36 - Sunday, June 26, 1994 - North Shore News

In search of sky

Eleanor
Godiey

THE VINTAGE YEARS

JF PD just waited a cou-

. ple of days, until after
the Canucks’ final
game. Darn. I’d have
saved myself a disillu-
sioning journey.

But no, I’d read in the
morning paper that Birks was
moving from the comer of

Granville and Georgia. It was

very unsettling. Rather like

- hearing our Lions peaks were
going to be air-lifted to
Tacoma, say, or that the
Marine Building would
presently preside over
Richmond Mall.

Now all of us on the North
Shore know that we are, toa
degree, an appendage of
Vancouver City. We have a lot
of stuff our own way, but
Vancouver really shapes our
destiny, reluctant though we
may be to share. Its physical
and psychical heaith is of para-
mount importance to us.

For years and years my
North Shore friend and ! used
all our Saturdays simply for
exploring Vancouver — all its
neighborhoods got our atten-
tion in turn.

We visited it with pleasure,
for the gardens and the views
and the shops and the people,
and felt connected. The con-
nection broke when she died.

Since then my forays have
been reduced to taking the Sea
Bus to the SkyTrain as far as
Science World.

So to read that Birks was
moving from their corner was
areal jolt.

“I'll meet you at Birks’

4

clack” was the code for all our
trysts, whether with out-of-
towners or the cousin from
Kerrisdale.

And we always hoped the
friend would be a little late to
allow time to relish the feeling
of being at the heart of the city,
the place where everything
else of any consequence could
be found within a short walk.

The news unsettled me to
such an extent that I fished out
my city clothes to go Over
Town, as we say, and ferret-out
the truth of the situation.

“City clothes” used always
to include hat and gloves — a
lady simply did not appear in
that part of downtown without
the proper accoutrements. Hats
and gloves nowadays go only
to funerals.

They’d have been appropri-
ate, I discovered, had I chosen
them.

The bus would take me
there, and put me down right
across the street from Birks’
door. I'd case the whole scene
and do some catching-up.

So, over the bridge, (one
must be careful to sit lightly
just in case), through Stanley
Park, past the Bayshore (it’s
still there) along the well-
financed corridor of Georgia
Street, pleased to note no tin-
kering with Christ Church or
the Hotel Vancouver. Yet. I
debouch at Granville Street.

One notes immediately that
city folk don’t have to push a
button for permission to cross
the street. And that there are
far fewer bodies than I had

remembered from past
Saturday mornings. And that
those who have showed up had
in their minds no strictures
about proper accoutrements.

I see a distinct
dearth of well-con-
trived ensembles.
There is no one
deserving of a second
look. Shorts, sandals,
T-shirts. I stick out
like a sore thumb.

It went from bad to
worse.

Oh not Birks itself.
As soon as I'd pushed
open the door I found
pleasant young peo-
ple surrounded by all
the beautiful things as I'd
remembered, and they com-
forted me to some extent about
their new location.

Not that far away — they'll
be down at the comer of
Granville and Hastings Sireet.

The clock’s going with
them,

And we had a chat about the
olden days when your money
went into a little can that shot
up to the mezzanine where
change was made and canned
and swooped back down to
you.

They think being kitty-
korner from Canada Place
more or less will put them
back into the action, the heart
restored.

Gosh, I don't know. Thad no
idea things had gone so far.
Taking the measure of
Granville on foot one sees
only shabbiness, with paint

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peeling on the Bay and not just
empty store fronts but actually
cmpty lots, huge ugly wastes
behind wire.

66 ‘City clothes’ used always to
include hat and gleves — a lady
simply did not appear in that part
of downtown without the proper

though there's been a plague,
or a raid.

ed for the seabus and home. It
wasn't until the brouhaha start-
ed on television on Tuesday

and traffic overtown

where the city’s heart had
gone,

When Granville was first
closed to general traffic, and
when the insult was cinched
by putting Pacific
Centre under it, reali-
ty fled. People like to
see a sky and traffic
and the chance to
watch each other mix
and match.

And now over
here in our town, the
city mothers and
fathers at City Hall
are right now in the
throes of planning
how we can best
attract the visiting

Where has the city gone?

no ne EE ES

accoutrements. 99

world.

They don’t have under-
ground in mind, we’re sure of
that, but we must be vigilant
about our waterside advantage. -

And immunize Lonsdale
against the Granville Street

Honestly, it looked as

Really disheartened, I head-

night that I abrupily learned

/ SUMMER

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