Leaving Praha

IMGP4791, originally uploaded by smoooch.

On my way to Cesky Krumove for one night. I return to Prague tomorrow night only to make my Paris connection and then I will arrive in Paris on Tuesday at 1pm local time.

I have a what looks like a charming hostel booked for all three nights, The Le Montclair Hostel in the historically poetic and artistic Montmartre are of Paris. Should be very lovely, especially if the sun is hsining and I somehow manage to avoid a pack of roving drunken teenagers.

I¨m also going into the Euro Currency, which will make everything that much pricier. Hopefully, I¨ll be able to download all my photos as I continue on.

xox
Jill

Wow

IMGP4661, originally uploaded by smoooch.

Dear North America

Dear North America,

Please stop what you're doing. You're like a syrupy sludge that seeps into all cracks and crevices of culture. No matter what, you find a way to get in. Sometimes, you go by almost unnoticed and other times you are this garish obnoxious ooze that comes with an accompaning odor.

While I thank you for somethings. Like recognizable brands when I'm in need of something familiar, you know those days when you really want a Coca Cola and not one of those imitation brands that taste a little bit too something. But I kind of resent your presence while I'm on a bus travelling through the lush Czech countryside and Bryan Adams comes over a radio. That was just bad, North America. I could have laughed if it was Beyonce. But Bryan Adams? Or Prince when I'm grocery shopping in a foreign country?

What really got me was while visiting Prague, there was a stage set up for enetertainment as a part of the Easter celebrations. A band was playing and it was vagually familiar. Then it dawned on me, they were singing covers of Johnny Cash in Czech.

Believe me, the world will be fine if they can't buy Nike knock offs or buy Levi jeans. We North Americans can learn to feel at home in foreign countries if we can't by Heinz and Campbell's soup. Trust me. Please stop what you are doing and leave these little lovely countries to develop their own popular culture with out you blinding everyone senseless with all things North American.

You are not thwe whole world.

Thanks for listening,
JIll

travelling into the past

I jumped on a bus at the last minute and went to Terezin today. Terezin was a town when the Nazi's invaded the borders of the Czech Republic. They ordered all the citizen to leave and turned it into a ghetto for the Jews. Propaganda at the time, referred to it as a resort for the Jews; "Hitler has built a town for the Jews."

What it was, was a place to concentrate Jews until they could be "liquidized." The entire town, every single building was utilized. The Nazi's even built an auxiliary road around the town to keep people away. It was bizarre. Now, it is a town again. Very few of the original citizens chose to return after the war though. Almost every building has a marker on it, explaining its use during the time it was a ghetto. It was also nearly deserted. I saw a few people riding their bikes though town and a few children, but almost no one, except tourists that had come to Terezin to see the horrors of what it once was.

Now I know I have no interest in seeing any more Nazi history.

It felt very bizarre and odd and I felt terrible taking photos, so I almost didn't. After a while, I didn't want to see the old Jewish cemetery or other places "of interest". The first thing I saw was a memorial to all the children who had died at Terezin. I cried. All the saved drawings, the poems, the little pictures. Terezin was an anomaly of concentration camps. The Nazi's allowed art, theatre and music. Children were given drawing lessons. They did it to keep up the propaganda of being a "resort", of being desireable. But as a result, was these really amazing drawings, portraits, pictures, sketches and paintings that survived. Many of them so good, had the artists survived, we may know more about them today.

Unfortunately, many of those artists were caught with clandestine pictures and accused of creating "hate propaganda" or something. Most of them, when caught, were either killed or shipped to Auschwitz.

What a very strange day has it been.

I have also returned my ticket for Cesky Krumlov and arranged for earlier passage to Paris. I want to make sure that I have enough time to see all that I want in Paris and Brussels and I'd rather see Bruge. It will be a little bit more costly, but it's the reason I'm here. I knew that 4 days in Cesky would make me antsy and restless. Downside is that I'm having trouble booking a hostel in Paris. I seemed to have forgotten that its spring break in Europe and most students have the month off.

Fantatsic.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

trio

trio, originally uploaded by smoooch.

IMGP4484, originally uploaded by smoooch.

"Prague doesn't let goes of us either. The old crone has claws. One has to yeild or else. We would have to set fire to it on two sides, at Vysehrad and the Castle: only then would it be possible for us to get away. Perhaps you'll give it some consideration before carnival."

