Make Music Vancouver, also known as  Fête de la Musique, is coming to Yaletown this Summer! Expect to see more than a hundred acts headline the event.

Make Music Vancouver is part of “Fête de la Musique”, a global event that began in France in 1982. On June 21 2012, the longest day of the year, come down to Yaletown for the free outdoor event.

Walk around Yaletown and dance along the street or loading dock to different musical genres. You can also listen to live music while sitting on one of our sun-drenched patios. Some of our boutiques and restaurants have also stepped up and will be hosting musicians inside their establishment so you don’t miss out if you want to shop or have dinner.

We will update you with exact locations and name of the bands, closer to the event.

Looking for a great new place to get your lunch? We have 2 new sandwich shops that opened in Yaletown.

Between Two Buns on Homer Street claims to create sandwich wizardry and have very tongue-in-cheek names for their sandwiches. How about a Maniac? It’s made with double-smoked bacon, arugula, asiago cheese and roasted garlic parmesan aioli.

Looking for flavors that cross the Pacific? DD Mau, a bánh mì shop, has been a favorite at the office. We recommend their Grilled Lemongrass Chicken bánh mì made with sweet chili aioli, and the Crispy Roasted Pork. Their Vietnamese coffee is also a must try.

After work, or if you’re just looking to hang out, head over to the newly renovated New Oxford where Hooker’s Green has set up. It’s a great space beneath the New Oxford, which also has a ground floor entrance on the Hamilton Street side.

Cache Bistro & Lounge, on 1269 Hamilton Street, is serving up traditional French cuisine with a contemporary Asian spin. Good to know- they are open for lunch and have $11 buy 1 get 1 deals on their pastas.

Last but not least,  Scotiabank opened today in Yaletown. They are located at 1108 Homer Street.

For the 15th straight year, The Golden Plate 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards  was conducted by Georgia Straight.

Georgia Straight collected responses from readers online and chose several restaurants in Yaletown, among many Vancouver restaurants.

Cactus Club and Earls racked up multiple awards in categories like Best Restaurant Atmosphere and Best Restaurant with hot servers.  We are also happy to be home to the Best Independent Coffee Shop, Cafe Artigiano.

Below is a list of the winners located in Yaletown.

To see the full list of winners, please visit Georgia Straight magazine’s website.

Best Mid-Price Restaurant

1^st Earls Restaurant

2^nd Cactus Club Cafe

3^rd Milestones Grill + Bar

Best Restaurant Atmosphere

1^st Cactus Club Cafe

Best Restaurant Service

2^nd Cactus Club Cafe

Best Restaurant for a Working Lunch

4^th Cactus Club Cafe

Best Chain Restaurant

1^st Cactus Club Cafe

2^nd Earls Restaurant

Best Pre-Theatre Restaurant

1^st Earls Restaurant

Best Restaurant for People-Watching

3^rd Cactus Club Cafe

Best Restaurant for Hot Male Servers

1^st Rodney’s Oyster House

2^nd Cactus Club Cafe

3^rd Earls Restaurant

Best Restaurant for Hot Female Servers

1^st Cactus Club Cafe

2^nd Earls Restaurant

Best Restaurant In Which to Hang Out On a Rainy Day

2^nd Cactus Club Cafe

Best Restaurant For a First Date With Somebody You Met Online

1^st Cactus Club Cafe

3^rd Earls Restaurant

Best Restaurant to Flirt In

1^st Earls Restaurant

3^rd Cactus Club Cafe

Best New Casual Restaurant

3^rd The Flying Pig

Best Italian

1^st Cioppino’s and Cioppino’s Enoteca

Best Japanese

4^th Hapa Izakaya

Best Mediterranean

1^st Cioppino’s and Cioppino’s Enoteca

3^rd Provence

Best Brunch

1^st Milestones Grill + Bar

Best Appetizers

2^nd Cactus Club Cafe

3^rd Milestones Grill + Bar

Best Pub Food

2^nd Yaletown Brewing Company

Best Wings

2^nd Cactus Club Cafe

3^rd Earls Restaurant

Best Seafood

1^st Blue Water Café + Raw Bar

Best Fish/Shellfish

2^nd Blue Water Café + Raw Bar

Best Steak

1^st Keg Steakhouse & Bar

Best Chicken

3^rd Cactus Club Cafe

Best Izakaya

1^st Hapa Izakaya

Best Salads

4^th Cactus Club Cafe

Best Restaurant Wine List (Imported)

3^rd Blue Water Café + Raw Bar

4^th Cioppino’s and Cioppino’s Enoteca

Best Bar Lounge

3^rd Opus Bar

Best Restaurant for Drink Specials

1^st Earls Restaurant

2^nd Cactus Club Cafe

Best Brewpub Restaurant

1^st Yaletown Brewing Company

Best Independent Coffee Shop

1^st Caffè Artigiano

Best Restaurant Twitter feed

1^st Glowbal_Group

4^th Cactus Club Cafe

The 23rd Annual Restaurant Awards was just held by Vancouver Magazine.

Esteemed judges in the restaurant industry chose among the many Vancouver restaurants and picked the best ones in the different categories.

The following is a list of the winners located in Yaletown:

Best Upscale Restaurant:  Silver – Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

Best Casual Chain: Gold – Cactus Club, Silver – Hapa Izakaya

Best Seafood: Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

Best Upscale Italian: Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill and Enoteca

Best Steakhouse/Chops: Bronze – Hamilton Street Grill

To see the full list visit the Vancouver Magazine website.

