Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/118161
the street: Vancouver's South Main A shades-on stroll through Vancouver's newest hip borough Street) and quirky Bob Likes Thai Food offers good-value spicy nosh — don't miss the pad pik king chicken (boblikesthaifood.com). G randly named tributaries such as Broadway and Kingsway reflect the richly storied history of East Vancouver's Main Street. Once a thriving residential and commercial district for workers at nearby breweries and metalworks, the neighbourhood was originally accessed by trams clattering up the incline from False Creek – until the Great Depression triggered a graceless decline. But this wasn't the end. In the 1990s, South Main – rising from the Broadway intersection – was colonized by artists and hipsters lured by cheap rents. Independent businesses emerged to serve this new community and, while developers quickly rebranded the area "SoMa," it has survived the spin to become Vancouver's coolest new/old 'hood and an an ideal half-day hangout for urban explorers. –John Lee . John Lee p16-17_TheStreet.indd 17 [ ] SEPTEMBER Autumn Shift Festival NOVEMBER Eastside Culture Crawl DECEMBER Shiny Fuzzy Muddy Show The Go Spots SHOPS Head past 19th Avenue for Vancouver's coolest indie stores. Smoking Lily (right) aims at the pale and interesting set with inventive tops, underwear and tea cozies printed with insects and bicycles (smokinglily.com). Across the road, Twigg & Hottie supplements Canada-designed togs with vegan shoes and handmade jewellery (twiggandhottie.com). And for non-clothes-horses, design store Vancouver Special tempts with architecture books and Tivoli radios (vanspecial.com), while strolling into vinyl-lined Neptoon Records is like having a walk-on part in High Fidelity (neptoon.com). EATS Burgoo (right) tops South Main's eclectic dining menu with the perfect fusion of friendly service, laid-back ambiance (heated patio recommended) and international comfort dishes such as Moroccan lamb tagine coupled with apricots and olives (burgoo.ca). Nostalgic South Mainers also crowd the reincarnated Slickity Jim's Chat 'n' Chew, a dineresque breakfast haunt (slickityjims.com). Alternatively, Liberty Bakery's fingerlicking cakes and cookies evoke grandma's kitchen (3699 Main DRINKS Its electric-blue sign recalls 1950s Vegas, but the Cascade Room is the ideal modern neighbourhood bar (thecascade.ca); perch upfront with a Main Street Pilsner to survey the streetscape or join hipsters for Monday's pub quiz. Adjoining Habit blends 1970s rec-room vibes — yes, that's a shag-carpet wall — with selfmixed retro cocktails and a Canadian whisky menu; luckily, it also serves great hangover-busting brunches (habitlounge.ca). Aid your recovery at independent coffee shops such as the sun-warmed Gene (above; 2404 Main Street) and art-lined Kafka's (kafkascoffee.ca). WILD CARD The Regional Assembly of Text is a store-gallery combo of Little Otsu journals, wooden pencil boxes and handmade greeting cards, with chapbooks by artsytypes around the world plus a button-making station for transforming pithy quotes into wearable fashion statements. Best of all: Regional's monthly social club, where regulars hammer away on vintage typewriters crafting erudite missives to lucky loved ones (assemblyoftext.com). Love note efforts at Regional's Letter Writing Club: www.bcaa.com/regional Canada's barista champ on Secrets to the Perfect Cuppa: www.bcaa.com/cuppa WESTWORLD >> FA L L 2 0 1 1 17 8/17/11 12:13:10 PM