-Frank Kafka

Info for Mom

From this post, you can find more info about the Lorriane Cross here, on Wilipedia. I called it Lorraine's Cross, but it's not a possesive. Whoops.

on the move

On April 2 I will jump a bus for Cesky Krumlov, where I will stay for 4 nights, only because I couldn't get a ticket to Paris until the 6th. I am booked into the lovely and beguiling Hostel Merlin, where I plan to do nothing. Sit in cafes and write postcards and sip tea or bad Nescafe coffee. I will walk slowly and ponder the peeling plaster walls. I will relax and think of nothing that starts with L. I will photograph everything.

On the 6th, I take the bus back to Prague and wait 3 hrs and trek to another bus station for my bus to Paris. I have booked a single room for 72 Euro. A little treat in Paris to have my own room. Did I mention it's spring break and there are gaggles of teenagers roaming the city in slutty packs? They seem to recently discovered the delirious effects of intoxicating themselves to the nauseating point of obnoxiousness. Or is it just me getting old?

I'm looking forward to returning to Paris for a few things I forgot.

-14 Metro stations adorned with Art Nouveau entrances.
-The Moulin Rouge
-Musee D'Orsay for Impressionistic art
-Montparnasse Cemeterie for Brancusi's Kiss, properly
-The Eiffel Tower
-A Perfumerie designed by Mucha on Rue Royal
-Various buildings designed by Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard
- a jewelery shop that Mucha designed on Rue Royal. Gee, I hope that's still standing.

By the way, did I ever mention that the term Art Nouveau came from a shop in Paris owned by Siegfried Bing called L'Art Nouveau? I'll die if it still exists.

I just found this interesting link which is a biography of who's who in Art Nouveau.

What a time I am having. What delicious inspiration. Paris will be such a thrill and then BRUSSELS, the birth place of it all

Happy birthday to me.

IMGP4393, originally uploaded by smoooch.

I'm 36 today. I'm spring born and an Aries. That means I'm headstrong, independant and fearless. If only I had a pretty yellow bonnet.

xox
Jill

make a wish

IMGP4495, originally uploaded by smoooch.

This is from the Charles Bridge.

You make a wish at Lorraine's Cross. As you can see the blackened tarnished metal is shined to a gold from all the hands that touched it. I hoped it wasn't like touching the foot of St. Peter at the Vatican and I had to ask someone who was St. Peter. I made the wish anyway.

observations

• Hardly any garbage cans.
• Hardly any garbage on the street.
• No one has an Ipod, not like North Americ where every second person has one.
• People aren't very fat despite all the grilled sausages and fried chicken cutlets sold on the streets.

It's amazing what a big salad, some fruit, and a lot of water can do for your emotions. And a big nap in the middle of the day. Feeling tons better and rejuvenated for sure. Tomorrow I will explore the area on the otherside of the river near the Castle. A few more Art Nouveau places to hunt down and maybe a little education into who Kafka was. Also, I plan to explore the old Jewish section which was a ghetto at one time. Just outside my hostel is Wenesclas Square, where the Nazi's paraded during the occupation of Prague. Really unbelievable what this city has been through.

I bought two bus tickets today. One for Cesky Krumlov, leave on the second of April and retun on the sixth. One for Paris, leave on the sixth about two hrs after I arrive from Cesky. Its a fourteen hr trip. Must find that English bookstore before I leave.

How many hands have opened this door?

IMGP4531, originally uploaded by smoooch.

For Michael

For Michael, originally uploaded by smoooch.

It's alittle out of sequence but.. I got on this bus for Michael. He said, "You should go to Hamstead Heath. I used to go there and watch football with my brother."

Hi Michael. I hope you're watching my blog.

email for Grandma and Mom

The hostel is OK. Nothing fancy. I thought I had the room to myself last night but someone came in quite late and woke me up. It's very near the old town in Prague and walking distance to everything I need. No real kitchen, just a microwave and a kettle. Hot showers that go on and on and a very cheap Internet place downstairs.

The Mucha museum is right around the corner. I went there yesterday and almost started crying because I was looking at the original Indian Ink drafts of Mucha's great posters and sketches. It was really amazing. Unbelievable. I'm sure I will burst into tears at the sight of Victor Horta's work in Brussels. They have some really beautiful prints for sale for about $15 and up. I will wait till before I leave and perhaps mail one back. I tried to navigate the post office and it was almost trickier than getting a bus ticket.

