to be bringing you one Nardwuar The Human Serviette interview from his megadatabase of awesomeness. Some new, some classics, I promise you these will always be entertaining and informative. In case you’re incredibly new to us and you have no idea who Nardwuar is you can meet him HERE in the interview that we did with him a while back.

Today we’re actually sharing two interviews of his. One recent one that he did with Semi Precious Weapons and another recent one with Drake. One of the (many) awesome things about Nardwuar interviews is that they can go any number of different directions… but they tend to be polarized. Watch this one to see where it headed…

And then this one which headed in the exact opposite direction…

Stay tuned for another clip next week and if you can’t wait then head over to NARDWUAR.COM or FACEBOOK.COM/NARDWUAR!

Dimension Shampoo

2010-09-03T18:21:18Z

If you feel like laughing have a look at THIS latest advertisement for Dimension Shampoo, starring our friend Cameron Macleod of Manhussy for the Ryan Steele Show. If you feel like crying you might also want to have a look at it, because it’s pretty damned funny…

Dogtown Vancouver: Parker

2010-09-03T14:22:29Z

It’s a new dog twice a week! Click here to find out how to get your dog posted if you haven’t sent in your photos yet!

Today’s dog featured in Dogtown Vancouver is Parker, Marco F’s pup. Here’s what he had to say about him…

NAME: Parker.
BREED: Yorkie.
HOOD: North Shore, Handsworth Catchment.
FAVOURITE SNACK: Liver sticks.
OTHER INFO: Mr. Parker has a heart of gold, the roar of a lion, and the charm of Santa Claus.

The Quiet Life Ping Pong Tournament

2010-09-03T17:38:52Z

We’re co-sponsoring a ping pong tournament this coming Thursday presented by The Quiet Life! It’s free to register to compete or if you just feel like showing up to watch and have some free drinks and appys then that’s cool too. HERE is the facebook event page.

The Quiet Life is a small clothing company out of Los Angeles that was founded by my old friend and mentor, Andy Mueller, in 1997. Our friends at Supra Distribution (remember their Home Grown?) are now distributing the line in Canada.

Smalltown DJs

2010-09-03T10:19:25Z

Tonight! Friday September 3rd we are co-presenting Smalltown DJs at Happy Ending Fridays at Fortune Sound with Brendan Butter and the Easy Now DJs Cherchez La Femme & December Furcoat! And you can download Smalltown DJ’s exclusive Fortune Sound Club mix HERE to get you ready for the night!

Makeover Madness at Barbarella

2010-09-03T15:45:04Z

Get Pretty, Pretty with A Cut and Colour at Barbarella Saloon

If you see girls (and boys) with great hair in or around the South Main St. area, there’s a good chance they’ve had their hair did at neighbourhood mainstay Barbarella, a fun and quirky saloon known for its friendly, creative stylists and funky interior. At the ripe old age of eleven, the fiercely-coiffed Barbarella is about to welcome a second location at the newly renovated Waldorf Hotel which is re-launching next month.

Here’s a chance to get Barbarellified yourself with the lovely and talented Candice. Say hello to fall with a cut and colour, baby.

“Hello, pretty pretty.”

I have had a few really terrible cuts in my life. The first was when my mother “surprised” me with a trip to the man-with-the-scissors, leaving me with a bowl cut and my long tresses on the floor (I was five and still carry scars). Then I cut my own bangs … Bad Idea City! Then somewhere in the mid-90s I was rocking some very “frosty” highlights; you remember – the kind with the cap and they pull your hair through the holes? Good times indeed.

Get a fabulous fresh start this fall with a courtesy cut and colour with Candice. What was the worst ‘do you rocked and how much do you need a makeover? Leave your comment here to enter. But, if you are really keen to win then leave a comment and send along a photo of your troubled mane to missfox@vancouverisawesome.com. Your photo will not be published, but it may help your cut and colour chances of winning. (Just sayin’.)

Here’s the deal: Whomever wins this amazing prize must be open to being featured on Vancouver is Awesome. Before-and-after photos (we’re not interested in making you look anything less than utterly adorable, don’t worry!) are part of the deal. This is a chance to work with Candice (who has no interest in having your long brown locks transformed into a peroxide pixie … unless that’s what you want) on an amazing new (and free!) look. Makeover Madness is a lot of fun but the best part is – the winner is going to look like a million bucks.

