Gastown Quiet?

Gastown is as quiet as any residential neighbourhood this Labour Day Saturday morning. Its like this every long weekend. We went to Hon’s for dinner last night and it was quiet and empty there, not the usual noisy bustling Chinatown restaurant.
This is my first time using the iPad wordpress blogging app and it seems fine. I certainly love the way the blog looks on the iPad, and will be changing my theme from the MacBook next time I’m in there. Lately it seems I use the iPad for pleasure and the MacBook for work, and since I got it I haven’t been blogging at all. But I have had fun with journalling using the moleskine app.
Next I’ll have to organize dropbox or something to find the photos I want to use. But for now, here’s a pic of the quiet street from my iPad camera, just for today, before I head out to the trout lake farmers market.

Mature Gastown Trees Slated for Removal

The City will be removing 6 of the 8 mature trees in Gastown today, on the 200 block between Water and Cordova.

I was informed of this by email at around 3pm yesterday by Tanis Knowles (Planner, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhoods Group Central Area Planning for  City of Vancouver)

The charm of the street is the mature urban trees.

The Carrall Street Greenway has opened this up and they intend to remove the trees “nearing the end of their lifespan” in favour of a new wider root area for new saplings. (I am not sure of the size of the new trees but they won’t have the height and character of the old Gastown trees.)

If you didn’t receive the city email – sent just after 3pm yesterday, it is copied below, along with my midnight letter to the Greenway planners.

Is there anything that can be done? it looks like the greenway will be nothing but fancy paving and a few small trees.

I am very concerned and alarmed.

All restoration and building on this block has been done while preserving the trees that are there.

By the way, the city promise of more trees was always part of the Greenway plan, nothing new here.

My email to Tanis:

I have lived in Van Horne Building (2nd floor in the small building on the corner of Carrall and Cordova) for 12 years now, and was on the Greenway Planning Committee for several years.

I am very unhappy to hear that most of the mature Greenway trees will be removed. And suddenly. Tomorrow. It is a pity that the mature trees won’t be able to help make the greenway green.

What size will the new 200 block trees be? How long will it take them to grow to have a green presence on the street, and how can these new trees be augmented by other green plantings – so the greenway isn’t just fancy paving.

Already we have compromised on the original concept of having sidewalk cafes integrating the area and making use of the narrowed traffic lanes. Once the bike lanes were placed on both sides of the street that amenity was lost. It has become a “Throughway” plan, rather than a varied and integrated urban streetscape.

Now with the trees being taken down, this is a serious problem. For those of us who have a living stake in this area, it is important that what we do have here isn’t taken away in favor of a streamlined plan.

I am very concerned about the Hastings-Cordova block, which is where I live. It is very important that everything possible is done to preserve the mature trees on this block, which are the only amenity you find here. With those trees gone the block will be a wasteland. Outside our window, instead of seeing the seasonal changes of the trees and their leaves, we will see the rundown buildings across the street, and perhaps a bit of a treetop or two.

Yes the trees that are there are old trees, but surely there is a way to preserve them for several more years to come. I understand that the city planning has to project into the future. When we planned the greenway initially it was not to remove the trees that are already present, but to add to them.

Those of us who live here love the trees that have survived through so much hardship. This area desperately needs as much green growth as possible, please don’t remove the few trees we have NOW in favor of trees that will grow to become lush LATER.

On 3-Feb-09, at 3:07 PM, Tanis Knowles wrote:

Hello, You are receiving this email as a past participant in public consultation regarding the Carrall Street Greenway or as a member of the Carrall Street Greenway Stewardship Group. This email provides an update on a recent development related to the required removal and replacement of some of the existing trees on the 200-block (between Cordova St and Water St), as part of the Greenway construction. Our hope was that all existing trees could be retained on this block, however it has recently been determined that six of the eight existing trees need to be removed and replaced. Detailed assessment was undertaken by the City’s arborist and landscape designers, who concluded that the trees in question are nearing the end of their lifespan and will be further compromised by the planned construction work. By replacing the trees now, improved tree pits can be constructed that will ensure replacement trees have the most adequate environment to grow and mature. If the trees were not removed, the arborist predicts that they will require replacement in the near future, however replacement trees would not benefit from improved tree pits, which are only possible if constructed now as part of the full block reconstruction. In order to keep to the Greenway construction schedule for the 200-block (target completion by end of April 2009), removal of the six trees is planned for tomorrow, Wednesday, February 4th. Four of the trees identified for removal and replacement are on the east side of the street and two are on the west side. Once construction of the Greenway on this block is complete, there will be a net gain of six new trees for a total of fourteen trees on this block compared to the existing eight trees. If you have any questions about this or anything else related to the Greenway, please contact the construction Project Manager, Linda Chow, or myself.