Speaking of bus tickets. I thought I would go to Telc for the day tomorrow (my birthday) but it's horrendous. I spent 1 hour walking from info desk to info desk to find that the bus will cost about $5 and take 3 hrs each way. It leaves at 6:20 and arrives at 9:30 and the last bus leaves at 3:30. Sounds like fun doesn't it. The bus station, located at one of the subway stops is a dreadful experience. Alot like the train station. It's a reminder of Communist rule and has sadly been left behind in the 70's. Dirty, dusty, poorly lit and confusing. Also a haven for drug addicts, hustlers and general weirdness. Alot like all bus stations I guess.

I'm not sure what I will do for my birthday. Maybe the Prague Castle or the Municipal House. Maybe a meal in a restaurant.

I bought a bus pass the 1st day for $14 but I have hardly used it. I have decided to just jump on a tram every day and see where it will take me and ride the same one back to not get lost. Yesterday, I have no idea where I went but it felt like I was under the iron curtain. Very cold and deserted with rows and rows of huge apartment buildings. Colorful dots of bedding and laundry dangle from lines hung across the balconies. ALOT of graffiti. In fact there is alot of graffiti all over Prague. I'm surprised the city doesn't clean it up. Guidebooks say that Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world but it may only be true for the old town.

The food on the street is all sausages and fried chicken cutlets. Everything in grease. A sausage and a piece of rye with mustard is about $2. I tried one and hated it- really fatty, so I just ate the bread. I tried a chicken cutlet the other day and now I have sworn off buying meat in the streets. Too dodgy. I couldn't tell if the chicken was cooked or not so I threw it away. I went to Tesco's this morning and bought:

-bag of salad,
-small packet of 1000 island
-bottle of water
-2 single serving yogurts
-4 apples
-smallest jar of jam
-packet of cream cheese
-2 bananas-
-2 small french loaves

and it was 179Kr or about $9 (1$=20kr). Pretty close to food on the Drive, I think. I'm definitely not eating as much as I would if I was at home. I am walking around 18000 steps or 9km a day if my little pedometers is accurate. I think it may be more than that judging on how sore my feet are.

I hate to say it but I'm feeling sad, teary and lonely today. It's difficult to spend all day long and never speak to anyone or only speak in limited English. Seeing lots of people travelling with friends, laughing etc. I guess I start to feel a little self conscious, alone, afraid. It's confusing and the Czech are very abrupt and sometimes rude and also very very shy, which makes it difficult to meet anyone. I guess I feel alone and confused and want everyone to be waiting with big pillows and open arms. Not the way it is. I also haven't eaten anything yet today so I'm hungry. I'll feel better after lunch. Don't get me wrong, I'm still thrilled to be here and having so much fun. Just a bit of the blahs with today's overcast weather this morning.

Lots of love,
Jill

Beautiful Praha

IMGP4479, originally uploaded by smoooch.

The Astronomical Clock in the Old Square-Prague

IMGP4521, originally uploaded by smoooch.

not singing

IMGP4527, originally uploaded by smoooch.

Everyone gathers at the Astronomical Clock in Prague to chime the bells and these little doors open and I think the Apostles come out and glare down on you. Anyway, behind me must have been 500 people waiting for the clock to chime, which was about 7 minutes away, so this woman had quite an audience.

While it looks like she is singing, she isn't. Nor is she dancing, although she did do a little jig during her sermon. She is actually yelling something at the top of her lungs. At one point she started shouting God is great and something that sounded like Allah. I half wondered about what suicide bombers reportedly shout before detonanting the bombs but her coat was open and she didn't seem to have any wires protruding.

In the end she was rather entertaining and the crowd cheered when she was done.

wherever you go, there they are

No matter what you do or where you go, the Hare Krisna will be there too. As in today, I went to the Municipal House in Prague, which is one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Eastern Europe. There on the corner was a gaggle of robed men with shaved heads. A few had drums. Then the chanting began and they slowly paraded down the street, handing out a small piece of paper with the chant.

Incidentally, despite the amount of walking I have done (pedominter reads 14531 steps, 10.17 km, the blisters are better.

it will be an 11 hr train ride to Brussels

Um, I know this is the Czech Republic but I thought the communist rule was over. I found the main train station today and it reminded me what I thought it would be like to be in Siberia (except the sun is shining). It was dark and trapped in the 70's. Cold. Eastern Bloc Gangster types dozing off in little packs. Italian teenagers with slick hair and slicker sunglasses hang like greasy globs near the entrance. Little rotund old women with babushkas and walkers make their way through the prolific Coca- Cola signs.

The train to Brussels will make 15 stops and take 11 hours. There must be a better way. I heard the buses in Prague are faster than the trains. Really. I did hear that. And now I'm thinking it may be true.

Another sunny day in Prague.

If only I could find a decent Internet connection with the ability to download my photos without draining my batteries, I could show you the lovely lovely things I have seen. I am amassing quite a collection of doorknob photos. Every street has at least on building where the handle is either a lion, a swan, or some elaborately ornate structure. I'm not sure if the laughter seemingly whenever I stoop to photograph one is for me or just the many many tourists milling about.

I know for certain, when I walked into Hotel Europa, an Art Nouveau wonderland, the woman behind the desk clearly said, "oh it's just a stupid tourist gawking at the building again." Only she said it Czech.

Praha

With warm and sunny weather I headed out to explore the city of Prague. I can not believe sometimes how people are so blase about the architecture that surrounds them. Down the street from my hostel is a STUNNING building covered in Art Nouveau decoration. Huge stained glass doors that stand 16 feet high front the masterpiece. While I am outside agasp in disbelief, streams of people breeze past me, seemingly unaware.

I walked and walked and walked. I ate a spicy chicken panini with a draft beer out in the old town square and walked some more. I walked to Charles Bridge which is swarming with tourists like bees to honey on skin. I wandered alone the kiosks offering up the usual tourist kitzch and listened to the french jazz band and watched them drink wine out of the bottle. I smiled at them when they saw me watching and took their photos, with their lips stained red from the wine, faces red from a mixture of the sun and the booze.

I ducked inside a small door at the foot of the bridge and ascended the stairs, all the way to the top, I found myself out on a parapet looking over the city of Prague from all directions and then over the bridge itself. A city this beautiful, and you cant help but take beautiful photos. I only need to find a decent connection to get them on line.

I have ě blisters on the underside of each foot. This isn't going to be good if they get worse. The raw wool at the Pasu Sheep farm in Alberta, the weekend before I left is looking really good. I wish I had some.

One thing is for certain, is despite how beautiful and lovely and exhilarating it is, it is somewhat bittersweet to experience it alone. No one to say, ¨wow, look at that!". Well, there are the other tourists but they just look at you all crazy like.

xox
Jill

sunlight on row

in a row, originally uploaded by smoooch.

on my way

I said I wouldn't do it. I said I wouldn't sit an Internet terminals with unfamiliar keyboards that mangle the punctuation and letters I intend. But I can't quite contain my thrill at being abroad and all the things I have done since I landed 2 days ago. All the things I have seen so far!

London was great. I zipped around the city seeing all that I could. My host took me to the Flower Market near his home. If only I could photograph the sounds of the thick cockney accents shouting out "too-lips, get yer toolips for a tenner" "I got boonches of toolips for a tenner, a fiver if yer pretty" "Hey, you missy, get yer toolips." If only..

After that I went to the Portobello Market, Covenant Garden and there, I met a girl who gave me vague directions to the Banksy I eventually found and posted. Then I jumped on another bus and headed for Camden Town and further to Hamstead Heath, a part of town that Michael said he used to go to watch football. Not sure where he used to go, but I did see a lot of Indian take-away.

This morning I got up bright and early and caught my flight to Prague. First impressions were that it reminded me of Alberta. Farmers fields, brown trees, a bit of green AND A MAGPIE. I found my hostel easily enough and the city reminds me of Madrid. Big huge walking boulevards, youth hanging around in packs of trouble makers and lots of lots of people. Busy. I found my hostel, dropped the bag and logged in.

Just to say it¨s warm, sunny, beautiful weather. Nicer than Vancouver. I'm tired and my feet hurt a bit already but I¨m on my way to a beautiful and adventure filled tour around Europe.

Gotcha

Gotcha, originally uploaded by smoooch.

