Ep 08: Sauntering in the snow with Rick
Despite Downtown’s icy roads and snowy sidewalks, everyone walked very briskly this Thursday afternoon. I wasn’t certain if this rush was from it being super cold outside or the usual hustle-and-bustle of downtown rush hour. Regardless, I was standing here at the Pacific Centre’s Skytrain entrance for a reason. I flitted my gaze about the crowd and eventually found—“Rick!”
A dap and a pat on the back followed two “nice to meet you”s. I had bumped into Rick at the creator space last weekend, when we promised to meet up one-on-one later. This was that meetup, and we got the ball rolling immediately, walking with the wind.
Rick lived Downtown and was keen to walk with me about the areas I had yet to explore. After a bit of Vancouver Small Talk™,—about how beautiful the city is, how close it is to nature, and how expensive its rent can be—he asked, “Where to?”
I opened up the Felt map on which Gogomi drew my walks and eye-balled the areas I hadn’t yet covered. This day was as good as any to explore the western parts of the peninsula. “To the West End!”
The conversation got deeper with each step. We got right into Socratica and the need for third spaces for creators, how he got into that collective and the projects we had been working on. I shared more about Project Gogomi (the bot I was building to track my walks on my quest) and we went back and forth on my motivations and where I intended to take it.
Rick asked very pointed questions, which revealed to me that despite how casual our conversation was, he had thought deeply about the many things he spoke of. I particularly loved when we talked about the more artistic ethos behind our projects. It was from this that it clicked how Gogomi was essentially an embodiment of my value for discovery (I like to explore) and achievement (I do love a challenge).
Naturally, things got more personal the more we spoke. He asked why I chose to stay in Vancouver instead of moving to the United States like most of my colleagues did. I cocked my head, reminiscing one of my big-decision moments of the past few years, and all the emotions I had felt then (anxiety, excitement, stress, worry). It took a minute to return from memory lane, with a response. “I—”
“Oh, look!”
I perked up and followed his pointed finger at the snow flurries suddenly raining down all over Denman and Chilco Street.
It finally made sense why everyone was walking extraordinarily fast downtown: it was to avoid being snowed on! You’d think that having spent four years away from home (a tropical savannah), I’d now be used to snow—or have at least developed the habit of checking weather reports. Ha!
It appeared Rick and I both shared a penchant for embracing the natural elements because this sudden flurry did not hinder us at all. We continued our casual stroll about the western parts of West End, talking about agency or something of sorts.
Until someone’s stomach growled—I won’t say whose—and we walked back towards the central parts of the peninsula, to a spot that Rick said he knew. En route, we spoke at length about making tough calls and passion for building—you can tell I don’t remember what exactly we talked about, that’s because it’s more so a vibe than actual thinking.
We reached the glowing signpost for Disco Cheetah, and were soon munching on their signature bowls! That was a great spot! Totally recommend!
We ended our saunter on a sweet note, and I mean that literally. After realizing we both had sweet teeth, Rick suggested we capped the saunter at Theirry Alberni with some baked goods. As always, I ordered cheesecake.
I thoroughly enjoyed sauntering and conversing with Rick. Who would’ve thought this new quest to walk all of Vancouver would lead me to meeting such cool people!?
