Now Entering: Vancouver
The whole guide. No fluff, no filler.
Strathcona DIY venues, Hastings noodle shops, the Chinatown record stores that outlasted the property values. This is the Vancouver locals still show up for.
Eat & Drink
Counters, kitchens, and the coffee that runs the block.
Hastings hand-pulled noodles
Lanzhou-style beef noodle soup, pulled in the front window, ready in six minutes.
Chinatown roast meats, dinner shift
The BBQ shop that only turns the crackling-perfect skin on the pork belly out after 5 p.m.
Punjabi Market samosas, Sunset
$1.50 samosas, mango lassi from a fridge that hums louder than the espresso machine.
Must-Watch
Cinemas, galleries, and the reading series worth setting an alarm for.
The Cinematheque, Downtown
Rep cinema doing seasons on directors no one else programs. The lobby has a proper film library.
Polygon Gallery, North Van
Photography-focused, free on Thursday evenings, best sunset view of the port in the city.
Rio Theatre late show
Cult movies on 35mm, licensed bar, crowd that talks back on purpose.
Outdoors
Where locals actually go when the weather cooperates.
Lighthouse Park, West Van
Old-growth Douglas fir a 30-minute drive from downtown. Go on a weekday, park by 9 a.m.
Third Beach at sunset
The Stanley Park beach locals actually go to. Bring firewood on a summer Friday.
Quarry Rock at 7 a.m.
Deep Cove trail, done before the parking lot fills. Coffee at Honey after.
Nightlife
Basements, back rooms, and the DJ nights that outlast the trends.
Fox Cabaret, Main
Former adult cinema turned mid-size venue. Sightlines and sound better than anywhere on Granville.
Guilt & Co. late set
Basement jazz under Gastown. 11 p.m. sets, cash on the piano for the band.
The Cobalt punk night
Weekly hardcore matinees, Sunday afternoons, $10 door.
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