After looking at many different places I finally found a place in the perfect location, with the perfect set up at the right price…the compromise was living in an older building that was really due for renovation…oh well it has character.
So I’m living in Kitsilano, in a perfect location for my needs. I’m one block from the beach, three blocks from the shopping area on 4th Avenue and 10 minutes from downtown on the bus…including waiting for the bus. In fact I can cycle downtown in about 12 minutes without breaking a sweat.
I’m sharing a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a 30 year old actor from Alberta. He’s starred in a few episodes of Stargate, some other local TV shows and had the lead in low budget horror film. He is a classic guy and all his actor friends are really cool and fun to hang out with and all the girls are gorgeous – that’s a win. In fairness he’s not working at the moment and it might be a stretch for him to put ‘actor’ on his tax return as most of his income is from waiting tables these days – its such a cliché but all his actor friends are working similar gigs. He auditions about once a week and listening to him practice lines in his bedroom is priceless. If you have ever seen Entourage – think Johnny Chase – and yes he goes to the gym everyday and our house has five full length mirrors that are over 6 foot wide.
As Fairlie pointed out Kitsilano, or Kits as it is affectionately known, is quite a cool suburb. In the 1960’s it was the home of the hippie movement in Vancouver and yes it was the birthplace of Greenpeace. Environmentalist David Suzuki calls Kits home and the area is full of young singles and couples with a strong hippie undertone. There are literally hundreds of cafes and small bars which are all very relaxed and reasonably inexpensive – especially if you go on nights that they have specials. For instance my local Mexican restaurant offers $2 tacos on a Thursday to locals and the pub on the corner does a burger with chips and a pint of your choice for $10 once a week. I tend to cook at home apart from these two nights to save my pesos but it is quite affordable to eat out around home should the need arise.
This weekend is the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock and to celebrate Kits is throwing a Woodstock party. Stretching 10 city blocks along 4th Avenue they have erected four stages for 7 hours of live music, tie dye t-shirts, beads and free love (I made up the last bit). That’s a very Kits thing to do. Everyone in Kits is health conscious and every second girl walks the street with a yoga mat tucked under her arm. There a yoga studios everywhere, free open air yoga classes on a Thursday that attract over 200 people to the grass in front of the pool and its just generally very outdoorsy. The local pool is 135m long and a popular lap swimming pool in the summer. I have been a member for the past two months and apart from no one here knowing the ‘road rules’ in the pool it’s a pleasant swimming experience. Eight laps makes a kilometer and when you breath to the north you can see across the water to the mountains. The pool is two blocks from home so everything is walking or more recently skateboarding distance from home.
I’m currently working away restoring a 1970’s Raleigh Three Speed bicycle so I have vintage wheels to ride around in my hippie commune and I’m torn between the bead making and the tie dying for tomorrow’s festival.
Peace
So I’m living in Kitsilano, in a perfect location for my needs. I’m one block from the beach, three blocks from the shopping area on 4th Avenue and 10 minutes from downtown on the bus…including waiting for the bus. In fact I can cycle downtown in about 12 minutes without breaking a sweat.
I’m sharing a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a 30 year old actor from Alberta. He’s starred in a few episodes of Stargate, some other local TV shows and had the lead in low budget horror film. He is a classic guy and all his actor friends are really cool and fun to hang out with and all the girls are gorgeous – that’s a win. In fairness he’s not working at the moment and it might be a stretch for him to put ‘actor’ on his tax return as most of his income is from waiting tables these days – its such a cliché but all his actor friends are working similar gigs. He auditions about once a week and listening to him practice lines in his bedroom is priceless. If you have ever seen Entourage – think Johnny Chase – and yes he goes to the gym everyday and our house has five full length mirrors that are over 6 foot wide.
As Fairlie pointed out Kitsilano, or Kits as it is affectionately known, is quite a cool suburb. In the 1960’s it was the home of the hippie movement in Vancouver and yes it was the birthplace of Greenpeace. Environmentalist David Suzuki calls Kits home and the area is full of young singles and couples with a strong hippie undertone. There are literally hundreds of cafes and small bars which are all very relaxed and reasonably inexpensive – especially if you go on nights that they have specials. For instance my local Mexican restaurant offers $2 tacos on a Thursday to locals and the pub on the corner does a burger with chips and a pint of your choice for $10 once a week. I tend to cook at home apart from these two nights to save my pesos but it is quite affordable to eat out around home should the need arise.
This weekend is the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock and to celebrate Kits is throwing a Woodstock party. Stretching 10 city blocks along 4th Avenue they have erected four stages for 7 hours of live music, tie dye t-shirts, beads and free love (I made up the last bit). That’s a very Kits thing to do. Everyone in Kits is health conscious and every second girl walks the street with a yoga mat tucked under her arm. There a yoga studios everywhere, free open air yoga classes on a Thursday that attract over 200 people to the grass in front of the pool and its just generally very outdoorsy. The local pool is 135m long and a popular lap swimming pool in the summer. I have been a member for the past two months and apart from no one here knowing the ‘road rules’ in the pool it’s a pleasant swimming experience. Eight laps makes a kilometer and when you breath to the north you can see across the water to the mountains. The pool is two blocks from home so everything is walking or more recently skateboarding distance from home.
I’m currently working away restoring a 1970’s Raleigh Three Speed bicycle so I have vintage wheels to ride around in my hippie commune and I’m torn between the bead making and the tie dying for tomorrow’s festival.
Peace
5 comments:
Cool.
Sounds like a fun place to live.
Oh...and your housemate? I'm picturing Joey Tribbiani in my head.
How you doin'?
So you made up the bit about free love – shame! We were thinking we could come and re-live the 60's. Otherwise sounds great. ENJOY!
Sounds great -- back to the 60's!I'd opt to do both the bead making and the tie dyeing, Pablo. You never know when you might need these skills!!
Stuff the beads and tie dye.
BC buds all the way!
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