Best foot Forward
Today, Lorna joined Flora, Linda and me for a walk to Broadway where we caught the #9 bus west, got off at Burrard and walked to Kitsilano Park ... as the day was chilly, we didn't stay long and caught the bus back to Britannia Centre ...
On the bus, Flora chatted with a charming young girl who was drawing on a large pad of paper ... each step of her drawing was shown to Flora with a smile ... the end result was a person with tiny stick legs, no arms, a huge body and a stunning smile ...
On the street, we headed north towards Kits beach where we found a 100 foot totem pole ... the plaque attached to the base noted that this was a replica of one carved by Mungo Martin for Queen Elizabeth II ... the replica was dedicated in 1968 to the ten tribes of the Kwakiutl Nation ... these tribes occupied the northern part of Vancouver Island and the coast of mainland British Columbia ...
At Kitsilano Park, we found a large granite stone on which was carved a short story written by Regan Amitrade in 1999 ... it told of his impressions of Vancouver's various forms of rain ... he gave different names to our rains: sideways rain, butterfly rain that lightly touched your cheek, hard rain that soaked you through, soft rain, the rain that lulled you to sleep, soft rain, warm rain ... one day, on his way home from one of the hard rains, he was feeling chilled and depressed and not liking Vancouver's rain ... as he stepped into the courtyard of the apartment building where he lived, he saw a Peking duck happily splashing in a puddle ... this scene brought a smile to Regan's face and he loved the rain once again ...
Flora and Lorna walked up to Broadway to catch the 99 B-Line back to the Drive ... Linda and I caught the #22 bus into downtown Vancouver ... as we crossed the Burrard Bridge, I couldn't help but notice the glass towers in various shades of blue, green, pink and gold reflected off each other's surfaces ... Vancouver has grown up in many ways and does not resemble the Vancouver I met in 1966 when I moved here from Ottawa ... the buildings I remember - Christ Church, Hotel Vancouver, the Art Gallery that once was the Court House, the Birks Building and Hudson Bay Building - are all dwarfed by these new shiny giants on their glittering pedestals housing high-end stores ... the old Library building at Burrard and Robson, once occupied by Virgin Records, is now occupied by the Globe & Mail news office and CTV studios ...
At Hastings & Seymour, while we waited to transfer to the #20 Victoria bus, I noticed words on the banners attached to the lamp standards "Heritage District" ... my eyes wandered from the banners to the buildings around us, all older classical architecture built 100 years ago in old Vancouver, the Vancouver I remember and love ...
Contributor Virginia
Saturday, February 28, 2009
UPCOMINg SOCIAL EVENING!!!
BRITANNIA CENTRE
AL MATTISON LOUNGE 55+ CENTRE
MARCH 19TH 6:30pm-9pm
DINNER & IRISH BAND
$10PP
LIMITED TICKETS SO REGISTER EARLY
REGISTRATION CLOSES MONDAY 16 MAR
Come & be Irish for the night
Wear something Green
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
REMINDER
POTLUCK LUNCH & GENERAL MEETING
Reminder that this Thursday 26th we are having our monthly potluck & meeting,Please feel free to join us & enjoy the company.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday 21 Feb Walking CLub
Today was Marissa's last day with us ... Tuesday, she returns to her home on Manitoulin Island, Ontario ... Lorna had another commitment and Brian slept late, so Marissa was joined by Linda, Flora, my friend Aideen, and me ... we caught the #20 bus to Main & Hastings, walked north to Cordova to see the Firehall Mural ... on the way, we saw a man doing artwork on a t-shirt in a tiny shop at 229 Main Street ... his name is Tom Pottie and he paints faces and abstract designs on cotton t-shirts ... he hasn't decided yet where to market them and we suggested skateboard shops ...
Retracing our steps we spotted a long line-up in front of the Main Street Police Station ... in front was a white van with the words "FCS Food on the Corner" painted on the side ... I met the benefactor, Herman Glockl, Founder, who is from Delta BC ... his business card quotes John 21:17 (Jesus said "Feed my Sheep") and he's been that doing since 1983 ... with private donations and volunteer support he serves hot meals and drinks to street people on a weekly basis ...
