I’ve been asked to write an article for a European magazine about Vancouver. I’m keeping my particular angle under wraps until everything is completely done, but I’d like to solicit some help from my readers. In fact, I’m hoping I can use a few of these quotations in the article, along with possibly a photo or two of some of the people who quoted them.
So, in one or two sentences, please feel free to answer any of the following:
- What do you like the most about Vancouver?
- What is your least favourite thing about this city?
- What is your best memory from living in the city?
- Do you think Vancouver does enough to help the less fortunate members of the community?
- How do you feel about the 2010 Olympics, and what do you think the impact will be on the city?
- Who are some of your favourite local bands?
- What does Vancouver mean to you?
Also, feel free to ramble, and I’ll try to make sense of it.
Being a musician myself, I’m going to pass on this opportunity for blatant, self promotion and instead point you in the direction of my friend’s project, Scenery In Stereo.
http://www.myspace.com/sceneryinstereo
They are currently recording in Greenhouse Studios, and expect to have a release by Oct.09 (tentative)
Cheers
ha, asking about local bands will get you inundated with locals bands self-promoting. like me…
1. the natural beauty – between the oceans and mountains, there’s never a boring view of nature.
2. construction – you can’t walk from one place downtown to another with detouring around closed sidewalks.
3. basically every night there’s a great sunset. which is almost every night.
4. not even close.
5. i wish they weren’t happening, and think there are going to be a lot of human rights violations. there are more important things than sports – like the environment, the DTES, the recession, HST, famine in kenya, blah blah blah… we should focus on things that help the lives of others and aren’t just extraneous fluff.
6. mojave.
7. it depends on the day. i vary widely from wishing i lived anywhere else to knowing i don’t ever want to leave. especially travelling across canada the last few weeks – vancouver is so much more awesome than anywhere else i think.
1) The mix of nature and city. It’s a really green city, especially compared to big US cities, and the proximity to nature leads to tons of opportunities for going outside and being active. Biking, hiking, skiing, etc.
2) It’s still a pretty small town. Big businesses don’t really operate here, so the job market isn’t great. Most of my clients aren’t local.
4) It could always be better, but there are a ton of assistance facilities in the DTES doing good work. I think the city does what it can, but the federal gov’t needs to step up and do more. Getting over the whole safe injection site hangup would be a good start.
5) I want to be out of town in February. Ultimately the legacy should be positive, but that month is going to be a zoo.
6) Mojave, of course.
Seems like a pretty broad range of topics. Want me to write a 500-word comment and you’ll be half done? 😛
Just need a few pop-vox type quotes from people for the article. A few of these might work.
1) I love that you can be downtown of a major city one minute and in practically no time be relaxing by the ocean, skiing on world class mountains, camping in the wilderness or swimming in countless lakes and streams.
2) Traffic. It sucks, there’s no way around it unless you live downtown or near the skytrain/canada line.
3) I think expo ’86 was a great memory. We had family come from Germany during that time and it was fun exploring with them.
4) It’s hard to say, I think as a population in general Vancouverites are caring and like to help out (through donations and volunteering). I think the government could do more on their end.
5) I think the Olympics are great. It will put a worldwide focus on the city and surrounding areas. It’s our chance to show the world what we are made of and hopefully have a lasting legacy for future generations (and Canada to win gold on home soil for the first time in history).
6) I don’t follow music closely enough anymore (boo me, I know)so I can’t comment.
7) Vancouver means home to me. I am a first generation Canadian and it meant a lot to both of my parent’s families to come here and make this their home and I’m proud of that.
1. I can go snowboarding, surfing, lying on the beach, and hitting up the nightlife, all in one weekend thanks to Vancouver.
2. The endless construction.
3. Wandering through the trees in Stanley Park, amazed by the size and grandeur of them with my dad. Seeing these huge trees set against the backdrop of our city is really something else.
4. Vancouver has a serious homeless problem. No one seems quite sure how to solve it.
5. The Olympics is going to be an exciting time in Vancouver… we’re all going to look back and remember the Olympics. Seeing Canada (hopefully) play for the gold medal in hockey on home soil? That’s #1 on MY Bucket List. It will be a powerful moment for many of us. I think we’ve gained a lot of benefits from the increased infrastructure and facilities with Olympics, but the games are going to have to be a bit better managed to recoup our costs even slightly.
6. Sadly, I have no favourite Vancouver bands.
7. A mix of home, adventure, beauty, and freedom. I’ve traveled a lot, and there’s no city that I feel more independence in than Vancouver. I feel like you can do anything you set your heart and mind to in Vancouver.