life & style // no. 18 theotherpress.ca Finding fun in an emergency state » Things to do while social distancing Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor his pandemic has kicked in our knees and thrown us to the ground when it comes to our social lives. There’s an abnormal pressure in friendships, relationships, and people everywhere who are suffering from social isolation and loneliness—not to mention extreme boredom. To reiterate the Canadian government's safety restrictions: avoid crowded places and non-essential travel, maintain a two-metre distance from people outside of your household, avoid common greetings such as handshakes, avoid going out if you have symptoms of illness or are vulnerable, maintain proper hygiene, wear a mask and gloves if possible, try to only socialize with the same set of people, and keep groups small. Now, on to the fun stuff: Go out No, not crowded beaches, bars, or clubs. Don’t live out the show 6teen at the mall with your friends. Do, however, get out of the house and get some fresh air. Whether it bea hike, a local park, or just a walk around the neighbourhood, keeping your body active is important for a myriad of both mental and physical health reasons. Try a lake trip in a secluded spot, a fancy picnic, and if youre looking to get really active, the Coquitlam Crunch is a great place to work up a sweat. Explore Sure, most of the Earth is already mapped out. Discovering a new island may not be possible, but you can join tons of people on adventuring for the sake of finding unique locations. Try geocaching—an activity Photo illustration by Anastasia Simonovich using an app and a GPS navigator to treasure hunt. People leave little containers called “caches” at specific locations which you can take the contents of if you leave a replacement treasure of your own for the next explorer. Newly popular, you can try the Randonautica app which has been gaining traction due to the occasionally fun or unsettling finds documented on TikTok, Reddit, and other social media websites. The app gives you the coordinates to a local location by using a quantum random number generator. The app gives you an option to visit an attractor, void, or anomaly. An attractor has the most quantum dots, while a void has the least, and an anomaly is typically the strongest of the options to find the most interesting locations. The app is known to bring people to some spooky areas, so Randonaut at your own risk! All that and more There are tons of ways to keep yourself and those close to you occupied. In a way, this pandemic allowed us the opportunity to broaden our horizons. Pick up a new hobby (gardening has risen tremendously in popularity, as has skateboarding and baking), go to a drive-in movie, climb a tree, camp in your backyard, put on a soap opera and mute the sound then proceed to create your own dialogue, fry some ants, just kidding please don’t. Do any of the other endless things you've never tried. Social distancing has given us the opportunity and time to better ourselves. You can finally try out that thing you’ve been meaning to for years. As restrictions get lifted, the hustle and bustle of our old lives may return, so don’t take this time for granted. The silver lining is clear, go chase it down. How local businesses have adapted to COVID-19 » Wally’s Burgers & 50s Burgers Brandon Yip Senior Columnist L's drive-in theatres from the 1950s, old fashioned burger joints are a rarity today. However, one familiar burger spot still exists: Wally’s Burgers. The original Vancouver location at 2703 Kingsway first opened in 1962. It would become a staple for burger lovers for close to five decades. The establishment was also known for its famous albeit rusted tall neon sign that could be seen from passing motorists heading east or west along Kingsway. Wally’s Burgers closed its doors in March 2008. However, customers did not have to be sad for long as the restaurant would be resurrected when the new owner, Gord Bemister, took over the operations. In the summer of 2009, Wally’s Burgers made a return to the delight of burger lovers— opening a seasonal location at Cates Park in North Vancouver. Bemister later secured a new location in 2010 near Killarney at 2661 E 49th Avenue in Vancouver. Wally’s Burgers has had to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic has been difficult on all small businesses, especially those of us operating in the restaurant sector. Being shut down for two months was pretty challenging and then having to create enough space to properly physically distance we had to remove our counter seating,” Bemister said in an email interview with the Other Press. “The challenges are ongoing as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve. We anticipate operating on reduced hours for the foreseeable future.” Wally’s Burgers reopened on May 22, offering take out only—as their new hours are 12 to 6 pm, Tuesday to Saturday. As for the Cates Park located in North Vancouver, Bemister states he is currently in discussions with the District of North Vancouver to reopen at the end of this month. “Of course, things are constantly changing so we recommend following us on Instagram and Facebook as we update as things move ahead,” Bemister said. Despite the reduced hours, the main signature burgers have not been compromised and are still on the menu. “We are most famous for the Chuckwagon burger but really all of our burgers are pretty evenly enjoyed by customers,” Bemister said. He proudly mentions that his daughter, Jessica, has created a burger of her own called the Hotshot burger: “Tt has jalapeno, bacon, cheese, chipotle mayo and our famous Wally’s relish. It has become very popular!” Furthermore, another burger eatery is 50s Burgers located at 7741 Edmonds Street in Burnaby. Dine-in service continues as the restaurant has two stickers on both windows with lines on the ground to encourage social distancing. They also offer take-out and delivery. Brian Tahririha has been the owner since 2012, and says in an email interview with the Other Press, the appearance of COVID-19 in March did not harm his business: “Our business picked up quite a bit as a result of people who started looking for originality and quality.” Tahririha states that he did not have to make many adjustments in wake of the pandemic. Tahririha takes pride in giving his customers the best quality ingredients. After taking over the restaurant, he decided to stop serving processed food—instead Photo via Wally's Burgers Facebook page only serving fresh quality ingredients. The freshness all begins early in the morning as they bake their buns fresh in house, their fresh sirloin patties are hand pressed as well, and their freshly cut fries contain no preservatives, additives, or fillers. Tahririha says that “all items in my menu are delicious; however, | recommend staying away from the LA King burger, Mom’s Spicy Chicken, and Bulldog (hot dog). They are extremely addictive!” Despite the pandemic, burger lovers are still able to get their burger fix at these two eateries. Whether it is at Wally’s Burgers or 50s Burgers, customers will be ok sacrificing their clean and sanitized hands temporarily for some messy but deliciously tasty gourmet burgers.