i invite you on a photo journey cross country

august 2011 chinatown, vancouver

this was our run through of chinatown. my now estranged aunt and cousin literally sprinted past chinatown and before i knew it we were at the entrance gate. 

they told me they were scared of chinatown because they felt like the people were dangerous.. i just stared at them like… really? that’s kind of pathetic. i then went into a fit of silence and refused to talk to them.

bitches!

august 2011 gastown, vancouver

this was a cute little cafe we stopped at with a skinny awkwardly adorable man behind the counter.

august 2011 gastown, vancouver

gastown was the first stop we got off at on the tour. it was a touristy little area where the streets were lined with overpriced shops and restaurants. 

i was like okay so let’s walk backwards towards chinatown, now.

august 2011 vancouver, canada

chinatown was perfect to me in that moment. i needed it under my shoes. i couldn’t wait to get off the bus and on my feet.

august 2011 vancouver, canada

as our tour bus whizzed past vancouver’s chinatown i fell into an immediate visual orgasm. the colors popped off all the tiny individual shops and markets. all the store fronts were littered with clutter of all kinds. 

lovelovelove

august 2011 vancouver, canada

these shots are taken along the walk back to our hotel from granville island. the mosaic was squished into the sidewalk. it was beautiful. too beautiful to be walked all over.. the esso gas station red reminded me of the exxon logo in america.. esso.. exxon… hmmm

and then there’s the crookedly slanting wall. it made me feel like i was falling over.

august 2011 granville island, canada

these images were collected by exploring the store infested island with my camera whilst my boring aunt and cousin were shopping.. i felt so stifled by them on this trip. most of the time i just pretended they weren’t there.. as if i was all by myself.. and that was when i was at my happiest. 

i loved how all over vancouver they incorporated flowers via floor and hanging planters. they gave the city life and color. on that note, the shipping truck was the happiest commercial vehicle i’ve ever seen. 

and then the recyclables only container showed off the eco-friendliness of the city, which is unfortunately lacking in america.

august 2011 granville island, canada

this is the open market on granville island. they sold a myriad of items there from vegetables and meats to flowers and jewelry. it was the wonderland of produce markets.