The Storm Crow Tavern. Photo by: Marc Smith
This cozy little restaurant on Commercial Drive is a home away from home for any geek. The atmosphere is slightly medieval-fantasy, with a modern sci-fi twist. The walls are covered with memorabilia: autographed posters, replica weapons, and my personal favorite, a giant carved wooden Cthulhu shrine. There is tons to do here besides just eat: you can bring your own board game or use one of the many the restaurant provides. I’m not talking about Monopoly, but they have a few decks for Cards Against Humanity. The themed food is cheap and yummy and they have an excellent weekend brunch menu. There are lots of options for vegan and gluten-free menu items. If beer is your thing, there are some delicious local microbrew features on tap. Storm Crow has weekly movie nights, monthly trivia nights and you can even catch the rare burlesque show (geek-themed, of course). But, the coolest feature here has to be the Art-O-Mat, a re-purposed cigarette vending machine that dispenses art.
This restaurant on Pender Street feels more like a nightclub when you first walk in, with the dark walls and high ceilings. Once you’re seated, it feels more like a modern resto-bar with heavy geek overtones. There are televisions all over the restaurant that alternate between showing cutscenes from video games or footage of live e-sport competitions like Starcraft and League of Legends, just like your not-so-average sports bar. The menu is all thematic, mostly pub fare with a twist – the N7 Squad Combo is great to share, it will fill up four easily, and includes popcorn, chicken bites, grilled cheese, deep fried pickles, fries and chips and salsa. This is a great place to go with friends for some drinks and some nerding out. The bar holds launch events for video game releases and often runs competitions based on these games. It also offers a membership card, so while the prices are higher than Storm Crow, if you go often, the rewards add up. They only play video game soundtracks as its ambient music, which is a major positive or negative, depending who you ask. The best feature of EXP is its gaming couch, a section at the back of the bar reserved for teams of four to play Smash Bros. or Mario Kart on the projector screen and mostly everyone is really good about taking turns, too.
FanExpo is an annual event that takes place in April at the Vancouver Convention Centre. It is our version of ComicCon and it is getting progressively more awesome each year. It is a weekend event with much to do. The most popular attractions are the exhibition floor, where you can buy pretty much anything geek-related, from a Darth Vader helmet to a replica Doctor Who screwdriver, and even corsets. There is artists alley, where comic book and graphic novel artists set up to draw all day and sell their art. There are workshops and seminars related to comic books, game development and other nerdery. The waits for the meet-and-greets are always long, so if you want to meet Stan Lee or Nichelle Nichols, make sure to line up early. This is a family friendly event, so you will see lots of adorable kids in Ewok costumes, and don’t be afraid to dress up yourself. Besides Halloween, this is one of the only opportunites for non-anime cosplay. The best part of FanExpo, besides sharing in the revelry of geek culture, is all the swag. There are tons of booths set up by big companies giving away pins, bags, and other free stuff. It’s a great opportunity to fill some space on your nerd-shelf.
If anime is more your thing, then Anime Evolution is the place to be. This is another annual convention that takes place at UBC in June. Anime Evolution is similar to FanExpo but more focused. There are celebrity guests – mostly voice actors and animators – as well as panels and seminars, and lots and lots of costumes. Anime Evo is a much smaller event than FanExpo, and as a result, can be much less overwhelming. The crowds are easier to handle and you will likely meet more people, due to the more focused theme. It’s a great place for any anime fan to get their fill, and even an interesting experience for those who aren’t really that into anime. Even if only to check out all the amazing costumes, Anime Evolution is worth a try.
There are a few places to get your comics and collectibles in the Vancouver area, but Golden Age is probably the best known and the most accessible. The store has prime real estate on Granville Street downtown, and as a result, sees a lot of traffic. It has a great selection of comic books, graphic novels, geek paraphernalia and some rare books and collectibles. If you have a favourite comic, you can probably find it here. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Best of all, it often hosts print signings and meet-and-greets with featured artists. It also runs a booth every year at FanExpo, but I really recommend you check out the Granville Street store.
Joao Vitor Correa
Putting some reminders on my list of places to go right now 🙂 Loved your post, very nice descriptions.