While in Vancouver, B.C. I overheard several locals speaking French. That surprised me because I thought Montreal and Quebec City were the only Canadian cities with a large francophone population. Apparently not. I read recently that Vancouver has over 63,000 residents whose first language is French and another 300,000 who speak it as a second language.
It was last summer and ever-so briefly when I discovered a busy road under a concrete bridge on an island called Granville. I sort-of just stumbled into the area but was glad I did. The arts, culture and foodie community (lots of al fresco dining) was just what I was looking for and not finding in the Gaslight or Heritage Districts.
Bilingual Granville is currently the home of a lively $4 million French Quarter set up specifically for athletes and visitors to the Olympic Games. Construction crews were working on an additional ferry stop for commuters when I was there. There are four big circus tents with entertainment, a food showcase and a sports bar thriving at triple capacity now through Feb. 28th.
If any of my readers are there and dare to contribute party-time photos, I'd gladly post them here.
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