On to Abbott and Pender where the old building containing a long lane mural was gone ... in it's place was a block-long new brick building, not yet occupied ... at Pender and Cambie, we were approached by a young Iranian man asking if he could help us with anything ... when we told him we were looking for wall murals, he suggested a few locations which happened to be on our route ... as we were about to leave, he said, with folded hands, "Excuse me, ladies, I'm not asking for money, but could one of you please buy me a box of cereal and some milk? I'm hungry." So, we went to the little market across the street and bought him the cereal and milk. When I asked if he wanted anything else, he said yes, doughnuts, and grabbed two off the shelf, shoving them in his mouth before they were paid for ... he was obviously very hungry, and very gracious and grateful, and we were happy to help him out ... Marissa does not see this sort of human situation in her home town and she was very taken with this young man's plight and was proud that she was able to contribute ...
We missed our mural at Homer and Pender so continued south on Cambie to Pacific Blvd., stopping at Tinseltown marketplace to use the facilities, then at Costco to return an item and pick up another ... from there we walked in the afternoon sun past Roundhouse Community Centre ... along the boulevard, no less than three people asked if they could help us find what we were looking for ... we must have looked like a bunch of tourists with our map and guidebook ... Linda left to catch a bus home and the rest of us stopped at Waves for a fresh hot cup of java ... from there it was four short blocks to the off ramp of Granville Bridge at Seymour where we located three separate walls of murals ...
This was the last of our walk searching for murals ... we caught the 98 B-Line from Richmond to Burrard Station, then the Skytrain back to Broadway Station where we went our separate ways ...
Any suggestions for continued walks are welcome ...
Contributor Virginia
Retracing our steps we spotted a long line-up in front of the Main Street Police Station ... in front was a white van with the words "FCS Food on the Corner" painted on the side ... I met the benefactor, Herman Glockl, Founder, who is from Delta BC ... his business card quotes John 21:17 (Jesus said "Feed my Sheep") and he's been that doing since 1983 ... with private donations and volunteer support he serves hot meals and drinks to street people on a weekly basis ...
On to Abbott and Pender where the old building containing a long lane mural was gone ... in it's place was a block-long new brick building, not yet occupied ... at Pender and Cambie, we were approached by a young Iranian man asking if he could help us with anything ... when we told him we were looking for wall murals, he suggested a few locations which happened to be on our route ... as we were about to leave, he said, with folded hands, "Excuse me, ladies, I'm not asking for money, but could one of you please buy me a box of cereal and some milk? I'm hungry." So, we went to the little market across the street and bought him the cereal and milk. When I asked if he wanted anything else, he said yes, doughnuts, and grabbed two off the shelf, shoving them in his mouth before they were paid for ... he was obviously very hungry, and very gracious and grateful, and we were happy to help him out ... Marissa does not see this sort of human situation in her home town and she was very taken with this young man's plight and was proud that she was able to contribute ...
We missed our mural at Homer and Pender so continued south on Cambie to Pacific Blvd., stopping at Tinseltown marketplace to use the facilities, then at Costco to return an item and pick up another ... from there we walked in the afternoon sun past Roundhouse Community Centre ... along the boulevard, no less than three people asked if they could help us find what we were looking for ... we must have looked like a bunch of tourists with our map and guidebook ... Linda left to catch a bus home and the rest of us stopped at Waves for a fresh hot cup of java ... from there it was four short blocks to the off ramp of Granville Bridge at Seymour where we located three separate walls of murals ...
This was the last of our walk searching for murals ... we caught the 98 B-Line from Richmond to Burrard Station, then the Skytrain back to Broadway Station where we went our separate ways ...
Any suggestions for continued walks are welcome ...
Contributor Virginia
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tuesday 17th walking club
Today we (Virginia & I) went to Shaugnhessy area of Vancouver. This is an old area of Vancouver with mansions $$$$$ huge homes. Some are property rich but cash poor as we seen a few homes needing repairs. We came upon this one owned by the University of women.
http://www.uwcvancouver.ca/ This home dates back to 1911 & the history about it is interesting. If you go to the web site you will read al
l about it.
