A Story of Vancouver in the ‘70s, part 4

In the Vancouver of the ‘70s, one of the most interesting streets was 4^th Avenue, with its counterculture vibe and hip boutiques, it catered to the young and those who partied with them. It didn’t take long before our crew drifted apart and wound up in Kitsilano close to 4^th Avenue. 

Many of the large houses in Kits were divided up into flats to house the influx of incomers who many not have been able to afford to rent a whole house but wanted place to call their own in the most happenin’ part of the city.  I remember living in basement suite on Balsam Street. Besides the requisite plants and macramé, my suite was also full of people.

As our crew had splintered, other car loads of acquaintances had arrived from Nova Scotia. The two-bedroom basement suite I was living in housed six people. Marie must have been tired one night when she retreated to the bedroom that she shared with two of us other girls. She wanted to get some shut eye and didn’t want us to wake her by bumping into the furniture so she draped a towel over the lamp.

I was sitting at the kitchen table when a tenant from upstairs burst in. He ran into the bedroom. I jumped up trying to figure out what was going on. He ran out of the bedroom, the blazing towel covered lamp in hand, and threw them out our door onto the driveway. I guess smoke travels upwards – good thing that the upstairs tenants were home! 

A Story of Vancouver in the ‘70s, part 3

Listening to the music of an era is one of the best ways to evoke the feeling of the period and, for those who lived through the time, the music taps into memories. For me, some of Elton John’s tunes remind me of my time in the Vancouver of the ‘70s. 

The ‘70s were a time when Elton John was at his most flamboyant. Maybe that is why the girls hatched their plan. Both Christine and Diane like to dress to the nines and draw your attention. Together they came up with the scheme for our crew to dress up for the concert so that people would wonder who this special group were. 

The night arrived and we were ready. The girls and their escorting boyfriends looked elegant. Even Bradley looked like a magazine model in his suit. No doubt they caused speculation among people in the audience. I wasn’t looking too closely as I concentrated on climbing the arena steps without tripping on my skirts. My enjoyment of the evening started after I was in my seat and the music started. Then all eyes were on the spectacle on stage and our crew all enjoyed the concert in their own ways. 

Sources

http://www.eltonography.com/tours/1975.html 

A Story of Vancouver in the ‘70s, part 2

We had to work to pay the rent on our Vancouver house. The money we had pooled together for our trip to the US had barely lasted until we reached Canadian soil again. I got a job downtown in an office, I think Bradley had an office job as well. I am not sure where Christine worked then, was that when she was a server in a bar? It was Blaine who made the first friendly contact with one of his fellow managers, Colin, in the restaurant where he found a job. 

It was the decade of the luxurious van. You know, the ones with the curtains and a bed in the back. Colin had a particularly fine one. I can remember seeing the streets of Vancouver through the van windows many a night while perched on bed in the back of the van. The rest of the crew would be there too, with Colin behind the wheel and his girlfriend, Diane, pointing out the sights from the front passenger seat. 

Sometimes when I am standing in the back of a bus going down town on Hastings Street I almost catch a glimpse of Vancouver as it was back then. Gritty and faintly industrial but trying to rise above it all. But the Vancouver of the 70s is only a memory. The Vancouver of today is world class and sophisticated with a tawdry underbelly that is easy to see the further down Hastings that bus goes.