Momentum is a Vancouver-based magazine that covers the cycling scene. It's bimonthly and free at…read moremany cycling shops around the city, and it's also one of the few magazines to really focus on city cycling culture - not racing, not mountain biking, but how people get around and live with bikes every day. They have a lot of great features and columns, including profiles of the scene in various cities, a handy legal column, reports on cycling news, products, and books, and even fashion and style. It was pretty informative for me when I was first getting back on the bike, and each issue continues to amaze me with how many ways they can expand on a theme. The archives of back issues are available on the website, along with blogs, making for a comprehensive guide to hitting the pavement on two wheels. There is a section of each magazine devoted to BC-based news, such as the ongoing Burrard Bridge cycling lane saga, but if you wanna read about what's going on in other cities, cycling-wise, you'll find plenty of that too. It's very inclusive in its tone, and I always find lots to inspire me for my next ride, even if it's just to go to the store.

Momentum is part cycling mag, part craft instruction manual, part travel guide, and part community…read morenewsletter. When I discovered my first copy last month I read it cover-to-cover then went back through to see if I'd missed anything. The breezy style, quirky ideas, useful advice, and all-around authority of the publication are just so refreshing. As refreshing, I'd say, as riding along the Point Grey foreshore immediately after a rain shower. Fresh and spacious, with the whole place to yourself. What I discovered in the last issue: crocheted helmet cozies to go over your helmet, instructions for making a rain poncho, history of San Francisco's critical mass, how to get prepped for winter biking, plus many profiles on avid bicyclists. It's available at nearly every Vancouver bike shop (Ace, Atomic, Bicycle Sport Pacific, Dans, Dunbar...) plus coffee shops (Cuppa Joe, Bean Around the World...), and miscellaneous places (Emily Carr, community centers,...). Great for a poignant read on your next transit trip.

I subscribe to The Georgia Straight on my Facebook feed, so I'm always in the know about upcoming…read moreshows and festivals and events in Vancouver, as well as restaurant openings and new stores coming to town. I really appreciate getting the info on local events in this manner, and it's totally free. Can't beat that! They also, of course, have actual, tangible newspapers (also free) available in hundreds of newspaper boxes emblazoned with "GEORGIA STRAIGHT" logos all around town. I personally only access their info online, but it's great there's a paper edition for those folks who, for whatever reason, don't get their news online. I never really knew there was a brick and mortar edifice for the paper's office (although I suppose it makes sense that there is one). I recently got an invite for a chocolate tasting at their offices here on Broadway. (I see Wendy S. posted a bunch of great photos of the event, but there is no review about it). It was great! (A real Halloween treat for us adults lucky enough to have been invited!). There were gourmet chocolatiers handing out their wares to us in attendance, and tastings of samples of the most divine chocolates I've ever had. I heard some folks in line commenting on an ice cream tasting they attended here a while back, so I guess the GS folks host various tastings throughout the year. What a great way to discover local food companies and products.

So your out and about in the wilds of Vancouver with nothing to do.... your hungry, you want to…read moretake in a show, and maybe check out the nightlife. Well you do one of two things. 1) consult yelp 2) Find a newspaper dispenser on almost every majour street in vancouver and grab yourself a copy of the straight. Great source for dining solutions conveniently listed by type, they list all first run, second run, and independent films playing around the city, a listing of all thing nightlife in vancouver, and if your feeling particularly lost emotionally you can always read the horoscopes.

This free paper is useful for Vancouverites. From young, unemployed transit-users to working,…read moresingle professionals, families and seniors. They have a variety of coverage to suit different tastes. There's news, opinion, and entertainment coverage and some interesting features. The dining column is by Tim Pawsey, a man who also knows his wine. There are also lots of classified ads and job listings for practical paper-users. The paper shares space with its readers in a fairly large letters to the editor section. I always like to know what the letter-writers are up in arms about. This paper is a good way to stay in touch with a diverse slice of the Vancouver population. It's owned by media giant Canwest Publishing, that also operates in the US, Turkey and Australia. It owns the National Post, the Victoria Times Colonist, The Province AND the Vancouver Sun and other major papers all over Canada. Not to forget Global TV and a thieves handful of other stations. So don't expect anything too edgy to come from the pages of this truly "mass media" outlet.

For a local free paper, adds aside, there is still some content worth reading and exploring. It has…read morethinned down over the years.

Now just over one year old, Granville magazine is the city mag for the eco-conscious consumer set…read more Like a green version of Vancouver magazine, it covers what's new, fashionable, or newsworthy in products, stores, restaurants, and trends/movements in the city, but with a eco-friendly slant. For example, it'll show a fabulous new pair of shoes but talk up the fact that they're made with recycled materials or by a fair-trade cooperative, or with some other non-exploitive, sustainable, or local means. Cosmetics that don't harm kittens. Sweatshop-free couture. 100-mile diet and/or ocean-wise-savvy chefs. It's all here. They've also done some interesting articles already, including stuff on bio-diesel co-ops in Vancouver, why we don't have an organics recycling program, eco-friendly cleaning products, and my favourite, bike subcultures in Vancouver. But here's where a star gets taken away - the font they use for features is absolutely awful. It's pretty; it's Bodoni, I think; but it's unreadable. So unless the subject is absolutely fascinating, I often don't finish the longer articles. But if you're one of the many who strive to be stylish and socially conscious at the same time, check out Granville. Most articles are available in full online, although the brown font on off-white is, again, challenging to read.

