We recently organized a group walking tour in Mount Pleasant which included a bit of food, some libations as well as some local culture. We thought we’d share with you some of the spots we hit and in what order for those that wish to replicate some or all of the spots we hit in whatever order you see fit. Geographically, we started South on Main Street and worked our way North down the hill. We have listed out below all of our stops along the way with some alternate suggestions for those that wish to customize the list to their personal preferences. We had a blast on this tour and, of course, the local businesses, loved new faces being introduced to the products/services they offered. 
So enough of the preliminaries, let’s get touring. Our first stop was at 49th Parallel/Lucky’s Doughnuts at Main Street & 13th Avenue for great coffee and donuts. We were a group of 10, so lots of space on their outdoor patio for a larger group as well as inside. After coffee, we headed to Bird On A Wire Creations which is packed with so much great stuff by BC artisans and local makers. If you need to find a gift for someone, there’s a good chance you will find something here. If you are at Bird On A Wire on a Saturday, you may find Bouquets by Mary which is a floral pop up within Bird On A Wire Creations. While at Bird On A Wire, we encourage you to pop into another great store literally next door, Much & Little. Much & Little has some very cool items including 
clothing and accessories. Our find, coveted pens that write on glass and plates aptly named Wine Glass Writer. Next stop took us to Sips Cocktail Emporium where one of the owners Darcy is always on hand with advice and suggestions on how to make the prefect cocktail. Next up we headed for lunch and libations at Chicha Restaurant which features delicious
Peruvian food and delicious pisco sours which was a perfect spot for a late lunch/brunch before carrying on. For dessert, we headed over to French Made Baking where you can find an amazing array of macarons, flaky croissants and a variety of sweet treats. Next stop was Dandelion Emporium which again if you are looking for gifts, this is another spot with unique gift ideas. Then of course, right next door was Pulp Fiction Books which had a great selection of books. Next up was some stops across the street to check out a couple of the vintage shops on or near Main Street, F as In Frank and Scout Boutique (MOVED) whilst another group stopped into RX Comics. After that everyone got thirsty, so we made our way to Brassneck Brewery which was a great spot, but as a larger group, we did have to wait for a bit which we were fine with, but it’s a popular spot for those not wishing to wait. As many may know, there is quite a hub of craft breweries in this area, so there are a number of other great options including 33 Acres Brewing, Main Street Brewing & R&B Brewing which will soon also be an ale and pizza house. Our next intended stop was Beta 5 Chocolates which if you didn’t know makes world class chocolates and hosts Ice Cream Socials on the weekends in the summer months. We apparently spent some time hanging out in the brewery, so they were closed by the time we were ready to go. So we carried on to other two sweet spots. Firstly, Cartems Donuts which was literally a few feet from Brassneck Brewery and then down to Earnest Ice Cream at Quebec & 2nd to finish things off. Of course, if you prefer gelato, Mario’s Gelati isn’t far at 1st and Quebec. For those trying to figure out timing, we started our day about 11:30 am and finished up about 6:00 pm, but it was a leisurely day of wandering and catching up with friends and introducing them to some of the things I love about East Van. We invite you to do your own self-guided tour and visit as many of the spots noted above, they are all worth stopping in to see.
n interesting event is happening at the 
In case you hadn’t heard the news, Grandview Woodlands has a delicious new spot coming in the next few weeks. The second location of 
In case you hadn’t heard the news, The Italian Cultural Centre now has it’s very own outdoor brick pizza oven which had its inaugural run on June 17th. The pizza oven is located at the Italian Cultural Centre’s outdoor space which is adjacent to Beaconsfield Park. Within easy view is their still fairly new community garden and a playground for the wee ones. So we were pleased to hear about this collaborative event coming on August 17th called Good Grains which incorporates many things we love. The event is being billed as a celebration of pizza and beer and is a collaboration between FarmFolk, City Folk, the Bauta Initiative, the Italian Cultural Centre and East Van’s newest brewery, Luppolo. The evening event will give you an opportunity to meet local grain growers, hand-mill flour, take a peak at a demo size brewer and best of all eat and drink local. This is a family friendly event that gets under way at 6:00 pm. Early bird tickets are available for $20 (until July 21st) after which they will be $25 person, save for children which are $5. Tickets are available directly the Italian Cultural Centre at 604.430.3337, or you can purchase them 
On Thursday, July 28th, Homestead Junction is hosting a workshop that will take you through what you need to do this fall to ensure your bee garden blooms next year. They will take you through which bulbs, seeds and shrubs are best planted in the fall. You will have actual hands on experience processing seeds for planting and you will get to take seeds home to use or share with other gardeners. If you have specific questions on how to support/encourage bees in your neighbourhood, you are invited to bring your questions with you. The class is led by Lori Weidenhammer who is the author of 
A fun new show called the Best of Everything begins a short run at the 
Welcome to the next installment of Rescue Me in which we feature pets waiting for adoption at the 
Are you good at reading people? Do you think you can spot a liar a mile away? Well now you can find out, in a rather fun way. A new monthly show is coming to 
So we’ve recently learnt about a great new project which is a collaboration between 
ILiveInEastVan.com 