Plaster and lath points to what was

Sun

Randy Orr of Distinct Interiors sent along these before-and-after images from a Woodward’s commission. “We were asked by a client to introduce an urban/Vancouver feel to their new downtown interior; we were allowed to take some liberties because the apartment is not their primary residence. ‘Let’s make it feel like we not in the suburbs,’ the client requested. So we did.”

The apartment is two-bed, two-bath, 1,100-square-foot residence.

“Our specialty is working with organic lime plasters, a traditional craft-product; our passion is to use them in nontraditional ways,” comments Orr.

From start -“drawing board” — to finish — “the final stroke” — the commission took a month to execute. “We decided to pick up on the interior theme of the common halls throughout the building and pay homage to the old Woodward’s: thus we used lath and plaster.”

That treatment shows up well with the facing Distinct Interiors added to columns in the apartment’s live/dine space, western red cedar lath and plaster coloured to match the walls.

The presence of a stylized W on the public face of the door to the apartment inspired the Orradded W to the apartment’s hallway. The interior face of the door means household and visitors will never doubt where they are.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

A resident writes of the attractions of a home where talent, and sunrises, are the neighbours

Suzannah Millette
Sun

I live in a Woodward’s home because I love a good story. I only know through legend and hearsay how this one started and I don’t know how it will end. But I do know I am here for its most intriguing chapter.

I get to live among the most dynamic and talented people in this city. I knew the area is home to Vancouver’s creative companies: design firms, production houses, architectural firms, boutiques, independent restaurants, and at least one famous recording studio. What I didn’t know until I unpacked was how many like-minded people I’d be sharing a roof with. And I certainly didn’t know there would be an unofficial art gallery at my doorstep. At any given time, there is usually at least one artist selling his works on the corner of Cambie and Cordova. So far, we have two Ken Foster pieces. The second was bought when he came up to the apartment: he really wanted to see inside Woodward’s.

I was happy to share it with him. The world outside my door is intriguing, but waking up in this apartment is the best part of my day. If the sunrise is bouncing off the glass towers of downtown, I jump out of bed and onto the deck to see the day turn on behind Mount Baker. If it’s overcast, I watch the city wake up; my view stretches from the helicopter terminal by the SeaBus station, up the Inner Harbour and around to Victory Square.

Soon SFU will open and a series of world-class shows will be an elevator ride away. Even the obnoxious, flickering “W” makes me smile, although I admit I live above the reach of its LED light show. The sign represents what’s possible when a group of people takes on a seemingly impossible task. This block was the city’s first hub; now, it is the last interesting place to live in Vancouver.

The Woodward’s development takes up most of a city block. On its northwest corner, you can see tourists taking photos of the Gastown steam clock. On the southeast corner, you can buy stolen bikes. This block is where four distinct communities meet: Gastown, Chinatown, the Downtown Eastside and Vancouver’s financial district.

It’s always been the geographical fulcrum of the city. This is where Vancouver was first established. Loggers and miners frequented beer parlours, while the well-to-do came to the theatres along Cordova Street. Over time, the wooden walkways gave way to concrete, and in 1902 Woodward’s was built. At its height, it was 60,000 square feet of retail, employed hundreds of people and attracted thousands to the area. The glory days didn’t last. As former Woodward’s employee Lou Lasner said about the end: “When they closed the store, I felt very bad about it. Most employees could not comprehend what actually was going to happen to the store. The whole castle came down. It feels like the end of a beautiful film or a book. It is there, but it is not there any more.” I picked up the tale later in the plot, during its most tumultuous chapter. In 2003, a local filmmaker wrote, “Woodward’s has been usurped as a symbol for everything that is wrong in this part of the city. And there is a lot wrong here. . . . The corner is now known for drug deals and overdoses, prostitution, insanity and murder.”

Like a hot potato, the building changed hands multiple times. Nobody wanted to hold onto it for fear of being burned. While developers and politicians debated what to do with it, community activists took up the ”W” as their flag, while the homeless took over the building as their home. It was decided the answer was an experimental mix of commercial, retail, market, and social housing — supposedly an unworkable concept. Before a single brick was moved, countless hours and millions of dollars were spent figuring out who would have the balls and ability to pull it off.

The new Woodward’s is a small miracle performed by gamblers like the politicians and developers who bet their careers on it. They backed the creative minds who made the concept a reality, the architects and activists who figured out the details. Now I get to live in result of their efforts, surrounded by the physical proof that being unreasonable is the only interesting way to live.

