Vancouver Day 3

When I woke up today, the clouds were greyer than usual and had decided to drop their water harder and more copiously than usual. My two major attractions left that I had planned to see were Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Since Grouse Mountain is, well, on top of a mountain, and the Capilano Suspension Bridge is in a rain forest with massive Douglas Firs creating a literal umbrella to block the rain, I chose the latter to visit today.

As a giant cheap-o, I of course walked six blocks out of my way to catch the free shuttle bus to the entrance of the bridge. This was a great improvement over what the Capilano "Tramps" had to face back in the 1890s, when it was the first tourist attraction in the Vancouver area.

(The inside of the shuttle bus was outfitted to look like a 1920s street car.)

In those '90s, only wealthy people could visit the bridge, because it required the freedom to take an entire day off from work while you took a slow ferry across the river to North Vancouver, and then take part in a 10 km hike to the bridge. Today it requires $30 to see, so in a sense you still have to be pretty wealthy.

Often the ladies in the group would shed and stash their large hats and frilly dresses, that they had to wear to ride the ferry, in the trees once they reached the other side. Unfortunately for them, the expensive dresses were often pilfered from their hiding places when the women returned.

You might not be able to read the signs, but they say the bridge is nearly as wide as two Boeing 747 planes, and as tall as the Statue of Liberty's shoulders.

(The 747 Statue of Liberty bridge.)

Before I crossed the bridge I visited the totem pole park, and met Ben Spencer a First Nations artist working on a ceremonial paddle that would be sold and used in a dance of some kind later.

(Crossing the rapids, 200 metres up.)

Once I crossed the bridge I joined a forest floor nature walk, semi-safe from the rain by the massive Firs looming over head.

After the tour, I ascended the trees to experience one of the best parts of the Capilano Bridge adventure park, the Tree Top Adventure, the first of its kind in North America.

Swaying on wooden bridges, 30 metres up in the Douglas Firs - even above some of the other trees as you can see in the above picture - the Tree Top Adventure is almost worth the trip to Vancouver alone.

Or, you could come to Capilano Bridge for the amazing feeling of being above the mist and the trees.

When I returned to the totem park, Ben had finished his paddle. He told me it took him 2 weeks to make, but that other, more elaborate carvings like masks could take up to 6 months.

As if you needed more reasons to come to Vancouver, how about boulevards like this?

Or, maybe you have cancer? I suspect there will soon be no KFCs in Vancouver (don't worry if you didn't get the joke, it was a South Park reference).

I prefer the big buildings though. This building would probably earn about a hundred fines in Grande Prairie for being too tall; you know it has to be good.

(Korea Exchange Bank? I haven't seen one o' them in... five months?)

Vancouver Day 2

With my new sight seeing day in hand, I decided to visit The Telus World of Science building I had noticed the day before when I walked by False Creek.

(This guy either really hated his bike, or really wanted to keep it safe.)

(The classic skyline of downtown Vancouver. Notice how the sky has really improved today.)

Built inside a large geodesic dome, the Telus World of Science in Vancouver is more or less exactly like the Telus World of Science in Edmonton, with the exception that Vancouver's version has a stronger emphases on saving the environment. This is most likely because unlike Alberta, it's not illegal to care about the environment in Vancouver.

As you might have been able to read in the sign, the four globes above, are part of a larger, travelling public art display that has been around the world called Cool Globes that I found in front of the entrance. Designed by students, artists, and community groups, the one-tonne globes are meant to display solutions to/educate about Global Warming.

(With everything from giant, human running powered electric generators to air cannons, pictured above, the Telus World of Science has something for children and David's alike.)

After exploring all the exhibits, and setting the record score in a reaction time test (above), I walked up a seemingly endless spiralling ramp to get to the OMNIMAX Theatre at the top of the dome to view a movie.

OMNIMAX is like IMAX on steroids. Built by IMAX, the screen is about three times as wide as a normal IMAX screen, twice as high, and is curved in a half dome shape that extends over head. It offers 180-degrees of screen for your chiropractor's pleasure.

I watched 9-time World Surfing Champion, Kelly Slater, travel to Tahiti to surf gigantic waves that literally looked like they would crash on my head. In between big waves, the film's producers tried to justify its place in the World of Science by explaining how waves were formed, but then it was back to the action.

