Avoiding East Hastings.

I was one of the 3000 doctors who descended on Vancouver, BC, in mid-October 2010 for Family Medicine Forum. My first trip to Vancouver meant there were many sights to see: Stanley Park, Chinatown, the waterfront, and Robson Street were all on my list. On planning my sightseeing, I asked the receptionist at the front desk of our hotel for directions to Chinatown. “Straight up Granville and then turn right on Pender Avenue—but whatever you do, don’t turn down Hastings Street. Stay away from East Hastings,” she said emphatically, and drew a big X through Hastings Street on the map. Her warning echoed in my mind, and from that moment I knew I needed to see what made Hastings Street so repellent. Hastings Street’s reputation preceded it. I vaguely recalled stories that this area of the city was fueled by drugs, crime, and prostitution. I thought to myself, “It can’t be much worse than Queen Street in Toronto,” the city I grew up in, but as I turned the forbidden corner onto Hastings Street, I discovered that I couldn’t have been more wrong.