Photos of Vancouver
At long last, here are some more photos of Vancouver, complete with commentary about the last four months of my life (in case you were wondering).
Ah, the fall foliage of Dunbar. Sure enough, in some parts of the world, leaves actually change colour in the autumn. Vancouver's fall foliage was particularly intense here in the Dunbar neighbourhood, which is dominated by trees and single-family homes. I technically lived in Dunbar for all of my first term, but practically speaking, I was never there. Just as well, because I am not: a) old; or b) a child. There are other students in the neighbourhood, but they are probably low-key. Otherwise angry families would attack them with rakes.
The tower on the left is where I actually spent most of my time (when I wasn't at school). It's in ultra-yuppie Yaletown, where people carry their chihuahas and poodles in their arms instead of walking them. I feel kind of awkward being there sometimes, because I am a stoodunt and probably on drugs or looking to steal things or whatever. It's a very antisocial, paranoid building. First, you can't get in without a special key fob thingie. Once inside the building, you can't get to your floor without further fobbing action. Not only that, you can't go to any floor BUT the one that you are living on (as the fob has been programmed accordingly). So, even if you could somehow befriend another resident, you couldn't just go visit them. Also, there is no 4th, 14th, 24th or 34th floor, because the number 4 is unlucky (if you're Chinese). I live on floor "5," but it's technically the 4th floor because there is no floor "4." Therefore, my life is doomed.
The apartment in Yaletown has a great view. These are some similar towers across the street. You see these things all over downtown Vancouver. This particular neighbourhood is part of the same mega-project developed by the richest man in Hong Kong on land that he purchased after the 1986 Expo. Basically, downtown Vancouver used to be pretty dismal and surrounded by decrepit industries bordering False Creek (so named because it's not a creek). Then the city remade itself as a postmodern, high-quality-of-life cosmopolis. This was achieved by replacing all the nasty industries with these shiny, pretty, fob-protected glass residential towers. So, in Vancouver, people actually LIVE downtown, which is unlike a lot of North American cities. The towers in the photo follow the popular tower-and-podium model, in which there is a tower of condos or apartments on top of a podium of townhouses.
Another view from the apartment, looking out onto George Wainborn Park and False Creek.
This is what I stare at every day while waiting for the bus that takes me to campus. Duhhhhrrrr. Vancouver has an effective bus system, so it's not hard to get around without a car. Or at least, it's far better than Santa Barbara (although even there I somehow managed without one).
A crappy view of downtown Vancouver from City Hall.
The most awesome statue ever, in Queen Elizabeth Park, the city's highest point.
Ah, the fall foliage of Dunbar. Sure enough, in some parts of the world, leaves actually change colour in the autumn. Vancouver's fall foliage was particularly intense here in the Dunbar neighbourhood, which is dominated by trees and single-family homes. I technically lived in Dunbar for all of my first term, but practically speaking, I was never there. Just as well, because I am not: a) old; or b) a child. There are other students in the neighbourhood, but they are probably low-key. Otherwise angry families would attack them with rakes.
The tower on the left is where I actually spent most of my time (when I wasn't at school). It's in ultra-yuppie Yaletown, where people carry their chihuahas and poodles in their arms instead of walking them. I feel kind of awkward being there sometimes, because I am a stoodunt and probably on drugs or looking to steal things or whatever. It's a very antisocial, paranoid building. First, you can't get in without a special key fob thingie. Once inside the building, you can't get to your floor without further fobbing action. Not only that, you can't go to any floor BUT the one that you are living on (as the fob has been programmed accordingly). So, even if you could somehow befriend another resident, you couldn't just go visit them. Also, there is no 4th, 14th, 24th or 34th floor, because the number 4 is unlucky (if you're Chinese). I live on floor "5," but it's technically the 4th floor because there is no floor "4." Therefore, my life is doomed.
The apartment in Yaletown has a great view. These are some similar towers across the street. You see these things all over downtown Vancouver. This particular neighbourhood is part of the same mega-project developed by the richest man in Hong Kong on land that he purchased after the 1986 Expo. Basically, downtown Vancouver used to be pretty dismal and surrounded by decrepit industries bordering False Creek (so named because it's not a creek). Then the city remade itself as a postmodern, high-quality-of-life cosmopolis. This was achieved by replacing all the nasty industries with these shiny, pretty, fob-protected glass residential towers. So, in Vancouver, people actually LIVE downtown, which is unlike a lot of North American cities. The towers in the photo follow the popular tower-and-podium model, in which there is a tower of condos or apartments on top of a podium of townhouses.
Another view from the apartment, looking out onto George Wainborn Park and False Creek.
This is what I stare at every day while waiting for the bus that takes me to campus. Duhhhhrrrr. Vancouver has an effective bus system, so it's not hard to get around without a car. Or at least, it's far better than Santa Barbara (although even there I somehow managed without one).
A crappy view of downtown Vancouver from City Hall.
The most awesome statue ever, in Queen Elizabeth Park, the city's highest point.