If you calculate numbers, I bet you there are more “poor” people per capita living in Vancouver than there are in Surrey… yet people always label Surrey as poor, or for people who can’t afford to live in Vancouver.

Also, i heart the Van Folk Fest (and don’t mind what Lulu Lemon pants do for the ladies ), but Surrey gets lots of flack for being lame while idyllic areas like Kits get a pass, so … i am taking cheap shots to compensate and even out the balance – really aiming the low blows at Yaletown to be honest but hard to work YT into this post to make fun of so made it multi-purpose nouveau-yuppie stereotypes to cover all bases. And note that i ended with a couple of Surrey stereotype reinforcements to keep it fair and balanced.

And don’t worry, i am an old hippie and know VFF is a meeting place for people from all around BC and beyond, and full of lovely people having fun, including many of my friends who come from far and wide. I mentioned VFF as contrast to Fusion Fest – and you must admit they are two very different audiences and pricetags.

Nathan rules – heart-rendering without being syrupy.

Now, who’s gonna make fun of North Van and my new neighborhood? Start with bikes which costs more than cars, excess lycra and funny helmets, $2000/mo. rent for “starter homes,” and manic coffee snobs. Discuss.

That being said, it’s hard to take your defense of the “much maligned municipality” seriously when you’re just as eager to mock Vancouver. You quipped:

“No LuluLemon pants in the whole place, none.”
“No whiny West-enders rolling their eyes about “the bridge and tunnel crowd”
“No small dogs, nor matching small purses to match”

I was at the Folk Festival on the weekend and didn’t notice anyone matching the above descriptions. Actually, we ran into friends from Kamloops (who don’t fit any of the stereotypes above) and had a great time.

That being said, the rest of your post was very interesting and has definitely put the Fusion Festival on my list of events to check out next year.

Easy, Brad – if you look at the stats, there are lots of po’ folk in Surrey. I was one of them once, so I know.

Just because people don’t live in Vancouver doesn’t mean they are low-income. Many people who CHOOSE to live out here make very high-income, we just choose to live and raise families in areas where we can have our kids play hockey on the streets and have backyards that are big enough for a dog to run around in.

And for the record, I am definitely down if you present “Forget Presentations, Make Conversations!”