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Where's Waldorf?

Enjoy Vancouvers
cultural landmarks
before they disappear

By Elliot Chan,
Contributor

long the edge of East

Vancouver, in an austere
part of town, are relics of the old
city. By day, the stretch of road
down Hastings from McLean
to Clark contains nothing more
than a few auto mechanic shops
and an abandoned Canadian
Tire. For 65 years, the Waldorf
Hotel has been a beacon for
the district, but not for much
longer. On Sunday January 20,
the final lease expired and the
new owners, Solterra Group, a
real estate developing company,
took over.

Since releasing the news
earlier this month, the Waldorf
has received overwhelming
support from Vancouverites
who want to preserve their local
art and culture hub. Already,
over 15,000 signatures were
gathered for a petition to save
the venue. For the moment, all
that was accomplished was a
postponement on the demolition
until April, while city council
determines its heritage values.

So, if you are heading in or out
of downtown these next few
months, detour down Hastings
and check out a unique city
landmark before it goes.

But Vancouver is a big city
crammed into a small space.
Sure, the Waldorf is precious,
but there are other notable spots
that cater to arts and culture.
Uncertain when the next one
will be sold for development,
we must seize the chance to
visit them. I still remember
four years ago, attending
one of the last concerts at
Richard’s on Richards, now a
Yaletown apartment complex.
Heartbreaking.

If you treat music like a
religion, then a venue should be
your cathedral. In Vancouver,
the Commodore Ballroom on
Granville is the Canterbury.
Roomy, yet intimate, I can’t
imagine the city without it.
Hosting a wide range of popular
and independent artists, you'll
have a hard time finding a show
you don’t want to see.

Up Mount Pleasant on
Kingsway and Prince Edward
is the Biltmore Cabaret. Since
the ‘60s, the public house
has been a prominent site for
influential music and art. After
its renovation in 2007, the
venue incorporated weekly and
monthly events. Every third

Friday of the month, Biltmore
hosts the Ice Cream Social,
featuring DJs spinning music
from the ‘50s and ‘60s. And if
there is nothing planned for
Sunday nights, drop by for Kitty
Nights Burlesque.

Out by the banks of False
Creek sits the Roundhouse
Community Arts and Recreation
Centre. Most notable for the idle
indoor locomotive, progressive
community programs, and live
performances, the events hosted
at the Roundhouse are always

Use your mind and think

Its easy to lose

By Aidan Mouellic,
Contributor

his may seem like a

backwards thing to state in
a campus newspaper, but not
enough students are interested
in learning—the act of genuinely
making an effort to understand
what is being taught. I’ve
only recently begun to fully
appreciate how great it is to
learn because I was mentally ill
for a period of time and was not
able to use my brain or time in
the way I would have liked. I
won't bore you with the details
of that period, but now that I’m
on the other side, life is much
better and brighter. I guess it
takes losing your mind to realize
how precious it really is.

Like our ability to walk,
see, and breathe freely, we take
our mental health for granted

daily. Our minds are immensely
powerful and capable of
truly wonderful things—it’s
a pity then that so many of us
underuse them. Our brains need
to be exercised and stressed
to prevent atrophy. I see little
evidence of this in classes I’ve
taken when I hear students
repeatedly asking the instructor
each week if they need to
memorize something for an
exam. This makes me want to
yell at the student and just tell
them to “Learn it!”

I understand that we
sometimes have to take
courses we don’t care much
for, but instead of seeing these
courses as chores requiring
mere memorization of the
subject matter, try viewing
them as an opportunity to
learn something new. College
is a time when we students
should be focused on learning
new skills and developing
ourselves. It’s something a lot

of us do, but it also appears
that an increasing number of
students are here merely for the
ability to enter a more lucrative
career afterwards. Though it is
important to take steps to better
our future career prospects,
we should also do ourselves a
favor and try to make the most
of our opportunities by taking a
genuine interest in the material
and trying to understand what
we are supposed to be learning.
I want to punch myself
in the face for sounding like a
patronizing old person, but it
seems with the proliferation of
technological aids, few people
truly think or take pleasure
in learning anymore. I fondly
remember the years I spent
as a Cub Scout, yearning for
new badges to add to my sash.
A sash full of badges was the
ultimate in cool factor; it meant
that the wearer had not only
been successful, but that they
had a vast repertoire of skills.

culturally relevant and worth
checking out.

Way out on the other side
of town at Commercial and
Broadway, amidst the coffee
shops and train tracks, is the
Rio Theatre. Built in 1938, it has
gone through a metamorphosis
turning from a movie theatre
into an arts headquarter. It
showcases talent in live music,
stand up and sketch comedy,
burlesque, and independent
cinema. Along with new
releases, Rio holds screenings of

 

The Waldorf Hotel

classic movies on Fridays. It just
so happens that Zoolander will
be playing on January 25th. Two
dollars off for those who decide
to come in costume.

It is a great disappointment
to see the Waldorf being sold,
but Vancouver is still home
to some of the most diverse
entertainment locations in
the world. As some heritage
sites disappear, others will
surely take their place. Let the
renaissance begin.

< FUTURE —>

If I ever had to be stranded
somewhere for 127 hours, I
would want a sashed out Cub
Scout with me.

Learning new things is
thrilling. You become more
confident, capable, and
interesting—three traits that will
help you in a multitude of ways.
So how about you try putting

 

down your iPhone, picking up a
how-to book, learning Chinese,
and going to impress the guys
and gals down in Chinatown.
Or just make an effort to become
interested in your biology class
and figure out how a fetus
becomes a baby, then pass the
course.

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