Lying between bustling downtown business hubs and Stanley Park, Vancouver’s West End is a very special neighbourhood. It’s a place where birds sing and heritage houses become museums, community facilities, and B&Bs. Cherry blossoms line the streets in early spring, tulips pop out in late April, and a lush green canopy hangs over roadways throughout [...]

Being a West End resident for the last six years, I’ve been watching the gold and brown Pacific Palisades towers undergo a transformation. I don’t cover real estate development often, but it’s been interesting to see the Robson and Jervis based hotel buildings (circa the 1960s) shift into rental properties. Now owned by Austeville Properties, [...]

About a month ago, I wrote a profile on Vancouver-based actor April Telek, fresh off the heels of winning the Leo Award for Best Actress for her performance in the feature film Amazon Falls, directed by Vancouver-based Katrin Bowen. I just found out that the critically-acclaimed film will be playing at the Denman Cinemas this [...]

Vancouver Pride Week kicks off Saturday July 23 and will finish off with the Pride Parade (one of North America’s largest). Drawing over half a million people to events, festivities, and the parade downtown each year, it’s one of the region’s most-anticipated celebrations. Vancouver Pride Week There’s much more to Pride Week than the Pride [...]

In just a few days Vancouver will celebrate the largest patriotic party the city has ever seen. At any given time, during those two to four weeks in February of 2010, you could catch a round of “O Canada” being belted out in arenas, at SkyTrain stations, and walking down the street. While the tune [...]

Last summer Maxine’s Hideaway in the West End closed its doors to make room for a 21-storey apartment building that will be going in at Davie and Bidwell. While many recently knew it as a restaurant lounge (as Balthazar) or a cabaret, the small structure’s past has a big story to tell. Photo credit: Photocat62 [...]

I have been a resident of Vancouver’s West End for the last five years and it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I found out about a hotel on the corner of Denman and Robson. Discretely advertised yet prominently located, Time Square Suites caters to extended stays with all the comforts of home. Photo [...]

Barclay Heritage Square is probably my favourite urban oasis in Vancouver’s West End and this year its centrepiece, Barclay Manor, is also a haunted house. The haunted house tour runs Friday October 29th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm and Saturday October 30th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Admission is $3 per person or $10 for a family [...]

The first annual West End Fest takes over the West End Community Centre September 10th. This event will combine family fun (bouncy castle included) as well as a beer garden and live music stage. The best part is, it’s also a fundraiser for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. The line up so far includes: 6:00pm – [...]

The Davie Day Street Festival in Vancouver’s West End takes place Saturday September 11th. Davie Street will be closed from Burrard to Broughton for a full day of family-friendly entertainment and activities. This giant block party will feature a main stage for live acts, a market, and plenty of food from the restaurants along the [...]