Mattress Vancouver

In keeping with the ‘Best in Vancouver’ theme, Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to mention a few categories that we thought were left off the list:

Best Summer Beach: Third Beach in Stanley Park

Best Winter Date: Robson Street Plaza Ice Rink (three dollars for skates and ice)

Best Late-Night Character on Granville Street: Spoonman

Best Late-Night Fast Food: Donair Dude on Davie

Best Balloon Tricks: Arty the Jester at Stanley Park

Best Outdoor Art Installment: The ‘White Man’ at Sunset Beach / East Van sign

Best Crosstown Bike Lane: Tenth Avenue (runs level from West to East Van)

Best Bike Rental: Spokes Bicycle Rentals / English Bay Bike Rentals

Best Summer Event: The Fireworks / Outdoor Cinema

English Bay Crowds

Best Local Band Done Good: The New Pornographers

Best Elevated View of the City: Puget Drive

Best Place to Spot a Hipster: Rickshaw Theatre / Foundation

Best Dog Friendly Beach: Spanish Banks, at the bottom of the Marine Drive hill

Best Place To Find A Good Night’s Rest: Simmons Mattress Gallery

If you have any comments for our list, or know of any categories we may have missed, please share your musings as a comment below.

If you find yourself wandering aimlessly this Saturday night, all dressed up in costume with no where to go, join The Secret Souls Walk. Formerly known as The Parade of Lost Souls, this interactive social gathering of artists, performers and creepy characters traditionally takes place on Commercial Drive.

In years past, the Souls Walk received permission to shut down Commercial for an all-engaging street party. This year, things are a little more subversive.

The parade route will not be announced publicly until the day of the event. Business owners and private homeowners who have buildings along the route have been contacted ahead of time. These folk have been encouraged to participate in the set decor of the evening’s events. The non-profit group Public Dreams has offered to lend props and supplies to anyone along the route.

Workshops have also been offered for those interested in building shrines, working with puppetry and or choreographed or individual zombie dancing. (Think Thriller meets Hipster)

The night will begin at Britannia Community Centre, between 5pm and 9pm. From this location, the damaged souls will be entertained with an interactive celebration of mysticism. They will then be given the deadly coordinates to navigate the parade route.

The main creative power behind this year’s movement is the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret. They have been working hard to revive the Soul Walk, which was cancelled in 2009 due to lack of funding and organization.

So wander down to East Van this Saturday and take in a grassroots spectacle of bone-chilling entertainment.

The Secret Souls Walk

Commercial Drive? The Clutch Theatre? The Foundation? Trout Lake? Strathcona Park? The Main Street Hipsters? Vancouver Specials?

What do you think embodies East Vancouver?

Is it the people who live between Main and Boundary and the Fraser and Burrard Inlet? Is it the hippie gardens and the multi suite character homes? Is it simply a feeling or a colour?

Now is your chance to share it with the world.

This is East Van: A Community Photography Project, is looking for submissions for any photographic work that highlights what it means to live in East Vancouver.

The photographs that are chosen will be published in a book. The publishers are hoping to showcase a broad scope of what life is like in East Vancouver right NOW!

Contributors will not be paid for their submissions, but they will be credited and each photo that is chosen will receive a full page spread. There will also be the option for up and coming photographers to include their contact information at the back index.

So pull out your old SLR or charge up your digital equivalent and hit the streets.

All entries can be sent to: submissions@thisiseastvan.com.

The deadline for submissions is August 15^th.

No Words Needed