E. Hastings and Cassiar - Thoughts and Memories

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Robbie
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With the Lions home games played at the Empire Fields at the intersection of East Hastings and Cassiar for the first time since 1982, what are your thoughts and memories of that general location in Vancouver? Has that area changed much since 1982? Are there any businesses such as pubs, restaurants, stores, etc that were there in 1982 and is still there, and what has since closed?

The Vancouver Canucks moved out of the Pacific Coliseum in 1995, and the closest main intersection would be E. Hastings and Renfrew St. But that area was still rather busy, perhaps with the Vancouver Giants returning to the Pacific Coliseum, and the PNE always remained there during the summer. It looks like the businesses on E. Hastings St between N Nanaimo St. and Renfrew St. was still busy in 1982 and continues to be busy to this day. The Hastings Community Centre and Park is still there.

But the businesses on E. Hastings St. from Cassiar to Boundary has had a lot of turnover. The McDonald's on the SE corner of Cassiar and Hastings is still there, but it's only half the size that it used to be in 1982. Near the intersection of Hastings and Skeena, there used to be a Bino's that's long gone.

Traffic wise, the biggest difference since 1982 was the construction of the Cassiar connector in 1992.

The parking lot surrounded by Hastings, Winderemere, Pender, and Cassiar is still there, although it's smaller now with a company building on the east side of the rectangle. The parking lot to the east of the racecourse is still there as well.

Overall, that part of the city is still mostly a residential area and during events such as the PNE, residents often charge people to park their car in their private driveway. I guess Lions games provide yet another source of income to the local residents.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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KnowItAll
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pretty sure there was a restuarant on hastings near renfrew that was called the horseshoe??? Can't find any history of it though.
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Robbie
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KnowItAll wrote:pretty sure there was a restuarant on hastings near renfrew that was called the horseshoe??? Can't find any history of it though.
Me neither.

What were some popular bars after games?
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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KnowItAll
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Robbie wrote:
KnowItAll wrote:pretty sure there was a restuarant on hastings near renfrew that was called the horseshoe??? Can't find any history of it though.
Me neither.

What were some popular bars after games?
I used to prefer a cuban lunch bar myself.
Every day that passes is one you can't get back
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Hambone
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As a visitor from the Island at the time I don't much remember there being anything to speak of around Empire leading up to 1983. There was a restaurant directly across from the Pacific Coliseum. There was/is a hotel with a pub on Hastings a half block west of Renfrew but it seems to me that wasn't built until around 1980 or perhaps later. And there was a Best Western on the other side of Cassiar. That too I think may have only came into being in the mid-late 70s. When I came over with buddies we usually stayed at either the Coach House (I think that was the name) just across the Second Narrows or the El Dorado up on Kingsway because they were the most accessible places to get to immediately after the game from our limited knowledge of the big city. As we usually came over on a Saturday afternoon wherever was reasonably affordable and easy to get to from the ferry and after the game was our top priority. Post game wasn't as big a deal either as Saturday games always started at 8:00 in those days. By the time the game was over and you got out of the parking lot it was a scramble to get to the bars in time for more than a couple of beers before last call.

I'm far less in tune of the area now but suspect anybody wanting to socialize before the game is either going to have to do it before they head for Empire or tailgate it pending the willingness of whomever controls the parking lots in the area. Given 2010 traffic is infinitely busier than 1982 traffic in that area a person might as well be prepared to spend their two hours prior to the game fighting traffic or riding a transit bus hoping to make kickoff. After the game it will likely be post-game tailgate or head downtown or back to whatever burb you came from if you want to socialize. However it won't surprise me that between the Lions and the PNE or Hastings Park they won't put together something to offer pre-game crowds an opportunity to spend some money to slake their thirst in lieu of nowhere else to go.

As much as everyone will enjoy being once again able to watch a game basking in sun (and rain) it won't take long for them to remember the downside of why the PNE grounds are not a very good location for hosting a group of 27000 folks. Will the warmth of the sun be enough to take folks' minds off all the other deficiencies of the location?
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Sir Purrcival
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The restaurant across from the Pacific Colliseum was called Brannigans at one point although it went through an incarnation or two before it became the Pacific Bible College or some such thing. There is a pub on the corner of Boundary and Hastings. Can't recall the name now but it used to be Diamond Lill's (actually now called Oscars) in the days of Empire. I guess there may have been something at the Horse Track as well. Maybe the aforementioned "Horseshoe"? Don't forget the venerable Sheraton Villa that used to be at the corner of Willingdon and the Freeway. That was a popular watering hole as was the Admiral (NBI) and even the Lougheed Hotel. Those were all within pretty close range and often on your way back out from Empire.

Other pubs a little farther away included the Port Moody Inn and the Caribou, Both were peeler bars. There was another Hotel in Port Moody at the current sight of the Golden Spike. It burned to the ground at some point and the place was vacant for a long time before the Spike went in.

For whatever reason, the stretch of Hastings between Cassiar and Boundary is what I call Wedding Row as there are a half dozen wedding shops in a very small proximity. A & B sound came and went as have a few other places. Bino's is now some kind of Vietnamese place (Pho 66) I think although I have never been in (now listed a closed). As mentioned, there never was that much right around Empire. Nothing that seemed to live and die by the Lions at any rate.

I'm not sure when the Knight and Day went in at Boundary and Lougheed but I could imagine folks heading there after a game for some ribs and suds.
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I remember Brannigans for Al Davidson hosting the pregame? show from there

I spent alot of time at the Kootenay loop waiting for the bus back to the lougheed mall

I puked once in the Binos after a Screaming Trees concert at the Town Pump

Good Times
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Sir Purrcival
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Thats right, I remember some form of pre/post game show coming from there at one point although I thought maybe it was for the Canucks. Puking at Bino's and it didn't have anything to do with the food? Well I guess stranger things have happened.

Good Times indeed!
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we had to stay in a hotel in those days as we couldnt get back to gibsons so we stayed at the avalon hotel in northvan and they had a party bus that picked us up at there lounge and then dropped us off there after the game.
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Robbie
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Obviously this immortal statue is still there, although instead of directly south of Empire Stadium, it's now moved to the NE corner of Hastings and Renfrew.

Image
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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meet up with a lot of people before and after the game at the statue
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Dan_Payne_fan!!
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Robbie wrote:
KnowItAll wrote:pretty sure there was a restuarant on hastings near renfrew that was called the horseshoe??? Can't find any history of it though.
Me neither.

What were some popular bars after games?
well the Golden Spike in port moody is pretty close :thup:
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nelson95
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Theres a dumpy little place on the corner of Boundary and Hastings
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CMAC
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The Admiral Hotel hastings & gilmore
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