Some final views of Canada's prettiest city as we go ...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Last Views of Vancouver
That's it for the Vancouver postings. Thank you for reading, and please come back next time (probably in March, after our New Zealand-Australia cruise). You can click "Follow" on this blog to be alerted to new postings if you want.
Some final views of Canada's prettiest city as we go ...
Some final views of Canada's prettiest city as we go ...
Vancouver's Best Friend
It is an extremely dog-friendly city, Vancouver is. Check out these doggie drinking fountains at one of the public parks along False Creek:
Less formally, many food stands, coffee shops and other businesses offer doggie water bowls, as our friend's dog Maxy found one afternoon to her delight:
(The "Big Dogs" sign, incidentally, is aimed at people who might want to buy the frankfurters sold at this cart, not to entice or warn pets who might want to drink the water. But it's a cute photo that Joey took.)
Less formally, many food stands, coffee shops and other businesses offer doggie water bowls, as our friend's dog Maxy found one afternoon to her delight:
(The "Big Dogs" sign, incidentally, is aimed at people who might want to buy the frankfurters sold at this cart, not to entice or warn pets who might want to drink the water. But it's a cute photo that Joey took.)
Vancouver's Dark Side
We had a great time in Vancouver. We could both see living there someday, if we could get jobs and immigrate. But, as with most places, there is a dark side.
Two related ones, actually. Vancouver is a magnet for homeless people from all over Canada, because it's about the only place in the whole country where you can sleep outside in the winter without freezing to death. They are very visible throughout the downtown area (and at the risk of sounding racist, how weird it is as an American to see a city full of homeless people all of whom are white ... )
The city also has a very liberal attitude toward drugs, which has both its good and bad points. We were shown an Amsterdam-like cafe where marijuana products could be ordered and consumed openly (but didn't go inside). There are a number of vibrant after-hours clubs that stay full until 6 a.m. or later without benefit of liquor sales (I believe the closing hour for bars in Vancouver is 2 a.m.).
These two threads came together on our last morning in Vancouver. At around 9:30 on a Tuesday in the downtown area, we passed an extremely good-looking, shirtless young man in the doorway alcove of an office building, still dancing to the music in his head, hands cuffed behind his back, two cops watching and waiting for him to exhaust himself.
I wasn't about to take a picture, what with the cops there and all, but trust me, it was a disturbing sight to end our stay.
Two related ones, actually. Vancouver is a magnet for homeless people from all over Canada, because it's about the only place in the whole country where you can sleep outside in the winter without freezing to death. They are very visible throughout the downtown area (and at the risk of sounding racist, how weird it is as an American to see a city full of homeless people all of whom are white ... )
The city also has a very liberal attitude toward drugs, which has both its good and bad points. We were shown an Amsterdam-like cafe where marijuana products could be ordered and consumed openly (but didn't go inside). There are a number of vibrant after-hours clubs that stay full until 6 a.m. or later without benefit of liquor sales (I believe the closing hour for bars in Vancouver is 2 a.m.).
These two threads came together on our last morning in Vancouver. At around 9:30 on a Tuesday in the downtown area, we passed an extremely good-looking, shirtless young man in the doorway alcove of an office building, still dancing to the music in his head, hands cuffed behind his back, two cops watching and waiting for him to exhaust himself.
I wasn't about to take a picture, what with the cops there and all, but trust me, it was a disturbing sight to end our stay.
That's Normal on a Beach?
Most beaches in the Vancouver region come with logs to sit on, something I've never seen done elsewhere:
One of the friends we were staying with, a native Vancouverite, said it wasn't until after he left town and started traveling that he realized not all the beaches in the world had logs on them.
I told him I had the same realization, after a childhood on the East Coast, when I saw my first beach without a boardwalk.
One of the friends we were staying with, a native Vancouverite, said it wasn't until after he left town and started traveling that he realized not all the beaches in the world had logs on them.
I told him I had the same realization, after a childhood on the East Coast, when I saw my first beach without a boardwalk.
Friday, September 18, 2009
You'll Be Seeing a Lot of This One ...
This monument on the Vancouver waterfront, donated by the Inuit native peoples, has been chosen as the symbol of the Vancouver Olympics, so you'll be seeing a lot of it next winter. Here you can say that you saw it first:
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Old Vancouver (Is There Such a Thing)?
Vancouver is a new city even by North American standards, so the few old buildings that still exist there are pointed out as landmarks.
Take this Art Deco structure:
Nothing unusual about it, really, if you're a New Yorker. But all the Vancouverites point it out because it's so unique. The interior is something of a local tourist site, and is actually quite nice:
Among the few other landmarks of a certain age is the Canadian Pacific railroad station, which no longer serves transcontinental trains but is still a subway and commuter hub:
And finally, there is the Hotel Vancouver, whose green roof resembles that of the famous Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City -- not by accident, either, as they were originally part of the same chain:
But that's about it for historical architecture.