Whoa, I never thought I'd see an original Banksy while I was in London. Lucky me, I guess.

It's a good one. I like the bank machine claw capturing the future generation. I hope you like it as much as I do. It was a bit of an adventure today in London to find it. More about that later.

xoxo Jill

more heaven

Of course, the only reason I am going to Paris is to ride the metro to this stop. One of the many still standing examples of Art Nouveau, by architect Hector Guimard.

heaven

art nouveau.victor horta.tassel house.brussels.staircase 2nd view, originally uploaded by moosoid9.

I'm almost on my way to Europe with the sole purpose of photographing Art Nouveau.

Of course, the trip won't be complete until I see this for myself, the Hotel Tassel in Brussels.

I'm a better looking cartoon than I am in real life

It's the only place you can say, "I want 10 lbs off my face and 15 years off my skin. Please give me apple cheekbones and red lips" and get all those things without going under general anesthetic.

lost in translation

You know you're in a foreign country when..

You take the invitation of the bus driver to seek the shelter the door of the undercarriage luggage compartment is providing from the sweltering sun. While sitting there, politely, the bus driver who obliquely is named Akmed sits beside you. Being a nice Canadian girl you offer him some of your chewing gum. Akmed looks at the package of Dentyne Cinnamon gum, all red with a big lettered "Fire". Akmed nods his head and looks at you. He says something you don't understand. It's hot. You're distracted by the heat. You nod and then Akmed gets a weird look in his eye and simultaneously tries to close the compartment door while pushing you back and the word in broken English pierces through your ear canal and you realize Akmed thinks he's been offered the chewable version of Viagra.

Thanks Sonia for the laugh this afternoon. I hope I find myself is similarly non threatening but insanely funny episodes in broad daylight with lots of people nearby.

there's hope yet for plastic footwear

They may be Croc's saving grace. If I see these all over town hangin' off door displays in dimestores, I won't cringe. The come in black too and I'm going to scour the shoes stores in hopes of finding a pair before I go to Europe. A certain Jane reminded me how scuzzy hostel showers can be. Good to have a pair of of 'I can get these wet' shoes for fashionable trip to the loo.

Patrol

IMGP4263, originally uploaded by smoooch.

quit clogging up our you know whats (landfills and toilets!)

I have been hesitant to talk about something here because really, who wants to think about what happens to all those tampons and pads after we girls are done with them. But seriously, have you ever thought about how may you'll use in a year? In a lifetime? Or what that costs? Multiply that by how many menstruating women. That's disgusting right? Sorry, but I think we should talk about it.

According to Menstruation.com, "discarded tampons and disposable pads contribute hugely to landfill waste. In the US alone, there are over 85 million women of menstruating age, and according to the National Women’s Health Network, they contribute approximately twelve billion pads and 7 million tampons to landfill each year."

But even more so than that is the entire aisle in a pharmacy or grocery store with the dizzying array of versions of the same product from 4 major manufacturers. Tampax, O.B, Kotex and Playtex. All of those tampons all contain Rayon (among other things). Take a look the next time you're out shopping and look at the "ingredients" and see for yourself. Interestingly, I looked at the O.B, Tampax, Kotex and Playtex websites and none of them gave any listing of ingredients in the products but a few did give damage control links about Toxic Shock Syndrome, bleach, rayon and other nastiness. Nice, thanks for that. Oh yeah, thanks for pushing your free sample on me too.

The only tampon brand proudly listing what their tampons are made of was Natracare. You know, the ones that can only be found by visiting a natural health food store. Not a big grocery or drugstore chain. Why is that? Why do you have to go out of your way to find a tampon that isn't processed to nines, filled with crap and comes packaged with a plastic 'applicator' in a little plastic bag inside a cardboard box! I clearly don't understand why women do not more readily have this choice.

Speaking of the non-natural easy to find tampon, I found a few other tidbits of info that you might like to hear:

-"bacteria called staphylococcus aureus, responsible for toxic shock syndrome, breeds easily on synthetic fibers such as rayon and viscose found in all commercial tampons."
-"commercial tampons may expose you to chlorine, and other bleaching agents. Chlorine can cause the production of dioxins, furans and organochlorines. Health risks from exposure to organochlorines include: immune system inhibition, birth defects and the production of cancers."
-"Studies also suggest linkage to endometriosis, breast cancer and other female reproductive disorders."
-"99% of all Toxic Shock Syndrome cases are found in women wearing rayon-blend tampons."
From here.

