The
downtown east side of Vancouver is notorious for its poverty, crime and drug use. It is also the site of a new branch of the company I work for, and today was my first time there. I was already wary of going there, but today when my bus let me off a block east of the store, I was struck by the seediness of the area. A block makes such a huge difference in this part of town; one block east of the store is incredibly shady, while going one block west or north leads to a more expensive, touristy area.
Because of this, the clientele is very interesting. There are the residents from the more expensive Woodwards units, there are the tourists from overseas, and then there are the drug addicts and the ones with mental illnesses. Most of them are friendly and well behaved, some are belligerent, and others just don't care. But it's not everyday you hear about illicit drug use and needles from the customers. Just in downtown East Hastings and in Whalley!
I'm glad you survived. Too bad about the bus though! That's so annoying.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I used to live in the Downtown East Side when I was little. I thought it was normal to find needles or used condoms in alleys!
I was in woodwards the other day shooting photos for like an hour!
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