Blog
5 Things Vancouver: Darren Barefoot
by Dan
Travel + Vancouver / February 08, 2010
We're continuing our series 5 Things Vancouver this week in the run up to The XXI Olympic Winter Games. First up on the docket is Darren Barefoot.
Darren grew up in West Vancouver, and current lives above the HomeDepot near Cambie and Broadway.
He’s a writer, marketer and blogger, and the co-author of Friends With Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook.
What neighbourhood do you live in?
It’s called Fairview Slopes, though I think that’s a snooty invention by local real estate agents.
What is the single best thing about living in Vancouver?
I didn’t appreciate this until I lived abroad and returned to the city, but it’s really among the most beautiful cities in the world. Set between the Coastal Mountain range and the Pacific, on this relatively small patch of land, it’s really a joy to behold. And, as a result of this geographical accident, it’s an unusually (for North America, at least) dense city, which makes it feel more metropolitan than its size might merit.
What’s your favourite book about Vancouver?
I’m always a little reluctant to recommend Douglas Coupland, as we grew up in the same neighbourhood and I’m envious of how he wrote about being middle-class in West Vancouver before I could. That said, his book City of Glass is a terrific introduction to the city. I also like Timothy Taylor’s Stanley Park.
What is your favourite building in Vancouver?
I really like the Sun Tower, which is this lovely Beaux-Arts building right downtown. In a city full of glass towers, it’s a surprising change of pace.
What’s your favourite free thing to do in Vancouver?
My first thought was that, on a nice day, you can’t do much better than the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. It’s about 30 minutes south of downtown, and right on the coast. It offers this highly unusual terrain for the region—there’s very little wetlands around the city—and a chance to see a ton of airborne wildlife.
However, I checked, and the sanctuary isn't free. It is really cheap—$4 for adults, $2 for children and 50 cents for a packet of birdseed.
But if you're looking for truly free, I'd recommend heading up into the North Shore and hiking a portion of the Baden Powell trail.
Thanks Darren!
Comments (2) |
Tags:
5 things vancouver darren barefoot douglas coupland travel vancouver winter olympics
Comments
On February 08, 2010 at 11:23 AM, Darren said:
On February 08, 2010 at 11:57 AM, Dan said:
Darren: My pleasure! They’re great recommendations. 
Thanks for writing this up!