It was pulled off by the sort of people who have made Gastown vibrant, the sort of the people who understand the distinction between surviving and creating.

Mark Brand, owner of Gastown haunts Boneta and The Diamond, says the sense of community preceded Woodward’s. “When we opened Boneta,” Brand says, “people thought we were insane. We slept there during power outages and after break-ins to make sure everything was safe.” It’s been worth it. He and his fellow foodies have created a family of sorts. They cost share and, in his words, “look out for each other.”

Why is the creative class drawn to this area? Brand has a theory: “People just want to go out without five guys hitting on them. They just want to find a place with like-minded people, where they can strike up a conversation.” Vancouverites will soon have more choices. Brand says he knows of seven restaurants opening up around here in the next six months.

I’ve been both questioned and congratulated for moving here from Yaletown. Yaletown, a community that also has homelessness, begging and prostitution, used to be interesting. Now a few small blocks host four major chain restaurants. That’s not interesting; that’s Sim City. Main Street used to be the community with a pulse. Now, Slickety Jim’s has burned down and is being replaced by a Tim Hortons.

So how will this story end? Well, it could go one of two ways. It could go the way of Yaletown, if a lack of ingenuity combined with apathy allows money to push out creativity and community. Or it could continue as it began -filled with an eclectic mix of gamblers, cowboys, artists and storytellers. It could remain as it is: the last interesting and independent part of our city.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

New retractable structure

Glenda Luymes
Province

The giant marshmallow known as B.C. Place will soon have a new claim to fame.

Half a billion dollars and 17,000 tonnes of steel later, the Vancouver landmark will boast the world’s largest cable-supported retractable roof.

“[B. C. Place] has served us very, very well . . . and it can serve us very, very well in the years to come,” B.C. Pavilion Corp. (PavCo) chair David Podmore told a Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon yesterday.

The $565-million project — $458 million for the roof alone — will be financed through a 40-year loan from the provincial government. PavCo is nearing completion on an agreement to lease out about 700,000 square feet of land around B.C. Place for development.

Along with revenue from new events, sponsorship and naming rights, Podmore said he is “absolutely satisfied” the loan will be repaid.

Since its official opening in 1983 by Queen Elizabeth, B.C. Place has hosted a number of famous people beneath the dome, including Pope John Paul II, Bill Clinton and David Beckham.

The iconic roof, now slightly yellowed, will finally be deflated in May, a few weeks after the annual Vancouver International Auto Show, said Podmore.

Over the following 18 months, B.C. Place will become a construction site as the Teflon-topped stadium is transformed by 35 kilometres of cable and 76,000 square metres of fabric. It will take 90 semi-trucks to transport the 1,100-tonne crane that will be used to raise the 36 masts to support the new retractable roof.

B.C. Place will open again in July 2011 with final completion slated in time for the Grey Cup in November 2011.

During construction, the B.C. Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps will play in a temporary facility at Empire Fields, to be built in March at a cost of $14 million.

Podmore said he was “very excited” about the new roof, which will be built using “reliable, tested” technology, but on a larger scale than anywhere else in the world.

The centre portion of the white fabric roof will retreat into a central cone for storage, providing a 100-by-80 metre view of blue sky. The roof will take about 20 minutes to open, something that will be done before events at the discretion of planners.

B.C. Place staff also confirmed that problems with pooling water on the roof of the stadium late last week have been solved.

No damage was caused when rainwater began to run through one of the vents in the roof as workers set up for the Olympic Games opening ceremonies. Workers were able to adjust some of the weight to prevent the problem from recurring.

B.C. PLACE BY THE NUMBERS

– 27 million visitors since 1983;

– 200-210 events a year;

– 16 fans used to raise the roof the first time;

– One hour to inflate the roof the first time;

– 1983 opened by Queen Elizabeth;

– 60,000 seats;

– 1,100-tonne crane to be used to construct new roof;

– 17,000 tonnes of steel in new roof;

– 35 km of cable;

– 76,000 square metres of fabric;

– 40-50 years expected life of new roof.

© Copyright (c) The Province

Sale of nearby land’s development rights needed to repay loan for renovations

Derrick Pener
Sun

A deal to sell off development rights to land on the west side of BC Place Stadium, which will help pay for the building’s $458-million new roof, is “imminent,” according to BC Pavilion Corp. (PavCo) chairman David Podmore.

The deal, which will comprise 700,000 square feet of the 1.4 million square feet of development space the pavilion corporation has available to it, would be on a 75-year lease and will likely see both residential and commercial development on the site.

