How Strangers Talk At Vancouver Dinner Parties

Parties on the West Coast are no different than the rest of the world. Every conversation is a screening process: A way to see where you fit in, and where your agendas lie. If you have come to terms with this, you were probably born and raised into cosmopolitan living. You accept the reality of any big city.  Vancouver’s no different once you learn the nuances.

In Vancouver, this is how strangers talk at dinner parties:

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“So, are you from around here?”

“Yeah. I live in Vancouver.”

“Where.”

Notice that. That’s the subtle difference between Canadians and the rest of the world. Normally, if you are trading pleasantries at a gathering anywhere from Hong Kong to New York, the first question someone will ask is ‘What do you do?’ Canadians see themselves as a little more “polite” than that. However, when it comes to Vancouver, asking your exact location in the city is equally insidious.

Where you live means everything. It will tell them if you are successful. It will tell them if you are cool. It will infer if you lean towards yoga or the arts or whether you dress your dog. It will guide their judgment as to whether they like you or not. Location is everything.

One question: “Where?”

So. What do you usually say? Uh, Burnaby, actually. Do you confess your New Westminster address? Or that your parents are paying for your place, their place, in Kits? You are a prisoner in Coal Harbour? It’s awkward.

Or do you spout off one of the coolest addresses in the whole city.

“I live off Broadway and Main.”

Expect pursed lip and a single nod. It’s a hip location. And anyone who knows the city will respect your choice. They might even feel a little out-cooled by you. That’s okay, though. See the next question.

In Vancouver, it’s all about first reactions to street names. It’s shallow, sure, but it’s how it goes. In Vancouver you will be judged 100% on where you live, way before what kind of job you have or what kind of car you drive. It’s the way it is.

Here’s how the rest of that conversation will carry out.

“Cool. So what do you do?”

They will expect you to work in media, or film, or graphic arts. They might expect an architect or other creative professional. Even an internship. It doesn’t matter. They’re looking for passion and a willingness to break away from the mundane.

It’s easy to meet likeminded friends when you live at the right place.

The location says it all.

Now it’s time to pull out the big guns. That is, if you don’t like their line of questioning.

Ask them where they live. “Where?”

And follow it up with, “Oh, is that a new building?”

The Bedbug Registry

Did you know that Vancouver is going through a bedbug epidemic? Yep. It’s disgusting. A large percentage of the old buildings in the city are infested with these wretched creatures. If you catch bedbugs, you need to notify your landlord, your strata, and your neighbours. Everyone. You need to knock door-to-door and tell people you are ridden with diseased insects. You become a pariah. Whole wardrobes, bed sets and interior designs – of neighbours – have been laid to waste from one unfortunate tenant.

It’s a sore spot in Vancouver. Not something you find in new homes. But if they’re holding Coal Harbour’s view of the Esso sign over your head – it might be worth mentioning.

If you are curious if a home is host to the creepy crawlies, there is a convenient website that will let you check any address. www.bedbugregistry.com

Note – there are many prestigious addresses on this record, including the Shangri-La downtown.

If you are not in a new building, there is no guarantee that you will be free of the bugs.

You have a Smartphone. Next time someone mentions they’re living right downtown where the action is. Ask, Where?

Downtown is Dead

Have you been to Coal Harbour or Downtown after dark. One word: Boring! Investors from overseas buy these properties. It seems like prime real estate. The reality is: no kid in their right mind would ever want to be caught dead in Coal Harbour or the Financial District. It is the epitome of boring and uncool.

The most well-established movers and shakers in the city are envious of SoMa.

creativEVANcouver

The Place for Creative Professionals

Artists collect near Main. This is their thinking: 

“This place has funky restaurants, our home base afterhours, that skinny bar with the deer heads on the walls, and the revolutionary joint? They’re all steps away. Things happen at noon. Things happen at three in the morning. ‘Don’t miss your Skytrain!’ is what everybody says. Not us. No how."

On Main, everyone’s welcome that does something, anything, somewhat, expressive. Got a record collection? A camera? Do you paint? The light is great. The vibe is good. The people are chill. Evan Livingston loves talent. You want to stay here? You're welcome.

EVAN Living On Your Terms

Evan could be just your place to spend an afternoon painting your toenails different colours in the bathtub, hanging your fork and spoon collection all over your walls, or raising sea monkeys without abandon.

A place for creative minds takes all types. 

There are those who think nothing but lifting weights and painting plants. 

The sculptor slash thinker.

Then there’s the recluse from the neighbours. He works at a law firm, wears a suite and tie, only to surprise you all after having his screenplay made into an HBO special. That's they type you'll find here.