Take this Art Deco structure:
Nothing unusual about it, really, if you're a New Yorker. But all the Vancouverites point it out because it's so unique. The interior is something of a local tourist site, and is actually quite nice:
Among the few other landmarks of a certain age is the Canadian Pacific railroad station, which no longer serves transcontinental trains but is still a subway and commuter hub:
And finally, there is the Hotel Vancouver, whose green roof resembles that of the famous Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City -- not by accident, either, as they were originally part of the same chain:
But that's about it for historical architecture.
Gay Vancouver
Vancouver's Gay Village is a strip of half a mile or so along Davie Street, just west of downtown. Like its counterpart in Chicago it is marked by flags and signs:
The gay village itself has the typical sorts of bars, restaurants, clothing and book stores and so forth, along with middle-of-the-road housing stock (not many of the glassy new towers I've shown you elsewhere, but good solid apartment buildings and a few detached homes).
It's a nice neighborhood, but as in Vancouver as in so many other cities you can be gay pretty much anywhere around town now. Joey and I held hands while walking all over and not only didn't feel out of place, but noticed other same-sex couples doing the same thing.
One thing Vancouver has that most other cities do not is an AIDS memorial, in a waterfront park near an Inuit sculpture that is the city's symbol:
Vaguely reminiscent of the U.S. Vietnam War memorial, it lists the names of Vancouverites who died of AIDS. It's a classy and moving indication of the city's diversity and inclusion. We weren't aware it existed until we stumbled upon it but we are happy we did.
The gay village itself has the typical sorts of bars, restaurants, clothing and book stores and so forth, along with middle-of-the-road housing stock (not many of the glassy new towers I've shown you elsewhere, but good solid apartment buildings and a few detached homes).
It's a nice neighborhood, but as in Vancouver as in so many other cities you can be gay pretty much anywhere around town now. Joey and I held hands while walking all over and not only didn't feel out of place, but noticed other same-sex couples doing the same thing.
One thing Vancouver has that most other cities do not is an AIDS memorial, in a waterfront park near an Inuit sculpture that is the city's symbol:
Vaguely reminiscent of the U.S. Vietnam War memorial, it lists the names of Vancouverites who died of AIDS. It's a classy and moving indication of the city's diversity and inclusion. We weren't aware it existed until we stumbled upon it but we are happy we did.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Sun Yat-Sen Garden
Vancouver is home to the Sun Yat-Sen Garden, the first full-size Chinese "scholar's" garden built outside China. It's in the middle of the city's Chinatown, which is by North American Chinatown standards a very nice place -- with wide, uncrowded, clean sidewalks and not a lot of smells -- but not one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city. Which makes the garden even more of an oasis:
All the materials were imported from China, as were all the craftsmen. The plants, all native to China, were carefully chosen for their flowering and foliage schedules. Even the rocks were imported, from a Chinese lake that is heavily acidic and has weathered the limestone into weird, Picassoesque shapes (look just to the right of my friend Steve):
The garden opened in 1986, and from its description as the "first" outside China I assume it's no longer the only such garden. But it's still well worth a visit if you're ever in Vancouver, and be sure to visit the private part (which charges admission, but where these pictures were taken) and not just the free public portion.
All the materials were imported from China, as were all the craftsmen. The plants, all native to China, were carefully chosen for their flowering and foliage schedules. Even the rocks were imported, from a Chinese lake that is heavily acidic and has weathered the limestone into weird, Picassoesque shapes (look just to the right of my friend Steve):
The garden opened in 1986, and from its description as the "first" outside China I assume it's no longer the only such garden. But it's still well worth a visit if you're ever in Vancouver, and be sure to visit the private part (which charges admission, but where these pictures were taken) and not just the free public portion.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
From Sea to Sky
The highway leading north from Vancouver to Whistler, the "Sea to Sky Highway," is said to be one of the most beautiful drives on earth. It parallels the Pacific Ocean inlets and islands that surround Vancouver, and when we drove up it the rain and fog lent it a mysterious air:
About halfway to Whistler is Shannon Falls, a nice and accessible waterfall, where we stopped for a second and then turned back:
On the way back, the sky began to clear, yielding my favorite pair of images from this trip: taken from the same spot, about 45 minutes apart. Look how the light changes:
About halfway to Whistler is Shannon Falls, a nice and accessible waterfall, where we stopped for a second and then turned back:
On the way back, the sky began to clear, yielding my favorite pair of images from this trip: taken from the same spot, about 45 minutes apart. Look how the light changes:
Monday, September 14, 2009
Many Ways to Get Around
Vancouver has a modern subway system and an extensive network of trolley buses, but also some more unusual ways to get around.