Good News on Carrall Street

The Pennsylvania Hotel finally has opened its doors – providing housing for 44 people needing homes in the DTES.

I took videos of the opening, posted them to Youtube and over to the Carrall Street Journal, so check them out.

By the way, I decided kept the Carrall Street Journal going after all. (Of course, now I have double postings – will have to sort that out soon.)

Pleasures of Tea

Becoming a tea-lover, tea-freak, tea-lady, tea-connoisseur, you name it – I’m suddenly fascinated by all things tea. At first I thought I should have a tea blog, then decided to just include it in this blog along with all my other fascinations. But if you like tea too, then by all means let me know what you love, why you love it, how you brew it, how you do it.
As I dash this off, I’m sipping Mighty Leaf Organic Breakfast tea – they call it ” a robust wide-awake blend of English Breakfast black teas.” I don’t know if it is that robust, actually, but I do love it – and I also appreciate their delicate fabric teabags.
Another favourite of mine, and I know this sounds very anti-elitist, is Kirkland green tea. Yes, Kirkland green tea with matcha, in tea bags from Costco. It has exactly the right combination and zap. I love it, especially at around 3 in the afternoon. Just what the doctor ordered! Clarity of mind? Absolutely. Delicious? Oh yes! But then, I may as yet have an undeveloped palate. For all I know, this Costco green tea might be dreck, even though I enjoy it.
That’s it for the day’s tea report, with this one exception: I met an old friend for tea on the weekend. We went to the beautiful Farfalla, here in Vancouver, and had some exquisite French Earl Grey tea. We’d almost selected a smoky Earl Grey, but once we caught its scent, we knew that it would be too campfire-tasting for us, and went instead for the floral Earl Grey. I know we weren’t supposed to have it with milk, but they gave it to us anyways. Delight!
And for fun, here’s another BFI video, this one on how to make the perfect cup of tea (in 1941, that is!)

Hyper-Local on Carrall Street

This post is a duplicate of a page in my Carrall Street Journal.

I started a blog named The Carrall Street Journal in March 2006, and it has been an on and off activity for me. My original ideas for it are listed below. They were a little bit out of scope, and I began to see it simply as a vehicle for my own personal expression of life here in Gastown/DTES. As it was a very personal hyper-local blog, a place-based personal log of my observations, I’ve just now integrated all the posts from the old Carrall Street Journal here into my personal blog.

March 2006, this is what I thought the Carrall Street Journal would be:

• The Carrall Street Journal documents people, events, development and transitions along Carrall Street.

• The Journal offers reflections on the physical and social developments as the greenway plans take hold and become a reality, and is open to any comments and community suggestions.

• Descriptions and profiles feature people, businesses, events and associations located on and near the street.

• The journal is volunteer-based and is an independent voice, with no particular affiliation.

• It doesn’t take any advertising, and isn’t commercial.

• Any member of the community can contribute to the discussion, as long as you have an email address to send from and to be contacted at.

Performance on Carrall Street this Tuesday

This post is a duplicate of a post in my Carrall Street Journal.

Art on Carrall – literally about Carrall Street. This is the kind of thing I’ve been thinking about for years, and now it looks like Althea Thauberger is making art about this street and its complexities.

Can’t wait to walk out my door and see what she has put together.

ARTSPEAK | CARRALL STREET | ALTHEA THAUBERGER | SEP 30
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CARRALL STREET | ALTHEA THAUBERGER

Tuesday, September 30, 2008
8-11pm in the 200 block of Carrall Street, Vancouver

Carrall Street Public Forum
Thursday, October 2, 2008
7pm at 33 West Cordova Street

Althea Thauberger’s one-night performance, Carrall Street, will present the
street (brightly lit like a film set at nighttime) as a stage, or zone of
illumination where the roles of performer and spectator blur. The
interweaving of organized performers, passers-by and audience members will
allow for unforeseen interactions to take place that reveal something of
the street’s history, its current issues, as well as its future. Carrall
Street is planned in collaboration with local directors, performers and
community members.

