neighbourhood
READ FULL POST WITH LINKS AND PICS HERE:
http://thevancouvermanifesto.blogspot.com/2008/06/starbucks-is-taking-ov...
Saturday, 7 June 2008
Starbucks is taking over Toronto too
The Toronto Star published something very interesting today.
It is a story about Starbucks. I think Vancouverites take our coffee shops for granted. Satrbucks doesn't often make the headlines. In Vancouver we sort of assume it will happen. Death, taxes, Starbucks. All in the same. But Toronto has a critical eye on some of the Starbucks that have gone in their downtown in the last few decades.
If you’ve ever been to Toronto you know that they have as many Tim Horton’s as we do Starbucks. I can understand the appeal. It’s cheap, open 24 hours and is a one stop shop for a snack, meal and/or coffee.
But Toronto isn’t exactly a café-culture town. It’s really a pub town, people streaming up and down the streets of Bloor, College, Queen and Richmond in their respective neighbourhood watering holes. But perhaps Toronto is trying to get some of the café culture acclaim that Vancouver and Montreal so enviously master.
By samanthaorwell on February 11, 2008 - 3:39pm
Read full post here:
http://thevancouvermanifesto.blogspot.com/2008/02/bring-back-block-party...
For some time now I have wondered where all the block parties at.
Seriously, is there anything more beautiful than residents streaming onto the streets, fired up barbeques, kids running about in a totally safe space?
Maybe its a combination of the rainy weather, or the NIMBYism, or the culture of fear and overprotection of kids that has let the block party die. Did it even exist in the first place? Anybody older than their mid-20s reply..this is not a point I want to google only to find a million unrelated links.
I was recently talking to a buddy of mine- I told him that I wanted to bring back the block party. He was telling me about his time in Cuba, and apprently everyweekend that's just the culture. Swaths of people on the streets just having various parties in their respecrtive neighbourhoods. He said he never felt more welcom in his life. (Buddy, speak up and leave a note describing the awesomeness of the block party).
Anyhow, I did do some googling which involved "vancouver" + "block party". I can't believe I found this on the City of Vancouver's website:
http://city.vancouver.bc.ca/engsvcs/filmandevents/events/blockparty/
By samanthaorwell on February 3, 2008 - 12:17am
Read full blog here: http://thevancouvermanifesto.blogspot.com/
I'm really interested in accessible neighbourhoods and well-built neighbourhoods that people just like to be in.
Vancouver has great neighbourhoods which sum up a lot of ideal qualities. Good neighbourhoods are more than just amenity rich (although amenities are a key component). My personal shortlist of key components include (and do not exhaust at):
