Dear Editor:
I was surprised and disappointed to read a recent letter to the editor (Bring life back to the Quay, March w21.) The letter painted a picture of a bleak and deserted place - a very different place than the one I visited last weekend.
Here's what I experienced: on a beautiful spring day I walked the length of the waterfront from Molnar to the market. The boardwalk was bustling with people of all ages walking their dogs, riding bikes, strolling with friends, taking photos and basking in the sun. River Market was crammed with families shopping at Donald's, buying crepes or a cup of tea and getting fish and chips. There were lineups at the bakery and at the ice cream and gelato shop. I met my mother and sisters for a fabulous and reasonably priced lunch at Wild Rice, signed up for a cooking class, bought a plant and ran into a friend. After lunch we had gelato and espresso and watched an accordion player entertaining a big crowd outside. Everyone was happy and smiling, and almost everyone was sipping a coffee, nibbling on a treat or enjoying a gelato.
So many of the things mentioned as being missed from the old market were there at the new River Market - happy customers enjoying a treat and a good cup of coffee, a fishmonger, ethnic eateries, a fine busker and a restaurant you can proudly take your friends to. The circus school is fun to watch, and the edible landscaping will be lovely in the summer and is very up-to-date with the latest trends.
I'm as happy as anyone with the changes at Columbia Square, the new shopping opportunities at the New Westminster SkyTrain station and the soon-to-come movie theatre, but they are not substitutes for the experiences I had last weekend. All these developments enhance life in our city. River Market is just one of the many positive changes coming to New Westminster. Let's embrace change instead of rejecting it.
Joan Miller, New Westminster
