Sandbox:My Reflection

When I first walked through Gastown about 5 years ago, I remember thinking it was a great little neighbourhood with so much character and history. It reminded me of a place in Edmonton called Whyte Ave that includes a similar eclectic environment, but not nearly as much history.

Since I’ve moved to Vancouver, my best friend came for a visit. She is always in awe of the history of a city and of the unique architecture of buildings. As we were walking through Gastown, we noticed a lot of buildings were empty or some stores that were closing down; this made us so sad. Being new to the area, I’m not exactly sure why this was happening, but I thought maybe the price of rent might have a factor.

From that moment, it’s like my eye has been drawn to everything to deal with Gastown. For example, the Gastown project, and even a TV show that focused on the restoration of the restaurant Save on Meats (on the Oprah network!). This restaurant was also featured on the Food Network show, Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. One day, not too long ago, my hair dresser and I were talking about some of the restaurants and bars in that area, and she told me of one that was apparently haunted--- she, and her friends, could ‘feel its presence’, and the staff even confirmed its existence… creepy.

Gastown is an area that is so interesting that seems to have so much history as well as a unique flair. It would be sad to see such an area disappear. I hope that the new press and projects will help revitalize the area and continue to add to its eclectic flavour.