Culture

We teamed up with our friends over at Little Burgundy for their magazine's spring/summer 2013 issue. With the theme of 'Under Construction', we met up with some of our favourite West Coast creatives with a hidden talent in construction.

If you've been to Vancouver during the summer, then you've probably checked out its Chinatown; and if there on a weekend evening, the Chinatown Night Market. Although it was once larger in size and took place on more streets, over the past few years the Night Market has become just a small strip of vendors on one block; well that's all about to change.

Have you ever wanted to compliment someone, such as letting them know that they are a delight to be around? Or perhaps you've wanted to do the opposite and let someone know that they are simply a waste of time? Well now you can easily do so with the Halftone Satisfaction cards by Sagmeister & Walsh.

So it's Monday, the start of the week, and sure, your coffee has given you that pick-me-up, but what about boosting your creativity? Perhaps the office is too distracting or your home work-space is too quiet. Are you one of those people that find you work best in a cafe, surrounded by the bustle of java-lovers and the like?

Think you know your city well? Do you really know all the neighborhood names and where they are located? Test your knowledge with Click That 'Hood, an online game where you have to identify the city neighborhoods. There are two options to choose to play; the first where you can start the game with just 20 random neighborhoods, or the difficult level where you play all the 'hoods.

Skateboard legend, entrepreneur and filmmaker Stacy Peralta writes another chapter with this autobiographical documentary. Set in the 1980’s, years after “Dogtown and Z-Boys” and “Lords of Dogtown” comes this personal docu-movie which focuses on a group of young, straight-laced, skater American kids – the “Bones Brigade” - who proved that anything is possible (apparently most of them are millionaires these days).

To kickoff our 10-year anniversary, we're going larger than life with some of our favourite covers. Check out the ION billboards on the corner of Broadway and Kingsway in East Vancouver (just around the corner from our last pop-up shop). A big thank you to everyone who has been a part of the ION team along the way, including our contributors, photographers, distribution teams, and of course all our readers!

We love learning, but we loathe the debt that comes with it. That's why we love Trade School, a non-traditional learning community that runs on barter. Teachers propose classes and ask for barter items from the students; and students sign up for classes by agreeing to bring such barter items for the teacher. It's an easy concept: giving back to each other in more meaningful ways than what monetary value holds.

Second week into the new year and we're already failing on our resolutions. But not to worry, General Assembly knows that resolutions can be tough to keep, so they've come up with a plan to help with their "Letter To Yourself" reminder. Using their site, write a letter to yourself with your 2013 goals, and half way through the year, they will send it back to you to make sure you are keeping yourself on track.

Looking for somewhere to stay in Montreal? Located in the Quartier des Spectacles, Zero 1 is a new, modern, boutique hotel, and we can assure that you won’t be disappointed. It has 120 rooms, divided into categories such as POP room - perfect for urbanites, or for a little upgrade, try its big sister, the HIP room, both are perfect for “reinventing yourself or achieving your dreams.” Those are some high expectations.