Thursday, October 4, 2012

vancouver ~ the city tour cont'd...

I left you in the city as the sun was setting...
a few posts back.
But our tour was not quite done.
We had dinner at the Old Spagetti Factory in Gastown that evening...
and then spent the night in a lovely suite on the 23rd floor of a nearby hotel.

In the morning...
we had a whole new view of the city.
The glass-roofed building on the right contains the law courts.


We walked...


...passed by those demonstrating at the art gallery.
It seems there are always those with a cause gathered here.


 I smiled when I saw how 'Mott' gets the job done!
In the country...
the electrician shows up at work with a large van filled with tools.
In the city...
the tools and ladder are all transported by scooter.
It's all about finding a spot to park...I'm sure!
 

 The doors to the historic Christ Church Cathedral were open...
so we took a self-guided tour.
It was completed in 1894...
and just barely escaped demolition in 1971.
It now has 'Class A Heritage' classification...
so it will likely be at the corner of Burrard and West Georgia for some time to come.

We carried on to the waterfront...
and bought a ticket on the Canada Line.
We bought four, actually...
so we could all take a ride to YVR airport.
Just for fun!


This portion of Vancouver's rapid transit system was completed just in time for the Winter Olympics in 2010...
and connects the downtown with the airport...
some 12 miles away.
There's not much to see for the most part...
since the rails are underground...
far beneath the city.
Eventually we saw the light at the end of the tunnel...
and emerged on an elevated rails leading to the airport.

Everyone seemed to be going somewhere.
As for us...
we were just going to the airport!


We were in no hurry...
so we checked out the artwork.
YVR is an art gallery worth visiting!

Soon we re-boarded the subway...
and returned to the waterfront in the big city.
For us country folk...
riding the rails is quite entertaining!

Back in the city...
we enjoyed lunch on a sunny outside patio over-looking the water.
Across the street was  a Fairmont Hotel with a lot of words posted on the walls...
as far as the eyes could see.

 

We checked it out.
'the clouds looked no nearer than when I was lying on the street'
What could that possibly mean?
Art...in the city...I guess.
One doesn't need to understand it...it seems. 
Eventually we found our way back to our car...


...and returned to the country the way we came.
Almost.
We arrived in Vancouver via the old Port Mann Bridge (the orange structure in the back)...
and returned over the new one.
It seems not so long ago that the old one was new!
And for those who were asking...
this is not the only bridge over the Fraser River into the city...
but it is the one that lies on the Trans Canada Highway.
The others are off the beaten track

That's it for our tour of the city...
autumn 2012.
Who knows when we'll be back there next?

10 comments:

  1. Wishing I had come with you to the city. You always make everything interesting...and fun!

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  2. That's a fun idea to take that random ride to the airport. I really like the owl. You know how to visit the city well...

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  3. My dad thought Vancouver was too big in 1964 -- which was when we moved out. It's still a great spot to visit -- especially in great weather! And, Judy, you make an awesome tour guide.

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  4. Fun tour I've taken with the most delightful tour guide. I'm still pondering the poetry...perhaps we are no nearer heaven in a tall building than we are standing on the ground...

    Great owl! Lovely trees atop the buildings.

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  5. We loved our two visits to Vancouver, there was so much to see and experience. I particularly remember the trip over to Granville island market.

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  6. I feel like I should be reimbusing you as a tour guide of part of the world that I never visited. I learn so much here from you. I find this all so very interesting.

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  7. Thanks for sharing the highlights of your tour of Vancouver. It is a beautiful city and there is lots to see. We have eaten at the Old Spaghetti Factory a couple of times over the years.

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  8. Thanks Judy, I enjoyed my trip to Vancouver with you.

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  9. I would love to go there some day. Maybe you could be our tour guise!! :-)

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  10. I enjoyed the continuation of the tour, Judy! Vancouver is beautifl!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson