Drifting Vancouver

The Drift Begins...

I began this drift by laying out some guidelines for myself, namely, a starting location, and rules for navigating. I decided to begin my drift at Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver, facing to the north. I also decided that for my navigation decision making, I would use a 6 sided die, with rolls of 1,2 meaning turn left; rolls of 3,4 to turn right; a roll of 5 to go straight ahead and rolls of 6 to go back the way I came from.

I have to say that I may have one of the more strange drift paths, as the die led me in circles, but I was able to use this opportunity to view things differently each time. Here is the map of the path the die led me on.

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Stop One - The Statue

This statue is on the north end of Esther Short Park. It has a plaque on the back describing the statue, which I always refuse to read, I would rather come up with my own description of it. Today, I decided the woman and her children were survivors of a forest fire.

Stop Two - The Roundabout

I really like how this roundabout has it's own beautiful landscape and topography, it's too bad it's in a location that very few people travel.

Stop Three - Under The Bridge Downtown

I am so glad that the die led me under this bridge. This was the coolest place, full of cathedral like qualities and graffitti tags. The symmetry of the arches is beautiful.

Stop Four - The Squirrel

On the second trip past the roundabout, I decided to focus more on the plants and other things in the area, and this squirrel came bounding across the sidewalk. I tried to capture him, but only managed to get his tail.

Stop Five - The Want-Ads

The second time past the bridge, I noticed this colorful page from the want-ad section of the newspaper. I found it interesting that it survived pretty well intact considering the amount of rain and wind it had endured. Also, it had been blown from a direction where there are no buildings or streets....

Stop Six - The Bricks

I like how these bricks are set in such a beautiful pattern. I also like how the drain is unceremoniously cut into this beautiful design. Form meets function in the modern age.

Stop Seven - The Flower Box

The flowers in this box are pathetically droopy, and due to all of the rain, it feels as though they have received too much water. This made me think of the old adage "too much of anything is not good for you". I am also struck by the attention to the line of the bushes.

Stop Eight - The Kiggins Theater

The sight of the Kiggins Theater sign always makes me feel like I'm walking down Main Street of a small town. The old time feeling of everyone going to the theater makes Vancouver feel smaller than it is.

The Drift Ends...

I enjoyed my trip through Downtown Vancouver, and I feel that by taking the time to look at the little things around me, I learned a great deal more about the town.