Video: Take a bike ride through 1970s Vancouver
Always wanted to cycle around 1970s Vancouver but lack the requisite time-travelling device? Look no further than the video above.
According to the description, the video was shot by Hans Sipma in the mid-1970s—likely 1974 or 1975—with a Braun Nizo Super 8 camera mounted on his bicycle.
A Google Map traces the bicycle's route, and the 13-minute video is intercut with stills from 2011.
Some of the changes, particularly around Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver and southeast False Creek, are simply incredible.
Experience a harrowing of crossing the Second Narrows Bridge, pre-guard rails, on the left-hand sidewalk. Marvel at the price of gas—16 whole cents a litre! And the clothing—the clothing!
A counter in the bottom left-hand corner amusingly tallies the number of VW Beetles encountered along the route (71 in total), and clips from '70s radio add to the nostalgic feel.
While I'm not a huge fan of how ubiquitous time-lapse videos are these days (how many SkyTrain ride videos does the world really need?), this one is definitely something special.
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Comments
4 Comments
Kylemi
May 6, 2013 at 10:00pm
Seeing all those cars reminds me of my childhood. Also, if you haven't seen it, check out this even olden trip through Vancouver's history:
http://youtu.be/MHbMNDw3CMc
Kylemi
May 6, 2013 at 10:00pm
olden = older
Martin Dunphy
May 6, 2013 at 11:15pm
Cool. The clip starts in my neighbourhood, makes a kind of circle, then heads west and north.
The big difference? Hardly any bloody trees back then on the East Side! Pretty uninviting vistas on those north-facing streets. Forty years on, most of the houses are still there.
cris
May 7, 2013 at 6:54am
I grew up in Vancouver and would have been 11 when this video was made. Bikes were essential equipment for me and all my little friends and I rode mine everywhere, including over the second narrows to hike the North Shore mountains. My parents have been in the same east van for 45 years and I am always struck by the changes to the old neighbourhood (and Vancouver as a whole) when I return to visit. This video tweezed out some sweet memories for me along with a bit of melancholy for what was and can't ever be again. Thanks Hans - long may you ride.