Vancouver Folk Fest

I go to Folk Fest every year. The music is not nearly as "folky" as the name implies, it ranges from world to folk to - well, this year Arrested Development closed the Friday night (Yes - they are still together!). Mostly I go down there with a bunch of friends, bring some bevvies and park it on the beach with a few thousand other people. It's pretty much the best people watching of the year. Aged hippies mix with earnest eco-youngsters, Kootenay queens, hoopers, families and people just generally letting their freak flag fly. The main stage faces out to the inlet and you can hear everything, just a wire fence separates those who paid to get in from those who sit on the beach for free.

Went down on Sunday by myself and it was lovely. I was leaning against the wire fence watching Veda Hille and others perform The Craigslist Contata, when a rather cut dude with gangsta tats walked straight up to me and offered me a free wristband to get into the festival. I was a bit confused. Me? (gingham summer dress)... taking a wristband from you? (tattoos, ripped, and SILVER TOOTH)?

Gah - OK - thanks!

So for the first time ever, I went *inside* the fence!
I'm happy to report that there is nothing but magic and unicorns and rainbows inside the perimeter of that wire fence. Also some more hula hoops, plus a beer garden. Pretty much heaven.

I had wanted to see The Great Lake Swimmers close out the Sunday night on the small stage - so - perfect!

Sorry about the crotch shot at the end. I don't know how to edit video on my computer!

www.buenostyle.com

One super fantastic thing about living in Vancouver is that you can cycling around all weekend & head to all the free stuff going on. I swear people who call Vancouver "No Fun City" just haven't been on a bike for a long time.

Two weekends ago, a bunch of us rode over to the west side for Greek Fest. Admission; Free. We managed to stuff our faces with souvlaki, beer, tiropita, baklava, tsatsiki, frapés and topped it all off with a rum ball or two. Free, no, but surprisingly affordable. The resulting belly ache was free though.
This past weekend was especially eventful because our good friend Jessica is gracing us with a rare visit. She's been in Kuwait and more recently Istanbul working as an international teacher and her last visit back was 3 years ago. It's been quite facinating to hear her stories and I've been bombarding her with questions about living in Kuwait as a western woman. Basically it blows. Istanbul is a much better fit for her.

Anywho... After consuming bacon and both breakfast and lunch, I loaned Jess my other bike and we headed off to Jazzfest in Gastown. Cost; Free. Ok, to be honest, there wasn't a whole lot of music we wanted to hang around for, we mostly heard the noodley-noodley jazz type of music that makes me cringe. So we grabbed a beer and met up with Jess's friend Mary - also an international teacher formerly based in Thailand.

It was such a nice day we decided to grab some bevvies and head to this little spot on a pier in Coal Harbour. As we were sitting there with our cocktails, a wedding party getting their photos taken stopped right in front of us.From June to September, you can go to any beach in Vancouver and you will be guaranteed to run into wedding parties getting photos done. I guess it happens in a lot of big, picturesque cities, but I've always found it odd, (yet entertaining).

The guy in the background is not looking impressed.

On Sunday, it was another nice day so we decided to ride to Third Beach via the classic ride around the Stanley Park seawall. Jess said it had been probably 7 years since she'd done that. Cost; Free.

As we're all laying there in various states of suntanning . . . suddenly a wedding party . . . getting their photos taken. Odd. But entertaining.

Main St. Car Free Fest. It ruled.

The Car Free Festivals are a somewhat new phenomenon in Vancouver. It started about 4 years ago on Commercial Drive and was such a huge success that they've migrated to other neighborhoods around the city. Streets are shut down to cars in 4 different 'hoods now.

Car Free Day happened Sunday June 14th and it was a blast! I didn't even get to see it all, as I was set up at 17th and Main for the Blim market along with about 40 other vendors selling my stuff. But with Main St. shut down from Broadway all the way up to 25th, there was crazy festiveness in the air and all the passerby's were in a fantastic mood!
I was happy to see Carol from Cheese and Chutney (and her lovely partner Keith) setting up beside me. I used to work with Carol one summer at the Farmer's Market. These days, she's making the cutest little "Cuddle Cups" - how adorable are these? She hand-throws them on the pottery wheel, and uses recycled wool sweaters to make the wee bands around the centre. You can't see it in the photo, but there's a textured area underneath the wool band so it won't slip off. Smart design. Plus, you can take off the wool cozie and pop it in the wash if you spill on it. These are a new item for Cheese and Chutney, so they're not available on-line yet. They ARE available at; Kingsmill Pottery Shop on Granville Island, 1620 Johnston St. They will also be at the Harmony Arts Fest in Ambleside, West Van, July 31st, August 1,2,3. Or you can email her at cheeseandchutney1@gmail.com.

The Blim market shut down at 6pm, but the Street Fest went until 8pm, so I was able to catch up with some friends, watch some live music and DJ's, and be entertained by some really wasted hipsters so ironic that one of them was on roller blades. They ended up on the pavement and started drawing on one of their friends with sidewalk chalk. Apparently it really tickles.