PavCo, the Crown corporation that operates BC Place and the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, is in the midst of a $565-million total refurbishment of the 26-1/2-year-old stadium, which includes $55 million in interior improvements ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics in addition to the new retractable roof.

That cost does not include the $14 million PavCo will spend on a temporary stadium to be located on the site of the old Empire Stadium on Hastings Street near the PNE.

The provincial government will finance the $458-million roof project with a 40-year loan, and Podmore said the sale of development rights around the stadium is key to PavCo’s business case for the project, which is designed to extend BC Place’s life up to another 50 years.

“The business case [for the roof replacement] relies on selling those development rights, selling naming rights for the building, sponsorship, advertising and increased activity in the building,” Podmore told a lunch-hour Vancouver Board of Trade event Tuesday.

Podmore said he couldn’t divulge any further details, but said he is “absolutely satisfied we will repay that loan.”

The new retractable roof, which Podmore said should make the building more comfortable to use during the summer, is expected to add about 40 additional days of events per year in BC Place, which is already used 200 to 210 days per year.

Construction is expected to start immediately after the Olympics and Paralympics, and will be complete by July 2011 in time for the Vancouver Whitecaps’ inaugural Major League Soccer season.

BC Place was originally completed in 1983 at a cost of $126 million and, up until Podmore took over as chairman of PavCo in 2007, the stadium was on a path toward demolition.

However, Podmore, who Premier Gordon Campbell brought in to take control of the famously over-budget Vancouver Convention Centre expansion, said he was able to make a business case to refurbish BC Place instead.

Podmore said BC Place is home now to events that could not be relocated to the Vancouver Convention Centre, and argued that a replacement stadium of a similar size could run in the $1-billion range.

As for the sprucing up of BC Place for the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Podmore confirmed that the building suffered a few minor leaks during last week’s heavy rains that have since been rectified, but stayed mostly mum about other preparations for the Games.

He refused to talk about how organizers planned to cover the dirty ceiling liner of the stadium’s roof, which is a dingy grey from the vehicle exhaust from years worth of monster truck events.

Podmore also did not want to talk about how Olympics organizers will accommodate the Olympic flame’s cauldron.

“I cannot comment about the opening ceremonies,” Podmore said after his presentation, adding: “I’d have to shoot myself if I told you anything.”

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Iconic sign reminds area residents of better times — and makes them hope for the future

John Colebourn
Province

The lighting of the big “W” atop the redeveloped Woodwards site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside was the talk of the block Saturday.

For some, the lighting of the iconic W perched high above the corner of Hastings and Abbott and the massive block-long development means progress. For others, looking up and seeing the W shining much the way it was years ago was a chance to be nostalgic and remember the days when the Woodwards store was the anchor of a vibrant neighbourhood.

“This area was definitely a hub of community and it went downhill,” said Louise Sturm, 23, who is now enrolled at the Simon Fraser University campus inside the development that has taken years to create.

“Hopefully this will revitalize the area and help people living in the Downtown Eastside.”

Brenda Wallace and husband Jim, both retired, say they can remember the Woodwards store and the big W like it was yesterday.

Brenda said she was impressed with the new version of the W.

“It is nice to see that sign up there again,” she said. “It was always the symbol of prosperous times.”

Husband Jim said the W always reminded him that the Woodwards store was a place you could go and find friendly faces.

“Those were the days when the staff was always friendly,” he said.

Joe Cardinal said the lit sign is like a beacon for the area. He also feels the development is better than having a block of boarded-up buildings.

“They’ve done a great job here,” Cardinal said of the $400-million project.

The Woodwards building was built in 1903 for the Woodwards department store. The store was famous for its Christmas window displays and the giant W sign at the top of the building.

After the bankruptcy of Woodwards in 1993, the building remained vacant, except for occasional squatters.

The original W was removed, as it had fallen apart with age. The replica, built to look exactly like the old one, weighs more than 2.5 tonnes and has 6,000 LED lights set in place to look like the old-fashioned bulbs of the past.

The new energy-efficient sign sits on a tower between 42-and 32-storey condominium towers.

Part of the giant development includes the SFU campus housing its School of Contemporary Arts. The development includes one million square feet of market and non-market homes, a daycare facility, a London Drugs, a Nesters grocery store and non-profit office space.

Vancouver Coun. Raymond Louie said the project, with its mix of nonprofit and market-priced units, took a long time to push forward — and that the lighting of the big W is a second chance for the beleaguered community.

“It will renew confidence in the area,” he said.

