January 28th, 2010

If you are visiting Vancouver make sure you go at least once on the Aqua bus or ferries at False Creek and Granville Island. They are a great way to get across the water of False Creek and connect with the Westend, Yaletown, Granville Island and more. Plus look how cute they are. Friendly service and a unique experience when visiting Vancouver. You also get some great views of the south False Creek area and their condo buildings as well as Granville Island and the Athlete's Village for the Olympics.

If you look at the third picture from the top showing a small red Aqua bus in the foreground you will see the just completed building - The Erickson. It was designed and named after the late and truly great Canadian architect Arthur Erickson. He has been the archtiect of many buildings in Vancouver including Robson Square, The Macmillan Bloedel building the soon to start Ritz Carlton tower and more. This one though is one of my favourites for its twisting style. In the shot you can see the building as well as the stone front townhouses that circle the building.

January 27th, 2010

Wow, only 16 days until the start of the winter Olympics. The city is working 24/7 to get everything completed in time and is doing an amazing job. These images show some of the street furniture being installed on Granville Street (mostly chairs and bike racks) as well as the finished wrap on the RBC building.

January 26th, 2010

Granville Island just a quick hop across False Creek from the Westend, Yaletown and downtown is one of my favourite places to go in Vancouver. Whether shopping, eating, browsing windows, checking out galleries or just watching the people it is a great place to go.

January 25th, 2010

Robson Square is another face lift project in Vancouver for the Olympics and is looking fantastic. The skating rink has been rebuilt and enlarged and the glass domes above the rink have been replaced with updated models. I took these pictures at night with a wide angle lens and you can really see how the lighting has added a lot of drama to the space. The ice was being cleaned when I was there so no skaters, sorry.

January 24th, 2010

I shot some new pix of the enormous Canadian Flag at the corner of Howe and Georgia Streets. I believe this is the largest Canadian flag ever and wraps around two sides of the Georgia Hotel/condo rebuild currently under construction. What a great way to hide a construction project.

January 23rd, 2010

There is a lantern festival being displayed on Granville Street between Robson and Georgia. It will run over the Olympic and Paralympic Games. There are some interesting pieces as well as a "forest" of trees with the tree tops consisting of small lanterns made by children from around the world.

January 22nd, 2010

The stretch of Granville Street between the bridge and running through downtown has been redesigned in time for the Olympics. The sidewalks have been widened and new lighting and street furniture is being installed. The installations are ongoing and seem to be right down to the wire in regards to being completed before the 2010 Games begin. The city has done a great job and the street really needed this facelift. The pictures here show some of the new light poles which look amazing! These ones (on the right hand side of the pic) are longer than the rest that will line the street but so far these are the ones that are up and lit. I will post more images once the street furniture and more lighting is installed.

Also, the second image above the copy here shows a close up and you can see the new Vogue Theater neon sign that has been rebuilt and is currently being installed (left hand side of the pic). Only the gold figure and the "V" are done but what a thrill to have this Granville strip icon back to its former self.

January 21st, 2010

Vancouver has a new tram car that is being test run over the next few months in hopes of having it running permanently as part of our public transit system. The test run is on a track running back and forth from Granville Island to the Olympic Station of the Canada Line subway. This is a modern, stylish tram car with a smooth and quiet ride that would be a welcome addition to Vancouver's transit. Here's hoping the test run is a huge success.

January 20th, 2010

More shots of more decoration for the Olympics in Vancouver. Here you can see the TD Tower being wrapped in Samsung advertising as well as a video screen operating in front of the art gallery. Also the steps on either side of Robson Square that lead down to the ice rink and stage are being adorned with an illustration that appears on the vertical sides of the steps.

January 19th, 2010

As the 2010 Olympics get closer (only 24 days to go) the city is getting more and more decoration. Currently the RBC and TD towers are being wrapped with sponsor messages. The Art Gallery is also being decorated with an installation piece by artist Michael Lin. The work is on the Georgia Street side of the gallery and is titled: A Modest Veil. Looking forward to going back and seeing this piece lit up at night.

January 18th, 2010

The new Woodwards group of towers is completed and we walked through to check it all out. There are some interesting views and features but I am not sure that I really like the finished look. Especially odd is the rust coloured metal trellises that are attached to the exterior of one of the towers. Supposedly Ivy will be growing up the trellises and be used to block sun and keep the heat off the suites in the summer months. Anyway I still find it a wee bit unattractive but maybe it will grow on me no pun intended.

In the atrium entrance on the Hastings street side you are greeted with an enormous photograph and a just completed staircase that is truly amazing to see. The staircase is a muscular structure coiling up and is a must see if you get the chance to go.

The huge and stunning photo mounted on the inside wall and also on the outside of the space was a recreation of the Gastown riot by artist Stan Douglas. As you enter from outside you see the photo then inside the space you see the same image reversed. Again this alone is worth going to see and is an amazing statement since the riots occurred over how this space would be developed and used. Brave and brilliant to install this artwork in this space.

And we cannot forget the return of the iconic Woodward's rotating "W". It is back in place high above with its glittering red and white lights. Nice to see it back.