One Step Forward, One Step Back

4 Notes

Oh Vancouver, sometimes you give and sometimes you take away.

Moving Forward

This week, I was excited to hear that part of my vision for a more vibrant, Bryant Park-style ambiance at the North Plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery is coming true with plans to bring food carts en masse to this underused public space. Details here:

Presented by the Street Food Vancouver Society and the Downtown Vancouver

January 24, 25, 26, 11am - 3pm

Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza: The much anticipated Street Food City is here. For three days during the Dine Out Vancouver Festival on the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Street Food City is your opportunity to sample from a collection of Vancouver’s Street Food carts all in one convenient location! Gather and feast on delicious food prepared by these vendors.

Seriously. I plead with the Street Food Vancouver Society and the City of Vancouver - lets get some big ol’ picnic tables out there and make it permanent - at least for the summer?

I have high hopes for this. Last summer’s Picnurbia installation in Robson Square proved that if you build it, they will come.

The Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza: no chairs….not much of anything really.

Imagine if the North Plaza of the Art Gallery looked like this: Streets! Trees! People eating!

Moving Backward

In other less good news, Vancouver decided to uphold it’s Prohibition era drinking laws that don’t allow drinking while - gasp - watching movies. The Rio Theatre - an excellent venue that hosted live shows and movies - was threatened with having its liquor license revoked if it continues to show movies. According to a Province editorial:

The Rio has been forced to quit showing films because of a sweeping rule barring movie houses from serving liquor. The intent was to keep booze away from kids, but surely that could be accomplished without such a sweeping, blunt regulation.

Yes. It’s time the BC Liquor Board stopped treating citizens like alcoholics on the verge of a massive bender if heaven forbid, we are allowed to drink at the movies, or buy a bottle of wine at the grocery store for that matter. There isn’t really much the City of Vancouver can do about this issue, since it’s provincial jurisdiction. Maybe one day we can be like our equally, but sometimes cooler sister city, Portland. It has a great movie theatre called The Living Room where you can kick back in cozy chairs with a glass of wine and an indy flick. I’ve been there and it beats drinking at home in front of the TV.