This area of town is where Goldie Hawn was living while her son was going to hockey school here in BC. 2002-2005 bought for $3million & sold for $5.4
http://www.6717000.com/newsArticle-1703.html
We didn't walk too much as we had to get back earlier due to V having a commitment. But we enjoyed our walk & discover as well.
http://www.uwcvancouver.ca/ This home dates back to 1911 & the history about it is interesting. If you go to the web site you will read al
l about it. This area of town is where Goldie Hawn was living while her son was going to hockey school here in BC. 2002-2005 bought for $3million & sold for $5.4
http://www.6717000.com/newsArticle-1703.html
We didn't walk too much as we had to get back earlier due to V having a commitment. But we enjoyed our walk & discover as well.
this tree was behind the mansion & so impressive as you see. V is standing under it lol 
Contributor Laurette
Contributor LauretteMonday, February 16, 2009
Free seminar
Federal Benefits for Seniors -
NEW!How do I know if I qualify for Old Age Security?
What is the relationship between Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income?
How long do you have to work in order to qualify for the Canada Pension Plan?
This workshop is put on in partnership with the People's Law School.
Sat, 11:30am-1:30 pm Feb 21
Rm 205 FREE
please register
NEW!How do I know if I qualify for Old Age Security?
What is the relationship between Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income?
How long do you have to work in order to qualify for the Canada Pension Plan?
This workshop is put on in partnership with the People's Law School.
Sat, 11:30am-1:30 pm Feb 21
Rm 205 FREE
please register
New Senior Co-ordinator at AML
This is Michele Ziebart who is replacing Anne Jackson for the next 3 months. We wish her good luck in handling our unruly bunch, LOL Joking here
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Saturday 14 Feb Walking club
Today we headed out west from Britannia Centre to the Chinatown area looking for more wall murals ... Lorna, Maria, Linda, Flora and I walked along E. Georgia through Strathcona and across the foot bridge over the railway tracks into downtown ...
At Vernon and E Georgia, just past Quest Food Exchange, we came to a beautiful grand home in the Queen Anne style, similar to Victorian but broader with a pillared front porch and less ornamentation ... Linda took front and side photos to attach to the blog ...
Between Vernon and Glen on Keefer Street is the Seymour School, the original 3-storey structure in soft yellow siding with Grecian window treatment and sculpted eaves ... this building is attached to another 3-storey brick building with white window trim and eaves ... both buildings are architecturally very pleasing and well built ... we didn't see a dedication plaque for information about when the two wings were built ...
At Keefer and Campbell stands a two-storey church with flat straight walls and a modest cross at the peak over the front entrance ... this is the Chiesa del Sacro Cuore, an Italian Roman Catholic Church built in 1905 ... it must have been constructed with limited funds as most Catholic churches are built of stone with buttressed exterior walls, large arched windows, recessed entrances and wide steps ... next door to the church is a two-storey square apartment block ... the sign above the door reads, "Kaleri Tekakwitha Native Catholic Centre ...
Near Chinatown, at Gore Avenue and E Cordova stands the tall impressive off-white church, St. James Anglican ... dedicated to Father Clinton in 1925, the uppermost section is set above and back from the main structure, elegant and grand in its simplicity ... ... the architecture is reminiscent of cathedrals of southern Europe, ... Linda was not able to get a photo of this church as her camera was not working ...
Diagonally opposite St. James stands the Firehall Arts Centre which had no history posted on the exterior of the building ... (http://www.firehallartscentre.ca/aboutus.html) ... next to the Firehall is the Vancouver Police Museum established in 1932 to honor "those who have gone before and those who come after" in the service of the community ... a statue of a policeman holding a child's hand stands above the dedication plaque ... Linda was able to get a close-up shot of the statue ...
As we carried on to Hastings trying to make sense of the map showing locations of wall murals, we met two young men who asked if we were planning to attend the Women's Memorial March which was to commence soon from the Carnegie Centre ... the young men didn't know who had organized the walk but it was to commemorate the dozens of young women who mysteriously disappeared from the DTES ... banners were strung out above the fence at the centre and a speech was being presented to the few dozen people standing around ... as we passed by, I caught some of his words, "... and a new trial may be scheduled for the remaining 26 women whose lives were taken and whose stories have not been heard ..." ... my guess is he was referring to the Picton murder trials, during which only 6 or 7 of the victims were represented ...
Carnegie Centre is the hub of the downtown east side ... converted from the original library to a community centre, it provides a lunchroom, washrooms, meeting rooms and activities for east side residents ... it is also the focal haunt of homeless people, especially since they were recently moved out of Pigeon Park at Carrall and E Hastings ...
