The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => People & Places => Topic started by: linnea on July 18, 2004, 02:34:19 pm
-
Wow. So one of my Canadian friends is flying me out to Vancouver for a week in August. I've never been anywhere in Canada. I hear that Vancouver is a GREAT city...any suggestions for activities or places that I should definitely go?
-
Amongst my quaint Canadian compatriates, Vancouver is known for:
1. Excellent weed
2. Repulsive amounts of coffee shops
3. Prodigious quantities of junkies.
It's supposed to be essentially Seattle Jr.... any band that comes to Canada plays there, so I'd recommend checking out show listings. This isn't very useful, but I've never been west of Calgary.
-
Also, every third television show that airs on U.S. television is shot in Vancouver, usually at The Bridge studios.
So if you're a stalker of Macguyver or something, you'll have lots of targets.
-
Vancouver.....is kinda Seattle jr., except Canadians have no sense of irony and all kinda dress funny and are like those overly nice but super geeky kids in high school. Whereas in Seattle irony is king and everybody dresses like "I swear i just got off the plane from Brooklyn, I swear!." and are generally dicks. (Keep in mind i am only referencing the 18-30 set.)
There are a few cafe-type places where, if you are so inclined, you can go ahead and smoke some weed. But rest assured, the novelty wears off after about 30 seconds if you are above the age of, say, 16.
Chinatown is pretty cool, Junkietown is NOT. Avoid the downtown eastside unless you enjoy junkie sightseeing. The place is NASTY. But, if you are a junkie yourself, feel free to enjoy Vancouver's legal injection sites. (http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Special/2003/2003/12/29/299599-cp.html/) Prolly a step in the right direction as far as drug safety, but not a nice place to visit.
Also, go to Stanley Park. It is awesome.
-
I usually take a walk down to the Gaslight District after dark - that's where all the junkies hang out, they are mainly tolerated. There is a street where all the prostitutes pretty much stand in one place for the same reason but I can't remember what street it was...I usually go down there and talk to some of the girls, too.
The nearer side of the Gaslight District (as I recall) has lots of cool galleries and tribal art stores, too - more during the day.
I end up doing these things because I miss my fomer career doing STD and HIV outreach. You may not feel comfortable in these places but I miss them.
I LOVE vancouver, it's clean, slightly gritty, the people are damned polite ant there are usually good bands playing. Check out Richard's on Richards.
There is plenty of good food, too.
-
Actually it's not usually called the gaslight district, but rather Gastown. And while Gastown is great for 1) seeing someone actually inject heroin right in front of you and 2) shopping, the best thing you can do in Vancouver's Gastown is take a picture of yourself (in Achewood Gear of course) next to the statue of Gassy Jack. That's right. He's Gassy, and his name is Jack.
Gastown is very touristy. Apart from Junkies and store employees, everyone you'll meet there is usually not from Vancouver, but it's really easy to get there. We took the bus from downtown, but it's a 5 minutes walk from the Waterfront Station. There's a great shop there that sells authentic Cowichan Sweaters (those chunky wool sweaters with aboriginal animals on them), hats etc. I can't remember it's name right now, but it's right in me middle of Gastown. This is a weird thing to buy in summer, but great investment for any cold weather.
I suggest going to Chinatown and Little India for good eats. Because of the huge immigrant population (there are neighbourhoods in Vancouver where around 90% of residents list a first language other than English) you have a great chance to eat really authentic ethnic foods.http://www.gastown.org
-
Amongst my quaint Canadian compatriates, Vancouver is known for:
1. Excellent weed
2. Repulsive amounts of coffee shops
3. Prodigious quantities of junkies.
It's supposed to be essentially Seattle Jr.... any band that comes to Canada plays there, so I'd recommend checking out show listings. This isn't very useful, but I've never been west of Calgary.
What's the deal with weed there? It is legal or not? I know that Canada has legal medicinal weed, but I hear it's really shitty. Too many seeds and stems. So a lot of people that can obtain it legally still have to get their shit illegally. But in Vancouver, isn't it legal or something?
I don't think it's fair to call it Seattle Jr. That's Portland. Vancouver is very cool. It's cleaner than any American city, and I'm sure safer as well. I would like to live there, so if anyone can get me a cool job, cool enough to drop out of school again, I'm there.
