Last Saturday I braved the cold (by Vancouver standards) weather and headed to the BirthFest event (that I had been talking about here non-stop). It was on Commercial Drive, in a much hipper neighbourhood than the one I call home. I had to stop off to pick up the best chocolate truffles ever from a little shop and soak up the urban ambiance. And then I was off to see the birth and babies crowd.
It was my first time to BirthFest, and I did feel that I was among my people. I ran into lots of folks that I knew already, and met a fabulous online friend for the first time. I did not, sadly, win the door prize. I did, however, groove to the tunes and enjoy some time to finish conversations with other adults without constant kid-related interruptions.
Here’s what it looked like:
Door prize I didn’t win
She’s PooPooPants on Etsy
Cici art factory
My Twitter buddy Janet of Muggabug
It feels kind of cool to walk into a space and feel as if you’re among friends. It struck me, while I was there, that in many ways I would be much more at home in that neighbourhood than in my own suburban enclave. Although I suppose that any place is what you make of it. At least I can visit for a day, soak up the alternative vibe, and hang out with some truly cool mamas who are doing their Thing.
What about you? Do you feel at home in your neighbourhood, or do you think that another setting would be a better fit for you? And how do you define a good fit, anyway? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Three years ago we moved to a hipper, downtown neighborhood and we love it! Yes, it’s urban and it’s a tight squeeze and no we don’t have a garden, but we love that we can walk everywhere and that we are right in the middle of such a great culture.
I figure it’s a give and take no matter where you live.
You are hip. Doesn’t matter where you live. I like you because you do your thing at all times:)
Mel’s last post … Survivor
I LOVE living near Main St. and in the Mount Pleasant area. It makes me feel kinda hip, and everything is within walking distance. It has been an amazing place to live with a new kiddo and our condo complex has become a wonderful community to us as new parents, with so many like-minded families and a large shared courtyard for the kids to rip around in and socialize. If we could afford it, we would stay in this area long-term, but alas, we are feeling the need for more space and houses around here have become far too expensive, so a move to the suburbs is probably imminent.
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Twitter: bitterindigo
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I like my space, so while I love the idea of being able to walk places and being surrounded by the funky and alternative (and loved it in reality when I was a student), I’m okay in the suburbs with my awesome neighbours and my parents an eight-minute walk away. I am kind of mainstream, though.
allison’s last post … Book Stuff
We live in North Van but a very walkable part (a block from Starbucks – yay!), and are 15 minutes from downtown by car or bus. It’s pretty awesome even though it’s not as scenic as the North Van neighbourhoods that are higher up the mountains. That said, I lived in Mount Pleasant for 8 years before coming North and still miss it dearly as I feel it was so much more ME than the north shore. My husband does NOT want to live in East Van though, and we both love to hike, so the North Shore was pretty much the perfect US place. Great for kids too – super close to the amenities of the city, but also right near to the outdoorsy stuff like creeks and trails.
Thank you for posting these pics and the rundown on birthfest – I meant to go but we were at a birthday party in North Van and time sort of ran away from us. Thanks to your post though I have now ordered doll cloth diapers for Megan from poo poo pants!
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Twitter: ladymrules
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That looks fun! I love seeing kiosks from up and coming crafty businesses.
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Twitter: fuoriborgo
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I think I feel at home more when I’m in a city.
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