Louie said the mixed-housing project was viewed by many as a lost cause, but the city worked hard to see it developed and the sign now also symbolizes the hard work done by many of the city’s politicians, he said.

“People can look at the sign as a symbol that things can be turned around,” Louie said.

“The sign is very symbolic of a rebirth. This is the start of the rebirth of that neighbourhood.”

© Copyright (c) The Province

 

New downtown club — where Lady Gaga was seen dancing on a table days after it opened — is set to become the latest celebrity hot spot

Francois Marchand
Sun

Vancouver‘s VIPs have a new port of call: Barcelona.

Fair enough, it’s not on the sunny coast of the Mediterranean (although these days, the inside of the club feels much brighter than the gloomy street outside).

However, the new downtown nightclub, located in the heart of the entertainment district on Granville Street, has been generating a lot of buzz of late, attracting more than a few rock stars, local big wigs and Canucks players.

Barcelona is quickly making its name as the hot spot to see and be seen at, and it’s something co-owner Matt Schmidt couldn’t be happier about.

“I’ll be at a restaurant or a lounge for dinner and I’ll hear other people talking about Barcelona,” Schmidt says. “That’s music to my ears right now.”

The irony is that, as opposed to other clubs that launch with a big public bang and a steady buildup to the “fireworks,” Schmidt and his partners did little to no official marketing and publicity upon opening Barcelona late last year.

In fact, the club still doesn’t have a proper sign, its entrance half-hidden behind the renovation scaffoldings that adorn the front of the Howard Johnson hotel under which it rests, a simple B-shaped logo on its doors giving away its location.

Within 24 hours of its “soft opening” in early December, the club’s Facebook group already counted over 1,000 members.

A few days later, Lady Gaga was dancing on a table in a VIP booth after one of her three concerts at Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Barcelona was on fire.

“It was all word-of-mouth,” Schmidt says. “We really wanted to grow organically and build that ‘institution’ kind of a vibe. Now we feel confident and ready.”

Barely two months into its existence, Schmidt says he and his partners have “ironed out the kinks” and are ready to go full-steam ahead.

The club will finally get its proper official launch party Thursday, and the club’s guest list for that night is said to be filled with names synonymous with glitz and glamour. During the Olympics, when the city is crawling with celebs and VIPs, odds are good that a number of them will drop by.

The 26-year-old Schmidt’s Rolodex (read: BlackBerry) is a bit of a “who’s who” compendium and includes the likes of Joshua Jackson and Steve Nash, thanks to having been involved in the film industry as an art department coordinator for a number of years, following in his parents’ footsteps.

“I was kind of born and raised on sets,” Schmidt says, “but it’s always been a bit inconsistent, a ‘feast and famine’ kind of thing.”

Schmidt explains he started throwing parties when he was 19 years old, working his way up through the ranks and eventually working with various clubs around the city, managing to bring people like Danny Daze and DJ AM to Vancouver.

“It reached a point where I was going, ‘Okay, well I’m having a lot of fun doing this and I wouldn’t mind having my own place.'”

Barcelona owes its sleek internal design in part to Schmidt’s set experience and includes a number of cushy, black-leather VIP booths, a projection waterfall, wallpapers imported from Europe and custom-made wood and tile surfaces basking in a colour palette of reds, purples and golds.

“You have all these other places that have their token looks and some of them emulate these other places. We wanted something where people walk in and go, ‘Okay, this is Barcelona. This is not the old whatever-it-used-to-be, this is something new.'”

Schmidt adds that everything was meant to follow a “curved” design: walls flowing into arches, the club’s three bars eschewing sharp corners and, of course, the DJ booth designed as a half mirror ball, which Schmidt affectionately calls the “Death Star.”

“We’re going to have a real film-heavy crowd, a lot of wrap parties,” Schmidt says. “It’s interesting: we’ll have cinematographers and directors of photography critiquing my lighting and set designers critiquing the tiles and the wallpaper. It’s getting out there.”

Schmidt says the focus is for every detail to be perfect, from the state-of-the-art sound system that hits hard but still allows you to hold a conversation, to the relaxed vibe and the attentive service.

“People love that kind of personal touch,” Schmidt says. “I’m not in the liquor business, I’m in the people business.”

Of course, Schmidt isn’t going it alone.

Two of his partners, Derek Anderson and Alan Goodall, were already collaborators he knew from his party-circuit days, while the third, Leo Doueik, had cut his teeth at upscale establishments like the Time Supperclub in Montreal and the White Bar in Beirut.

When time came to pick a name for their new club, Schmidt explains Barcelona was a no-brainer.

