James Lupori, Associate Broker Keller Williams Realty - 206.713.2102

The last time we visited Vancouver, BC was well over ten years ago. At that time we spent most of the day in Chinatown during a festival with dancing dragons, thundering traditional drums and fire crackers. We also managed to visit the ”uber-touristy” Gastown district (not my favorite place). Overall it was a magical day. The funny thing is, we weren’t able to conjure up a good reason to visit Vancouver since then. It was only after a good friend suggested we take our wives out-of-town for a shopping trip that Vancouver seemed like a good idea………So, here are some of my observations about Vancouver:

NOT A “CHARMING TOWN”

Vancouver lies in a beautiful, natural setting: water, mountains, forests…but don’t forget, it’s a big city with over 600,000 residents and its downtown is a noisy and crowded place. The picture above paints an accurate picture of the city: lots of non-descript, concrete buildings surrounded by LOTS of traffic. I have been to Vancouver 4 times, and I still feel that one has to look hard for the grand old buildings in between all the new structures….and there are more new buildings on the way, as the city is gearing up for the 2010 Olympics.

Lots of wonderful shops and restaurants

OK, since shopping was the objective, Vancouver scored a 100% rating! Suffice it to say that my feet still hurt from all the walking we did. Our wives were intent on visiting every shop in Pacific Centre, Vancouver Centre Mall and Granville Station. Oh, don’t let me forget Robson Street. This long avenue is lined with wonderful boutiques and restaurants. Our wives made sure we didn’t miss them either. Check out this cool website. Just click on the picture for details on all the shops:

Yesterday the sun came out and it was a gorgeous day. It was crisp and clear so we decided to take the Skytrain from downtown over to what is known as the Italian District east of the city.

Unfortunately, there is little Italian in Little Italy. There are very few Italian shops or restaurants there and those we visited were disappointing. There are some nice views of the city from this area (pic above) but I can’t recommend you spend time here if you’re looking for an Italian experience.

The Best and the Worst

First, let’s talk about the worst: Vancouver’s homeless people. There are an incredible number of indigents on the streets of downtown Vancouver. There are also a huge number of young people who are obviously involved in drugs. Seattle suffers from a similar problem. I believe this is a result of Vancouver and Seattle being very ”liveable” cities with relatively mild climates and kind-hearted citizens. On the flip side, the residents of Vancouver are as amicable and friendly as can be. Even when we were on a Skytrain returning to the city, packed together like sardines, everyone was polite and jolly.

The Best: CinCin Ristorante Italiano. Located on Robson Street, this was an incredibly good restaurant. The dishes were elegant yet not overstated. The menu included a wide variety of excellent choices from a simple Spaghettini with Clams, Cured Fennel Sausage, Chive and Shallots to Sturgeon, Wood Oven Roasted, Black Trumpet Crust, Creamy Leek Local Baby Turnips, Beet and Red Wine Reduction. I’ve attached CinCin’s website so you can check out all of the wonderful offerings. Yummy!

Final Thoughts

I can’t possibly give you an “experts” perspective of Vancouver based on the limited time I’ve spent there over the years. All large cities are complicated places and the traveler must take the good with the bad. Vancouver is, in many ways, a 21st Century city: ethnically diverse and economically vibrant, it has adapted well to a changing world. It has an excellent public transportation system that Seattle only wishes it could build. It also has homelessness and some fairly grimy districts. But, don’t let this stop you from visiting Vancouver. It’s a great place.

Pictured above is Vancouver, British Columbia. Beautiful isn't it? Most travelers to the Northwest know Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. In the not-so-distant future Vancouver, BC is going to be on the World's radar in a big way. Host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver is quintessentially "northwest" and yet, it is cosmopolitian, international and bursting with boutiques, restaurants and parks.

The Amtrak train station in Edmonds, WA.

My wife and I are spending this weekend in Vancouver with friends to do a little shopping and get away for some R&R (translate: the ladies are shopping). We took Amtrak from Edmonds, WA to Vancouver. The train trip takes a couple of hours and passes through some beautiful country. Along the way, the train travels right along Puget Sound, so there are some great views of the bay and islands.

