High Tea to High-tech

Destination: Victoria, B.C.

by Lindsey Norris

The city of Victoria has an image problem. People too quickly compare it to Vancouver, that younger, hipper neighbour to the east, and conclude that Victoria is little more than the bigger city’s frowzy spinster aunt. Add in the city’s tendency to position itself as “A little bit of Olde England” and you have the unfortunate perception that Victoria is best suited only to those seeking a retirement destination or a quaint seaside holiday. But ask a resident if her city is “more English than the English” and don’t be surprised if a cup of tea is dumped in your lap. (You’ve been warned.)

It’s not that Victoria’s reputation for English charm is unearned. Instead of Vancouver’s designer shopping, edgy restaurants and gleaming skyscrapers, the city boasts museums and heritage streets and more than its share of castles. Then there’s its origin. When James Douglas, B.C.’s first governor (back when it was a British colony), first established it as a Hudson Bay trading post in 1843, it was named after Queen Victoria, becoming the provincial capital roughly three decades later. Even modern downtown attractions perpetuate the stereotype by sticking “Royal” in their names. You can view a mammoth at the Royal B.C. Museum, take sailing lessons at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and see certain notorious royals at the Royal London Wax Museum, complete with a replica of a medieval-era torture chamber.

And, sure, Victoria cherishes its history. On one of its most popular heritage streets, Government Street, the smell of caramel from Rogers’ Chocolates has wafted over passersby since 1891. It will follow you into cigar shops and tea shops and stores like Munro’s Books, owned by the first husband of renowned Canadian author Alice Munro. Incidentally, Munro’s once housed a bank. The Royal Bank.

But wander east and you’ll encounter a few surprises, like the second Chinatown built in North America, after San Francisco’s. Today, its legendary Fan Tan Alley, once a walkway to opium dens, gambling rooms and brothels, is now the best place to find a souvenir from a funky art gallery or boutique.
Wander to the Inner Harbour in summer and you’ll find free entertainment (though a fiver is appreciated) from buskers ranging from xylophone players to spray-paint artists to fire-jugglers. Keep going into, say, the neighbourhood of James Bay and you’re likely to encounter a poetry slam or a rehearsal for August’s Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival.

So why that frowzy rap? If you don’t look very hard, you’ll only see the obvious tourist attractions. And don’t let conclusions be swayed by Victoria having Canada’s third highest concentration of people 65 years and up, behind Peterborough, Ont., and Kelowna, B.C. Those retirees are more indicative of the livability of the city than its frumpiness, especially since its economy is as lively and diverse as its arts scene. Government is a major employer, as are the area’s five post-secondary institutions (schools that inject a healthy number of young people into the workforce). Today, the city is also home to the headquarters of solar power firm Carmanah Technologies and the online bookseller AbeBooks.com. In fact, in 2007, high technology overtook tourism as the top-performing economic sector in Greater Victoria.

So if a bit of history and a few museums make a city frowzy, so be it. But often the spinster aunt is infinitely more interesting than some showy young thing given to trumpeting its merit from skyscrapers. Sometimes it’s the things lurking down an alley or hiding in a castle’s secluded alcove that, in the end, are the most worthy of exploration.

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