Vancouver, BC
Sunset over Vancouver Island
We start most big cities with a Hop On/Hope Off (HO/HO) tour with buses which have many stops at all the most frequented tourist spots. Vancouver’s HO/HO allowed us to explore Chinatown, downtown architecture and night life, Stanley Park, and the Vancouver Lookout tower. As Colin had mistakenly booked the wrong day for the ferry crossing, we ended up on the last ferry crossing from Vancouver Island to the BC mainland. We enjoyed watching the sunset over Vancouver Island from the stern on a calm peaceful evening. The next morning started rainy, inhibiting our photographic efforts.
Condos, Condos, Everywhere
When Cheryl visited Vancouver in the early 70’s, the high-rise condo boom hadn’t yet taken place so the city center was smaller, more dramatically exposed to the surrounding water and mountains. So much outside investment in Vancouver made all the land prices skyrocket. More condos are being built even though there is only a 30% rental rate. The investors leave apartments empty rather than lowering the rental or resale price. And yet more and more high-rise condos are still being built. The tax base, which now includes an additional high tax to foreign purchasers, adds to the city’s coffers. But the city’s political structure doesn’t seem to want to control the development pace to maintain aesthetic value of their city.
Vancouver is Highly Ecologically Green
One of the most successful points about Vancouver’s new building craze, is that each building has to be built with a significant percentage of recyclable products used in construction;also the top of the building has to have green space (trees, bushes, flowers and/or vegetables); and the architectural plans have to set aside green space around the complex. This seemed, at least to us, a very wise regulation, somewhat mitigating the effect of the boom. It was fun to look up top of a building and see a forest of trees peeking out.
Stanley Park
This large city park was amazingly situated with a harbor wall walkway and spectacular views of Vancouver. In the park, there were totem poles, art sculptures, and beautifully maintained gardens. A lovely place to lose yourself next to the city.
Click on any thumbnail below to see larger image gallery.
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- Waiting for an available ferry place
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- Sunset over Vancouver Island
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- Smart cars to go
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- Chinatown alley
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- Rooftop garden
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- Vancouver Lookout
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- Back in time
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- Building everywhere
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- Snare drum tower top
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- Vancouver’s active Seaport
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- White arena top can fold back if weather permits
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- Steam clock (see movie below)
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- City Reflections
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- In Stanley Park
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- Interesting bodies
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- Note eagle head
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- Ubiquitous BC transport
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- Find Colin?
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- Mohawk helmet
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- Suspension bridge to North Vancouver
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- Multiple sculptures of the artist
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- Vancouver skyline
Steam Clock in Downtown Vancouver
Click on map below to see larger version
Vancouver City, British Columbia
After reading your blog and looking at your photos, I checked out condos in Vancouver. I particularly liked the penthouse condo on top the Georgia Hotel for only 18 million. Seems like the idea of supply and demand does not apply in Vancouver! Loved the steam clock movie!
From Cheryl: I remember that you love to check out property prices in different places around the world, always looking for that next purchase . . . so in a way, wasn’t surprised by you checking out the penthouse price. Wow, that shocked me. The steam clock was a hoot, about 40 people around it, all filming at the same time. It was good that the tower was above everyone’s head, otherwise, you’d see a lot of people and not much clock. Fun steam music, wasn’t it? Glad you liked it.
I’ve only been to Vancouver once – in the mid-90’s – and found it to be much as Cheryl described; plenty of room to enjoy the surrounding views, which were spectacular. Sorry to hear that’s disappearing. Vancouver and San Francisco have been my two favorite cities; I guess Vancouver will now have to settle for second place (they’re both earthquake prone – no tie-breaker there).
From Cheryl: In spite of all the construction, it still was a knock you socks off kind of city. The green spaces were still spectacular. Yet another thing we have in common, two of our favorite cities.
More great photos! The steam clock puffing. Thanks for putting it all together.
From Cheryl: The steam clock puffing is a great combination of music and mechanical invention. Thanks for your sweet comments.