Not Just for the Cultural Elite

Vancouver is a tough city. No, it isn't an exceptionally large city, nor is it hard to navigate. Vancouver is often referred to as "bland", or by it's unofficial title, "no fun city". As a true-blue Vancouverite -- born and raised -- I can attest to the city's unfortunate lack of stimulation.

I have spent time in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto. These cities are truly places that never sleep, chock-full of gallery openings, trendy nightspots (where you couldn't get in even if you sacrificed your first born child), festivals, book launch parties, hot new restaurants. Here in Vancouver we tend to affect a snide, hip posturing towards those cities. We view them as cold, upper-class, part of the high culture coterie. In other words, those big fancy cities are for the cultural elite.

Well folks, I am going to dispel this idea that Vancouver is void of anything other than Canucks hockey games and pot smoking rallies. When I said this is a tough city, I meant that it is tough to find events to take part in. Culture is hidden and you have to dig deep to find it, but it is there. So ladies and gentlemen, my new job is to hit up all the places you have not been to, may have thought about going to -- but were afraid your Birkenstocks and dreadlocks wouldn't fit in -- and create a little space here in the Vancouver-blogosphere solely for high culture and medium culture (and perhaps a little low culture too if you're good).

Follow me as I attend book launch parties, poetry readings, night clubs, plays, art galleries, film festivals. All these events can be for everyone. Trust me, you do not need to be a Park Avenue Princess to infiltrate and enjoy something culturally stimulating. So stop being an outsider and be a cultural insider. Your city awaits!