And I'm just kidding about Portland being Seattle Jr. I love Portland too.
-
Yeah, the other night I was really depressed, and was thinking of places to move. I was checking out rents in Vancouver, and actually got real excited to head on up there. Oh, it will be mine...it will be mine.
-
1) Weed is not legal in Canada. It is very, very rare to find someone who is cleared to use it for medical purposes, and at this point there is no supply of smoke-able gov't mj. While medical mj is grown here in Manitoba (in an underground and highly secured compound) they are still in the phase of "how they hell do we grow this stuff?" The first crop was a major failure - most patient complained that the dope was horrible, gave them headaches, made them vomit, and didn't get them high. The second crop which came out recently was also a failure, mostly because it was too weak. I would assume that the gov't is attempting to grow cannabis plants with the minimum amount of THC needed to alleviate patients problems without getting them to a fucked-out-of-your-head state of street pot.
2) That said, pot smoking is often done out in the open here. Especially in Vancouver and Montreal, you can find people casually smoking it in the streets from time to time. Here in Winnipeg, pot is generally only smoked out in the open on April 20th (4:20) and during FolkFest. On 4:20 here, there is a march, everyone converges on the parliament grounds and smokes dope in ront of police and gov't officials, and there is a silent agreement that no one gets arrested as long as you're not being a slap-happy moron. We also have the Hemp Rock Cafe, where you can find creepy old hippies sitting in a circle chatting and smelling of dope. I've only been to the cafe once, and the vibe was not very nice - just a group of men in their 50's lookin' all worn out and sorta' sad. All wearin' tie die and scraggly gray hair tied back with a twist-tye.
3) Pot may never be legalized here, but it may be decriminalized in the (near?) future. Legalization would mean a huge amount of gov't involvement, and probably decades before anything gets sorted out. Decriminalizing pot would mean you could grow and enjoy a small personal supply, to own, sell, or use a proposed maximum of 10 grams, but would keep it illegal to be a dealer, to ship large amounts of pot around the country or out to the US. The Liberals have been in power for around a decade and just got voted in again. They have over the past 4 years or so stated a strong desire to decriminalize mj. Because of the fact they legalized gay marriages, I really hope the gov't acts on this as well. It would mean a lot of court time saved on imprisoning small-time dealers and users. It would mean police could concentrate on more important things.
There is huge pressure from the US gov't that pot not be legalized in Canada, and recently George W has made some angry threats about both this issue and the fact we've legalized gay marriages. W's pretty mad that we didn't support his daddy's oil war. Being the neighbor of the US is like sleeping with an elephant, and we're all holding our breath, waiting to get rolled over. I'm happy that the Canadian gov't has been defiant in bowing to this pressure in regard to legalizing gay marriages, and hope they'll do the same for pot. The major threat to decriminalization is pressure from US govt, but I would be so totally into starting up a pot-tourism type business. Or maybe a gay-marriage and pot depot of some sort, with like a sani-taco booth. Yeah. Cool.
I must stop all this ranting. Stupid passion for a cause.
As for moving to Vancouver, the average apartment rent starts at around $800 for an oh-so-shitty super-small one bedroom, and the cost of living in general is crazy insane! My SO and I both consider Vancouver to be our favorite city, but at this point in our lives we can't even consider living there. Although we're only in our 20's we can only dream about Vancouver as a place to retire. I know a director for the Vancouver Opera, and even she lives here in Winnipeg and get's billets with other artists while working.
-
Yeah, but that's $800 Canadian, or $32.50 USD.
And my, Smells, you seem to be quite the expert in MJ laws and history.
-
Yeah, but that's $800 Canadian, or $32.50 USD
Yes, but if you're working in Canada, I'm sorry to say, you'll be paid in Canadian dollars.
And my, Smells, you seem to be quite the expert in MJ laws and history
T'ain't no secret that I play that particular game of golf. In my locale you're in the minority if you don't. Ain't no thing like a chicken wing. I want to see it legalized here. It would be a huge boom for Canada, just like when the US still had prohibition.