EVAN could inspire magic. It's where creativity and Vancouver collide. It's a place to mix and mingle among others who share the same wild artistic ambitions.

Do you feel at home with creative professionals: Architects, Advertising Creatives, Renowned Artists, Designers, Home Stagers, Writers, Actors and Film & Television folk?

Then you'll feel at home at Evan.

No SkyTrain Curfew

Main is close to everything: great bars, the B-line, record stores, vegan haunts, and pop-up artistic collectives. If you work downtown, no problem, it’s easy to get home. Want a night out? There are great bars and restaurants and afterhours clubs all around you. If you want to go dancing or check out a show downtown, there's no need to watch the clock. If you miss the Skytrain, who cares? Welcome to life in the pulse.

Homes at EVAN start at $325,900 The price is perfectly set to welcome busy professionals who can’t be bothered with an excessive commute. There are way better things to do than stand cramped on a bus, or breathing fumes on the freeway. Time is best spent doing the things you enjoy. And let’s face it, Main is fun. It’s hip, whimsical, and most importantly close. It’s your nearby, happening, place to be.

EVAN would like you to meet some of your kind.
Be yourself.
Live on your own terms.
You’ll have fun here.
No need for a car.

LOCATION
1908 Scotia Street Is one block from 2nd and Main.
 Click here for a map.

ENJOY!
Nine-foot giant-friendly ceilings.
A Common Artist Space to meet likeminded souls.
Efficient layouts designed for maximum natural light, if photography is your thing, or sculpting subjects, or a mint herb garden - that too.

CONTACT
info@evanliving.com or 604.872.0331
www.evanliving.com

The Epicentre of Cool

Have you ever heard of Vice Magazine?

It’s a phenomenon unto itself. There is no other magazine/online mag that is represents the truth like Vice. At least the truth for young, hip and hard to categorize people. Vice is about going on ridiculous and daring missions. As well as stupid stunts. And just looking blank-faced at the strangest nonsense in our world. It’s about dissecting entrenched ideals and what they really mean. It’s about peeling back hardened armour around sensitive taboos and poking fingers where they don’t belong.

In sum, it is a magazine that speaks to anyone 25-45 who has any kind of desire to live as an individual. It’s about rock and roll.

Vice is a Canadian magazine. It has a circulation of almost a million readers worldwide, but its strongholds are in New York, London, Montreal and Toronto. Nothing in Vancouver so far.

However, tumbling down that rabbit hole it’s not surprising that the hippest of hipzines may one day open an office out west.

If the most interesting, most compelling, most up-to-the-minute magazine for youth culture were to appear in Vancouver, where do you think that would be?

Definitely not downtown. Too square. Too boring.

Commercial is too full of hippies with their own agendas.

Kitsilano has no clue.

Main. Only Main is tapped in enough to understand a worldwide phenomenon of cool.

South Main. Main and Broadway and lower down the slope. That’s where the wild ones are.

If Vice were to open an office here, there is no doubt it would be in SoMa.

Main Street is the coolest. There’s no getting around it. And if you want to live where the pulse is, you need to check out Evan.

Here's a video about the time they snuck into North Korea!

Why Rent?

Did you know there are many advantages to being a first-time new home buyer?

There are government grants that can award you up to $10,000.

If you, as a couple, make less than $175,000 per year, you could win the whole shebang.

Just a few criteria. 1. This must be your first home. 2. The home must be new, or at least 90% renovated. (Ahem, Evan, ahem.) 3. You are residents of BC.

There are a few more examples they talk about on this website: First Time New Home Buyers' Criteria.

Not only can you get a big chunk of that 5% downpayment taken care of with this new grant, you can also enjoy the fact that you don't need to pay Transfer Tax on a New Home as a First-time Home Buyer.

That can save you an additional $6500 per year in taxes.

With mortgage rates at an incredibly low rate, it is possible to own a one-bedroom apartment at Evan for the same price that you are spending on your downtown crash pad.

Note those two little words: to own.

Now is the time to register for VIP access, simply log on to www.evanliving.com and click 'VIP access'. You could own a new home for as little as $269,900 per year.

A few benefits of owning at Evan:

1. It's a small community that's big on features.
2. It's close to downtown - no SkyTrain curfew.
3. 9' ceilings. Great if you are used to basement suites.
4. Lots of natural light.
5. Close to Main Street and all of the amenities of the hippest place in Vancouver.
6. Shared artist space - so you can meet and collaborate with other artistic minds on projects.
7. It's probably cheaper than your rent if you live somewhere cool.

Here’s What They’re Saying About Main Street

South Main Street (SoMa) has come a long way in the last twenty years to become one of the hippest places in all of Vancouver. It’s been a full-fledged cultural revolution with sleepy antique stores suddenly getting funky indie boutiques as neighbours, and crusty bars like the Biltmore getting a full-on makeover to become the place to be for live indie music.

