Vancouver’s Post Olympic Hangover
Memo to all the tourists who came for two weeks and think Vancouver is some crazy Canadian version of Ibiza complete with flying beavers, waving flags and parties in the streets every day and night.
Its not.
Not even close. Vancouver is beautiful, yes, when the sun is out. The rest of the time it is a dark, grey, soggy, lonely place.
The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?
It was a party! But Vancouver is not all that Loney or Dark..Soggy, you may have a point on.
Yes it rains a lot – but it is sure beautiful when its sunny. As for dark and lonely…it is all about what you make of it! This world has too much pessimism…let's keep positive and focus on the good
I think you're all takin the commentary too literally. It was just an
embellished description of a rather paradoxical couple of photos.
bz.
“Not even close. Vancouver is beautiful, yes, when the sun is out. The rest of the time it is a dark, grey, soggy, lonely place.”
False statement.
It wasn't embellished at all, it was exaggerated and rather shallow. Perhaps you should open your mind a bit and take in what Vancouver has to offer you instead of comparing two photos and literally saying Vancouver sucks to anyone who has never visited.
Too many people take their lives in Vancouver for granted.
I lived in Vancouver for 30 years. When I came back for the Olympics, after having been away for only a month, the city was transformed into something I had never experienced before. Not only were there 10s of thousands of people crowding into public spaces and having a good time without incident, the city had a throbbing energy I'd only ever experienced trying to go against the flow near Penn Station in Manhattan.
A foreign scribe called Vancouver “Manhattan with mountains.” Sure, maybe during the Olympics when the streets are teeming with life, but the juxtaposition of the photos shows the truth of what Vancouver is – not what it pretended to be.
Vancouver is a small city (in the global sense) with little activity or excitement on it's streets most days of the year – especially when it rains.
Um…that's a bit dire, isn't it Buzz? “The rest of the time it is a dark, grey, soggy, lonely place.” Come on, it's not like that and you know it! I think I opened my umbrella maybe once or twice between April and September of last year and on the whole our weather is a lot more gorgeous than it is grey or soggy.
Vancouver may not pulse with the same level life as Manhattan does but it does have only about 10% of that city's total population and this city certainly has its own charms. As someone who has lived in the very heart of downtown for 4+ years I can assure you it is never dark or lonely–and that is why I love it
Look at the photos that are contrasted. One is filled with life. The
other is lonely and wet. That's my point.
bz.
http://www.buzzbishop.com
Buzz, my friend, you seem to have gotten in a little trouble here.
It looks like people don't get your point… or are just worried that your point may get out to too many people?!
In either case, Vancouver is a great city despite being small and I know you agree with that.
Perhaps you should take pictures of all the street performers and artists along the side walk. Or perhaps:
-a picture of Friday and Saturday night on Granville.
-Kits beach and Spanish bay during the summer.
-English bay during the annual Fireworks.
-PNE and Playland during the summer.
-Grouse, Seymour, and Cypress at any time from November – April.
-Whistler's Night Life.
-A sold out Canuck game or 2.
-A local band trying to make a few bucks at a small cafe or restaurant.
etc.
What you saw at the olympics was just all the energy concentrated to one area. Make no mistake, the people you saw in the streets were not all foreigners, it was the population of the lowermainland which represented the type of people we are. In 30 years of living here, all you can do is summarize Vancouver in one shallow sentence?
I have never walked the streets of Vancouver (rain or shine) and have not been presented with some form of entertainment.
Exactly. Far be it from me to disparage my home town. My point was to
illustrate the vast difference in emotion between the two photos.
As always, vancouverites seem to find a way to get their panties
twisted over absolutely nothing.
bz.
http://www.buzzbishop.com
Wow. Pretty harsh. It's not THAT bad. You wanna talk about Calgary? hahaha
You've turned kinda nasty since you moved away!!! I think someone is still sour that they HAD to move to get a job! You are almost acting like an American now!!!!!
PS I'm not from Van.so my panties are still in tact!!
Buzz, the reaction is a sense of loyalty to the hometown we love so much and I admit it was my initial reaction as well. I get your point, but I think you're exaggerating by a large margin. Obviously Granville Street filled with people instead of cars, all decked out in Canada Gear, is Vancouver during the world's biggest festival. It's not everyday Vancouver. Who would expect it to be like that on a regular day? I guess the second photo makes Vancouver look like a lonely place but it certainly isn't, not in my experience, and I'd say it's rare to see a downtown street looking as deserted as it does in that photo.
Actually the reason I have never moved away from Vancouver is that I would be lonely anywhere else.
Man what a bunch of Seasonal Affect afflictees, eh? Where's your sense of humour folks? The grey weather is part of the package here. And irrelevant to attitude unless _you_ let it make you its bitch. Now, the mobile party may have moved on to the next locale that lets human spirit rise and soar…briefly. But we live here! And I'll take most days here over a lot of other places I've lived, worked, and visited. I turn my face up to the sun…and the rain, and I'm grateful for both.
Man what a bunch of Seasonal Affect afflictees, eh? Where’s your sense of humour folks? The grey weather is part of the package here. And irrelevant to attitude unless _you_ let it make you its bitch. Now, the mobile party may have moved on to the next locale that lets human spirit rise and soar…briefly. But we live here! And I’ll take most days here over a lot of other places I’ve lived, worked, and visited. I turn my face up to the sun…and the rain, and I’m grateful for both.
Man what a bunch of Seasonal Affect afflictees, eh? Where’s your sense of humour folks? The grey weather is part of the package here. And irrelevant to attitude unless _you_ let it make you its bitch. Now, the mobile party may have moved on to the next locale that lets human spirit rise and soar…briefly. But we live here! And I’ll take most days here over a lot of other places I’ve lived, worked, and visited. I turn my face up to the sun…and the rain, and I’m grateful for both.
Man what a bunch of Seasonal Affect afflictees, eh? Where’s your sense of humour folks? The grey weather is part of the package here. And irrelevant to attitude unless _you_ let it make you its bitch. Now, the mobile party may have moved on to the next locale that lets human spirit rise and soar…briefly. But we live here! And I’ll take most days here over a lot of other places I’ve lived, worked, and visited. I turn my face up to the sun…and the rain, and I’m grateful for both.
Man what a bunch of Seasonal Affect afflictees, eh? Where’s your sense of humour folks? The grey weather is part of the package here. And irrelevant to attitude unless _you_ let it make you its bitch. Now, the mobile party may have moved on to the next locale that lets human spirit rise and soar…briefly. But we live here! And I’ll take most days here over a lot of other places I’ve lived, worked, and visited. I turn my face up to the sun…and the rain, and I’m grateful for both.