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vancity

Summer Vibes

By Carl Fisher

August 20^th, 2019

Feeling the pride

I'd finally made it back to Vancouver in the summer and this time of year opened up the options for what the experiences to be had. I guess there's actually lots to do there at any time of year, but the possibilities are that much more vividly apparent in the moderate heat of August. I was there to participate in the 2019 Pride Hockey Tournament hosted by the Vancouver Cutting Edges as a member of the San Francisco Earthquakes. With the help of a few native sons, we ended up talking home the gold, which was nice, but the real highlight of the weekend was Vancouver Pride and, more specifically, the March. The Vancouver Canucks were generous enough to let any players from the tournament join them as part of their entry. Several of us took advantage of the opportunity, with some being more enthusiastic participants than others, as the pictures below can attest.

The camera really seems to like this guy.

side show

Pride weekend entertainment wasn't just confined to the beachside festival or a closed off stretch of Davie Street. There were pockets of pride throughout the city. As luck would have it, the Vancouver Mural Festival was just starting and part of the festivities included a Pride event that attracted a much more diverse crowd of LGBT folks than could be found in the gay village downtown. And the drag was fierce.

Murality

Since there was a mural festival in progress, I felt obligated to capture at least of few of them. If my schedule had permitted, I might have hung around for a possible Fairey sighting (i.e. Shepard Fairey). Apparently one of the gods of street art would be making an appearance sometime that week, but not at this event. I guess he just wasn't all that into the Pride thing. His loss.

The great indoors

The outdoor murals were the main attraction, but there were also more modest creations adorning interior walls that were more portable. Nothing grabbed me enough to make me want to part with coin, but there was temptation.

Not quite sure what it is, but it's better than what I could do.

about town

When I wasn't hanging around Pride-focused events, I did a fair bit of exploring and yet still only saw a small portion of the city. I don't think I'd like the dreary winters, but the summers can be sublime.

Wreck

No visit to Vancouver would be complete without a visit to Wreck Beach. The last time I was there was about 20 years ago, so I was due. While several shiny, new buildings had been added to the campus, the experience of walking all those steps down till the path finally opens up to that beach and the ocean has not really changed. It's still as clothing optional as ever. You can reveal as little or as much as you like. I'll admit that I initially felt quite self conscious following the big reveal, but that eased as I settled in and it became almost liberating. Clothing certainly has it's place, but it's nice to experience a place where it doesn't (necessarily).