Vancouver: Filled With Tradition

Traditional Vancouver Pastimes

There are plenty of good old fashioned recreational activities that can be done in Vancouver. In Ethel Wilson’s “The Innocent Traveller,” cycling around English Bay and walking in Stanley Park are a few of the possible things you can do outdoors, all for free! If that is not your cup of tea, Rebecca Hollwitt recommends modern activities such as watching live Canucks games at GM Place and shopping for fresh seafood at Granville Island on her blog, Miss604’s Canuck Life (http://www.miss604.com/). Of course, you will have to spend money! These current popular activities are different from the ones Wilson writes about, due to the dramatic difference in time. Wilson’s story takes place during late Victorian times, as Topaz travels to her final resting place in Vancouver. That is why one of the few leisure activities occurred when Topaz “wheeled her bicycle … [and] arrived at English Bay” (Wilson 128). Although exploring the natural scenery of Vancouver is commonplace today, Hollwitt explores newer forms of entertainment. She watches the Vancouver Canucks’ hockey games often, and is with the team all the way even through tough times (Hollwitt, Canuck para. 1). She also enjoys shopping in Granville Island (Hollwitt, Granville para. 3). Wilson and Hollwitt both talk about interesting things to do in Vancouver, but since the city was still being heavily developed during Victorian times, not much can be done in comparison to what is currently possible.

The intended audience for “The Innocent Traveller” is for people who do not know about Vancouver, whereas Hollwitt assumes prior knowledge of the places in Vancouver. Wilson employs detailed descriptions of popular places, as a local Vancouverite can easily imagine looking “across the blue inlet at the mountains which in their turn look down upon the grace and strength of the Lions’ Gate Bridge” (Wilson 109). Hollwitt, on the other hand, does not write any details about these places. For example, she merely cites the famous Granville Island brewery (Hollwitt, Granville para. 13). They are both successful in their approach to writing about setting in Vancouver because “The Innocent Traveller” is about Topaz moving to Vancouver, so her worldwide popularity coincides with a foreign tourist point of view by describing the details of this seemingly new country, Canada. Hollwitt’s blog is about her events and rants in life as she lives in Vancouver. This casual writing environment (the blog) omits the need to talk about things that locals should know, and since local people are more likely to read blogs about one’s own neighbourhood, she is successful in capturing the local audience because the writings are specific; readers must have prior knowledge about Vancouver.