If you haven't come out to one of the Car Free Day neighbourhoods yet, try to come out next year. It's a great way to connect with the community, has great people watching and free entertainment. What's not to love?


www.buenostyle.etsy.com

Cheap Date 2

Descending into the Salvation Army Thrift Store "As Is" basement is like descending into a combination of a garbage dump, thrift store, and Night of the Living Dead.

It's the place where all the stuffed animals, chipped pottery, and unloved cassette tapes go to die. It's also the place to unearth the occasional piece of genuine treasure. Located on 12th ave near Main St in Vancouver, it's been the source for hours upon hours of free/cheap entertainment for moi. It's about 97% crap with a silver lining.

In my opinion, it's also one best people watching & conversation eavesdropping places in Vancouver. Average, middle aged bargain hunters mix with Main St. hipsters, new immigrants, single moms and dads - a true cultural cross section.

There are a couple of suggestions for activities:

• If it's your first visit, jump right in! Don't be afraid to dig through layers to find hidden treasure. Underneath that tinfoil turkey pan may lurk the collectible item you've been searching for!

• Be careful of broken glass and shards of sharp pottery. The staff in the "as is" department do not care that small children and the elderly regularly sift through boxes squeaking with glass bowls rubbing against each other. It's survival of the fittest down there. And that's why the staff wear leather gloves.

• If it's a return visit - it's fun to set up a small contest. Something like setting up the cutest or creepiest diorama, or who can find the strangest object that no one has any idea what it could be used for. I once saw a guy who was re-organizinig all the vinyl records so that all the same albums were the front of all the displays. So there was about 7 Barbara Streisands covers, 5 Neil Diamond, etc. That guy rocked!

On my last visit there I actually scored the perfect picture frame for my booth display. I have been looking for this type of frame for about a year - and there it was! It's that really light, plaster or plastic (?) kind which is great for looking ornate, but still keeping the weight down. (Important when you are lugging stuff around!). There it was in a random box with a discarded typewriter just waiting for me. Crazy.

I spent about 1 and a half hours there and spent exactly $8.00! Now that's a cheap date. It's fun to go on your own as well - you don't even need a date.

Cheap Date

As an independent designer, I'm usually 2 steps away from being broke, so I'm always on the lookout for ways to amuse/entertain myself and others on a low budget. Welcome to the first installment of Cheap Date - with many more posts to come.

My first Cheap Date is also my current favorite: Taking the False Creek Ferry to Granville Island. Seriously! It's like a mini vacation - like being a tourist in your own town. But please note: there are a few "rules" to adhere to.

1. It is essential that this Cheap Date takes place in the winter months when the ferries and Granville Island are not overrun by hoards of tourists.

2. Remember to bring your own shopping bag because you *will* end up buying something at the market

3. Bring your own mug with some hot chai or coffee to sip on the journey. If you are feeling especially frisky, you many want to "spike" the chai with some rum. Just saying.

4. Bring your camera. Remember, you are a tourist.

Now, we live in East Van (OK just barely - Ontario St.), so we go down to the Science World ferry dock. You can also catch the wee ferry from Yaletown, or the foot of the Cambie St. bridge. Check here for the schedule.

It costs $9.00 return from Science world to Granville Island. Once you hop on the ferry you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery from the unique perspective of the water. Unless you have a boat, or friends with a boat, most people never get to see the city from this perspective. This is what it's all about.

On the way, you can get a great view of the new twisty condo development designed by Arthur Erikson. It's pretty rad.

The last mini-vacation I took was when Van City was socked in with all that fog. It was sunny when we left Science World and then we coasted into the mists! Very dramatic.


After about 20 minutes, you'll land at Granville Island near the back entrance to the Public Market. I usually hit the Net Loft first for some browsing/inspiration at the Circle Craft Gallery. Then window shop at Dream. Then if I'm looking for dinner inspiration, a little browsing at Barbara Jo's Books to Cooks.

If you're feeling adventurous and want to expand your pallet, wander over to Railspur Alley where you can experience a sake tasting from Canada’s first fresh premium artisan sake making studio. It think it only cost about $3.00 for a tasting of their 3 different premium sakes. This sake is nothing like the crappy hot sake they serve in most sushi places - trust me! it's more like a fine wine.

You can wander around the Island all afternoon, checking out everything from glass blowing to the free art gallery at Emily Carr. Plus, there's a lot of free entertainment / buskers even in the winter. If you're not too broke, toss them a few loonies.

After you've had your fill of wandering, head over to the public market to pick up some ingredients for dinner. There's everything you need right at your fingertips. Some favorites of mine are Oyama Sausage Co.

and the South China Seas Trading Company.

Take all your goodies over to the ferry dock and relax on the journey back. I always find it a bit depressing stepping back into the real world after these mini vacations. Especially having to get on the bus at the Main St./Sky Train station. Bleah. Oh well, until next time!