-
Yeah, but that's $800 Canadian, or $32.50 USD.
And $800? Around here you won't even find low-income apartments for $800
-
Being the neighbor of the US is like sleeping with an elephant, and we're all holding our breath, waiting to get rolled over.
Either in bold, you misspelled "a citizen" or in italics you misspelled "a person on the planet where the US is a superpower" -- take your pick.
-
Being the neighbor of the US is like sleeping with an elephant, and we're all holding our breath, waiting to get rolled over.
Either in bold, you misspelled "a citizen" or in italics you misspelled "a person on the planet where the US is a superpower" -- take your pick.
Um, a little complicated for me here, but I think I get your jist about "a person on the planet where the U.S. is a superpower" - but Canadian policy is far more drastically effected by pressure from the U.S. of A., than say anyone in the E.U.
eg: Where France can basically give a blatent "Fuck you, we're not fighting your war," and not feel any real effects on their economy, Canada's gotta' be all like "er, um, we're awefully sorry, but um, most of our citizens don't support your, um, action, we're really sorry. Sorry." and still feels a direct economic impact from the beginning of the conflict til' today.
eg: Holland legalizes pot, nothing major changes between its relation to the States, Canada mentions the possibility of decriminalization, the U.S. gov't warns it will drastically increase security at the border - hurting all export (the major which is obviously not drug related) in a big way from our country.
-
Yes, but if you're working in Canada, I'm sorry to say, you'll be paid in Canadian dollars.
Okay, fair enough. But what if you worked in the U.S. and *lived* in Canadia? That would be a pretty sweet way to take advantage of the favourable exchange rate, no?
-
Okay, fair enough. But what if you worked in the U.S. and *lived* in Canadia? That would be a pretty sweet way to take advantage of the favourable exchange rate, no?
And of course, the weed.
Yes, of course I was going to end up in this thread, Canadian pothead that I am. And though the wastelandy corner of Southern Ontario which I have to call home for two more weeks this summer isn't Montreal or Vancouver, we do have this guy (http://www.rickreimer.ca/), who used to work with my father before beginning his crusade full time, and like side_show said, there's a very strong and open pro-legalization culture here. So most people expect to see pot decriminalized here within the next decade, to give a generous estimate.
-
Ban on dog biscuits shaped like posties
TORONTO (Reuters) - Dogs chomping on mail carrier-shaped treats is no laughing matter for Canada Post.
The unamused Canadian postal service -- whose carriers endure more than their share of real dog bites -- convinced Pet Valu stores to stop carrying Bark Bars, dog biscuits that come shaped like cats and letter carriers.
"This is not in any way, shape, or form funny for us, and to make light of that ... I don't see that as funny at all, not even in the least," said John Caines, Canada Post's national media relations manager.
The pet store chain, which has 292 outlets in Canada, agreed to withdraw the treats after it received a letter from Canada Post saying that employees were concerned about the risks mail carriers face from dogs and unhappy with having dog biscuits shaped in their likeness.
Earlier this summer, a letter carrier from Chatham in southwestern Ontario broke both her wrists and had part of her ear ripped off when she was attacked by two pitbull-like dogs.
Caines said that in the first six months of 2004 there were 160 dog attacks on mail carriers across Canada.
<><><><><>
This sort of over-regulation is why I'm glad things are the way they are down here for now.
-
Hell, Dawg, my mailman just got attacked by a pit bull, off the job for such as three weeks recuperating. The problem above is this: what is a funny little treat to a sane person is a training tool of abuse to an insane person. Obviously, there are insane people with dogs. If dog ownership required sanity testing, the treats would be okay -- but there's no way to regulate that. Now, I don't know if Canada Post is run the same as the USPS, but if it's just a cease-and-desist plea from the postal service, it's hardly regulation.
-
Those of you capable of causally linking the shape of a dogbiscuit to the irresponsibility of the pet owner can vote for all the insane overregulators you want. Even better if you can demonstrate that changing the shape of the dog biscuit will either make the owner more responsible or the animal less aggressive. As long as legislators continue to treat the symptoms, the illness will persist. These kind of bandaid solutions make legislators look like assclowns and don't serve to approach the real problem.
