New city: The daily walk to office as a window to Vancouver
Just over two months ago, my wife and I moved our very cozy, settled life in Gurgaon, India to Vancouver, Canada — a city that is as distant and distinct from Gurgaon as can be.
The whims and motivations that drove this move are a topic for another post. In here, I want to capture, sans bias, the Vancouver that presented itself to me in my early days here.
I get to soak in the city the most while I walk to my office.
Walking on the road was almost surreal to me at first, having come from Gurgaon with the non-existent footpaths. Needless to say, though, walking allows one to absorb the city in a way driving cannot.
In the bustling downtown of Vancouver, there is a bevy of people on the roads about even early in the morning.
There are those who, like me, are walking to work. I assume that largely from their purposeful gait since they come in various sartorial hues — from smart casuals to semi-formals, to those donning slick formals. Some walk briskly carrying their coffee cups, some have their attention divided between the road and their headsets.
Cutting through this cornucopia of officegoers is the bunch of foot scooter riding folks. I have, more than once, seen a guy in a business suit riding a scooter — which looks unusual, if not slightly funny. Lost in the power of their wheeled ride, these can be annoying to those on foot.
The real rabble-rousers, however, are those hurtling across on electric unicycles.
Here’s a video on their growing popularity if you haven’t heard of them.
Then there are the ones out for a morning jog. How this bunch struts around in shorts regardless of the single-digit temperatures is beyond me. Also out for their morning stroll are a horde of our furry friends. Vancouver is full of pet dogs — this would have been a cause for discomfort for the likes of myself if only most dogs weren’t just adorable balls of fur.
Talking of dog(e)s, there is a noticeably high number of Teslas on the road. Gladly, none that I saw were driverless. Driving is extremely pedestrian friendly. Coming from a completely opposite road culture, I have often been part of this awkward dance where a driver stops for me, and I stop for him, and we stare at each other, and realization dawns on me and I scurry along to unblock them.
Sometimes, there are other reasons that force me to scurry. Vancouver has a homelessness problem. Many a street corner in Downtown has become a refuge for the homeless. While most of them are minding their own business, it manifests as a perceived threat. That the city is learning to live with this issue is concerning. With the looming seasonal and economic winter, one can only hope and pray for things to get better.
I also happen to pass by a small university building. And often, I see groups of students practicing a dance in the corridors. Right next to my office is a lively public square which plays host to a couple of food trucks, morning walkers catching the elusive sun on the benches and, sometimes, buskers who belt out absolutely astounding performances.
It helped that my experience has overlapped significantly with the fall season. And the multicolored leaves and flowers, whether they form a canopy or a carpet, look absolutely gorgeous.
And while I sat on this post, waiting to publish, a cold winter has swept through the city and I experienced the first snowfall of my adult life.
More on that later.
Earlier this year, I wrote this piece describing my daily travel to work in Gurgaon. You may want to hop over and read that, for perspective.
