Saturday, 21 November 2009
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Why I love my city: Vancouver, BC
I think Vancouver is beautiful in nearly every aspect - from the dingy east side to the pristine west. Some might say that the ghettos of our city should be hidden away - lock and key - but I disagree; I love how there is a history behind every brick and a story to be heard on every corner.
Did you know that the corner of Main and Hastings has the poorest postal code in Vancouver? You probably did - the streets are littered with the obvious telltale signs like used syringes and emptied bleach bottles. By definition, that area is definitely not the prettiest place in Vancouver, however, there is a specific alley near by that I love and wish I had the chance to photograph.
Appearance wise, it looks like your typical east side alleyway; large green and black industrial sized dumpsters run along the aged brick buildings and the destroyed cement road should be paid more attention to by the city itself. What makes this alley different from the rest is the activity that goes on within it.
There is a lot of people. Especially in the evening. I guess you can say that it's a really busy part of the city, but not for the most honest reasons. The majority of the people hanging around this area are prostitutes, drug addicts, drug dealers, the homeless or perhaps even a combination of what was listed. All these people are concentrated in that area - either minding their own business or doing business with each other - are not the type of people that you would normally strike up a conversation with; they are the type of people that most, including myself, avoid.
With all that is going around in the world, it is hard to keep in mind that those people, whose living conditions obviously differs from that of the middle class and higher, are still people. They have souls, they have or had dreams, and their blood runs in their veins like everyone else. You can look at a prostitute and hate her for what she does for a living - but you can't hate her for doing the only thing that she can to live.
What I like about this alley is not just the appearance or activity, it's more of the scene. It is nestled in the heart of rustic Chinatown and many seems to just pass by without noticing it or even the people. If you ever get the chance to go by it at twilight on a summers night, the colors manages to paint the area - people included - with the right amount of light to give it a somber feel that is equally as beautiful as it is eerie. Like I said before, I wish I could photograph it.
I love Vancouver. It's my city.
Do you love your city? What do you love about it?
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About the Author
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- From: princessDISEASED@xanga
- Name: Eva
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Comments (10)
Not the one closest to me, but the one I was born in, yeah, I love it. It's my home.
I love Vancouver!
i love vancouver too although i dont live there but i definitely want to visit someday.
i've lived in the V6A area for most of the 19 years of my life and my family has ran a restaurant business in the area for nearly 8 years. I remember when i was younger prostitutes and drug dealers would always hide or turn away when i walked by and it makes realize that they, like most people have a moral compass and perhaps are ashamed of what their doing but like you said, sometimes it's the only way they are able to survive. If you say hi they wont bite. Some of these people are the nicest people i've ever met, they've just made bad choices in life. No one should be condemned to being homeless let alone avoided and neglected. If you do ever run into the people in that area, it doesnt hurt to say hi or smile back when they do.
yes i love vancouver very much. although the weather lately has been all sorts of crazy.
What you had described involves about lest than 1% of the beautiful city of Vancouver...my hometown. It is not beautiful or photogenic as this writer had tried to persuade the reader to believe. This little area is where most of the people who "had made wrong choices" gathered to do their "business" and that is to get the drugs they need. Some of these people also have mental disorders and are not able to cope with reality. I like to think that our social services will be able to make a difference but for some reason that 1% still persists. Mayber there will always be homeless people, prostitutes and pimps, drunks and drugged up souls in every city. Maybe it just "comes with the territory". One can be idralistic for so long and then wonder if there can ever be a utopia on this earth?
Vancouver is awesome, I love the place!
I live in in the Vancouver area and I love it more than anything. This city amazes me and I would never live anywhere else. I get what your saying about the character in the city, I see it all the time even in the most otherwise depressing areas. I love Vancouver, it truly is a great city.
I have a friend that just moved there, or close, and another one that already lived there. I think that the city I live in now (Portland) is beautiful. Right now especially because of fall and how they've put all the christmas lights up. It's just always alive and sparkling.
I live here :)
Nice post.