As you might expect from a waterfront town, it's got a system of water taxis, but these are cuter than normal:
Downtown, near the cruise-ship and commuter rail terminals, is a seaplane hub, for travel to outlying towns and islands:
And out in the harbor is a little floating gas station for all the yachts and pleasure boats that call the city home:
The Chevron sign is illuminated at night, and clearly visible from all the apartments and hotels in downtown and the adjacent, expensive Coal Harbour residential neighborhood. The Vancouverites I met considered it quite obnoxious. But maybe someday it will be as beloved as Boston's Citgo sign ... but then again, maybe not.
As you might expect from a waterfront town, it's got a system of water taxis, but these are cuter than normal:
Downtown, near the cruise-ship and commuter rail terminals, is a seaplane hub, for travel to outlying towns and islands:
And out in the harbor is a little floating gas station for all the yachts and pleasure boats that call the city home:
The Chevron sign is illuminated at night, and clearly visible from all the apartments and hotels in downtown and the adjacent, expensive Coal Harbour residential neighborhood. The Vancouverites I met considered it quite obnoxious. But maybe someday it will be as beloved as Boston's Citgo sign ... but then again, maybe not.
The Old Meets the New
You land in Vancouver and are immediately greeted by evidence of the city's original industry: newly cut trees floated down the river in rafts, awaiting processing or export:
Get a little closer to downtown, though, and you see evidence of the city's newest industry: housing immigrants, mainly from Asia:
Much of the waterfront is lined with these modern apartment buildings, all in the same few shades of blue and green glass. In the False Creek area, near where we stayed, the apartment buildings are interrupted by tourist attractions:
The globe to the right is a science museum; the oblong building to the left is, unsurprisingly given the local demographics, a casino.
Further around the creek is the newest local housing project:
It's the Olympic Village, still under construction, and by "Own the Ultimate 2010 Souvenir" they mean, buy one of these apartments! Available now for March 2010 occupancy! Generously host an athlete or two in your new home before moving in yourself!
The sales pitch is apparently not working too well at the moment -- no surprise, Vancouver has been affected by the worldwide economic collapse as much as anywhere -- but we all thought it would be more effective if the offer was: take occupancy before the Olympics and host an athlete with you in your apartment ... (grin!)
Get a little closer to downtown, though, and you see evidence of the city's newest industry: housing immigrants, mainly from Asia:
Much of the waterfront is lined with these modern apartment buildings, all in the same few shades of blue and green glass. In the False Creek area, near where we stayed, the apartment buildings are interrupted by tourist attractions:
The globe to the right is a science museum; the oblong building to the left is, unsurprisingly given the local demographics, a casino.
Further around the creek is the newest local housing project:
It's the Olympic Village, still under construction, and by "Own the Ultimate 2010 Souvenir" they mean, buy one of these apartments! Available now for March 2010 occupancy! Generously host an athlete or two in your new home before moving in yourself!
The sales pitch is apparently not working too well at the moment -- no surprise, Vancouver has been affected by the worldwide economic collapse as much as anywhere -- but we all thought it would be more effective if the offer was: take occupancy before the Olympics and host an athlete with you in your apartment ... (grin!)
Welcome to Vancouver
It begins immediately.
You get off the plane, head for the corridor leading to passport control, and enter ... a replica of a Pacific Northwest forest, with aboriginal art. Then you get to the arrivals hall and behold not a surly group of officials, but a soothing ... well, by arrival hall standards, this is practically a cathedral:
(note: I got this picture off Wikipedia since I didn't have my camera out when I passed through the hall, but it is accurate)
As Joey said right at this point in the trip, "This is a country that WANTS you to visit. Not like the United States."
In our case, all the more so because, for the first time in our lives, we filled out one customs card as a couple. The United States, of course, doesn't permit this for same-sex couples, and the European countries we have visited lately don't require written customs cards.
Oh, Canada!
You get off the plane, head for the corridor leading to passport control, and enter ... a replica of a Pacific Northwest forest, with aboriginal art. Then you get to the arrivals hall and behold not a surly group of officials, but a soothing ... well, by arrival hall standards, this is practically a cathedral:
(note: I got this picture off Wikipedia since I didn't have my camera out when I passed through the hall, but it is accurate)As Joey said right at this point in the trip, "This is a country that WANTS you to visit. Not like the United States."
In our case, all the more so because, for the first time in our lives, we filled out one customs card as a couple. The United States, of course, doesn't permit this for same-sex couples, and the European countries we have visited lately don't require written customs cards.
Oh, Canada!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
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