Where Magazine, May 2004

The Ultimate Vancouver

Traditional and trendy mix in this culturally diverse neighbourhood centred on Commercial Drive between Venables and Broadway. Utne Reader chose The Drive as one of North America's hippest neighbourhoods, and the local Georgia Straight voted it the city's number one. The Drive's European heritae lingers in coffee bars, delis and bakeries. From Belgian fries to quesadillas, international cuisines flourish in friendly restaurants. Specialty stores excel at everything from CD selection to bike repair and unique local fashion designs. Professional theatre calls the Vancouver East Cultural Centre home. A vibrant visual-art, poetry and music scene thrives in galleries, restaurants and cafes that offer wall space for local canvases and open-mic nights. Annual celebrations reinforce the Drives's strong sense of community: spring's Stone Soup Festival and Earth Day; summer's illuminares parade, Italian Days and farmer's market; fall's Parade of Lost Souls and Eastside Culture Crawl. Tree-lined residential streets off The Drive boast character houses and attract green thumbs to reclaim parks and grow gardens.