The Pale District by David Young

Vancouver is many things at once, an international city, the California of Canada, the sophistication of the Brits, a commerce center, a frontier town with only Anchorage to its North. Distinct Districts like Yaletown, Gastown, Chinatown, Commercial Street, Granville Island and the West End are all places tourists know well, each a jewel in itself. There is another Vancouver though, the Pale District. The Pale District is unseen except to those that live there. While not found on a map, it still holds the city together. It exists between the glitz of the downtown core and its hard edges winding back and forth through the old East Side where the business core once existed. The district always draws my camera and today was no exception. I sat in front of a small café with my coffee making last minute camera adjustments. The sun of the morning began to warm me and reveal the pale muted colors of old buildings, which gives the district its name. A steady stream of workers heading into the city who would cook meals, clean buildings and stack shelves walked by me. I knew it would be a great day for wandering and pictures. The Pale District is full transition. Shop and restaurant owners holding off the press of bigger competition with what uniqueness they can muster. People pulling themselves up from the desperation of heroin alley to the East, immigrants finding their way in a new country, service workers who keep the city going, people who have fallen from the ranks of the greater city and those with great dreams destined for its glitz. The Pale District is full of old buildings that have withstood change, worn and waiting for new purpose. Graffiti and posters with messages only known here. Every walk in the Pale District is unique. The only constants are the dignity of the people, the buildings that stand their ground and above all, the hope of the next day.