Tag: Vancouver

Game of Thrones night at Storm Crow

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Hey guys!

So tonight I went to Storm Crow Tavern for a Game of Thrones season 2 premiere thingy they were doing! I did a post about Storm Crow a while back, but I haven’t been back for quite a while. They’ve upped their game in terms of decor, and the board game selection tripled/quadrupled in size! If you’re into geeky stuff, definitely go check them out. They’ve probably got something on the wall catering to any fandom (I know there’s a Doctor Who wall, Game of Thrones stuff scattered throughout, Star Wars, and today I saw a Minecraft pickaxe). Even if you’re not particularly into a certain game or TV show, it’s still great to admire the effort they’ve put into curating and decorating their walls! Also, they’ve got the best selection of board games in Vancouver (there are about five sets of Cards Against Humanity, and plenty of Settlers of Catan amongst many others). Beware that certain games are missing parts to them such as their instruction booklet or game pieces.

Their menu also grew quite a bit. I remember when it was just a one page piece of paper, and you had a choice between four main dishes. Now you’ve got pages of food to cater to all your cravings. Their drinks menu has seen a similar growth.

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The Romulan Ale we ordered.

Now on to Game of Thrones night. They will be hosting a Game of Thrones episode showing every Sunday for the next while. Today, we had some games such as trivia, and a quick contest. Prizes such as tickets to a Game of Thrones improv show and $25 gift cards to Storm Crow were given out.

Season two!

Season two!

Here’s some tips on what you should do in order to actually get seats at the pub. My friend and I met at 5:00PM and then got to Storm Crow at 5:30PM. They put out a sign saying that the 6:00PM showing was full and that we could put down our name to see that 8:00PM showing. So we did that. We were told to come back at around 7, but it took a good half hour for the first showing’s patrons to exit the establishment. People tried to wait in line outside, but soon realized that they were only letting in people who were on the reservation list. Keep in mind that they did not take reservations before their first showing filled up, so I’m not sure how the future Game of Thrones showings will be like! As we were part of the later 8:00PM show, we were allowed to stay afterwards. The earlier people had to clear out as soon as their showing was done. Nonetheless, it was fun to watch the premiere with a group of other people who were into the show! The first episode did a great job to re-establish the character’s stories after our break from them!

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CAH with friendly strangers 🙂

After the episode ended, we moved on to playing board games. We ended up asking two other groups of people to play with us. We settled on Cards Against Humanity! All in all, it was a fun night! It’s quite a bit of hassle to secure a spot at the pub, but I’d definitely do it again some time in the future. Hopefully for the season finale?

– Karen

ECCC 2014: Another year of slacking off right before finals

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Hey all,

It’s the end of March and you know what that means (just kidding, pretty sure if you do know, you’re definitely in the minority)… EMERALD CITY COMICON!

Hurray for 5AMbussing.

Hurray for 5AMbussing.

A group of my friends and I managed to take some time off and bus to Seattle again for the con. We were very tactical with the whole thing. We stayed over at one person’s house so we could taxi off to the Greyhound station early Saturday morning. We had to wake up at 4:30AM in order to get dressed, and get to Pacific Central at 5:30. I think that was possibly the earliest I’ve woken up for something before. Anyway, the plan was for M, Mal, and I to bus down to Seattle first and be at the convention for both Saturday and Sunday, while our other friends with the car would drive down on Sunday and take us home with them.

My friend M was actually sick during the trip, so it was a little worrying for me and Mal. But overall, it was so much fun! It was quite different from last year because although there wasn’t a main celebrity that was on my bucket list of people I wanted to meet (unlike Misha Collins last year), I did meet a few celebrities that I respected  a lot!

Day 1

The first day was a hectic rush to get to the actual convention centre. We got off the bus, ran to the hotel, then took a taxi to the centre. A wave of nostalgia rushed through me when I walked through the front doors and saw the three sets of escalators that took all the guests to the main event floor. A banner read “Welcome to Emerald City Comicon” and I almost wanted to cry. I had such a great experience last year (albeit some issues with the line ups and such) that I didn’t realize how much I missed it.

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I dressed up as Castiel from Supernatural again on the first day, except a different version of the trench coat. I am actually so happy that my mom likes making these things.

