Vancouver's laid back west coast lifestyle suits gray whales just fine

It’s been a long time since a gray whale was spotted in Vancouver’s False Creek, and residents here are excited to say the least. Liz Charyna here at BOB saw the gentle giant twice while her dragon boat team was practicing yesterday evening, and whale watchers have lined up along Granville Island, on the Sea Wall in Yaletown and on the various bridges to catch a rare glimpse themselves.

There has been much speculation regarding the whale’s cavalier sauntering about in such a high traffic channel. Is this a sign that our waterways are considered healthier and safer by the species? Has this whale lost its mind? Is it a Trojan Whale? Is this going to end up being a playoffs PR stunt by the Green Men?  Well I think the answer is obvious.

Even a gray whale knows that East Van is the place to be!

This aerial view shows the circuit in which the whale paced about, wondering about mortgages and bank rates

Clearly this beautiful beast heard about Athletes Village winning LEED Platinum Certification, honoring it as the Greenest Neighbourhood in the World. Spending the majority of its time milling about between Granville Bridge and South East False Creek, where the impressive residential development is located, it was clear to me that this whale wants in on the action, and has set its sight on Vancouver’s blossoming Eastside. Yes the secret is out.

South East False Creek’s Athletes Village is  just minutes away from a vibrant Chinatown with exciting new restaurants like Bao Bei, The Keefer Bar, and Campognolo, great shops like Ming Wo,  Bamboo Village and Cathay Importers not to mention our world renowned Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden.

Athletes Village, the award winning LEED Platinum development in SE False Creek that this whale is clearly looking to buy in

Just a five minute walk from the development are the hipster havens of Mt. Pleasent and SOMA, packed with countless neighbourhood watering holes, fashion boutiques, and every amenity an urban whale could need. He or she would  also be close to the new Canada Line Skytrain Route, giving it a convenient and direct transit option to Vancouver’s international airport.

Somehow, between its yearly migration from Mexico to Alaska, this whale heard about how Vancouver’s Eastside has become an innovative hot bed for social enterprise, urban agriculture and art & culture. Music venues like the Rickshaw Theatre, Chapel Arts, The Biltmore, and the Firehall, guarantee this whale something interesting to check out every night of the week; it must be taking that into account looking to live so close to it. He or she probably knows that they are also more than welcome to become a member at the legendary Anza Club just up the hill from Athletes Village (ten bucks, seriously, that’s all it takes, but they might have to take out the pool table for he or she to fit in there).

Just a brief walk from Gastown and Granville Island, someone gave this whale a hot real estate tip that SE False Creek, Mt. Pleasant, the DTES and Strathcona have all become increasingly attractive areas to live, work and play. So it’s only natural that on a sunny afternoon he or she would peruse the area looking for the perfect spot, close to all these great places, right on/in the water.

Well…there goes the neighbourhood.

An old theatre on the Hastings Corridor has been brought back to life after over a decade of deteriorating dormancy. The Rickshaw Theatre at 254 East Hastings re-opened this past summer under the direction of entrepreneur David Duprey and in partnership with the City of Vancouver.

The theatre’s website states the Rickshaw’s aim is “to be a community place, with the goal of promoting independent local theatre and performance. The venue will be available to emerging artists at low rates and will regularly host all ages shows”. In the few months it has been open it has already hosted a long list of acts including Pink Mountaintops, Quadruple Dare and Skinny Puppy.

The Rickshaw is involved in the Hastings Street Renaissance Program, a pilot project developed by the City of Vancouver in partnership with BOB with the aim of addressing vacant storefronts and deteriorating buildings in the inner-city by improving the streetscape, daylighting existing businesses, helping establish new businesses and revitalizing existing spaces to foster community-based economic development. Phase 1 of the project initiated six revitalization projects with grants up to $50,000 each along the Hastings Corridor, and City Council approved an additional $700,000 in funds in November for Phase 2 to activate an additional six storefronts on Hastings and another six in Chinatown.

Duprey leases a number of other inner-city building projects involved in the Hastings Street Renaissance Program including 108 East Hastings and the Phoenix Block at 45 West Hastings. “BOB introduced me to the owners at each of [these] buildings,” Duprey says. “I am grateful for those leads and for the support that BOB has showed me and my tenants over the past couple of years. BOB’s employment division connected some inner-city residents and helped pay for the tenant improvements that were necessary to open 108 E Hastings to local artists for workshop spaces and street-front galleries.”

“The façade program is helping to ensure that affordable arts and culture spaces are retained and improving the streetscapes of one of the most notorious corridors in Canada,” he says. “Kira Gerwing, the City’s Downtown Eastside Planner, and Brian Smith, BOB’s Business Developer, have been particularly supportive of my work in the inner-city- offering advice, funding support and connections that the artist community in the inner-city and the rest of Vancouver have benefited from greatly.

Together with BOB, the City and the other arts-based organizations and advocates in the inner-city, I am excited about the future of the creative industries in Vancouver. As a community we are leading the way with innovative projects that are changing the face of the Downtown Eastside.”