You know, coming to British Columbia is fun, because even though we're only a couple of hours away from Canada, it's still a "foreign" country. You do need your passport and you have to pass through customs. You must use Canadian money (still prettier than ours......still worth less) and Vancouver is truly international. The popluation is a blend of Europeans, Asians, East Indians, American Indians and many other ethnic groups. In the two days we've been here, I've heard British English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Norwegian, Spanish and a few other languages I didn't recognize.

We have spent most of our time visiting shops and dining along Robson Street which lies in the heart of the city. Here are a few pictures:

One thing I must say about Vancouver, it's a big place. There is a lot of traffic and there is a lot of construction going on which makes it noisy and congested. There are some nice old buildings sprinkled around the city center, but Vancouver has a more modern feel. Personally, I feel Seattle has more charisma even though Seattle is quite a bit smaller. I have more to say about our trip, but we still have one more day of adventure. Stay tuned!

Many economic reports have suggested that the Northwest is not suffering the severe downturn experienced in many other parts of the country. Indeed, until recently Boeing, Microsoft, PACCAR Trucks and a number of other strong performers had been sheltering our area. The job market was still stable and the big players seemed to be doing well.

The announcement on Monday of the shocking layoff of 3400 high level Washington Mutual employees and the virtual standstill in real estate sales are only two of the many signs that the easy times are over. Also, the "experts" finally acknowledged that we have been in a recession for almost a year now (aren't the experts always the last to know!).

Real estate agents and brokerages are not doing well. No matter how optimistic one wants to be, things are not looking good. In a recent article by Kirsten Grind of the Puget Sound Business Journal entitled "In Washington, real estate agents switch to smaller firms, or quit," she reports that:

• 2800 agents have abandoned the business since the beginning of 2008, a 9% drop
• The Department of Licensing reports that hundreds of others have put their licenses on hold
• There has been a huge migration of agents from the traditional full-service brokerages to smaller low-cost offices
• Sales were down 16% in September and 20% in October (based on last years sales)

My colleagues and I believe that Ms Grind's numbers are optimistic as they are based on statistics compiled by the Northwest Multiple. We find it hard to believe that almost 27,000 agents are actively engaged in the business at this time. Even though there is a record-high inventory of properties, only 11% of the inventory is turning over in the last several months.

So what's an agent to do? I highly recommend you all buy a copy of Jim Collins' "Good to Great" and read the chapter about the Stockdale paradox. In short: we all need to take a cold, hard look at our current reality while at the same time act as if we will overcome in the end.

picture courtesy of jaredchapman

I received an email from a good friend who just got back from a vacation in Italy. Quote: "We reluctantly returned today........."He and his wife visited Lucca which happens to be the main town in the province where my relatives live (on my father's side). My wife and I visited there this August so hearing about Italy made my heart race. If you're familiar with the weather here in the Seattle area, you know that the sky is usually gray from October through June (there is an occasional sun-break or two) so the thought of being back in Italy makes me crazy......so much so, that I went back through some pictures of Italy. I hope you enjoy this short, little vacation:

This is a 300-year-old mill (situated over a river) that is currently a guest house five minutes away from the home of my cousins.

A shot of the valley below my cousins house (rustico).

All of the pictures above were taken around Lucca. Ah, I feel better already. Oh, this little vacation wouldn't be complete without a "real estate" angle. Below, I've included a YouTube clip highlighting Tuscany. Watch it and weep.

One of the most interesting programs on Radio today is Weekend America (American Public Media & National Public Radio). The program’s topic today is about the “meaning of home” and it’s and incredibly interesting and timely program. Coincidentally, yesterday I wrote a brief post about how the current financial challenges in America may change our perspectives about the true value of our homes. Are they merely an “investment” or are they more than that? Seems like a simple question but, as you’ll find, the concept of home is amazingly complex. Just click on the picture below and you will be linked to this program:

A couple of my favorite sections of the program are highlighted below. The first is “Your Stories of Home” which includes short essays by many different people around the U.S. Click on it to see more:

As a real estate agent, “The Tragedy of Stuff” strikes a particularly deep cord. In the course of doing my job, I have seen how the human tendency to accumulate things holds a deep psychological grip on our lives. Click on the picture to listen to this story.

I hope you enjoy the variety of stories told in this episode of Weekend America.