Yaletown Park - A Representation of the Yaletown Stereotype

Some people think of Yaletown as a heartless place where yuppies go to live and souls go to die. As a Surrey girl born and raised I've been taught that clothing is for people not for dogs and you shouldn't pay more that two-bucks for a coffee. But as an employee in a swanky Yaletown office, my eyes have also been opened to the brighter side of Yaletown like it's yummy restaurants, cute boutiques and friendly people.

The people of Yaletown often try to deny it's reputation of Evian drinking dogs and pretentious hipsters to life long suburbanites like me. However, the worst defense for a Yaletown yuppie has to be Yaletown 'Park' -the word park being used loosely.

The Eros Bendato Scrippolato by Igor Mitoraj - Yaletown Park

Yaletown Park emits every stereotype about Yaletown - it's barren, heartless and the label of 'park' is laughable. The park is made up of concrete blocks with about a dozen scattered, sterile looking trees and a giant sculpture of a decapitated head in the center. The sculpture itself is meant to depict Eros the God of Love blindfolded suggesting that 'love is blind'.

The park doesn't give what a park is supposed to give - lush greenery, places for kids to play and an inviting atmosphere. Instead it emanates coldness as it's filled with the cities pigeons and surrounded by Starbucks, banks and a Reflex supplement store. Yaletown does have a lot of good traits and good people inhabiting it but to visually show that it has heart, it may want to start by removing 'Park' from Yaletown Park or, better yet, actually turning it into a park.