east side
the journal of Michael Werneburg
twenty-seven years and one million words
The east side of this town is always interesting. After deciding to head east on Hastings for an exploration of that 'other' side of the city's center, I came across a Chinese community celebration. I watched some dancing, saw the food tasting thing, and set foot in my first Buddhist temple.
Then I headed further east, and took a stroll through Vancouver's large Chinatown. At the end of Keefer St I crossed a bridge that was entirely encased in mesh and bars(?) and found myself on the edge of some industrial land. So I headed north to Powell Street and headed back towards the city center.
Now that was something: it's pretty hard core down there, belonging mostly to junkies, drunks, hookers et al. At one point, I passed a fellow bellowing in some language I couldn't recognize and viciously dry-humping a parking meter. I imagine that when he comes down, he'll have some regrets.
A block or two beyond that, I came across a street that had been blocked off with those portable barriers made from two A-frames and a plank of wood. My first thought was 'police line, do not cross', but it turned out to be a Japanese-Canadian festival!
The festival was being held in a park on Powell marked with 'no drinking alcohol in the park' signs (which seemed rather pointless, by now). I saw the sights, and had some soy nuts baked into a green tea coating that were interesting. Then I headed back to Hastings, and headed West some more.
In a block or two, I found myself at the Carnegie Center Library, which I'd read about and once seen from the back seat of my brother's car. It's famed in the city as ground zero in the junkie society of the streets of the east side, and I could see why. What a mess. I'd run out of film, but wouldn't have had the inclination to photograph any of it, anyway.
I returned to the relative sanity of a shopping mall downtown, and got my film developed, wondering how the hell it ever got like that.