Goody Gumdrops. I can't believe I let my lifetime of stuffing carcinogenic packed synthetic fibers up my twat go on as long as it did. Behold the Diva Cup. No more money flushed away, no more treks to the inconvenient health food store, no more weird feelings about what exactly is in that thing thoughts. More importantly, no more waste, landfill, and excessive packaging. I highly recommend if you are a consumer of Playtex, Kotex, OB, Tampex, or any other major 'feminine product' company that you consider a healthy, biodegradable, or no waste alternative.

So there.

yummy good

This is one scrumtious yummy photo slideshow.

breaking up with your cell phone company

I've often heard the rant of Michael against Telus for holding him hostage via his telephone number. Michael works in a business where being able to reach him is paramount. Alot of people need to reach him- at the telephone number he has had for years. That has kept him chained to Telus. Until now.

Enters fellow Brit, Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin mega company. (See fancy-schmancy website with all the details .) While this is definitly a ploy (celebrated with a stunt) to get you to bring your number to Virgin, he did push to have the legislation passed allowing most Canadians to take their telephone numbers and roam free.

The Canadian Radio, Television & Telecommunications Commision lists all cities that will have number portability as of March 14. Take a look at the list.

Nice marketing, doncha think?

Reminds me of the recent marketing scheme from my own carrier, Fido who sent me some form of advertising on a peice of paper long as the length of my arm. Glossy. Not a word of it stating that it was printed on recyclable materials. I wrote a long letter back to Fido about renewable resources, the eco-footprint on the planet and environmentalism and poliely asked them to not send me such items of advertsing through the mail again, and would they mind emailing me to inform me of the company ethics regarding those issues. I put it back in it's original envelope, changed the address and sent it back. I have yet to hear from them.

Next time, it might be a Dear Fido, it's over. Virgin is moving in.

dance of 1000 hands

My friend Christine always send me really cool emails that include unbelievable links that I would never ever find all by myself. Today she sent me this very amazing dance video:

"There is an awesome dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, which is
making the rounds across the net. Considering the tight coordination
required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if
they were not all deaf. Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the
dancers are complete deaf-mutes. Relying only on signals from
trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary
dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and
stirring. Its first major international debut was in Athens last year
at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. But it had long
been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People's Performing
Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries. Its lead
dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine
Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring
Festival this year."

I'd like to personally thank my sister, Catherine, for helping me with my long overdue taxes.

I think I owe you a lunch. Or two.

11 days and counting

getting ready for the walkabout, originally uploaded by smoooch.

1- Borrowed backpack. Thanks Sis.
1- Pair well worn hikers, recently waterproofed, for those long hikes through the boulevards of Paris and the streets of Brussels looking for that Art Nowveau wonderland.
1- Cozy fleece, Cashmere/wool sweater- for cold Bohemian nights.
2- Merino wool long sleeved shirts to further protect me from the elements.
1- Pair of fingerless wool gloves for warm hands and photographic agility. Thanks Catherine, they're perfect.
1- Camera case for keeping the captured sights safe. One large memeory card- not shown
1- Awesome feather travel pillow with match storage bag for a little bit of luxury on 2nd class train trip.
1- Quick drying towel with keen storage bag for those impromtu train station showers and bathroom baths.
1- Fold down travel kit to keep all my solid soapy products. No liquids on the plane!
1- well tested in the recent Vancouver Monsoon raincoat in bright, don't kill me blue.

a forest of B vitamin

a forest, originally uploaded by smoooch.

a step back in time

Photo by Fred Herzog

An amazing photography show is currently running at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Fred Herzog, a local shutterbug who currently still lives in Vancouver, incredibly documented the street life of the city in the 1950-1960. Vibrant, colorful, stark exposures of the hustle, bustle and prosperity of areas now burdened by the desperation of the downtown east side are like looking like a real life comic book if you have ever walked along East Hastings. Other shots show the blank canvas of under developed areas now gentrified and teeming with hip shops, cafes, and grocery stores.

It's all really something to see. If you're in town, don't miss it. It's running until May 13 and Tuesday nights are by donation.

More info on Fred Herzog.
This one has a nice gallery of shots.