Kingsgate (Sketchgate) mall was once a place to avoid at all costs. Now it’s surrounded by amazing sushi restaurants, more than four pho joints, and interesting local coffee shops named after philosophers. The once-industrial area lower than Broadway has undergone a radical shift as well. The dealerships and TV repair places have now all been replaced with galleries, vegan eateries, hip bars, and coffee shops.

Just by walking west on Broadway, you’ll find some of the best outdoor outfitters in the world, all nestled in a row, just waiting to rent you snowshoes, or hook you up with kayak gear, or those Vibram five-finger shoes. There’s a print shop, two Indian restaurants, and even a place to work on your tan.

The area has changed a lot since the nineties. And it keeps on evolving.  But don’t just take our word for how cool Main Street has become. This is what the papers are saying.

The Vancouver Sun has praised the cultural gems of Vancouver’s East Side Cultural Crawl, where artists and artisans showcase their wares and offer a rare glimpse into their studios. It’s a step into another world, one where art and ambition intersect.

In another article, Sun talks about the rare finds you can get at the antique shops along Main. In one example, a man bought a Tiffany lamp, and sold it soon after at Sothebys for a $53,000 profit.

News 1130 raved about the Main Street Vinyl Record Fair on East 17^th. Here you can buy, sell, or trade your vinyl records with other DJs and retro enthusiasts.

And finally, just a few months ago, the Vancouver Sun ran an article about how the modern meets vintage feel of Southern Main made it one of the friendliest neighbourhoods in Vancouver.

So, is Evan a great place to live? Don’t ask us. Ask the neighbours.

Vegan Restaurants Near Evan

One of the best things about Main Street is its restaurants 

Main has something to cater to every appetite and lifestyle. In subsequent posts we'll talk about all of the great pho places (there are four on Broadway alone), Chinese food restaurants, sushi joints (Sushi Yama on Broadway is fantastic), and even Singaporean, Indian and Jamaican - all within walking distance of Evan.

But for now, let's talk about one thing that really makes SoMa unique. Its vegan restaurants. Even if you are not a vegan yourself, it's fun to try something different. And if you are vegan, you won't need to worry about haunting the same place every night. There are plenty of delicious options.

One Block Away

Kranky Kafe - is actually more vegetarian, but they have many vegan and gluten-free options, and they are like, one block away.

Two Blocks From Evan

Cafe Nuba - Offers authentic vegan Lebanese cuisine. They are on 146 E. 3rd Ave.

Three Blocks From Evan

Organic Lives - This amazingly healthy restaurant even takes vegan a step further, offering a raw food menu.

Four Blocks From Evan

The Foundation on 2301 Main Street is mere steps from Evan. Licenced and open until 1 am, it is a great meeting place for likeminded folks that prefer the same watering holes.

Budgie Burritos on 44 Kingsway offers delicious vegan burritos. The vibe is cool. And the staff are tapped into the scene.

The Wallflower on 2420 Main Street is a funky place that will take you back to 1969. The music is great, the walls are cool, and the menu is split between vegan and otherwise.

Five Blocks From Evan

Then we get into a few Indian restaurants that have vegan dishes such as Nirvana and the Chutney Villa as well as the Rhizome Cafe a few steps further.

Also, if you want to jump on your bike and go a little farther than a measly five blocks, there are literally dozens of vegan options for you along Main Street and down Broadway.

Affordable Living!

And who said that there is no affordable housing in cool places in Vancouver?

Evan Living offers modern, artistic apartments starting from $264,000. In fact 90 percent of its suites are being sold at less than $325,900. That is fantastic value for one of the most sought-after areas of Vancouver, South Main.

Main is famous for its diversity of restaurants, from pho, to sushi, to Thai and even Jamaican. It has revolutionary vegan haunts, burrito stands, and The Whip has great music, burgers and ambiance.

It is also known for its cafe culture. There are cafes narrow enough for only one or two people, surrounded in a sea of glass windows. Some have fireplaces. Some have blue-haired baristas.

Then there are the indie clothing stores. The thrift shops. And antique stores everywhere to add something unique to your apartment.

The nightlife of Main street is fantastic as well. Cool new hipster spots like the Revel Room, the Cascade Room, and Habit make for a trendy date or night with friends. And then there's the artistic Narrow Bar one block from Evan, which certainly lives up to its name.

And not to mention the patios. Once the sun comes out in the spring, all of East Main is alive with sunny revelers enjoying chilled libations in the sunshine.

To find out more about Evan, register for a sneak peek at info@evanliving.com