Night Music: Taxman

Good News — and Bad — for the Drive

In previous reports I have noted that Triple A Grocery at 1626 Commercial was boarded up and probably closed.  However, today it seemed to be open again, which is good news.  Hope it is permanent.

On the other hand, Storm Crow Tavern at 1305 Commercial is closed and not coming back.  The owners posted on Facebook:

“The Tavern already had many challenges, such as an expiring lease in an aging building slated for redevelopment, and the coronavirus, for us and many other small restaurants, is a fatal blow while we’re already down.”

They will be keeping on with their Alehouse on Broadway, and the Manor in Toronto.

 

Many thanks to Ferry Seagull for the heads up.

Chronicles of the Plague Year #6

It was time to break out of my isolation to get some banking and pharmacy business taken care of.  My haz-mat gear included latex gloves and an ancient N95 mask that I only just learned how to wear properly. The weather was way too warm for all that stuff.

It is a week of learning; not only did I learn how to wear my mask, but I also finally learned how to make a deposit through an ATM.  I know, I know; I am a slow learner.  But in my defence, most of the cheques I receive are direct deposits and with the few others I prefer a human teller to a machine. So, with the branch closed and a cheque in hand, this was the first time. No idea if it worked.

The always wonderful folks at Shoppers on the Drive had everything ready for me and so I crossed the street to catch a bus home. The first bus to come along passed by with his “Bus Full” sign flashing. It still seems odd to see a full bus with just a dozen people on it.  So I waited for the next, and that gave me a lot of time to really observe the new pedestrian etiquette. I was surprised, frankly, about how serious everyone is taking this:  very deliberate attempts to keep distance; standing in doorways rather than blocking the sidewalk; singles rather than groups; and a lot more masks than last week.  I wonder how much of this we will retain when the new normal arrives.

The longest line up I saw today was at the Post Office where, at one point, a line of about ten people snaked along the block to the corner, each six feet apart.

Finally, as I sat in the Park for a while. There were small huddles of us, singles, couples, dogs, spaced around the green. I saw one of our regular street folks pushing a big Paper recycling bin north along Salsbury, though I doubt that was covid-19 related.

 

 

Wise Words

Grandview 14th April 1920

Vancouver World, 19200414 p.6

 

All previous Grandview 1920 clippings