tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9158354613195921037.post1088027833136715063..comments2024-02-25T23:01:39.266-08:00Comments on Vancouver: A Local's Perspective: What's the best way to walk to Chinatown from downtown Vancouver?Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08571315175379688615noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9158354613195921037.post-60686716911417828072009-07-11T16:26:44.770-07:002009-07-11T16:26:44.770-07:00Too true, Robyn. It really does come down to the i...Too true, Robyn. It really does come down to the individual. If I had a child with me or if I were a woman (no offense, but females are usually the easier targets in street crimes) I, too, would be worried about going through Hastings street. While you're unlikely to ever be in involved in a mugging or some random crime of violence, the area can still make one's hair on the back of his neck stand straight up if he's not familiar with the surroundings.<br /><br />Sometimes the truest and most honest things we can experience in life are not always the most pleasant. It's a shame that the neighborhood scares away so many people that would have otherwise see first hand all of the things that make up Vancouver for what it is. For "good" or for "bad", they are an integral part of this city's history. In some odd way, sometimes I find the unfortunate people of that area tend to be more "real", in the strangest sense, than people in the more vibrant places.<br /><br />Your sincerity is what makes your blog all the more interesting. Thank you for your great work!Sebast1anhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12214864916148824978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9158354613195921037.post-6687257846647508962009-07-08T20:49:57.857-07:002009-07-08T20:49:57.857-07:00Excellent comment, and you're so right. I gues...Excellent comment, and you're so right. I guess it really comes down to the individual though. For somebody like myself, or yourself - understanding the context of the neighbourhood and having an open mind about it alleviates any fear that might otherwise be prevalent for other people. For others, it's not something they want to drag their kids or grandparents through.<br /><br />I worked a summer at Tourism Vancouver where I'd be speaking to dozens of tourists face to face on a daily basis. Often I'd hear from people who found themselves along Hastings or somewhere in the Downtown Eastside, and they were sincerely terrified of it. And in their experience, such a sight might be a red flag for muggings, gangs, and violence. But of course, this area's no more or no less violent than anywhere else in Vancouver, but they don't know it. And when they're unknowingly dragging their kids or their grandparents through it based on tourism literature's Chinatown hype, they're not willing to take the chance. Hence the need for the warning.<br /><br />But perhaps I should have elaborated to say that the warning's not meant to hide what I feel is possibly the saddest place in Vancouver.Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08571315175379688615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9158354613195921037.post-18537809996753682422009-07-08T19:32:15.392-07:002009-07-08T19:32:15.392-07:00I don't know. I never got bothered by anyone l...I don't know. I never got bothered by anyone less fortunate than myself when I'm near Chinatown even if I go down Hastings. It can be a sobering experience seeing first hand that Vancouver isn't all perfect and there is a bit of tragedy underneath all its splendors. Makes you appreciate what you already have much of when there are so many whom have so very little.Sebast1anhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12214864916148824978noreply@blogger.com