On the drive

Ever since Mike got his new gig at DOXA – located on The Drive – I’ve been down there more than ever. I have to admit I avoided the place in the past, with the exception of the odd coffee here and there. Parking is not easy down there, either. And, as I’ve recently noticed, there’s a kind of unwritten rule on The Drive – people drive and walk wherever and whenever they want to. Traffic signals are loosely followed by cars, people on bikes and pedestrians. I’ve seen plenty of close calls, but no accidents. Somehow it all seems to work out. It’s not as chaotic is say, driving in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, but still, holy crap would you people stop walking all willy nilly with your bikes and dogs and babies? Sheesh.

Oh no. I just turned into the “get off my lawn” guy! HELP!

But I have to say, in Burnaby, we have our own version of The Drive and it’s on Hastings, but it’s called The Heights. I’m loving that area more and more and have become a regular at the local Italian meat and deli shop called Cioffi’s. I am a huge fan! Their meat is great – they have the yummiest pork products – delish bacon and pork roasts. And they sell milk in glass bottles which I love, love, love. Ever since I watched this video about The man Obsessed with Soda Pop on Mike’s blog, I’ve been making an effort to find beverages in glass instead of plastic. They take the empties back for a nice deposit. I was also lucky enough to get a great reusable bags on Christmas Eve (no charge! COOL!) that is insulated so your milk and meat stay fresh as you walk up the street to the Red Apple Market for cheap and cheerful produce. $4 for a fresh pineapple? You can’t beat it. I picked up all the stuff I needed for New Years Eve and New Years Day on the Heights today. But I have to admit, I picked up the coffee on The Drive. They do it up right over there.

I’ll be putting together more photos of The Drive over the next few weeks. There’s some great store fronts along that street, so I’m looking forward to doing some night street shots.

Tagged as: best coffee in Vancouver, Burnaby, The Drive, The Heights