The day was spent buying arts, tshirts, and geeked out assorted goodies. We watched Mark Sheppard’s panel (from Supernatural), and Osric Chau (also from the show) showed up to ask Mark a question. We later caught up with him to have a chat and take photos with him. Osric is honestly such a nice guy, and despite being tired, he was very accommodating to the fans! The convention had told him he would have to keep moving or else he’d cause a traffic jam, and he kept his word, but allowed fans to take selfies with him while walking. We spent some time helping him located a vendor who would sell a machete so that he could complete his cosplay (Glenn from The Walking Dead), but upon not being able to find one, he ripped one out of cardboard.

Osric Chau cosplaying as Glenn!

Osric Chau cosplaying as Glenn!

I ran into some old friends that I met from Emerald City last year. I cannot believe the lasting friendships I’ve managed to make just from conventions. (Shoutout to Delaney because we managed to run into each other on both days!!! And her cosplays are awesome.)

Unlike last year, it felt like I had a lot less time to shop around in the artist alleys and vendors. I suppose having more friends with you will slow everyone down a bit, but at the same time, having more people was so much fun! It was a different experience.

At night, we wanted to eat at the Cheesecake Factory across the street from the convention centre. Upon entering the crowded restaurant, we asked how long we’d have to wait for a table for three. The wait was 1 1/2 hours. We left. Instead, we opted for subs at Jimmy John’s. We tried sleeping earlier that night, and Mal did a great job of that. But M and I were not used to sleeping till around 4AM, so it was hard. I ended up sleeping at one, which was pretty good in my books. And that was day one.

Day 2

Our friends, T, F and B, came down on day 2 and we walked with them from our hotel to the convention centre. First order of business was getting photo op tickets for Karen Gillan. Although only F and I were getting tickets, we all lined up together. These guys 🙂

I wore my Tardis cosplay today, mostly because I wanted to wear it for a picture with Karen Gillan! Amy Pond was probably my favourite companion since I had started with her.

A picture of me with a weeping angel I found wandering around

A picture of me with a weeping angel I found wandering around

 

As a group, we did wander the convention floor, but since the day was only till 5PM and we got to the convention at around 11:30AM, the day was short. We had two panels we had to see (Mark Sheppard and Jim Beaver + Karen Gillan) and we had to go to the hall early to get seats. I still had a lot of things I wanted to buy, but didn’t manage to make it because of how tight schedule was. That was one of the biggest things that struck me this year. With six people travelling together for day 2, time evaporated.

However, I still got to take a picture with Karen. Actually, basically right before our turn, she had to take a quick break  so her smile could relax and she could take a sip of water. F and I stared at her for a good five minutes since we had entered an area that we could actually see her, unlike most of the people still in line. Fangirl.

Karen squared!

Karen squared!

The drive home was…interesting. We stopped by a Jack in the Box for dinner (we felt so american with our burgers that had a ridiculous amount of cheese and meat) and proceeded across the border. That’s when things started to get a little messy due to us getting a little lost. But in the end, we made it out okay! In the car, we were already making plans for next year! I can’t wait!

I’ll follow up this personal post with a shorter, snappier review of the convention (maybe to convince everyone to go?)!

– Karen

Whistler = A Winter Wonderland

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Hey all, I have not been to Whistler for… I’m guessing at least ten years. To be fair, I was actually on another continent for five of those years, but I realized how much I wanted to see it again. It felt like the first time since I barely had any memories of it. It’s reading break and to start off our holiday, two friends and I went to the snow dusted municipality of Whistler. Here’s the thing though: we don’t snowboard or ski– so what is there to do there if you’re both hesitant to slide down the mountain at high speeds, and want to avoid spending a few hundred bucks on rentals? Well, our itinerary was basically the following:

1. Eat

Crepes that looked like it was a paper bag, but tasted delicious
This pie was amazing. Mashed potatoes and mushy peas with a healthy dose of gravy.
Portabello mushroom soup
Mussles in thai coconut soup. I wanted to take a vat of that soup with me
Pad thai cooked without peanuts so I wouldn’t die

2. Toboggan (Would recommend just heading by Canadian Tire and getting your own board. It costs $10 there, and $30 in Whistler)

A pic with some kid who taught us how to properly toboggan :)

A pic with some kid who taught us how to properly toboggan 🙂

3. Skate Photo 2-16-2014, 4 58 29 PM

4. Watch the Sochi Olympics in the square (or in the hotel with a nice can of beer at 9AM in the morning– Yay! We won men’s hockey which was no surprise!) IMG_2846 5. Eat

Those mini donuts are to die for
Fluffliest pancake I’ve had in a while
Tun sandwich = Actual filet of tuna!
Cheese fondue on a cold day is the best

6. Watch shows (x)

Driving around Whistler was beautiful– it looked exactly like a winter wonderland that you would expect to see on Christmas Cards. The snow covered the limbs of trees, framing the green giants. In some areas up there, the snow was so thick and untouched it looked fake! I wish I could bring back the exact image of the environment with me because it was beautiful. But I guess I’ll have to do with just pictures.

