Well, it's 2 days to go and I am looking forward to spending the last few days with family and friends before heading out. Ninu has organized a get-together at the Cascade Room on hip Main Street, Vancouver's SoMa (South of Main).Main street is known for its hip, bohemian shops and cool vibe. Located in the Mount Pleasant area of Vancouver, I try and get there as often as I can. My favs are Gene coffee and Latitude.
Mount Pleasant is one of Vancouver's first suburbs and has retained alot of its original character. Creeks ran through the area (buried beneath the streets today) and as a result, a number of breweries were set up there. One of the original breweries opened in 1887 at 6th and Scotia and has been preserved, (Doering's Vancouver Brewery) Brewery Creek building.
In 1904, Mount Pleasant was home to a tannery, two slaughter houses, four breweries and a train station. In 1912, Vancouver's first skyskraper (the Lee building) went up.
My great grandfather's brother, Georges Carre, lived in Mount Pleasant in the early 1900's. My great grandfather, Edward Carre, lived in Cedar Cottage, near Commercial Drive. The two areas were connected by electric streetcar (known as the Inter-Urban) and so the families would often meet, possibly for a drink at one of the local breweries. Several generations later, I guess I haven't ventured that far afield!