Contest closes on Friday, September 10 at 5:00 pm. Winner will be contacted by email and the makeover madness fun will begin after that …

Good luck!

A Zipcar fishing adventure in five partsPart four: the random discovery!

2010-09-02T22:22:38Z

Recently Zipcar reached out and offered me a credit so that I could try out their service and write about it here on the blog. As somebody who owns a car and hasn’t ever considered joining a carshare, I admit I was initially lukewarm to the idea. But then it hit me: fishing! Sure if you don’t own a vehicle being a Zipcar member offers a simple and quick way to essentially rent a car short-term (and to tread lightly while you’re at it) but if you do own a vehicle that’s a little on the… well… gutless side and you have some heavy lifting/moving to do or a destination that’s at the end of a steep dirt road then they have small trucks and SUVs in their fleet. So I took them up on the offer.

And of course I don’t go fishing by myself, so I brought along my friends Suede Peterson and musician Rob Butterfield. This week I’m sharing five parts of the Zipcar fishing adventure that we went on.

In this fourth part I want to share something that I didn’t know existed until a couple years back. I made the discovery late one night while searching the shallow water of the shoreline for a toad that I thought I heard calling. Freshwater crayfish!!! Here’s Rob holding one that we caught…

In the past we’ve caught ones at this lake that were about five times this size, like tiny lobsters! We gathered up a huge potful of them and cooked them up and ate them, as a matter of fact. My wife thought they tasted like mud but I thought they were delicious. If you do a Google image search for freshwater crayfish you’ll either get very frightened by what you find or very excited depending on how much you like shellfish or similarly dislike insecty type things in the water. Jones Lake is full of these things.

Here’s what happened shortly after the above photo was taken. Rob learns the hard way how not to hold a crayfish…

Stay tuned tomorrow when I reveal whether or not we caught any fish on our adventure!

If you’re thinking about signing up for Zipcar we’ve got a special V.I.A. deal only available to our readers: get $75 in free driving credit by signing up at Zipcar.com and entering the code: VIA2010. You’re welcome!

Billy Connolly’s Journey to the Edge of the World

2010-09-02T18:38:16Z

Released on DVD a year and a half ago, Billy Connolly’s Journey to the Edge of the World is one of my favourite travel and adventure series. Beautiful, charming and funny could be words to describe the comedian himself but his trip across Canada (that goes through Vancouver briefly and ends ups on Vancouver Island) that’s been captured on video and sometimes appears on PBS can easily be summed up in those words as well. In his own words, “I like people who laugh easily and readily, and I’ve been blessed with an ability to communicate with strangers.”

Have a look at this trailer then either keep your eyes on PBS or ask your local video store if they’ve got it…

Also of note, Billy is going to be appearing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in late November. That’s all the information I have right now but hopefully will have more on it shortly.

TalkGreenToUs.ca – Goal #3

2010-08-20T18:58:19Z

Imagine 2020. In just ten years, Vancouver will be the greenest city in the world.

A vision this bold cannot be realized alone. That’s why the city is inviting you to talk green to them.

Share your ideas for making Vancouver the greenest city in the world. Help them make the critical choices. Help them prioritize between blue-sky visions and immediate opportunities. This is your city – make it better. Between now and October 7, add your voice to this life-changing conversation. Share your ideas or vote on the ones you like.

The City of Vancouver has ten greenest city goals. Learn about all ten, and tell them how you think they can best be achieved at www.talkgreentous.ca.

GOAL #3: Green Buildings
All new construction carbon neutral; improve efficiency of existing buildings by 20%

Vancouver has the greenest building code for new houses in North America, the first net-zero multi-family building in Canada, the greenest neighbourhood in North America – Southeast False Creek – and a requirement that all major new rezonings achieve at least the LEED Gold standard.

CHALLENGES:
We can mandate that new construction is built green, but this only gradually transforms our overall building stock. It is much more difficult to address energy efficiency and the environmental footprint of existing buildings. Energy is cheap in BC, so homeowners, tenants and business owners have less urgent motivation to use energy wisely.

twitter.com/greenestcity | facebook.com/greenestcity
Text “talktome” to 778.938.3424 to get updates and be entered for prizes