“One, it’s an amazing, fun city and everything there is based on good food, good people and art,” he says. “I hated the idea of people coming to clubs and just standing around and being pretentious. [We wanted] something like the vibe in Ibiza and Spain.

“Another reason is that it was kind of fun to say: Bar-ce-lo-na. It was a warm name, whereas a lot of other names for nightclubs are cold, minimalist and kind of sharp, and it fit the room.”

Schmidt says there’s also a bit of a Miami/Vegas attitude behind the club’s approach to service, pointing out that it’s really hard to find clubs in Vancouver where you can really be treated like royalty.

Sometimes, he says, you’d be better off going to Earls or Milestones than some “upscale” bars to get a true service-oriented experience with a touch of class.

But what if you can’t really afford to book the high-priced booths or can’t find a way to get on the big-name guest lists?

What if you’re not really on the Veblen side of the equation and can’t really swing for tableside bottle service and high-priced libations?

Does that mean you’re out of luck and that Barcelona isn’t for you?

“I would never want to create that vibe where people feel they are less important,” Schmidt says. “Some people might come in and it might be their thing and they’re going to love it. Some people might not and I expect that. But we’re not turning away average Joes.

“A lot of my friends are starving artists and they’re still amazing people and they come in here all the time,” he adds. “They’re not buying bottles of Cristal, but they’re still having a drink at the bar and dancing their asses off on the dance floor and having a great time.”

While the club is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday (other days being reserved for private functions), Schmidt recommends Wednesdays for younger crowds, when the club offers a mix of soulful hip hop, electro and rock grooves.

The rest of the week is usually a bit more on the higher end of the spectrum, with DJs spinning a clubbier blend of dance music, and though there is no true dress code enforced, Schmidt says you should probably “dress to impress.”

That being said, the club does boast pretty tight security, using a sometimes maligned “ID scan” system to keep things in check.

A mandatory pat-down and metal detector sweep is also meant to ensure everyone feels safe, Schmidt says.

“The only people we’re trying to turn away is the crime element. No matter how much they will spend, and they will spend a lot, it will ruin the integrity of a bar.”

Considering the growing list of Alisters flooding Schmidt’s inbox with requests to attend or to book a private party of their own, there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight for Barcelona.

The trendy, boutique-style club may still just be in its “baby steps” phase, but Schmidt is ready for his new digs to truly take flight.

“I’d love to see it continue to grow and really become an institution,” Schmidt says. “We could make a quick buck, but there’s no integrity in that. We’re in it for the long haul.

“I’ve never been more confident in a team of people and a Vancouver spot,” he adds.

“It has legs.”

—

BY THE NUMBERS

Address: 1180 Granville St. Doors: 9:30 p.m., Wed-Sat (open all week during the Olympics) Reservations: 604-249-5151 or via www.barcelonanights.ca

Cover charge: $10 (Wed/Thu), $15-$18 (Fri/Sat)

Capacity: 400

VIP booths/tables: 18

Bars: 3

Bartenders/servers: 8/6

Disco balls: 8 (and increasing)

Facebook “fans”: Over 2,000

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Stuart Davis
Sun

The Big W is once again shining over the city at the Woodward’s site.

New customized low-energy red lights that decorate the replicated steel structure were turned on as part of the official opening of the Simon Fraser University Woodward’s Contemporary Arts complex.

From 1944 to 1993 the big red W, perched on top of an Eiffel Tower-like structure, beckoned shoppers to the Woodward’s department store, where the Downtown Eastside meets the business district.

Now, a new W sign is the centrepiece of a $330-million, mixed-use condo development including 536 units of market housing, 200 units of non-market housing, government offices, community space, retail stores and a new SFU campus.

The W weighs more than 2.5 tonnes and has 6,000 LED lights made to look like the old fashioned light bulbs of the past.

It remains on top of the tower but this time around it will be overshadowed by 42-and 32-storey condominiums.

The SFU campus will house a new theatre for performing arts and be home to a number of art displays. On Friday, SFU hosted the Arts and Architecture of Woodward’s, complemented by the lighting of the W– 17 years to the day after it last went dark.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Blend of revolutionary, colonial, commercial flavours make San Cristobal de las Casas unique

Caitlin Evans
Sun

Mexico: Does the word conjure an image of beaches, bikinis and margaritas? Certainly, the country has many world-class beach resorts that draw millions of vacationers every year.