Congratulations to all the winners!

The BMO Vancouver Marathon will be coming through Yaletown!

The BMO Vancouver Marathon is organized by the Vancouver International Marathon Society, and had created their first Vancouver marathon in 1987.

This year, the race is taking new courses through Vancouver! The 2 races showcase Vancouver’s charming neighbourhoods, world class parks, and stunning Seawall.

On Sunday, May 6th, watch out for the 10,000 half-marathon participants dashing through Yaletown in the early morning (around 7:15 – 9:15am). An additional 5,000 runners will be completing the full marathon, on the outskirts of Yaletown and around Stanley Park.

Come cheer on the runners! There are cheer stations found online here.

Working in Yaletown? Please check these details on the road closures/partial closures:

The time of impact on Yaletown is 7am-9am

• Robson, Hamilton/ Mainland, Helmken, Davie St Closed from 7:15–9:15am
• Pacific Blvd (Davie St to Howe St), 2 westbound lanes closed 7:15am-9:30am

Yaletown raised the bar again at yesterday’s Tourism Showcase, said Miriam Edwards, Chef Concierge. The Tourism Showcase was put on by Les Clefs d’Or and Tourism Vancouver, and this is the 3rd year the Yaletown BIA joined the prestigious conference.

We really wanted to show the concierge and Tourism Vancouver volunteers what a great place Yaletown is for shopping and dining so we came ready to impress. The Yaletown BIA brought music and free cocktails from Donnelly Group. We also gave away 100 gift bags for all the attendees filled with samples and coupons from some of Vancouver’s best shops and restaurants. In the bag, we had loose leaf tea bags from Teaja, free appetizer from the Glowbal Group and drink stubs to the Yaletown Brew Pub. Along for the ride was our sexy electric bike, Pinky, and Mr. Yaletown.

Raw Canvas and Hamilton Street Grill also prepared special gifts exclusively for the concierge.

For more pictures from the Tourism Showcase go to our Flickr: YBIA

Have you wondered why there’s a huge red crane at the Yaletown Roundhouse Community Centre?

The Roundhouse Turntable Plaza, on Drake St & Pacific Blvd, was originally constructed to turn trains around as they finished their routes through Vancouver in Yaletown. Now this historic public plaza is being upgraded to create a plaza suitable for sitting, shelter from rain, and create a stronger sense of place.

This  upgraded plaza will also host exciting special events and performances!

Check it out! The new Yaletown Roundhouse Turntable plaza opens May 20, 2012
More information and FAQ are available for download here.

Some of the features include:

• Crane reminiscent of early railway cranes to support a canopy
• Mist/steam feature to recall the “Age of Steam”
• Re-purposed brick structure next to the Engine 374 pavilion

Photo credit: boring_vanner

St. Patrick’s Day is coming, & we’re going green!!

Celebrate in Yaletown on March 17th, 2012 by wearing green or shamrock-inspired designs. Also, come enjoy drinks that are similarly themed with a green’ish hue!

You’ll catch us at one of our fine restaurants or pubs that evening!

Yaletown restaurants, please add your St. Patrick’s Day events here.

For those who don’t know about St. Patrick’s Day, here are some details:

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17. It’s considered a religious feast day and the anniversary Saint Patrick’s death in the fifth century. This day has been a holiday for over 1000 years in Ireland!

WE Best of the City‘s Yaletown Winners

Thanks to Vancouver’s WE magazine, we’ve found many readers’ choice awards in Yaletown. The following is a list of winners within Yaletown, to see the full list of winners in Vancouver, please check WEVancouver.com

Restaurant (Chain)

1. Cactus Club Cafe
2. Earl’s
3. Keg

One-of-a-kind Restaurant – 3rd Cento Notti

Chef (Casual) – 3rd Rob Feenie (Cactus Club Cafe)

West Coast Cuisine – 3rd Blue Water Cafe

Seafood – 1st Blue Water Cafe

Italian – 2nd Cioppinos

Steakhouse – 1st The Keg

Coffee Shop (Chain) – 1st Starbucks, 2nd JJ Bean

Bar (Formal) 3rd Opus Hotel

Unique Gifts – 1st Fine Finds

Skin-care Facility – 2nd Masc, 3rd Skoah

Manicure/Pedicure – 1st Pure Nail Bar

Men’s Apparel (Casual) – 3rd Brooklyn

Hotel (Independent) – 2nd Opus

Financial Institution – 2nd TD Bank, 3rd RBC

Yoga Studio – 1st YYoga, 2nd Exhale Studio

Pilates Studio – 1st Yyoga, 2nd Exhale Studio

Dental Clinic – 2nd Aarm Dental Group and Yaletown Dentistry

Personal Computers – 2nd Mac Station

Thank you for all the excellent entries in the 2012 Illuminate Yaletown Photo contest group! With hundreds of entries, it was hard to choose just one winner.

This year’s photo contest winner is Ann Hung for her photo “MINI @ 2012 Illuminate Yaletown”

Photo Credit: Ann Hung

Runners up:

Photo Credit: TOTORORO.RORO

Photo Credit: Ann Hung

Check out the rest of the entries online at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1854272@N24/