Dianna noticed these banners on Vancouver’s Hastings Street, between Clark and Renfrew in what is now termed, by the Hastings North Business Improvement Association (BIA), the East Village.
One of the banners features a hipster crow leaning on a bicycle:
Probably the oddest part is the crow reading a book. What’s the backstory here? What’s the connection to Hastings Sunrise?
And…and who did it?
Ugh I thought this wasn’t going to happen again after the initial outcry over the first “East Village” banners.
A councillor that would support the city having more CoV discretionary control over these BIA banners would get a vote from me…
Hipsters and lots of crows. Sounds East Villagy to me.
I am near sure the “east village” signs have been there for more than four years. Not so certain about the crow reading a book….
I lived in the Hastings-Sunrise area over ten years. That’s a solid, evocative, historical, descriptive term. “East Village” sounds wannabe hipster. Was I cool back then without knowing it? Sure didn’t feel cool. Have lived in Renfrew Heights over 13 years now – not known as being cool. Maybe we need a name makeover. … the Plateau … Peak Village … Top o’ Vancouver … Upper East Village. Before 1913 this was a prestige area – reflected in the street names: Castle, Duke, Duchess, Rhodes, Earles, Wales – then people realized the West Side was pretty good too.
I too, preferred Hastings-Sunrise. No we jokingly refer to our own ‘hood as West Collingwood… (lol)
I one heard it called “Upper Hastings”.
I don’t mind the East Village moniker. That stretch of Hastings is a shopping destination with lots of traffic of both the foot and vehicular variety. Calling a neighbourhood shopping area a village is far more appropriate than the banners claiming Strathcona will be the most walkable part of Vancouver in 2021. It currently has none of the elements of a true walkable neighbourhood apart from the fact that many of the residents have no other way of getting around. Well unless you count all the stolen bicycles and freeloaders on the buses.
but who designed the crow banner?
We designed the crow banners as well as a few murals in this neighborhood where we have also live more than a decade
http://www.nomadicalternatives.org
I love the crow banners – they are very cool and a nice tribute to our awesome crow population in the Lower Mainland. Crows always make my day brighter.