-
Do they really think a dog can associate a postman-shaped cookie to a live postman? In any case the product in question doesn't look any more like a postman than any other human - you can only tell because it says "MAIL" on his chest. Can dogs in Canada read?
Some of my best friends are Canadians, but, really, this is a hoot.
-
Do they really think a dog can associate a postman-shaped cookie to a live postman? In any case the product in question doesn't look any more like a postman than any other human - you can only tell because it says "MAIL" on his chest. Can dogs in Canada read?
Some of my best friends are Canadians, but, really, this is a hoot.
Ha! This article just apeared in the Winnipeg Free Press this morning, and I actually just read it before I came in to work.
These kind of bandaid solutions make legislators look like assclowns and don't serve to approach the real problem
Canada Post just sent them a little letter requesting they stop selling the cookies. This isn't like a law or anything, just a Canadian company being typically politely Canadian to those poor Canadian Mail Carriers. While it is owned by the Federal Gov't of Canada, (I'm pretty sure it's the same case for those of you down south too) Canada Post is definitely not a legislator. And unlike the ultra-evil-insano' corporate hell hole, Wal-Mart, who sued the www.walmartcanadasucks.com out of existence and is now attempting to sue http://www.walmartsucks.org (also Canadian run) out of existence as well, there was never anything for the law courts here - a frivolous suit like that wouldn't make it through the courts.
So silly. This is how Canada makes the news folks.
-
Do they really think a dog can associate a postman-shaped cookie to a live postman? In any case the product in question doesn't look any more like a postman than any other human - you can only tell because it says "MAIL" on his chest. Can dogs in Canada read?
Some of my best friends are Canadians, but, really, this is a hoot.
Ha! This article just apeared in the Winnipeg Free Press this morning, and I actually just read it before I came in to work.
These kind of bandaid solutions make legislators look like assclowns and don't serve to approach the real problem
Canada Post just sent them a little letter requesting they stop selling the cookies. This isn't like a law or anything, just a Canadian company being typically politely Canadian to those poor Canadian Mail Carriers. While it is owned by the Federal Gov't of Canada, (I'm pretty sure it's the same case for those of you down south too) Canada Post is definitely not a legislator. And unlike the ultra-evil-insano' corporate hell hole, Wal-Mart, who sued the www.walmartcanadasucks.com out of existence and is now attempting to sue http://www.walmartsucks.org (also Canadian run) out of existence as well, there was never anything for the law courts here - a frivolous suit like that wouldn't make it through the courts.
So silly. This is how Canada makes the news folks.
One word that does describe Canadians is "polite". I'm not sure how I parsed that into a law...in the US, what would have happened is a huge pile-on effect...as soon as the postmen said it was upsetting there would have been 20 companies making and mass-marketing them. Someone probably would have marketed a canned dog-food with "Kibble, Gravy and Chunks o' Mailman" even.
-
Wow.
Good pot and mailman shaped dog-biscuits.
I have to hurry up and move over there.
-
One word that does describe Canadians is "polite".
I have to follow up my yay Canada spiel with a reminder that the Aboriginal people of Canada have been dealing with a very polite genocide for our entire history. I'm pretty sure the play I'm writing (and will hopefully soon get a grant for) will be called "Very Polite Genocide." Part of the problem of fighting for actual, real, social change is that everybody in our country is so gosh, darn polite. "Oh, wow, yes, as a gov't official, I can say that this is a horrible thing that's happening. It's really terrible that the majority of Aboriginal Canadians live lives comparable to whose living in a third world country. I feel very bad about that. I do. We're so sorry." So you're sorry? What are you going to do about all these problems. "Well, I did say I am sorry. Now that we're admitting we're sorry, can't you just be nice about it and move on?"
This is indeed a very good point, and I've found that the level of socially acceptable racism towards Aboriginals in Canada is much higher than that for any other group. In my generation, there seems to have been a lot of attempts made in Canadian history classes to discuss important Aboriginal figures and to emphasize the fact that the European colonizers really did fuck the indegenous inhabitants over pretty badly, but I found that courses I took in European history still presented the colonizers as virtuous explorers... still a lot of work to be done, I suppose.
-
That's an unwinnable fight. But good luck.