Free For All (Almost)

I checked the Free Vancouver website last week hoping to come up with at least one idea for a free outing. I liked the website concept which purports to list ticket-less events in the city as they are announced. On Thursday I had a peek at the site. Two activities were listed. The first was a comedy night at Zizane, a French cafe on Fir and West 7th Avenue. My smile turned upside down at that mention, I happen to know that Zizane has been closed for some time now and have seen nothing announced which would indicate a reopening (I work two blocks away). The second listing was the 'pay by donation' evening at the VAG. Unfortunately the 'pay by donation' (the gallery staff like to stress that this does not mean free) has switched to Tuesday evenings. Further, the event they had listed for the VAG was held last year. Clearly this site was not going to spoon feed me ideas.

Next I looked at the Tourism Vancouver site which helpfully has a "Free & Almost Free" page. The listings are straightforward and not surprisingly cater to tourists, with suggestions such as the Grouse Grind and Lynn Canyon. There were other suggestions which were unfamiliar to me, free tours of Gastown, and guided tours through the architectural points of interest in the city. However those last two events are limited to the summer months and have a very restrictive schedules. And then of course the cheesiest of cheesy suggestions, Stalking Movie Stars. They didn't title it as such, but when they make suggestions like, "you could stake out the lobby of any chic downtown hotel and perhaps catch a glimpse of your favourite star. To see what movies or TV shows are in production in Vancouver, call the Hot Line (604.660.3569) or visit the BC Film Commission site and download their PDF Film List", it seems pretty clear what they are getting at.

Back to the drawing board. I was secretly hoping to find an indoor distraction, maybe by a fire place and inclusive of snacks and beverages. And while I am all for mooching off friends, which would be the obvious solution to this problem, I don't want to start this column with a suggestion to freeload. I will wait on that one until I run out of other ideas.

Aha. The answer came to me as I was walking by JJ Bean coffee shop on Main St. and East 14th. I saw an empty couch by the fire. With a book or a journal or some kind of deflective prop to use while people watching this could be a perfect, almost free entertainment site. I could get a tea for around two bucks, which is a little pricey, but then again it's all the milk and honey you want for free, which I could use to flavour the diluted tea water on my third and fourth free hot water refills. And, as an extra bonus, I could snack on the samples of baked goods by the cash register.