Photo Essay: Northern Light

I was smitten with Vancouver on my first visit in 2003. It was love at first descent - the clouds parted to reveal a shimmering ocean below and snow capped mountains in the background. And at the place where they met, a steel and glass city erupted like fractured peaks bearing witness to some great tectonic collision.

I returned several times, and even convinced my sister to relocate there. I did the touristy things - I walked Stanley Park, saw the sights from the top of the Harbour Center Tower, visited Gastown,Yaletown and Robson; I walked the Granville Bridge, browsed the galleries on Granville Island, and basked in the neon glow of the Granville Street nightclubs on my return. I dined at Vij's; I discovered Quail's Gate Okanagan Pinot. I enjoyed dessert and coffee at SEN5ES while watching the clock across the street countdown to the 2010 Olympics. I even caught my share of street filming in Hollywood North.

It was easy to see why Vancouver is annually rated among the World's Best Cities to Live. The British Magazine MONOCLE rated Vancouver the 15th most liveable city in 2007. It moved up to 8th place in 2008.

But it was my (recent) fifth trip that burst my Vancouver bubble. Yes, it is a truly beautiful city, but perhaps more suited to the outdoorsman than the committed urbanite. Yes, it's very eco conscious and green (Vancouver was the founding city for Greenpeace). People definitely seem nicer and more tolerant than the US, but Vancouver lacks the diversity of say, Toronto or NYC. And the sometimes extreme tolerance means a very visible drug problem, even in the heart of the city. MONOCLE acknowledged this in 2007: "Heroin and cocaine is a problem, and the number of property crimes, petty theft and car break-ins has risen dramatically." And in 2008: "A specialized drug unit is aimed at the the city's estimated 4000 hydroponic marijuana- growing operations."

Vancouver has the highest rate of gun-related violent crime of any major metropolitan region in Canada, and it not uncommon for my sister to hear gunshots emanating from the nightclub district on a Friday night.

Overall, I found basic cost of food and groceries higher than SF, and quality of food was definitely poorer than the Bay Area (but then, we are spoiled.)

In conversing with many people, they all griped about the health care - most care is delivered through family practitioners. And most GPs are not accepting new patients. So most health care is delivered through walk in clinics. And the free health care does not cover major surgeries, so people pay US rates for supplemental coverage.

For someone who seeks out quiet luxury, Vancouver doesn't offer the retail possibilities of SF. No wonder then that Vancouverites routinely make shopping runs across the border to Seattle.

There were a few gems though - Komakino (a guerilla store in its 6th iteration) continued to reward the shopper who actually finds the store (now in a basement in Chinatown). I had discovered Komakino on my last visit to Vancouver. The owner, Campbell, splits his time between Vancouver and Berlin where he has opened his second store, Darklands.

http://www.komakino.ca/
http://darklandsberlin.com/

And in Yaletown, I was thrilled to stumble on the Raw Canvas Cafe - a cafe cum artist studio on Hamilton Street. In the three odd hours I spent there, Raw Canvas was visited by some band members and a local strobist photographer who plans a move to Mumbai. The Iranian-Canadian barista cum stage actor pointed out the owners (Paige and Steve) to me - both yoga instructors who lived in Hong Kong in a previous life. The cafe was inviting, and definitely a great place for creative types to congregate and plan their next interdisciplinary venture.

http://www.raw-canvas.com/

I haven't given up on Vancouver just yet, although I think it has to evolve before it can be mentioned in the same breath as cities like Tokyo, Zurich, Vienna and Paris (other Top 20 Cities 2008). Vancouver cannot compete with their historical richness or wealth of cultural offerings. I concur with MONOCLE that drugs and crime are an issue. I would also love to see more "Renaissance spaces" like Raw Canvas blossom in different parts of the City, to bolster the nascent arts scene.

After all, consideration must be given to persons like me. I could imagine a life in a tricked out pad perched atop one of Vancouver's high rises. I would wake up and marvel at the snow capped peaks. But rather than hike or ski them, I would ride the elevator to Urban Level in search of a neighborhood to explore or cafe to chill at or gallery opening to attend.