34 Signs You Grew Up In Richmond, B.C.

The Huffington Post B.C. | By Sara Harowitz

Posted: 04/08/2014 3:47 pm EDT Updated: 10/08/2014 10:59 pm EDT

Ditches. Danny's Screamers. The Stardust.

Do these things ring a bell? Then you, dear reader, are from Richmond, B.C. The suburb may not be as remarkable as Vancouver to the north — except to those who call it home.

This list is for you: 34 Signs You Grew Up In Richmond

Birthday parties at McDonald's on No. 3 Road.

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Why did the playground smell like pee?
Instead of regular Slurpees, you had Danny's Screamers.

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You took driving lessons from the hilarious Bill of Trinity Driving School.

Facebook

And he always had a Big Gulp with him.
Roosters woke you up on No. 5 Road because IT WAS ALL FARM LAND.

Shutterstock
You can jump under a desk at lightning speed thanks to years of "The Big One" earthquake drills.

Getty

It's coming.
You bought a bike from the Steveston bike shop (back when it was in that tiny old church).

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And proceeded to take that bike and rip it up on the Garry Point sand dunes.
There was a time when the Richmond Colts were the undisputed AAA basketball champions.

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You remember the first Chinese mall.

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Aberdeen was so shiny and new.
You would play around on this thing.

Judy And Ed/Flickr

Though you still have no clue what it's supposed to be.
You would go to Taco Luis because you loved the owner just as much as the food.

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You skated like a boss at the Stardust roller rink.

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You didn't drink hot tea — you drank this.

DAPD

BBT FTW
You watched movies at Richmond Centre 6.

hermangotlieb/Cinema Treasures
No summer was complete without a trip (or eight) to Pajo's.

pajos.com
And no meal was complete without a trip to Timothy's.

Asher Isbrucker/Flickr
You practiced for track and field events by jumping ditches.

Steven Pisano/Flickr
You played pool amid clouds of second-hand smoke at Koby's Billiards in Steveston.

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Late nights at No. 9. That is all.

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On Canada Day you went to the Salmon Festival.

stevestonsalmonfest.ca
Target was Eaton's.

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And Zellers was Eaton's.
The first Friday of every month was spent at Club Buck.

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And you still go there sometimes. You can admit it.
You know better than to drive down No. 3 Road.

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So. Many. Red. Lights.
And you remember when you COULD drive down No. 3 because there weren’t so many red lights.

Laurence Lui/Flickr
When people complained there were no IHOPs in Canada, you were like, 'False. There's one in Richmond.'

Associated Press
And it's where you ate all of your teenage hangover breakfasts...

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...Unless you were at Cimona instead.

cimona.com

Those hash browns!
You went frog catching in the ditches.

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I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine!
You know about the famous rivalry between Sockeye City and Shady Island.

sockeyecity.com
You remember when Coast Capital Savings was Richmond Savings.

hfabulous/Flickr
The Heineken House during the 2010 Winter Olympics was just about the best thing to happen to the city, ever.

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Most fun you've ever had in Minoru Arena, amirite?
Your house probably had an attic.

Lyn Balzer and Tony Perkins via Getty Images
But it definitely did NOT have a basement.

Monica Fecke via Getty Images

We're below sea level, yo.
Richmond Centre was Richmond Square.

City of Richmond Archives
You lovingly call it Ditchmond.

Joe Potato Photo via Getty Images
But when someone else says it, you're like:

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Because ultimately, this weird little Vancouver suburb is yours, and it's home.

kennymatic/Flickr