We never did find the wall murals we were looking for as the map had placed them in the wrong sites ... so, next week, we are determined to locate those murals ...
We returned to Britannia Seniors Centre to enjoy a light lunch, pastries, coffee and Hershey Valentine Kisses ...
Contributor Virginia
At Vernon and E Georgia, just past Quest Food Exchange, we came to a beautiful grand home in the Queen Anne style, similar to Victorian but broader with a pillared front porch and less ornamentation ... Linda took front and side photos to attach to the blog ...
Between Vernon and Glen on Keefer Street is the Seymour School, the original 3-storey structure in soft yellow siding with Grecian window treatment and sculpted eaves ... this building is attached to another 3-storey brick building with white window trim and eaves ... both buildings are architecturally very pleasing and well built ... we didn't see a dedication plaque for information about when the two wings were built ...
At Keefer and Campbell stands a two-storey church with flat straight walls and a modest cross at the peak over the front entrance ... this is the Chiesa del Sacro Cuore, an Italian Roman Catholic Church built in 1905 ... it must have been constructed with limited funds as most Catholic churches are built of stone with buttressed exterior walls, large arched windows, recessed entrances and wide steps ... next door to the church is a two-storey square apartment block ... the sign above the door reads, "Kaleri Tekakwitha Native Catholic Centre ...
Near Chinatown, at Gore Avenue and E Cordova stands the tall impressive off-white church, St. James Anglican ... dedicated to Father Clinton in 1925, the uppermost section is set above and back from the main structure, elegant and grand in its simplicity ... ... the architecture is reminiscent of cathedrals of southern Europe, ... Linda was not able to get a photo of this church as her camera was not working ...
Diagonally opposite St. James stands the Firehall Arts Centre which had no history posted on the exterior of the building ... (http://www.firehallartscentre.ca/aboutus.html) ... next to the Firehall is the Vancouver Police Museum established in 1932 to honor "those who have gone before and those who come after" in the service of the community ... a statue of a policeman holding a child's hand stands above the dedication plaque ... Linda was able to get a close-up shot of the statue ...
As we carried on to Hastings trying to make sense of the map showing locations of wall murals, we met two young men who asked if we were planning to attend the Women's Memorial March which was to commence soon from the Carnegie Centre ... the young men didn't know who had organized the walk but it was to commemorate the dozens of young women who mysteriously disappeared from the DTES ... banners were strung out above the fence at the centre and a speech was being presented to the few dozen people standing around ... as we passed by, I caught some of his words, "... and a new trial may be scheduled for the remaining 26 women whose lives were taken and whose stories have not been heard ..." ... my guess is he was referring to the Picton murder trials, during which only 6 or 7 of the victims were represented ...
Carnegie Centre is the hub of the downtown east side ... converted from the original library to a community centre, it provides a lunchroom, washrooms, meeting rooms and activities for east side residents ... it is also the focal haunt of homeless people, especially since they were recently moved out of Pigeon Park at Carrall and E Hastings ...
We never did find the wall murals we were looking for as the map had placed them in the wrong sites ... so, next week, we are determined to locate those murals ...
We returned to Britannia Seniors Centre to enjoy a light lunch, pastries, coffee and Hershey Valentine Kisses ...
Contributor Virginia
REMINDER!!!
Al Mattison Lounge
Nibble Night
Thursday, 19th Feb
6:00-9:00 pm
$1 when you bring nibbles to share
(nuts, chips, veggies)
$10 if you do not bring nibbles
Registration at the pool cashier
Nibble Night
Thursday, 19th Feb
6:00-9:00 pm
$1 when you bring nibbles to share
(nuts, chips, veggies)
$10 if you do not bring nibbles
Registration at the pool cashier
“Nibble till you Laugh"
To all who attend you must bring minimum 1 joke to share with others
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Good Luck Anne!!!
We at the Al Mattison lounge would like to wish Anne Jackson all the best in her new position at Barclay Manor. She will be missed by all the seniors very much. Good Luck Anne & keep in touch with our crazy group!! 