But for those who’ve wondered what lies beyond the walls of your resort, you should know this: Mexico is so much more. It’s an incredibly diverse and culturally vibrant place that many tourists never really discover. Stunning colonial towns, cosmopolitan cities, ecological wonders and ancient ruins are only a few of the highlights.

It would take a whole book to even begin describing all of Mexico’s beautiful destinations. But a good place to start is lovely San Cristobal de las Casas in the southern state of Chiapas. It’s the town where I got my first taste of Mexico — and then some. I’ve been there three times, and am going for a fourth in a couple of weeks. The place is addictive –and it’s not even on the beach.

San Cristobal de las Casas (population around 150,000) is a highland colonial city about four hours from the Guatemalan border. The city was rocketed into fame when the Zapatistas, a revolutionary group seeking more rights for indigenous people, participatory democracy and more, stormed and occupied San Cristobal on Jan. 1, 1994. They were pushed out by the Mexican army the next day, but the city remained a focal point of the Zapatista movement.

Relaxing strolls along clean streets

Those were tumultuous years, but today San Cristobal is peaceful and relaxing. Its clean streets are lined with great international cafes and boutiques, as well as down-to-earth places selling tacos, quesadillas and delicious sugary churros.

San Cristobal is popular among European and Mexican tourists, which means it offers a wide array of attractive accommodations. It’s also an enjoyable and safe place to walk around: The streets are well-lit and, at almost any time of day or night, there are hundreds of people and families out for a stroll downtown.

Why is San Cristobal so special? It’s the unique mix of revolutionary, colonial, indigenous and commercial flavours that makes San Cristobal such an interesting place.

The colonial aspect is most readily apparent. It’s an old city, dating back to the 16th century, and the architecture is still reminiscent of that era. The narrow streets (some made of cobblestone) are lined with beautiful houses with clay tile rooftops and brightly painted walls. There are impressive and imposing churches around almost every corner, some overlooking the city on staircase-lined hills, some looming over parks and squares.

Central Park, filled with greenery, benches and a giant white gazebo, is where everyone congregates to talk and people-watch.

Shoppers’paradise

Along the old streets, however, is a healthy supply of bustling modern commerce. Shoe-lovers adore the stores of cheap, knock-off sneakers, and clothing addicts love the pricey boutiques and discount stores alike. Beautiful amber and silver jewelry is on sale, as are cowboy boots, handmade paper, fair-trade coffee, pirated DVDs and CDs, incense and skateboards. It’s hard to imagine there’s anything you can’t buy in San Cristobal.

In contrast to this commercialism is San Cristobal‘s revolutionary aspect. The town may be peaceful today, but it’s still a hotbed of political activism.

Stay in town for a while, and you’re bound to see some radical political graffiti, a peaceful protest and probably even a reggae band singing revolutionary tunes. Occasionally, it feels more like “revolutionary tourism” than anything — check out the Bar Revolution, or street vendors selling little Zapatista dolls — but rest assured that, on the whole, this is a dynamic town focused on positive change.

Finally, an essential part of San Cristobal de las Casas is its role as a centre of indigenous culture. More than a quarter of the population of the state of Chiapas is indigenous, from Tzotzil, Tzeltal and other groups. A large proportion of this population is concentrated in and around San Cristobal, making the city a very culturally diverse place. Every day, you will see indigenous people selling a wide variety of intricate backstrap-loom weavings and other beautiful handicrafts and women wearing their traditional clothing.

Of course, soaking up the atmosphere isn’t the only thing to do. San Cristobal is chock full of activities.

Check out a few museums: maybe the Mayan Medicine Museum for a fascinating glimpse into indigenous culture, or the Amber Museum to learn about this beautiful stone.

Challenge yourself to visit every church in town, including the ones set upon hilltops. Visit Taller Lenatores, an incredible handmade papermaking association that would be happy to show you their workshop. Go to Kinoki, a small art-house cinema that screens independent films and watch a documentary on the Zapatistas.

If you want to get out of town, there are several nearby indigenous villages easily reached by public transportation or private tour.

The most popular is San Juan Chamula, a fascinating town of Tzotzil people with a lively weekly market.

—

IF YOU GO

– Getting to San Cristobal is not as tricky as it might seem. You can fly to Mexico City from most Canadian cities. From Mexico City, you take a short flight (1 1/2 hours) on Mexicana to Tuxtla Gutierrez, a city about an hour from San Cristobal. It’s easy to get from the airport to San Cristobal by private shuttle, taxi or public transportation.

– If you must get your beach fix, you can take an overnight bus from San Cristobal to Cancun (or vice-versa). This is not as bad as it sounds: Mexico’s comfortable and safe first-class bus companies put Greyhound to shame.

