Urban Myths

When we decided to move downtown we were often met with a wide-eyed "Why-in-the-world-would-you-ever-do-that-especially-with-your-kids" kind of reaction. In talking with people, it seems that that their reaction was often based on some assumptions that after living down here for 14 months just aren’t true.

Some urban myths:

It’s noisy. Actually, it’s much quieter than our home in Richmond. Of course, we used to live underneath the approach for the international airport and could count the rivets on the aircraft as they took off, so it’s going to be quieter than that! Yeah, we hear the odd siren, and some of our neighbors have parties on weekends. But when you’re at the party, you don’t hear the noise!

It’s not safe. Well, you do see drug deals on the street if you head one block in the wrong direction, and yes, there was a murder in the park across the street. But over all, we feel very secure. You just have to be street smart. After all, it’s not like there is no crime in the suburbs.

The Traffic is terrible. Not true. Getting to and from the downtown can be a hassle, but once you are here, just park the car and walk, or bike, or roller blade, or skate board, or take transit. In Vancouver it’s the bridges into the city that are the bottleneck.

It’s expensive. Okay, so maybe that’s not a myth. But we’re not going broke living down here. God has provided for us big time!

It’s cold and impersonal. People keep telling me that the city is a lonely place to live – especially Vancouver! I read an article in Kitsilanoview that was all about how difficult it is to make new friends in this city and how lonely people are. Maybe that's the way it is in Kitsilano, but that’s not our experience. We actually have found more "community" downtown than we did in the ‘burbs. We know our neighbors, chat with them, and last night had a great meal at Bonnie and Jason’s who live just down the row from us. It was a great night!

I think one of the big differences in lifestyle down here, it that you end up having to spend more time with people. In the movie Crash, the automobile is a metaphor for a lifestyle that dissociates us from everyone and everything until we just want to crash into them so we can feel something. Downtown you park your car in communal parking garage, share an elevator, get your mail in the lobby, rub shoulders with your neighbors who live 3 feet from you, and take your garbage and recycling to the same bin as everyone in the building.

Community begins with me. It’s about being inclusive and inviting and getting out of my own little world and making the first step toward somebody. Maybe the high-density lifestyle just gives you more opportunity.