(The waves were so scary I aged 25 years.)

I left the World of Science in the mid-afternoon because I had to meet a friend at 5:00 PM. On the way back along False Creek the clouds parted for a brief time, and I was able to capture for posterity (or at least the ten year before the file corrupts) what makes Vancouver one of the most beautiful modern cities in the world.

(False Creek again, but with a tiny bit of colour this time.)

(Some excellent looking, modern condos across from the casino on the False Creek water front. Pay attention Grande Prairie, these are what luxury condos look like. Don't be fooled by four-storey imposters.)

(Boats)

(More boats, and tall buildings.)

(Hip coffee shops and restaurants among the hip condos and offices of Yaletown.)

(A much better view of the Roundhouse Community Centre. Notice the child trying to "tight rope" walk the top of the black siding.)

(I went five blocks out of my way for this picture.)

(Why is there a giant gas meter on the front of that brick building?)

I was quite excited to meet my friend, since I hadn't seen her for two years since she moved to Vancouver from Grande Prairie. It's always nice to have a local friend too, because they know the cool places to go, like the beach at English Bay, only three blocks behind my hostel but somewhere I would never have gone without her, because I didn't know it was there.

(The storm clouds started to roll back in while we were on the beach, which makes this lonely lifeguard chair look even lonelier. Hmm... that's a good title idea for a children's book, now that I think about it.)

Vancouver Day 1

Once again, for the third time in a row I arrived early at my destination (this time in Vancouver). Chris, a local who rode in front of me on the train, all the way from Toronto as well, helped point me in the right direction, and then I walked about forty five minutes along the False Creek water front to David Street, and then up hill to get to my hostel.

(Patullo Bridge, on the way in to Vancouver. That's the rest of my train on the lower bridge.)

(Have you ever seen a train wash? Also, there's a ghost on the left hand side of the picture.)

(As you can see in this picture, the sky was depressingly dreary and grey.)

(There are very few free ways in Vancouver, if any, but if there is a road that needs to be built, it certainly is not going to get in the way of a children's park.)

(The Roundhouse Community Centre near Yale Town has a collection of neat restaurants, and was actually an old rail roundhouse.)

(The actual street in front of my hostel.)

After taking a shower I had planned to walk aimlessly around downtown, but it soon dawned on me that I had been gifted with an extra day of sight seeing, and I should not waste it unnecessarily. So, instead I turned north and walked to Stanley Park to see the Vancouver Aquarium.

(Old buildings nestled amongst the modern one; a Vancouver trademark.)

(Keep this statue in mind, because it will come up in a later post. Bonus points for anyone who can spot it when it does.)

(Don't you wish your city had interesting architecture too?)

(Near the entrance to Stanley Park. You can see the masts of the ships in the background in Coal Harbour.)

(Boats in front of the Vancouver Rowing Club - Vancouver's oldest athletic club.)

(Looking out at downtown Vancouver across Coal Harbour, from Stanley Park.)

(Spider tree, spider tree...)

(Giant cactus tree, giant cactus tree...)

(I'm still not sure how this statue stays upright.)

Once at the Aquarium I was excited to see the animals, but disappointed to find that today was yet another school holiday (I just had one last week in Montreal), so the Aquarium was filled with school children getting in my way and putting their greasy fingers on the windows. At least these children had some parental control, unlike the wild children in school groups.

(There aren't just marine animals at the Aquarium.)

(Have you ever seen a Beluga spit?)

(Incredibly smart dolphins showing off for the crowd.)

Built in 1956, the Vancouver Aquarium is home to over 70 000 animals, and even does its own on-site animal research studies. My favourite part though is the amazing "4-D" IMAX theatre.

Today's film was a 3-D showing of Planet Earth's "Shallow Seas." It had been edited down to only 20 minutes in length, and cut out the epic Great White Shark hunt for the squeamish seal lovers. The fourth "D" though comes in when water from hidden jets sprays you in the face, or blasts of air "shock" the back of your legs. There were even rods that poke you in the back through your chair. Now, if only these theatres could figure out how to make the chairs move and shake a bit more....

With Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium out of the way, I went home to rest and plan what I would do tomorrow.