Museum of Vancouver

Between the extravagant exterior and the highly official-sounding name, I imagined the Museum of Vancouver to be as extensive as The Museum of the City of New York or even The British Museum. But the MOV turned out to be more humble than I expected. I wasn’t disappointed, per se, and in fact I quite enjoyed it, but…

Review: Love on the Road 2015

What it is: Love on the Road 2015 is an anthology that collects the winning short stories from the Love on the Road international writing contest. The stories all loosely revolve around love, although some are dark and tragic while others are light-hearted and fleeting. What I liked about it: There’s a lot of diversity of topics and characters…

Feeling The Wanderlust Again

I was raised to be a traveler–I’ve been to 15 countries in my 19 years–but I’m naturally a homebody. Most days I’d rather enjoy the quiet comforts of home than go out exploring, and I feel like I have a “home quota” that I must fill in order to feel normal. But sometimes I find myself…

First Poetry Open Mic

“Next on our open mic…Sabina!!”  I grabbed the crumpled sheet of paper at my feet and stood up, practically tripping over the emcee as I walked up to the stage. “This is my first time reading,” I said, and the crowd responded by cheering and waving their “Muppet Arms” excitedly in the air, a tradition…

Review: I’ll Give You The Sun

What it is: I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson is a young adult novel about twins and talented artists Jude and Noah. The two start off extremely close, but challenges in adolescence (including family, spirituality, romance, betrayal, and death) cause tension as they compete with each other. Meanwhile, they must discover their artistic selves and navigate…

Industry + Art: Granville Island

It’s a well-known photography tip that scheduling shoots around sunrise and sunset will often yield gorgeous soft light, and yet most people neglect the first hours of the day because they’re so early. Waking up with the sun, especially during summer months, feels wrong. The streets are deserted, all the shops are closed, and suddenly each breath and click…

Why Walking Tours Are a Traveler’s Best Friend

For me, no trip is complete without a walking tour. Here’s why: It orients you. Especially if you do the tour early in your trip, it establishes some sense of direction in an unfamiliar place, which will be immensely helpful when you inevitably take a wrong turn later. It introduces you to people. Tours are made up…