Altamont Park

Located at Rosebury Ave and Gisby St.

As a person who does not play tennis, I am usually disappointed when a park turns out to be not much more than a tennis court. Altamont Park is one of those disappointing parks. But this one is especially bad. Even tennis players would be disappointed with this court.

Pictured above is one of the many large cracks in the court's floor. Although I don't know much about tennis, I'm pretty sure that a cracked court could cause some wayward bounces. Also, only one of the two courts still has a net. If you're looking for a place to play tennis, you should probably look elsewhere.

Beyond an unsatisfactory game of tennis, there really isn't much to do in this park. There's a narrow strip of grass around the edges of the court, but it's not flat enough for ball games and it's too muddy for sitting.

However, there is one thing to do in this park...

Even when it seems like there's nothing left to do, you could always draw penguins.

PPR
Good: drawing surface
Bad: broken tennis courts, muddy grass
2/10

Altamont Beach Park

On Procter Ave, near 29th St.

Altamont Beach Park is a wide section of beach off of Procter Avenue. So if you are in distress over the closure of Procter Park, this one is a good alternative to it. The beach is accessible via two trails. There's one on either side of the park's area. But before, we have a look at the beach, there's something needs our attention. This is one of the trails:

West Van parks board, that is simply not acceptable. These are meant to be stairs, not torture traps of thorns. I imagine that a trim is a part of a yearly maintenance, but it's about time that happens. Many of the stairs between roads and beaches in the area between West Bay and Dunderave look similar to this one.

Okay, now we can talk about the beach. Besides the usual beach attractions (pretty view, the ocean is there), Altamont Beach features an uncommonly large amount of giant rocks.

It was on top of one of these boulders that I settled for my stay at Altamont Beach. The tops were smooth and comfortable. I had space to stretch out and space for my bag beside me. If Nina had been able to make it on this trip, there would have been room for her too.

But I wasn't alone in this park. There was a woman sitting where the rocky beach met the forest behind it. There's plenty of driftwood wedged into that area, so she had tied a sarong to an old stump to make herself some shade. She had obviously been there for a while with things spread out all around her and incense burning in a dish. She appeared to be an artisan making jewelry. It made me jealous because she gets to work at the beach, but then I remembered that I also work at the beach.

She wasn't the only artist who I saw in this section of the beach. There was also a man with a big hat and a sketch pad further down the coastline who was also in the shade of the trees and driftwood. I think they like Altamont Beach because it is so beautiful but still completely empty. I sort of feel bad for destroying their paradise, but I don't think there's any harm in sharing a space like this one as long as all visitors are respectful.

PPR
Good: peaceful, nice view, big rocks
Bad: no sand, the way there is a thorn trap
7/10

Procter Park

Located on Procter Ave.

Most parks, although they are all named, lack any form of signage. This can make finding some of them difficult. Procter Park was one of those hard to find ones. I walked by it a few times before I figured out that this is it:

It's on Procter Avenue, and in approximately the same area on the map. Plus, it's got that grown-over concrete that's typical of parks. There's also a trail through those trees that presumably leads to the beach. You can see a bit of the ocean in the background.

It doesn't look too bad at all, really. The only problem is this:

Procter Park, what happened to you?! Why are you locked? Did they close you? But why? Are you coming back? Did they sell you? Why would anyone close a park?

Bad news, kids... you can't go to Procter Park. It's closed :(

For an alternative to Procter Park, try Altamont Beach Park

PPR
Good: I bet it's good
Bad: It's closed
I don't even know/10

R.I.P. Procter Park