Hipster

I could see this fellow from my seat in the coffee shop.

It's difficult to explain and visualize but this is shot through three windows.

I liked the way it turned out. 

Or, more accurately, I was glad it turned out at all.

I entered some images in an online competition. There's a sucker born every minute.
If you're curious to see them they're here

Something ...

... you don't see every day.

I was completely unprepared and this shot was a mess out of the camera.

Software saved the day for umpteenth time.

DTES Mural

Until fairly recently it wasn't easy to get a clear shot of this mural.

What was a rubble-strewn, fenced-in, vacant lot is now a parking lot.

Abbott and Hastings Sts.

Viking

There is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about this picture.

It's the Downtown Eastside.

Hastings and Main

Browsing

The Carrall Street Flea Market sets up between Hastings and Cordova each Sunday.

This is, without any exaggeration, Canada's poorest neighbourhood.

I would judge that much of the 'merchandise' sold here has been retrieved from dumpsters and such.

Regal Place

70 or 80 years ago it probably was regal.

Even though that side of the street is still largely on the skids the side I'm on is mostly brand spanking new.

It's only a matter of time before that side goes up market.

Inviting ...

… as it looks, I wouldn't venture into this alley at night.

Helmet Lamps

Same location as yesterday ...

A few years ago the park was renovated and these lamps were installed with shades modelled after Commonwealth Forces Brodie helmets.

Victory Square, Hastings St. @ Cambie St.

La Taqueria

Night time on West Hastings St.

100 E. Hastings St.

SRO (single room occupancy) rear view

Main Mini Mart

I used the same bus bench for yesterday's long exposure.

Rear View

The alley behind Save-On-Meats. 

The store is gutted now and is apparently going to be a market of some sort after renovations. 

The neon sign is an historic landmark so it won't surprise me if the new enterprise retains the name. 

This alley is pretty safe but MILL does not endorse hanging around in DTES alleys. 

Photographic Tomfoolery

The illusion

Mario and Alexis

The behind the scenes reality no one ever shows you.

Out of Business

The Canada Ginseng Co. Ltd. isn't prospering these days.

On the DTES ginseng wouldn't be the first choice in stimulants.

Smoking Is Sexy

Not!

But it makes for interesting art

Solitary

Just as it appears, there is one window at the rear of this building in Strathcona.

All Gussied Up

Much of this art is less than 4 weeks old. I don't think we can really call it graffiti.

This neighbourhood hit the skids hard when Woodward's Dept. Store went off the rails. But now that the Woodward's site conversion is finished the 'hood is bouncing back quite quickly. Once the vacant lot is built on again this artwork will probably be covered. Unless of course the lot becomes a park, but that's not too likely.

123

It was the doorway with the sneakers hanging over it I was interested in. But people kept walking in front.

I'm lucky I didn't get punched in the nose.

The Good Guys

Fred c. Marc, r, and the VPD (I should have asked his name)

The band had a p****e gig last Sunday on the Downtown Eastside. It wasn't well publicized, most of those who saw it would have happened on it by chance or watched from their windows.

Nevertheless, the band and the other participants had fun, including the four motorcycle cops who were controlling traffic for us.

It looks wet but the rain had actually stopped

The Carnegie

After all these years I finally got a look at the stained glass windows of the Carnegie Centre

I suppose most people know the story of Carnegie Libraries.

Even before the neighbourhood took on it's present somewhat intimidating atmosphere it never seemed to occur to me to venture inside the building.

It's still a branch library.