I'm here once a week, bouncing round the park with my dog Martha, generally yelling her name trying to stop her eating poo or lick little kids faces, usually one after the other. There are so many parks and woods and mountains in and around Vancouver, but for some reason this place just works for me - maybe there is less of a fear of being eaten by a bear or bugs?

After years of shaving my own head I found these guys and they did a haircut in 10 minutes without an awkward conversation, and it was the hair cut I always wanted but didn't know how to ask for it. Good music playing as well, sometimes.

A gem of an antique store. Beautifully selected findings from around the world, and displayed so lovingly, that it makes you want to re-decorate your entire house with its treasures.

One of those comic shops that just have it right. Good selection, room at the back for exhibitions and talks, small selection of music for sale. I got hooked on “Big Questions” by Anders Nilsen, and he came in for a signing in the summer, I had no idea, just popped by and there he was. I’m holding onto the 90’s and this place has it.

1067 is one of the best music venues in Vancouver, playing host to experimental jazz and other electro-acoustic offerings. It is underground in every sense of the word, hidden in an alley behind an unmarked door (aside from the faintest scribbling of the address in the top right corner). $5 and a ring on a hidden buzzer gets you in to this amazing spot through a labyrinth of stairs and hallways.