Also called "The Drive", it is a
region of
Vancouver,
British Columbia,
Canada that defines the
culture of its
East Side. This region is
thick with persons of many
backgrounds, and is
culturally
rich while it is
economically disadvantaged. There are
italian,
hispanic,
caribbean,
arabic,
french,
ethiopian, and
chinese populations, as well as the
gay/
lesbian/
artist community. The actual
street (Commercial Drive proper) is
rife with
cafés, and
markets,
boutiques,
laundromats, and
new-age,
environmentally
friendly,
vegan,
kosher,
hand-spun,
granola chai. There is also a branch of the
Vancouver Community College on the Drive.
Most of the housing is in the form of basement suites, shared homes, and apartments. Because there is alot of theft in the region, one is advised to seek lodgings off of the ground floor. Rent in the Commercial Drive area is cheap for Vancouver, and apartments can go for $500 per month, solo.
The film "A girl is a girl" was filmed largely in this neighbourhood. My director, and two of my classmates live on this drive. One of my friends recently became mobilised into the dyke community of this drive. There is a park on this drive.
To get there, go to the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, take the skytrain to Broadway Station or Commercial Drive Station, and walk North on Commercial Drive, until you get to Van East Cinema. This is where the real Commercial Drive starts. It continues until the Womyn's Ware store, where it becomes residential again.