I look forward to getting my four issues of Granville Magazine each year. The free-subscription…read morepublication focuses on sustainable living with a local twist. The features take an optimistic, informative tone and always reveal a neat aspect of BC life (such as the article about BC cheese). The magazine is, I think, coming up on two years on stands. Compared to some of the other green-focused publications out there I find Granville takes a more urban, accessible approach. I signed up for my subscription online (they advertise it as a one-year trial) and have enjoyed the publication ever since.

I certainly prefer WE over the Georgia Straight. It doesn't seem to be as saturated with…read moreadvertising, and the reporting tends to be a lot more objective. I hate reading articles in the Straight and they're trying to tell me what my opinion should be, no thanks. And then in the articles, such as on the plate with Andrew Morrison, now obviously these are excrutiatingly subject, and we should all know that. Though, his articles tend to have personality, you get the feeling that you are having a conversation with Mr Morrison. All around WE is far superiour to the Georgia Straight, and always provides a great read.

Feel that small soft spot, right near the left of the middle of my twee heart? That's where my love…read moreof the printed word lives. When I first moved to Vancouver years ago, it was a time when the prevalence of the internet and its unyielding powers had yet to take over; a time when MySpace and Tom (hi Tom!) were still *the* place to find out about new music and to make new (online) friends; a time when events and concerts were discovered via the newspaper or word of mouth; a time when when some people in the western world who hadn't heard of Craigslist actually existed. It was a time of the alt-weekly. Naturally, I gravitated toward the two most popular weeklies in Vancouver (one of which I worked for, so can't review, but love nonetheless). Which brings me to WE. Formerly known as the Westender, this paper (it would seem) is really trying to up its game these days. It's always (for as long as I've known it) published Rob Brezny's Free Will Astrology (don't know it? You do now. You're welcome), which I adore; and has a relatively high standard in terms of their editorial choices, but what it's always lacked, is an edge. What made the Westender (now known as WE) any better than the competition? (I'm not even joking about the Free Will Astrology. It was the only reason I picked the paper up) What it was deficient of in the years prior, it's gained the the last year or so. Smart hiring of staff and contract writers has made for a more rich and unique reading experience. Yes, there's still Rants and Raves, but now has additions of the likes of Kurtis Kolt (Vancouver wine darling/expert/consultant/all-around nice guy) and his weekly "City Cellar' column (winos, take note). And though Andrew Morrison has been a restaurant critic for the paper since 2005, his success with his own project, Scout, has made for a much more exposed look into the restaurant scene in Vancouver. Add those to the regular local news and editorials, and this is a quality weekly. It's these, and Rob Brezny that keep me picking the paper up. So keep it up, WE. I think you're hitting a stride.

Respectful, informative and local…read more It may be because our family was written about in a recent issue, but I must truly say, Vancouver Magazine has always been thorough, informative and thoughtful. My favourite segments highlight Vancouver's neighbourhoods, spotlight locals (hey John Starkey and Gil Yaron) and share the best of what our city has to offer, like their 101 things to taste offerings. And for that, it's the one and only paper subscription I still subscribe to.

Am I the only one who reads this magazine? Likely…read more The year before I moved up to Vancouver, I subscribed to Vancouver Magazine to learn more about the city I would some day call home. It provided me with insight into the city, it's dining options, and the people. My subscription ran out around the same time I moved here but fortunately, someone leaves free copies in our building lobby. I find it a step up from Georgia Straight which I'm sure will get me in trouble with fellow Yelpers. Oh well, I like me a slick lookin' magazine and I'm not afraid to admit it. I think it does a good job of covering interesting aspects of the city.

I am obviously not the target market for this "for youth by youth" free mag, but it's hard to knock…read morekids with initiative. Good for Youthink! The articles are written by high school students, so if you want to remember what it's like for a teen these days, the pages of this mag might help you with insight. You can find out what music, movies, Internet activity, clothes and celebs are hot with the teens from across Canada. It's good to remember what it's like to be that age, and how things have changed. For example, cyber-bullying wasn't a problem when I was in high school. Youthink was established by two teachers in 1999. Now it provides work experience for more than 200 students per year and has a full-time staff. It's worth checking out, even if you don't read it every month. It's a must for high schoolers.

They probably don't want this to be known, but you can drop by their corporate office where they…read morehave a display of their magazines, usually you can get the current and a few months old, and snag a few here and there ;) BC business is my cup of tea, as they have some wedding/travel/TV ones too.