Where to Find Vancouver Hideaways!

It is hard to imagine the West End of Vancouver is still one of the most densely populated areas in North America. It’s surrounded by a rapidly changing skyline but maintains a feeling of  simpler times.  The peace and beauty is evident to all those who live in the the area and may it never change.

I was very happy to settle down for a few years again in my birth city of Vancouver, Canada.  I wanted to stay as “green” as possible and so chose to live and work in the West End of the city, just a few blocks from Davie and Denman.

I loved the quaint area between Denman, Stanley Park, the lagoon, and English Bay.  I’d while away the weekend hours exploring all there was to see.  A brisk 12 KM walk around the sea wall to the new skyline of Coal Harbour, breathing in the ocean air, was all I needed to maintain a healthy balance in my life.

I really didn’t need a vehicle and was glad I didn’t have to find parking on a daily basis.  I don’t think the parking situation has improved either in the last forty years!  People still vie for a two-hour space on the many tree covered side streets so they can show their grandchildren the beaches they played on with their own grandparents many decades before.  The great bus and sky train system is still the best alternative.

The architectural beauty of old brick low rises nestled among higher balcony-adorned buildings is a reminder of days gone by in the West End.  An occasional heritage home is also tucked in between, turned into classic apartments with high ceilings and marbled faced fireplaces. Wonderful names adorn buildings that have stood the test of time like Ocean Bay and the Sylvia.  Many have interesting histories.  The Whitehouse Apartments, for instance, was infamous sixty years ago for housing one of the top madams in Vancouver.  Many people have lived in the area all their working life and have chosen to remain in the West End after they retired. 

To really enjoy the area, just snuggle into one of the tiny corner parks and watch the squirrels chattering in the trees, looking for tid-bits as the seagulls scream high above. If you are lucky, you may even see a resident skunk or raccoon ambling along the sidewalk as evening approaches.  I paused often when I was walking, especially in the autumn. I loved watching children toss the riot of colourful leaves into the air and giggle as the colours gently floated down around them.  The magnificent horse chestnut trees may have muted the sounds of sirens and the busy traffic along English Bay but you had to be prepared to be bumped on the head as chestnuts fell in the fall.

I'm no longer living in the West End but now I get to go down and visit the same old spots with my granddaughter.  She is being raised in my favourite part of the city. 

The new online blog, www.insidevancouver.ca is a great place to find out what can be discovered in the West End.  The blog encourages locals to write about upcoming events and is a great place to view photos of the area.   

There are very few songs written about Vancouver, Canada.  Canadian Tom Cochrane mentions the "Vancouver Lights" quickly in his famous song "Life is a Highway."  There were many times I identified with the words to the song “Life's like a road that you travel on. When there's one day here and the next day gone."  It's such a beautiful city