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This was more beautiful in person!

Sure, Whistler is cold, but it’s not too bad if you wear a decent amount of clothing. I was fine with a large waterproof jacket and a sweater inside. I would highly recommend not wearing jeans because any contact with the snow will result in you feeling like you wet yourself. This little three day holiday was refreshing in one other aspect as well: we did not wake up till noon every day. We planned everything quite well and knew when we had/should head out to Whistler Village again, so everyone felt well rested! I mean, it has been a while since we could all sleep in. Most of time during vacations, I am forced to wake up early in order to make the most of my time, but I realize that with proper planning, sleep is an option. Hope other fellow UBC students are having a good reading break so far, and that everyone else is enjoying the slow transition from winter to spring! – Karen

Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2014 Kickoff!

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Hey everyone,

So not sure if any of you Vancouverites checked out the kickoff event at Granville Island for Dine Out Vancouver 2014, but it was interesting. I mainly went because my friend and I were going out for lunch anyway, so we just decided to meet at Granville Island instead so we could catch a glimpse of the thing.

The kickoff event was basically FREE SOUP!

The sketchy sign leading me to free soup

The sketchy sign leading me to free soup

They invited 50 chefs to come in and contribute an ingredient for the soup, ending with 50 different ingredients. However, upon closer inspection of the sigh, the 50 ingredients sometimes were quite similar to another one on the list.

I took seconds, since the line had died down a while later. The soup was interesting in taste. It had a tang to it, but there was plenty of stuff to munch on in my cup since they had so many ingredients. I distinctly tasted chorizo, but the other ingredients got lost and muddled together in taste.

While waiting in line, we were serenaded with some live music. I thought this was a neat little event to start off Dine Out!

If you’re in Vancouver, I’d seriously suggest doing Dine Out while it’s happening! It goes on till February 2nd. Restaurants that you otherwise may never think to go into is offering a set menu (well, limited choices anyway) for a fixed price. So you could be dining at Cloud 9, and instead of paying the usual $40 for an entree, you can get a 3 course meal for $28!

The starters

The starters at Whet

Entrees!

Entrees!

I went to Whet on Granville Island last Thursday for Dine Out, and will be going to Hapa Izakaya. When my friends and I chose Whet, we were hesitant. The menu looked so darn good, but their reviews said they had pretty bad service. We took the risk and the dinner and service turned out to be a-ok. I was surprisingly full after the meal!

 

– Karen

EXIT Canada

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Have you ever played escape the room games? If you haven’t here’s one of the first ones that I played way back then. Excuse the graphics because it is quite old, but if you wanted something better in terms of quality, feel free to just Google up something! There are loads of these games.

Basically, an escape the room games places the player in a room. There is usually a locked door, and using clues around the room, you have to work your way through the room to find a key or a passcode which leads you to your freedom.

I found out from a friend a while ago that in Richmond, they made one of these games…in real life. EXIT Canada.

What does this entail? I went a few days ago with my friends. You get to choose which adventure you would want to experience: a sunken ship, an egyptian one, a prison escape, or a laboratory escape. We chose the sunken ship.

I can’t go into details since that would be giving the game away, but you do have to go through more than one room. The room is not big (which is probably why they only allow parties of 6 people max), but I liked it. It is themed around a ship, and when you walk into the first room, you pick up a piece of paper telling you your backstory.

We had to open several locked boxes and such to get the code for the first room, and that included quite a bit of problem solving. You are allowed two hints and we used it all in the first room. We spent a good chunk of our allotted 45 minutes in that first room, so needless to say, we failed the overall challenge. Time really flies by. However, it was definitely an experience!

It’s not the easiest of places to get to, but once you get to Lansdowne station, it’s about a 15 minutes walk away. If you’re carrying stuff, they have storage cupboards for you to drop off your stuff (it locks, and you keep the key for the duration of your game). The staff is nice, and my overall experience was enjoyable. It costs around $23 a person, and the rate of the game goes up overall as you add more people to your group. I didn’t expect the most amazing theatrical experience, and thought that the rooms were well decorated. You reserve your time slot online, but don’t have to pay till you get there. If you’re looking for something new to do, you can go check out EXIT Canada!

-Karen