White Rock -- City by the Sea
  White Rock Travel Tale

by Lorry Patton ...

On an early summer day in White Rock, you will find seniors out for a brisk walk and catch painters sketching under the morning light. The street cleaners will be out picking up the litter from the night before. If it's afternoon, the beach will be crowded with sun worshipers. Late in the day families will be combing the beach, looking for interesting seashells or driftwood. And oh yes, the people poking about the giant freshly painted white rock will be tourists. (It does exist.)

Anytime of the day the grounds will shake as a long freight train rumbles by, blowing its melancholy whistle.

The cafes along the beach ( all with a touch of California ambiance because of the huge picture windows, pastel shades, oodles of sunshine and miles of sea views), have individual personalities. The flowery seafood cafe is quite different from the simple fish and chips joint and the savory Greek cafe quite different from the ice-cream parlor and the hot-dog stand. The storefronts offering trinkets, beachwear, and tee-shirts are brightly painted in pinks, greens and yellows.

The town's art center is housed in a restored 1913 Northern Railway Station. Inside, the decor is ever-changing with BC art and crafts. Outside the Station Art Center, the beloved White Rock Pier, stretches 1,540 feet toward the sea, a tranquil gray sea that gently laps at the rocky beach at high tide.

The scene paints a pretty picture; however, it's not the beach, the cafes or the shops that make White Rock unique. It's the design of the flats, the apartments, it's the fancy condos that hang, sprawl and cling to the hills that give White Rock its individuality, its off-the- (rocky) wall charm.

On a early winter's day in White Rock, you will find seniors out for a brisk walk and catch painter's sketching under the morning light. Late in the day, families will be out combing the beach, looking for interesting seashells or driftwood. Come to think of it, the only difference between a summer day and a winter day in White Rock is the absence of tourists.

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