September was its usual slice of crazy, with a calendar full of birthdays and other commitments, exacerbated by the Siplings return to school and activities. It was so busy, I’m splitting the month into two Sip Trips, one for the bulk of September and the other for our voyage to Las Vegas. Here’s what we got up to for the first three quarters:
To celebrate Boy Sip’s first day of kindergarten, we had dinner at Boston Pizza, taking advantage of their kid’s eat for free all month. I had the Maple Bacon Burger, which has become my favourite item from the eatery’s extensive menu, along with The Quick Spike, which was basically a Spiced Rum and Pepsi.
In preparation for all the birthday celebrations on the horizon, I picked up the Nutrl7 Berry Mixed Pack. This case contained some interesting flavours (Blackberry, Raspberry Lemon, Strawberry Lime, Blueberry Lemon), with each can coming in at 7% ABV, but I found the beverages to be not as good as other vodka sodas I’ve had previously. I think I like them a little sweeter, but when Mrs. Sip is doing her keto diet, these are the types of sodas she can join me in enjoying.
In the middle of the month, we had our long-awaited Great Outdoor Comedy Festival experience. I had bought tickets to the Saturday show (featuring Mike Birbiglia, Fred Armisen, Nick Kroll, John Mulaney) all the way back in November 2024 – the first day they went on sale – as I’m a fan of both Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, in particular. Days before the festival, I also won tickets to the Friday night show (including Derrick Stroup, Whitney Cummings, Bert Kreischer), which was a nice little treat… or so I thought.
Let me be clear from the start, the comedy at these shows was very good, with Bert Kreischer being the best set of our two visits, going for 90 hilarious minutes and finishing with his infamous The Machine routine. However, Stanley Park, the setting of the festival, is a logistical nightmare for getting to and from. Other venues, particularly ones along or closer to Skytrain stops, would be better, although I understand they don’t have the same prestige and scenery of Stanley Park.
Our trip in on the Friday wasn’t that bad, catching the bus from the Skytrain station right away, but even when you got dropped off at the Stanley Park bus loop, you had a 10-15 minute walk to the actual venue, while carrying camping chairs. We managed the massive general admission line to get into the venue and found a decent spot to set up camp (although I dislike the general admission concept and hate putting my chairs down around people that have staked their claim before me). I appreciated that you could bring in your own snacks, within reason. We also grabbed a Salmon Bowl from the Aloha Poke food truck to split for dinner, which paired well with my Okanagan Springs Munich Wheat Ale.
On the downside, both shows began an hour after the advertised start time, with a musician coming on first and the host doing stupid sponsor-related activities instead. We also found that some fellow attendees didn’t shut up during performances and felt this behaviour would be different with a show in a club/theater.
Then, things got worse. At the conclusion of the show, most folks have no other choice than to walk out of the park, carrying all their gear. Mrs. Sip and I walked for 40 minutes until we neared the Westin hotel and found a decent rideshare rate home. We even had another couple join us, as they were heading in the same general direction.
Getting to the Saturday show was a total mess. Two buses passed us, noting that the vessel was already full, so we decided to hop into a rideshare. BIG MISTAKE! Due to the rush of traffic trying to get into the park, it took over an hour to go a short distance and caused a $50 surcharge. By the time we got to the venue, I was in no mood to be entertained, although my stance softened as the performers hit the stage and I downed servings of Canadian Club & Ginger Ale, Double Spiced Rum and Coke and another Okanagan Springs Munich Wheat Ale, while Mrs. Sip gathered a Beef Birria Grilled Cheese. For the duration of the show, it pops into your head from time to time that you still have another long walk to endure when the comedy is over.
Should these shows remain at Stanley Park, I won’t be attending again, no matter what the lineup ends up being. One suggestion Mrs. Sip did offer, was for the organizers to offer a shuttle from one of the nearby Skytrain stations. We would have paid extra, had this been an option.
The next morning, we were back at it, bidding farewell to ABC Brewing, our closest brewery. The place opened in 2019, shortly after our move to New West, and Mrs. Sip and I were original patrons of the company. Over their years in operation, we attended a number of events they hosted, even celebrating one of my birthdays there. We closed out the brewery with servings of their Trail of Hops Pale Ale (collab with Parallel 49), You’ve Changed Hazy Pale Ale – my favourite brew they ever produced – and walked away with a four-pack of their So Long & Thanks for All the Brews DIPA (collab with Changing Colours Brewing Project), which Mrs. Sip had ordered during our visit. It was a fitting end to the brewery’s unfortunate demise.
The following week, I tried a couple items off KFC’s pickle menu. The burger was very good, thanks to the breading being dusted with dill pickle seasoning and the addition of fried pickle chips, while the Pepsi with pickle brine was interesting, inspiring me to create the combo on my own at home.
Next up was the always fun, albeit hectic, back-to-back birthdays for myself and Girl Sip. Some of the generous gifts I accrued this year included Canerock Spiced Rum from Ma and Pa Sip (as well as an uber comfortable Dr. Pepper hoodie), Adictivo Extra Anejo Tequila and Arancello Blood Orange Liqueur from the Sip-in-Laws, along with a neat personalized sign for my bar from Aunt Sip. It’s as if people know what to get for me!
To celebrate my big day, we had lunch at Kelly O’Bryans, where I took advantage of their free birthday meal. My selections included the Chicken Lips N’ Lattice Fries, joined by a pint of Granville Island English Bay Pale Ale. Mrs. Sip and I then played a game of disc golf, which was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
That’s it for the first three weeks of September. The next Sip Trips will delve into our four-night stay in Las Vegas, flush with activities and copious eating and drinking!
Sip Advisor 