Delicatessen

Nothing special here, just an Italian deli - except that it's smack dab in the middle of Chinatown on Main Street. To get in you have to ring a bell. An older gentlemen comes to the door, looks you over, and if you pass muster, lets you in to a dimly lit but well provisioned shop of Italian olive oils, pastas and other dry goods, meats, and cheese. I picked up an immense chunk of pecorino for about $8 the last time I was there. I paid cash.

Post title from this song by Homme Beige.

Washing the Windows of My Mind

I never stopped to wonder how the maintenance crews of glass buildings in Vancouver keep all those windows clean - until a few days ago. As I was walking near the Vancouver Convention Centre, I saw this crane on the sidewalk. There's something so futuristic science-fictionish about the way it's perched there, spider-like. I wouldn't want to get in its way in an apocalyptic "Rise of the Machines" type scenario!

The older building in behind all the modern glass is the Hotel Vancouver, one of the grande dames of the downtown core.

Post title from this song by Dana Wilson.