Metro Vancouver nightlife

[Sheba]

With a rich history of nightlife, Vancouver has never been 'No Fun City,' author argues

A city that was built around a saloon should never have earned the nickname "No Fun City."

So says author and historian Aaron Chapman, whose new book Vancouver After Dark takes a leisurely stroll through 100 years of the city's nightlife.

"There's always been people who have managed to get around some of the laws or simply push through them and to create what became these clubs," Chapman told The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn.

"Entertainment and bars have always been a part of the city in that way."

From bars to supper clubs, nightclubs and discotheques, Chapman says the city has always been home to a vibrant nightlife. And that goes all the way back to the aforementioned Gastown establishment, the Globe Saloon, opened by "Gassy Jack" Deighton in 1867.

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It's been about 100 years since what we consider nightclubs first started to emerge in North America, said Chapman. Since those very early days, Vancouver has had a unique live music scene because it's well placed geographically, he said.

Even way back in the vaudeville days, he said, bands would start their tours here and work their way down the West Coast.

"When they got to Los Angeles where a lot of the booking agents and, arguably, maybe the bigger population was, the show was ready. So Vancouver got named 'Tune-up City' by that crowd and that still happens today, when you think of all the tours that start here in Vancouver," he said.

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I wish there was more nightlife outside of downtown Van.