Monday, February 9, 2009
Woodland Food Connection
Hello all Grandview Woodland Food Connection Network Members,
Reminder: Monthly Potluck and Special Seed Swap
Planting season is just three weeks away so I thought that we could have a small seed swap at our next potluck
Thursday, Feb. 12, 6:30
Reminder: Monthly Potluck and Special Seed Swap
Planting season is just three weeks away so I thought that we could have a small seed swap at our next potluck
Thursday, Feb. 12, 6:30
AML Lounge
Britannia Community Centre
bus tickets are available
Hope to see you there,
-- Ian Marcuse
Community Organizer,
Grandview Woodlands Food Connection
604-718-5895
http://gwfoodconnection.blogspot.com/
bus tickets are available
Hope to see you there,
-- Ian Marcuse
Community Organizer,
Grandview Woodlands Food Connection
604-718-5895
http://gwfoodconnection.blogspot.com/
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Walking Club 07 Feb report
Today, Linda, Flora, Maria and I were joined by Lorna from the West End ... we left the Centre at 10:40 am and walked North along the Drive to East Hastings Street to look for wall murals ...
http://www.pbase.com/lcurran/murals for all the pics up to 2006
Along The Drive at E. Georgia we noted the Raja Theatre boarded up ... this theatre has been in the news lately as the recipient of a $2million makeover , rescued from demolition by community-minded people and organizations with the support of the City ... refurbishing of this building could trigger the revitalization of The Drive between Venables and East Hastings Street ...
The first mural we spotted was at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre at 1607 E Hastings ... two identical Haida animal symbols were painted on either side of the entrance where two totems stood ... the friendship centre, originally located at 7Th and Vine, was moved in the late 1970's to this location (a former night club) ... it contains a gymnasium and offers alternative education for 13-18 year-old young people ... weekly family nights take place as well as special events such as the annual display and sale of artwork, jewellery, carvings and clothing items with native designs, as well as bannock and dried salmon ... this sale is held at the end of November each year ...
Further on, we found Ray-Cam Co-operative Centre with a full wall mural of people of all ages and nationalities doing a variety of activities ... this centre is an independent association having agreements with the City, the Parks Board, and BCHMC (which provides subsidies to supplement the board's fundraising efforts to cover operating costs) ... membership and fitness gym access are free to local residents ... a daycare also operates out of this centre ...
Across the street from Ray-Cam is a mural map of Vancouver before World War I complete with three-dimensional drawings of the CPR track, Hastings Sawmill, Alexander House which contained a bordello and provided a home-away-from-home for sailors ... Sacred Heart Church was built in the early 1900's by the Italian Community ... Gore Avenue was the skid road for hauling logs by teams of oxen from False Creek north to the Sawmill on Burrard Inlet ... Flora wondered if that's where the term Skid Row came from, meaning a run-down part of town ... there were many other commercial and residential buildings represented on this map ...
At Heatley Avenue is the Heatley Building, a two-storey brick structure that is threatened with demolition ... Flora and Linda spoke with two young women who told them that a studio apartment in the Heatley, with no stove, rents for $750 a month ... the pastor of their Baptist Church is looking for a new site for the church and these women were scouting the neighbourhood looking for affordable housing for church members ...
Along Heatley Avenue south are six modest two storey houses identical in structure, built from 1889 to 1898, three of which have been restored ... in the window of one is a poster callling for public support to prevent the demolition of the Heatley Building to make way for a new 10-storey structure ... since I lost my notes, I can't recall the website address for people to contact to offer support .
Further south along Heatley at East Pender Street is a block-long building of gray stone, two stories high, with pillars where a grand entrance used to be ... a plaque on the building states that this building was the orginal Vancouver first Jewish Synagogue from the late 1800's ... in the 1970's, with the help of CMHC, it was renovated to provide apartment housing for families ... the long west wall has large open arches revealing an inner courtyard which provides privacy for the residents ... This is now a condo.
Across the street from Heatley Building on the north side of East Hastings is the Union Gospel Mission's thrift store ... at the back of the store, the Mission owns buildings which provide housing, shelter, food and other services to street people and low-income residents ...
At this juncture, we ended the walk with the intention of continuing into downtown next Saturday to scout out more wall murals ... we returned to Britannia to enjoy a fresh coffee and pastries made by Maria's daughter ...
Contibutor Virginia
Along The Drive at E. Georgia we noted the Raja Theatre boarded up ... this theatre has been in the news lately as the recipient of a $2million makeover , rescued from demolition by community-minded people and organizations with the support of the City ... refurbishing of this building could trigger the revitalization of The Drive between Venables and East Hastings Street ...