Carrall Street is one of the oldest streets in Vancouver. It can be argued
that the entire history (and pre-history) of the city can be mapped along
its six blocks. Caught between urban gentrification and decay, the street
marks transitions from the most touristic parts of the city to what is
often described as the poorest neighbourhood in Canada. In ways that are
both unique and similar to other inner cities, it has been affected by
development, public policy neglect and polarized politics.

A publication accompanying the project will be available in 2009.

Althea Thauberger is an artist based in Vancouver. Her work involves
research and collaboration that result in performances, films, photographs,
audio recordings and books.

The performance and forum are free and open to the public.

This project has been supported by Arts Partners in Creative Development,
The Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Vancouver and the Portland
Hotel Society.

City Strike Grinds On

This post is a duplicate of a post in my Carrall Street Journal.

Carrall Street has been kept relatively clean by volunteers, the United We Can folks, and as a result the whole place doesn’t look too bad, or seem too terribly unhealthy, despite the city strike.

However, the Carrall Street Greenway has been very affected by the strike, and no work has been done on the whole thing for much of the summer. Tall grass and weeds are growing in the square areas that had been left for tree planting on the one area that had been constructed so far. The whole schedule for this improvement has been suspended, and this could have serious repercussions in the timeline. Hopefully there will be a resolution to the strike soon.

Meanwhile, September brings new exhibitions in the galleries, ACCESS, ArtSpeak, InterUrban and Centre A.

The New York Times Style Magazine this Sunday featured the designer at Richard Kidd, and positive mention of Carrall Street’s Irish Heather and Hunt and Gather.

Now equinox is past, we will see earlier nights, and that also means colder nights for the homeless. People are seriously nested in under the awning on Cordova Street just west of the old Pig and Whistle, and also in any nook to be found in doorways of the old Ranier Hotel. That place has been increasingly covered in graffiti through the summer, with more coming along through the month of August and early September. Almost every brick in the doorway to the former chicken place has a tag of some kind.

That’s the September wrap-up for this street of high contrast!

Burnt Out Restaurant? Sure Fooled Me!

This post is a duplicate of a post in my Carrall Street Journal.

Driving on the new Greenway part of Carrall Street I was shocked to see a group of people milling around this old burnt out restaurant. How could it have flash burned so fast, and why hadn’t I even noticed it before? Well, the truth is this is a set for a movie, Lionsgate Films, The Eye. That’s why I hadn’t seen it before. It was purpose built in the Jack Chow Insurance parking area, and was removed as quickly as it appeared.

Creative Reworking of the Old Telus Box

This post is a duplicate of a post in my Carrall Street Journal.

This Telus box near the bus stop on Carrall and Cordova has been a real eyesore and a problem in the area, as in the past it was a place where dealers and users would congregate. All kinds of things went on between that box and the building behind it. The people at the new Irezumi Tattoo shop had the idea to make this box less of a graffiti-covered eyesore, and arranged with Telus permission to cover the box with a graphic of their own design. It’s totally in keeping with the feel of the street so how could it invite graffiti? Fantastic! Kudos to Irezumi Tattoo!

August Weekends: Events on Carrall

This post is a duplicate of a post in my Carrall Street Journal.

August weekends featured festivals and events on Carrall Street.

In early August the canopies covered the intersection of Carrall and Hastings for the Insite event at Pigeon Park, with bands headlined by the venerable DOA.

Then the next weekend was the Chinatown festival, and people were walking along carrying their clay pots on cardboard squares, or lining up to go to the gambling booths and kiosks. Spilling over from the regular Night Market set up, people walked through Sun Yat Sen Park and out the alley by the Garden entrance, into Carrall.

Then this past weekend in Gastown saw the Motorcycle Show and Shine. Weather cooperated as again the street was filled with parked motorcycles all on display.

And coming up we will see the annual Gastown Concours D’elegance, Saturday September 1st.

Motorcycles lined up on display along Carrall