About Beyond Robson

Ami spends countless hours working on his music and photography. He enjoys the hunt for a great live show and is addicted to his favourite restaurants, good websites, and pointless all-night car rides with friends. He hates to shop, feels dizzy when he reads on the bus, and gets hives whenever he eats shellfish; inexplicably, he continues to do all three. He loves to go camping and wishes he spent more time dozing in the shade of trees and smelling like a walking bonfire. Dare you to pronounce his name properly on the first try!

Jessica Parsons is a recent film grad from SFU who mostly prefers activities that are not entirely reliant on conversation, like watching movies, going to shows, and dancing. She has completed one proper film to date, plays saxophone badly, and takes VJing jobs every so often. Her dog Charlie, who is pretty much the best thing ever, likes to listen to records with her on Sunday afternoons while begging for food. Known to be able to take naps anytime of the day, Jessica often dreams of discovering more of the hidden pleasures that her city has to offer.

Kristin does an assortment of things, from working at a literary arts magazine to putting on indie rock shows in random places to freelance writing. You'll find her working at her Gastown office but after work probably at Red Burrito for dinner then a friend's place for a crafting or baking or board gaming party. She'll probably travel the world one day but can't stand the thought of leaving her two cats behind. But now she'll watch the food network all day and during commercials Google/Wikipedia random people.

Born and raised "on the streets" of the veritable cultural metropolis of Terminal City, Duran frequently ponders the meaning of life from the comfort of his grey-walled cubicle while being a dorky nerd trying to save the world through his work in a green tech company. With his trusty well-engineered Japanese camera, his pretentious preference for certain caffeine dealers, and his deft-typing hands, he scours the city for experiences beyond the generic condos, ubiquitous sushi joints and Lululemon models this city is known for. He once counted all the lightbulbs in all of the rooms at SFU and VGH. No joke.

Jon Hilderman is a UBC grad, freelance writer, and geyser of inappropriate sarcasm. He now calls Yaletown home, and has subsequently seen more small dogs in fur-lined jackets than any man should in ten lifetimes. Jon recently had his iPod stolen, teaches ESL part-time, and owns a murse. These facts combined with his intense passion for all things artistic leave him teetering on the edge of complete Vancouver cliche. To compensate, he only eats food with artificial ingredients, and has a cat.

Jennifer Chiu is a recent graduate of Simon Fraser University, where she mastered the ins and outs of being a nerd. She enjoys a variety of activities such as eating, cooking, stalking style.com, being competitive at board games, and spending her money unwisely. Jennifer loves to write and she loves to explore all the great cultural ventures Vancouverites are embarking on. You can find her lurking around establishments that serve noodle soup or sleeping beside you on transit.

Jenn is a music and photography enthusiast, fusing these two loves into her hobby of photographing concerts. You'll always see her at the front of the stage trying to capture that perfect moment. In her spare time she likes to read Murakami books, find new restaurants to indulge in, and plan out dream trips. She hopes to one day travel all over the world and live in a foreign city until her love for Vancouver brings her back. In the meantime, she'll continue to expose the hidden gems that lie within the city and pursue her passions.

J.Z. Garrod is a voracious reader and a sometimes writer. When he's not sharpening his devastating wit, he's busy learning things that make him sound intelligent or raising his apartment army of near-dead plants. J.Z. previously studied English and Sociology at UBC and is excited to begin his Master's studies in Sociology at SFU after his recent foray into the nefarious world of management. He has an instatiable curiosity and lust for all things Vancouver and has a penchant for dangerous combinations; like chewing gum and walking, or disc-golf.

Steve is a photographer who documents the Vancouver music scene. A true night owl, you can find can find Steve all around town at local music venues or various spaces shooting shows. When he's not at a show he's watching foreign films, going for road trips down the I-5 (usually going to a show), playing Age of Empires, lamenting the fact that he has far too many jackets to any other pieces of clothing in his wardrobe, eating jelly bellies or wikipeding random topics of interest (probably about music or going to a show).

Sean doesn't like cars, corporate media, factory farming, the GDP, TV, republicans, corn, Korn, yoga wear, yoga, people who do yoga, yoda, Voda, homophobes, xenophobes, people who stand on the left of the elevator, who feed birds bread, who walk on the bike path, who try and get on the skytrain when you're getting off. Probably lots of other stuff. Oh, and America. Almost forgot. I like cats. My cat's name is Pino. He is orange and he is poopy.

Ryan Weal has a chronic restaurant addiction. He has been in Vancouver for about a decade and worked his way up from a meat and potatoes diet to a more diversified palate of sushi and curry seven days a week. Since Ryan has never cooked anything for himself, beyond maybe a piece of toast, he feels the need to share with you his experiences and varied reasons for haunting many cafes around town.