The first mural we spotted was at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre at 1607 E Hastings ... two identical Haida animal symbols were painted on either side of the entrance where two totems stood ... the friendship centre, originally located at 7Th and Vine, was moved in the late 1970's to this location (a former night club) ... it contains a gymnasium and offers alternative education for 13-18 year-old young people ... weekly family nights take place as well as special events such as the annual display and sale of artwork, jewellery, carvings and clothing items with native designs, as well as bannock and dried salmon ... this sale is held at the end of November each year ...
Further on, we found Ray-Cam Co-operative Centre with a full wall mural of people of all ages and nationalities doing a variety of activities ... this centre is an independent association having agreements with the City, the Parks Board, and BCHMC (which provides subsidies to supplement the board's fundraising efforts to cover operating costs) ... membership and fitness gym access are free to local residents ... a daycare also operates out of this centre ...
Across the street from Ray-Cam is a mural map of Vancouver before World War I complete with three-dimensional drawings of the CPR track, Hastings Sawmill, Alexander House which contained a bordello and provided a home-away-from-home for sailors ... Sacred Heart Church was built in the early 1900's by the Italian Community ... Gore Avenue was the skid road for hauling logs by teams of oxen from False Creek north to the Sawmill on Burrard Inlet ... Flora wondered if that's where the term Skid Row came from, meaning a run-down part of town ... there were many other commercial and residential buildings represented on this map ...
At Heatley Avenue is the Heatley Building, a two-storey brick structure that is threatened with demolition ... Flora and Linda spoke with two young women who told them that a studio apartment in the Heatley, with no stove, rents for $750 a month ... the pastor of their Baptist Church is looking for a new site for the church and these women were scouting the neighbourhood looking for affordable housing for church members ...
Along Heatley Avenue south are six modest two storey houses identical in structure, built from 1889 to 1898, three of which have been restored ... in the window of one is a poster callling for public support to prevent the demolition of the Heatley Building to make way for a new 10-storey structure ... since I lost my notes, I can't recall the website address for people to contact to offer support .
Further south along Heatley at East Pender Street is a block-long building of gray stone, two stories high, with pillars where a grand entrance used to be ... a plaque on the building states that this building was the orginal Vancouver first Jewish Synagogue from the late 1800's ... in the 1970's, with the help of CMHC, it was renovated to provide apartment housing for families ... the long west wall has large open arches revealing an inner courtyard which provides privacy for the residents ... This is now a condo.
Across the street from Heatley Building on the north side of East Hastings is the Union Gospel Mission's thrift store ... at the back of the store, the Mission owns buildings which provide housing, shelter, food and other services to street people and low-income residents ...
At this juncture, we ended the walk with the intention of continuing into downtown next Saturday to scout out more wall murals ... we returned to Britannia to enjoy a fresh coffee and pastries made by Maria's daughter ...
Contibutor Virginia
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Walking Club Jan 30th report
At 10:15 a.m. I ran into Linda at the plaza near the Britannia Seniors Centre ... what a surprise to see her so early ... as we entered the Centre, who was in the kitchen making coffee but Flora !! Double whammy: both ladies showing up early ... Marissa joined us for a quick coffee and we left just after 10:30 ...
We caught the #20 Downtown bus and got off at Carrall Street ... we followed a website printout of a map with a brief history of approximately 15 historical buildings located in the Gastown area of Vancouver ... most of these buildings were constructed in the late 1800's or early 1900's as warehouses and hotels for transient workers and sailors ... Mr. Dunn built his warehouse at the same corner of Water Street as Gassy Jack's saloon ... Mr Dunn held a grand opening ball on the main floor of the building ... the Hudson's Bay Company built a warehouse further west on Water Street to store furs and liquor ... the warehouse was in use by the Bay until the 1960's ... now known as the Hudson building, it was renovated into an interior mall of retail outlets during the refurbishing frenzy of the 1970's-1990's ...
The most striking feature of Gastown is that every building within the area is at least 100 years old ... the only new building is the Unitel Building is at the upper end of Gas Town, across from Victory Square ...
Alexander Street forks off Water Street at the east End ... it was the manufacturing district of old Vancouver and Linda showed us the building where she worked in a leather factory in the mid-1960's when she first emigrated from Italy ... all those old factories have since been refurbished and converted in low-income housing blocks ... the entire street is clean, the sidewalks and lighting designed to suit the era when the buildings were first erected ...
