Graeme Berglund on Bao Bei Addictions and Where to Watch the Sun Go Down While Killing a Tallboy

There's a spot in Vancouver where, every hour on the hour, an eagle feather falls from the sky, says the artist and co-founder of The Cheaper Show.

Vancouver artist and The Cheaper Show co-founder Graeme Berglund

 

Where do the cool people go in Vancouver?

Granville asks in-the-know locals for their go-to eat, drink and be merry spots in our weekly “It People” series

 

Graeme Berglund, artist and co-founder of The Cheaper Show

 

I had a slight addiction to Bao Bei when it opened. From the decor to the location to the food, this place self-legitimizes. More mantou and the baby bok choy, now! 

 

I live near the ghost town known as the Olympic Village, so I like to go down to The Ghats with a few tall cans and a friend and sit on the massive granite slabs that descend into the water, staring at the mountains and watching the sun setting. It’s a great vantage point to see the west encroaching upon the east side with Martin Creed‘s reminder that “EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT.” I call this place The Ghats. 

 

For hanging out in the sun, I like Wreck Beach. The parking is shit, it’s a long bus ride and then you’ve got to walk down a thousand stairs just to get naked. This is enough to deride most, especially the conservative. The reward is a leftist paradise that supplies you with magic cookies and an epic beach. Every hour on the hour, an eagle feather falls from the sky. 

 

I lived in Cyprus years ago for a summer and came to appreciate Middle Eastern cuisine. Ernesto Gomez’ Nuba takes the traditional approach to this distinction. The Scott Cohen-designed Cambie location is a great respite from the city. Killing it softly with Hushwi and Meshwi. 

 

Six Acres is the best place to hide things in plain view. It’s a casual epicentre of the cultural illuminati. You can always bank on running into some good people down there. They have a beer list the size of a small novel, yet I always get the same sour cherry ale or an Alhambra. Ritual of the habitual. 


 

VIDEO: The Cheaper Show community stronger every year

Graeme Berglund, with his fellow Cheaper Show cohorts, talk about the tremendous popularity and provide a history of Vancouver’s largest single-night, cultural art event.

 

The Cheaper Show 2010 from The Cheaper Show on Vimeo.

 

[Updated: 16 Mar 2010]

 


Tina Krueger Kulic for Sad Mag

 

Tina Krueger Kulic is a Vancouver photographer who loves to capture people in their element. She is fascinated by Vancouver’s many personalities and appreciates it for all of its quirks. You can see more of her work at www.tkphoto.ca.