Vancouver's Stupidest Politics Column
Last year this columnist made the mistake of pointing out something weird and awesome, and the city went in and 鈥渞epaired鈥� it, effectively killing a quirky piece of Templeton Park. I鈥檓 still sorry I did that.
I wrote about the 鈥淭empleton Park and Poo鈥� sign (it鈥檚 actually 鈥淧ool鈥�, but is constantly vandalized by jokers). Soon after, the Park Board went in and fixed the damn thing. It was not my intention to trigger that type of response.
Today I鈥檇 like to point out something similarly wonderful, which I truly hope the City won鈥檛 move to fix.
The beloved 鈥�4th and Alberta Sinkhole鈥� is also referred to as the 鈥淥il Well鈥� by locals as it鈥檚 on Alberta Street outside of Big Rock brewing; an Alberta-born business.
Measuring about three feet across, it has become a community gathering place in the industrial zone between the Olympic Village and Mount Pleasant.
For the past month I鈥檝e been walking past it every day, wondering when the city will come in and ruin the fun of having an obstacle located mere steps from a place where people walk out of, drunk and half-drunk, from noon until late. So far it has been spared.
I asked the folks at Big Rock Brewing how many people they鈥檝e heard of falling into it, or complained about the thing, and their answer was 鈥淶ero, if we don鈥檛 count you鈥�.
Nobody has spoken about it in an entire month. This is good news for our expanding sinkhole! People are keeping it on the low, making sure the city doesn鈥檛 catch wind of it and ruin our fun of trying not to fall or drive into the thing.
听
Falling in is one thing, but getting in is another.
Earlier this week I came across a man (who would not give me his name) seated in it.
A BMX photographer by trade, he told me it was 鈥渃onvenient鈥� as it offered him a place to sit, nearly in the middle of the street, while shooting photographs of another man who was doing BMX tricks on the barriers in the neighbouring parking lot.
So let鈥檚 give three cheers for this sinkhole! But not too loudly. The last thing we鈥檇 want is for the City to come in and spoil it for everyone.