Flora took us to see the office on Cordova Street where she started her career as a Juvenile Court Worker for First Nations youth ... I showed the group the courtyard on Water Street where I worked for a life insurance broker in the 1980's ... the little cafe where I used to have lunch was still in business so we enjoyed homemade soup and spanikopita (spinach pie) in the upstairs eating area that overlooks Burrard Inlet, Canada Place and North Vancouver ...
I remember my first trip to Gas Town in the 1960's when the old buildings were occupied by hippies, the Georgia Straight (at the time a very controversial, counter cultural newspaper) ... many funky shops were operated by young entrepreneurs selling books, musical instruments, Indian bedspreads, incense, Tibetan singing bowls, curios and exotic clothing ... those were the days when young people travelled to the Far East in search of spiritual enlightenment ... they returned with cultural items and icons as well as a different world view of Life's purpose ... it was the start of the New Age in Vancouver ...
Our personal history in Gas Town held special meaning for us as we noted the changes that have taken place in the past forty years ... Marissa, who hails from Ontario, took photos of many of the buildings, as well as Gassy Jack's statue and the world famous Steam Clock ... we were fortunate to be at the clock when it steamed perfectly the time of one o'clock in the afternoon ...
After a quick stop at Canada Place where, under the sails, we enjoyed a 360 degree view of old Vancouver, new Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver and the ship loading docks of Burrard Inlet, we caught the #20 Victoria bus on Hastings Street to go back to the Drive ...
Contributor Virginia
We caught the #20 Downtown bus and got off at Carrall Street ... we followed a website printout of a map with a brief history of approximately 15 historical buildings located in the Gastown area of Vancouver ... most of these buildings were constructed in the late 1800's or early 1900's as warehouses and hotels for transient workers and sailors ... Mr. Dunn built his warehouse at the same corner of Water Street as Gassy Jack's saloon ... Mr Dunn held a grand opening ball on the main floor of the building ... the Hudson's Bay Company built a warehouse further west on Water Street to store furs and liquor ... the warehouse was in use by the Bay until the 1960's ... now known as the Hudson building, it was renovated into an interior mall of retail outlets during the refurbishing frenzy of the 1970's-1990's ...
The most striking feature of Gastown is that every building within the area is at least 100 years old ... the only new building is the Unitel Building is at the upper end of Gas Town, across from Victory Square ...
Alexander Street forks off Water Street at the east End ... it was the manufacturing district of old Vancouver and Linda showed us the building where she worked in a leather factory in the mid-1960's when she first emigrated from Italy ... all those old factories have since been refurbished and converted in low-income housing blocks ... the entire street is clean, the sidewalks and lighting designed to suit the era when the buildings were first erected ...
Flora took us to see the office on Cordova Street where she started her career as a Juvenile Court Worker for First Nations youth ... I showed the group the courtyard on Water Street where I worked for a life insurance broker in the 1980's ... the little cafe where I used to have lunch was still in business so we enjoyed homemade soup and spanikopita (spinach pie) in the upstairs eating area that overlooks Burrard Inlet, Canada Place and North Vancouver ...
I remember my first trip to Gas Town in the 1960's when the old buildings were occupied by hippies, the Georgia Straight (at the time a very controversial, counter cultural newspaper) ... many funky shops were operated by young entrepreneurs selling books, musical instruments, Indian bedspreads, incense, Tibetan singing bowls, curios and exotic clothing ... those were the days when young people travelled to the Far East in search of spiritual enlightenment ... they returned with cultural items and icons as well as a different world view of Life's purpose ... it was the start of the New Age in Vancouver ...
Our personal history in Gas Town held special meaning for us as we noted the changes that have taken place in the past forty years ... Marissa, who hails from Ontario, took photos of many of the buildings, as well as Gassy Jack's statue and the world famous Steam Clock ... we were fortunate to be at the clock when it steamed perfectly the time of one o'clock in the afternoon ...
After a quick stop at Canada Place where, under the sails, we enjoyed a 360 degree view of old Vancouver, new Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver and the ship loading docks of Burrard Inlet, we caught the #20 Victoria bus on Hastings Street to go back to the Drive ...
Contributor Virginia
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