It’s nice having this week off with Momma J and Baby G. We’re spending a ton of time together and I’m finally feeling like I’m pitching in, rather than being the night watcher.
Another nice thing about being off of work and in the city, is the break it’s giving me from the daily grind to reflect on a few things. While driving around, I realized why so many people – including myself at times – are so stressed out.
The change the city has experienced in the last five years is immense.
Housing costs have climbed to insane levels, making owning a detached house, which at one time was a struggle, nearly impossible for most. The city has been under construction for the past three years now, causing huge traffic jams in places where they never existed before.
The transit system hasn’t grown to meet the needs of a huge influx of people who have come to find jobs in the booming economy. And to top it all off, wages aren’t rising fast enough to meet the costs many of us are experiencing.
This all really hit home today when I dropped Momma J and Baby G off at yoga class. After leaving them, I decided to see a friend who lives about 20 blocks away. Two years ago, it would have taken five minutes to get to his house. Today it took 10 on the way there and 20 on the way back because of traffic and construction.
When I was there, we got to talking about travelling around the city. And we both agreed that Vancouver is becoming a city, like many others in the world, where it is more expedient to leave one’s car at home. More people who live in city limits are choosing not to own a car, which is drastic break from the past.
As the city grows, I’ll probably see more of this along with a bunch of other change. It will be very interesting to see how people who have lived here a long time, and are used to Vancouver being a sleepy city by the sea, deal with it.
Posted by killahmullet 