Au Revoir East Van (the foodie edition)

This blog entry is a goodbye to all the things I'll miss on "The Drive".

My arrival in this neighbourhood: 2003. If I'd been pregnant, the brat (I would assuredly have a brat, apples and trees and all that) would be 14 now. Good thing I was in no danger of being pregnant, since I moved here to be closer to my girlfriend, and the fusing of two eggs is way too hard even for really smart doctors, let alone humble lesbians!

I actually thought I would never leave. Well... after the first three years, I thought that. That was when the GF finally moved in!

Then Bandidas arrived. Then I was REALLY sure I'd never leave...

Amazing Mexican food, so good you just don't care it's vegetarian! For a carnivore like me, that's saying something. And did I mention it's cheap? We eat there once a week. Sometimes twice! (Once we went three times.. an intervention was almost required).

South of First (SOFI - I've just coined that!) used to be a little run down and the "less cool" end of the Drive. However, it's now home to the quintessential Vancouver element: multiple awesome sushi restaurants. (Also cheap!! Three rolls, with miso soup, for $7.30?! Shut the front door on that!!).

JJ Bean moving in at 6th Ave brought great coffee to SOFI pretty early on in my tenure, followed by Prado at 4th Ave a few years back which increased the tone a few more notches.

Then St Augustine's

finally made the corner of Commercial and Grandview a favourite hang spot (after a series of suspected strip clubs and a few ill-conceived breakfast spots). Who doesn't love over 60 constantly changing beer taps?!?

When the old Van East Cinema was demoed in 2011 and new units went in next door to St Aug's, I was sad to lose the old guy who sold the tickets, his wife who made the popcorn and $5 movies on Tuesdays. But it seriously was a eyesore, and now we have Cabrito Tapas, Jam Jar and most importantly, somewhere to get waxed!!

Add to all that one of the cheapest places to get organic and gluten free groceries in the the city: Donalds Market.

Well, you can see why I stayed here longer than anywhere previous in the life-of-Louise!

To be honest, I haven't even scratched the surface of the places to eat, drink and be merry on the Drive. Every week I'd walk past somewhere and say "Oooo.. I really need to try that place soon". And never did!

I will miss all of the places I frequented, and the places I didn't get to. We can file them under #MissedChances #Can'tDoEverything.

Now I have new restaurants to find in Montreal, where I won't understand the menu, though I can probably trust 86% of it is stuffed with foie gras. I'll have to make learning how to ask if there is wheat or eggs in it in French a #1 priority!

So it is finally goodbye to the noise of the Skytrain accelerating from Broadway Station, and to small anxious dogs heard yapping through hallway doors.

Goodbye to the big trees outside our windows, and to amazing (cheap) sushi. To amazing friends who live two blocks in each direction, to our community garden, and to more Mary Jane shops than you can poke a bong at.