Northern City of Peace
BY DERYA SONER (MBG/III)
a_soner@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
I am soaring above dark green mountains decorated with snow toppings that look like icing sugar was sprinkled over the summits. Then I find myself floating across a calm dark blue ocean - the wild Pacific waves are sedated by the numerous islands surrounding Vancouver. I cross a picturesque beach of pure white sand as the plane is landing, and I can see metallic skyscrapers in the distance, behind a layer of dark green trees. How many cities in the world, I wonder, has this peculiar combination of green gardens, white beaches, blue waves, and gray skyscrapers.
On my first day I decide to walk downtown and explore this new city. The house I'm staying in is about 5 kilometers from downtown, and the downtown area itself is only 2 kilometers wide. Everything you need - shopping malls, groceries, beaches, parks, business centers, houses, restaurants - are within a couple of kilometers radius, and every street is perfectly parallel, which makes it impossible to get lost and makes Vancouver the perfect city for getting around on foot and by bike. The city does everything in its power to make the life of bikers easy; there is a separate bike lane even on the busiest streets, and the busses are equipped with bike carriers.
One thing catches me by surprise as I reach downtown: the city has more Asian people than Euro-Canadians. In the coffee shop, at the bus stop, on Robson Street (the young, hip shopping street of downtown Vancouver), in the laboratory where I work - everywhere I go, I hear more Mandarin than English. In time, I understand the reason. Canada has an immense respect for human rights; it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on their nationality, race, age, sex, beliefs, and family status, especially when hiring a new employee. The same respect is also true for the environment. All around the city you see environmental-awareness billboards, nature-friendly merchandise, and separate recycling bins for every material.
As expected from a baby country that was born only 150 years ago, you don't see "culture" gushing out from every corner, as it often does in Turkey, but the city does have a good share of "character." The district of Gastown, which was the initial town center of Vancouver, has quite a European vibe with cute flower pots hanging from decorated street lights, streets of crimson bricks, tiny coffee shops, and fancy restaurants. Several buildings in the city grab your attention through striking designs and decorations with touches of Art Deco, neo-Roman architecture, and Greek neoclassicism.
The food is very satisfying and not as expensive as it is in Europe or in the U.S. And the best part? Asian food is everywhere, in good quality, and is very cheap. It is often quite expensive to eat good sushi in Turkey, but here you can find all sorts of sushi for ridiculous prices. And the grocery stores are packed with Pacific fruits. Mangoes are quite popular here and they are dark orange, very juicy, and very tasty. Another thing that is popular here is having ferrets as pets! Apparently, these cute little animals are the third most common uncaged pets in North America, after dogs and cats.
The more time I spend here, the more I find out about movies and TV shows that were filmed right here in Vancouver: the Twilight saga, the X-men movies, Jumanji, The X-Files, Smallville, Supernatural, The 4400, you name it. No wonder the city is nicknamed "Hollywood North." As it turns out, it is the third most popular choice for Hollywood productions after Los Angeles and New York.
As my finishing words, I have to say that no matter how just, peaceful, ordered, and scenic a city is, Istanbul will always have the throne in my heart. The insane chaos, the flavorful food, the warm people, the magnificent Bosphorus, the shrieky seagulls, the diversity, the history: it all creates a unique, zesty blend that doesn't exist anywhere else on this planet, and I wouldn't change it for the world.