– You’re going all the way to San Cristobal to enjoy its historic Mexican charm, so don’t stay at the Holiday Inn. Instead, get a reputable guidebook and book a room in one of the city’s colonial-style hotels. Na Bolom, also a museum, comes highly recommended. Budget travellers such as myself enjoy the lively social atmosphere at Rossco Backpackers Hostel.

– A word about budgets: San Cristobal is a relatively inexpensive place to visit, although certainly not as cheap as some Latin American destinations, such as Guatemala. A backpacker on a budget can easily get by on $30 a day by staying in hostels, eating at inexpensive restaurants, and taking public transportation instead of private tours. About $80 a day would make a decent, comfortable midrange budget.

– Compared with most cities I’ve visited in Latin America or elsewhere, San Cristobal is a very safe place. However, use common sense: Don’t walk alone down deserted streets late at night, don’t flash a ton of cash or expensive-looking jewelry, and if you need a taxi, get your hotel or restaurant to call one they trust.

– Photographers should be careful not to get too snap-happy. Many people in San Cristobal, especially those from indigenous groups, are offended when they become unwilling photo subjects. Always ask before taking a photograph of someone.

– With an altitude exceeding 2,100 metres, San Cristobal is sometimes chilly, especially at night. Make sure to pack some long pants and warm sweaters. Daytime temperatures in winter are very comfortable (low 20s).

– Before you go, see a travel doctor to get all the necessary immunizations and health advice. While in Mexico, be wary of raw fruits and vegetables that may not have been washed properly. When in doubt, pick restaurants that look clean and busy.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Coupe-like styling and 555 horsepower up the ante

Zack Spencer
Sun

German automakers have served the premium SUV market well with vehicles such as the Mercedes M-Class, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and BMW X5. This class of expensive hardware has become an important part of the luxury market as these companies sell them in vast numbers. Now that most of these vehicles have been around for the better part of 10 years, each automaker is trying to differentiate itself with ever more unique offerings. In the case of BMW, it has taken the popular X5 and cropped the roof, provided a coupe-like silhouette, dynamic styling and unique engine offerings and branded it as the X6. It may be based on the same platform as the X5, but the attention to sportiness is attractive to buyers who want a utility vehicle that is more rewarding to drive. The ultimate version of the X6 is the M version, the most powerful SUV on the planet with 555 horsepower.

There seems to be no middle ground with the people I have talked to about the X6 design: they either love or hate. The new trend in the auto industry is to call a four-door vehicle with a cropped roof a coupe. The l ast time I check ed a coupe has two doors, so calling the X6 a coupe is a bit silly. I prefer to call it the “X5 sport.” Regardless, the lower, wider stance has some drawbacks, especially for rear-seat passengers and cargo capability. The rear window is very shallow so outward visibility is minimal, this i s why BMW i ncluded backup sensors as standard equipment and believe it or not, even with a starting price of $99,900 a backup camera is optional! The more dramatic aerodynamics package plus standard 20-inch wheels and “M” badging in the side and back make the X6 M easy to spot.

Audi is often credited with having the best materials and finish on the inside of its products but I have to say that the build quality inside the X6 is stunning. All the panels are assembled with perfection; even the much maligned iDrive computer interface controller has a new design that makes it a pleasure to use – finally. The front seats offer the same wide and open feel as the larger X5 but the back seats suffer from a sense of claustrophobia. With a cropped roof, the door openings are small and the rear passengers have to scrunch up to gain access. Once inside there is plenty of headroom and ample legroom but there is only room for two people. Forget about riding on the “hump,” there isn’t even a seat in the middle; it has been replaced with a personal storage area. The rear cargo area is deep and wide, but due to the sporty rear design cargo height is sacrificed and the floor is high off the ground making it a bit high to place items in the back.

It is easy to live with. The advanced electronics that monitor wheel speed, the angle of cornering and grip make the xDrive system a tour de force.

Bad:

Isn’t the already powerful X6 with a 400 horsepower enough? How much power do we need?

Okay, now the good stuff. It amazes me that BMW can produce a 555-horsepower utility vehicle with 20-inch wheels, and aggressive sports suspension yet it is easy and even pleasurable to drive. The suspension and engine performance can be selected with the touch of a button, and even when the most aggressive settings are chosen, the X6 M never bites back. The 555 hp is developed by matching a 4.4L V8 with two turbo chargers for maximum power but still the vehicle i s able to achieve reasonable fuel consumption ( considering the power). Even though BMW stuck with a conventional automatic transmission instead of a dual clutch variety, the shifts are very quick and the driver still has the ability to shift manually. The steering is heavy on even the base X6 and the M version is no different, but the sense of solidness is felt with every twist and turn. This and the xDrive AWD system with advanced electronics make this large utility dance through the corners.

