I've been finding lots of great images walking through Gastown lately. This temporary graffiti wall can be found in Blood Alley, which is just next to Gaelor's Mews. As graffiti artists go, I hope that Banksy will come here one day and do something really cool for our city (unless he already has?), but something more permanent. But I guess that's the beauty and tragedy of graffiti art.......
My most viewed blog entry is my Telephone Pole Poster Art that I posted last summer. I don't know if it's the same person looking at it over and over again, or if I found the right combination of words to get lots of Google search hits. Either way, I enjoy the look of these things. It truly does add colour and flavour to something really bland. I found these while walking along West Broadway, from Arbutus to Oak Street.
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @bigheadtaco
Last week I posted this orange bike parked in front of Après-Midi tea shop in Gastown. I said it looked like it was parked there on purpose, like it was their sandwich board, like they do in Japan.
On Friday I was out and about with my Fuji/Megadestroyer track bike and decided to drop by again, and no orange bike this time. I did realize that it was the perfect place to lock up a bike as I went in for a quick tea before hitting the road again.
I was there again today with my wife and my buddy Jeremy, and again, no bike. This time I took a picture of the entire building, found in the middle of Gaoler's Mews. It's a little pedestrian walk-way just off Blood Alley. Doesn't it look like an old prison though? There's 3 or 4 little coffee shops and restaurants in this corner alone. Check it out when you have time for tea. And no, they don't have a sandwich board or a bike parked out front as a business beacon. Just look for their Open Sign on their front door like a normal person!!
One of the coolest bike shops I've been to on either side of the ocean is Super Champion on Main St. in Vancouver. It's located in one of the worst parts of town, the Downtown East Side, the poorest neighbourhood in Canada. Why do cool shops exist in the worst neighbourhoods?
John Cusack said it best in the movie High Fidelity, explaining why his record shop was purposely located in the bad part of town: "It's located in a neighbourhood that attracts the bare minimum of window shoppers. I get by because people make a special effort to shop here".
So true. Notice the guy laying down in front of the shop writing his Please Help Me sign right in front of their sandwich board? This is normal for this area. As discrete as the store is, I think their name and logo is very hipster and pop-culture worthy. So cool, that Lifetime Collective makes clothing in collaboration with them. I've bought a couple of jackets and t-shirts, all very awesome indeed!
In fact, I bought a bike magazine in Tokyo and look at what I found in it! Yes, a Super Champion and Lifetime collaboration ad.... in a magazine in Tokyo!! However, as connected as they are, their on-line presence is almost zero!! Check out their Facebook Page. That's pretty much all they have. It's pretty sad. But maybe it's self-inflicted? Either way, their bikes are cool, and so is their clothing!! Check them out.
I admit that wood accessories look cool on a bike, although I think other materials make more sense, like carbon-fiber, leather, titanium, etc. But as a fashion item, practicality is not as important as the visual cue; and visually, it looks pretty sweet!! Wooden hand-bar grips (does it really grip though?), wooden fenders (both front and back) and wooden pedals. Ride-on wooden accessorized bike!! Ride-on!!
Remember to follow me on Twitter @bigheadtaco
He was waiting for his friend Lou to arrive when I approached to take his picture. His demeanor was nonchalant and his pose, casual and natural. I told him I just had to take a picture for my blog, and he generously obliged. A few years back, hipster + cyclist combo was a rare sight in Vancouver. I had to go to Japan to find them in droves. But now I'm seeing them everywhere in my city, but they're hard to shoot as they are usually in motion, and it's hard to get them to stop and pose for you, unless you're the Sartorialist!! In fact, Scott complained about this very problem on his blog!! So lucky for me that my friend here was unknowingly waiting and posing serendipitously for me and my blog!
I'm sorry my friend, but I forgot your name. I was so excited getting my picture that I forgot, although I remember your buddy Lou and his bright orange t-shirt!! E-mail me and I'll put your name in here. Thanks!
Vancouver is famous for its Japanese cherry blossoms. Vancouver's 37,000 cherry blossoms all originated as a gift from Japan many years ago and we now have a festival to celebrate them as well. Other famous N.American cities with these beautiful trees also received them as gifts from Japan at one time, such as Washington DC, New York, Newark, Seattle.
Although very beautiful, it's not fun parking under them as you can see by this picture. It literally snows under these trees!! You'll need a blower to get them off, since wiping it with your hands or a brush doesn't work so well.
*Don't forget to follow my posts on Twitter @bigheadtaco!
I noticed in Japan, it is very common to have 'Closed' signs when a business is closed for the day. It's like putting out a sandwich board announcing that you aren't open for business, which seems backwards here in N.America. But for the Japanese, it makes sense. In fact, many stores give you the hours they are closed instead of the hours they are open, especially convenience stores that are often only closed for 4-5 hours a day (for instance closed M-F 2am-6am). But this picture isn't from Japan, but in Vancouver! The restaurant? Suika on W.Broadway. Suika means watermelon in Japanese. Try it. I hear it's good. Make sure you don't see the closed sign though........
I was hanging out in Gastown and found this really cool pedestrian alley called Gaolers Mews (what does that mean?) and I noticed a bike that looked strategically placed. What I mean is that it looked like it was part of their advertising strategy of this tea shop called Apres Midi. I noticed this in Tokyo as well, where stores will use bikes like we use sandwich boards, as a way to attract people to their businesses. It's a functional piece of advertising, and more effective than sandwich boards. The bike looks cool against the old brick wall doesn't it? And the advertising worked because my wife and I gave their tea a chance. Thanks Pio for good tea! You make a mean Gastown Fog (a London Fog)!!
Walking through Gastown I noticed a store that didn't look like a store. What are they selling? Maybe there's some salon chairs hidden in the back? Perhaps a rack of clothes to sell inside the wardrobe? A weird one table restaurant? A super small bookstore? I seriously couldn't figure out what kind of business it was. Even more art-gallery/show-home-like was the all-white super awesome track bike hidden in the far left corner, behind the table and chairs. Was it ride-able? If so, has anyone ridden it? It's wrong to build a real bike and then only use it as a show piece isn't it? It's like building a supercar and then just putting it on display. Or cooking an awesome meal, take a picture of it for a magazine and then throw away the dish!! I want to ride that bike!! If only I can find a clean, dry, white sidewalk to ride on. I wouldn't want to dirty those nice white tires........
*Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @bigheadtaco