I’m going to say the same thing about the X6 M that I said about the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. Why? Why do we need a 555-horsepower utility vehicle? BMW’s X6 xDrive 50i already has a turbo charged 4.4L V8 with 400 horsepower; do I really need another 155 horsepower to get to work that much quicker? No. I must admit that the level of refinement on the inside, the unique styling but mostly the refined ride and handling impressed me. I must also admit that all the X6s offer these same attributes but with less available grunt. For day-to-day life, the already capable base X6 is a great vehicle and the already mentioned 400-horsepower versions will more that stimulate any enthusiast’s fancy. I suspect that any potential buyer of a 555-horsepower vehicle could care less what I think, they’ll go and buy one “just because.”

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Erin Ellis
Sun

Paying down debt is an option for many consumers, but sometimes bankruptcy is the only real choice, says bankruptcy trustee Lana Gilbertson.

It’s often a life-changing event that triggers a financial crisis: Job loss, illness, a business deal gone wrong, divorce, or the birth of a child. Then the debt that someone was previously able to manage spins out of control. The car payment, house payment, and maybe the new furniture are all too much.

“I see people who have gotten in over their heads gradually. There are life changes, someone loses a job. People don’t come into this lightly. I see the feeling of failure,” says Gilbertson, who works with Meyers Norris Penny Ltd. in downtown Vancouver.

“The majority of the people I see are honest hard-working people. … They are able to recover from it.”

But there are consequences. A bankruptcy is permanently recorded with the federal Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy where records can be searched for a fee. It will also appear on the debtor’s credit record for six years after the bankruptcy is discharged.

It means losing assets to pay creditors, above a basic exemption. In B.C., a person who files for bankruptcy can keep their clothing, household goods, tools of their trade, a vehicle worth up to $5,000 and $12,000 in home equity in Metro Vancouver. RRSPs became exempt in 2008.

Declaring bankruptcy does not wipe out alimony and child support payments, student loans less than seven years old, court fines or debt that resulted from a fraud. It will, however, put a financial burden on anyone who has co-signed a loan to the debtor. Liability for repayment reverts to the cosigner during bankruptcy, usually a spouse or parents.

“They don’t feel like they got a get out of jail free card,” says Gilbertson. “I always say that bankruptcy is a last resort.”

That’s why Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy — which oversees the process in Canada–requires applicants to sit down with bankruptcy trustees to weigh their options. There are a series of steps (see box) that can be taken before filing for bankruptcy.

For people who have a steady income and an ability to make payments, a consumer proposal may make more sense, says Gilbertson. Changes to the federal regulations on consumer proposals that came into effect last fall increase the debt limit from $75,000 to $250,000, excluding mortgages.

Consumer proposals are designed to be palatable to creditors who get more money than they would if the debtor declared bankruptcy. The advantage for the debtor is to be able to keep assets– such as a home–provided they live up to the repayment deal.

Bankruptcies still outnumber the alternative, with the last available figures for B.C. showing 835 bankruptcies in October, compared to 254 consumer proposals.

And everyone pays their bankruptcy trustee for the service, either a percentage of assets sold or monthly fees that add up to about $1,800 during a nine-month period — the usual amount of time it takes to finish the process in a first-time bankruptcy.

—

The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy offers plenty of advice to Canadians with money problems.

SEEING THE FACTS

You know you have a debt problem when you:

– Frequently pay bills after their due date.

– Regularly bounce cheques.

– Use an advance from one credit card to pay the minimum amount on another card.

– Receive a call from a collection agency.

– Regularly ask friends or family for loans.

– Have your utilities cut off.

– Have cut back on regular budget expenses such as clothing, recreation and sometimes even food.

– Are considering a second job in order to balance your budget.

TAKE ACTION

– Make a budget.

– Consolidate your debts.

– Contact creditors to make a proposal for repayment. You can also ask a trained credit counsellor to do this on your behalf.

– If you’re having trouble making mortgage payments, talk to you bank.

– Sell some assets.

TO AVOID BANKRUPTCY

– Make a consumer proposal in which you pay off a portion of the debt or negotiate more time to pay off the whole debt.

Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada

www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/bsf-osb. nsf/eng/home

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