4.23.2012 Vancouver Day 1.5 Stanley Park

Walking from the train station, I noticed a few leaf patterns on the sidewalk pavement. At first, I thought it was just imprints left by fallen leaves. Upon a close look, someone had actually taken the time and energy to stamp various leaf patterns into the cement while it was still wet.

And they are everywhere. Usually found by a tree, these stencils can be seen all over downtown Vancouver

Who's behind this???

Is it a government-sponsored beautification initiative or some underground art movement?? (I hope it's the latter.)

Either way, I like it. It brings a sense of whimsy and fun to the otherwise dull-looking sidewalk.

Anyways, walked down Davie Street, rented myself a bike, and headed towards Stanley Park.

Yes, that is my camera balanced on the bike seat.

Riding down Bridle path, I had to stop so many times just to admire the trees (and also, to catch my breath.)

The trees were just unbelievably amazing. This is probably crazy on my part, but I felt as if the trees held the answer to life and the universe. (And no, it's not "42.") 

  

This duck wouldn't stop staring at me. (Full disclosure: Due to dehydration, I might have been slightly paranoid at this point. But I swear it did stare at me for at least a solid five minutes.)

Moving on....

Prospect Point.

Gives you a great view of the Lions Gate Bridge and across Burrard's Inlet.

From Prospect Point, I took a wrong turn and accidentally got on the Causeway that bisects Stanley Park.

Left: The beginning of the aforementioned Lions Gate Bridge.

Let me just state that I have never seen cyclists ride that fast with car traffic so close. One slip, and it would have been "adios, amigo."

I rode the Causeway almost all the way to the Rose Garden before I found a side trail that led to the Seawall.

Judging by the size of the gardens, summers at Stanley Park should be a pretty spectacular sight.


Views along the Seawall.

 

 

One of the beach floors was covered entirely with mollusks, even the steps leading down to the beach were covered with the tiny shelled organisms.

I may have killed a few trying to snap this picture. Sorry!

A nice, sandy beach. Perfect for a small break.

Don't the guys in the photo look like they're from an Abercrombie&Fitch commercial?

And that's that. A solid ending to a solid day.
 

4.23.2012 Vancouver Day 1.25 - The Vancouver Art Gallery

The original plan was to grab a Japadog for lunch. It was supposed to be on the way to the Vancouver Art Gallery. But after repeatedly walking up and down the two blocks at Burrard St and W Pender St (as GoogleMap instructed), I was left Japadog-less and hungry. Curse you GoogleMap!!!

I saw this taco truck nearby and decided to go for it. There were 4-5 people already in line, which I took as a good sign. The menu was short, about 6-7 items. I ordered two pulled pork with tortilla. 

They were full of flavour but also really pricey. Each tortilla was only about the size of my palm. 

Food in hand, I made my way to the Art Gallery. It was really nice having my lunch on the steps of the gallery. The building looks absolutely wonderful. I was absolutely ready for an amazing afternoon with Emily Carr and the Theatre of Transcendence.

A police station built right into the gallery building. Smart!

Vancouver Art Gallery. What can I say? Except that I went, so now you don't have to.

For all the grandiose from the outside, the gallery itself was unbelievably small. Three floors. The top floor, which houses the Emily Carr exhibit, is about the size of a small studio. There were only six or seven Emily Carr paintings on display. I was so disappointed, especially when you factor in the admission price.

The other exhibits were 1) Beat Nation: Art, Hip Hop and Aboriginal Culture, and 2) Lights Out! Canadian Paintings from the 1960's, neither of which were of much interest to me. Aboriginal rap is not my idea of art. However, I will say that I did find one of the artists in that exhibit, Brian Jungen, to be very intriguing.

He uses Air Nike shoes to create aboriginal-inspired artwork. The red, white, and black palette of the shoes match perfectly to that of the aboriginal art palette. The details in his works are quite amazing.

While I'm sure there are some deeper meaning in the usage of such a well-known mainstream icon like Air Jordan sneakers as the medium of his work, I'm not artsy enough to see it, unfortunately. I just think they look unbelievably cool. 

Despite my disappointment with the gallery's exhibits, I'm not going to deny the beauty of its lobby and staircase. See for yourself. It, along with Brian Jungen, almost made going there worth it. Almost.

 

The view of the gallery from Robson Square.

Stumbling unto Robson Square was entirely by mistake. I was trying to make a phone call but didn't want to do it right on the streets. I saw a flight of stairs semi-concealed by flowers and plants and decided to take it hoping it would lead me somewhere slightly more private. And this is where it led me - Robson Square (which I found out much later.)

A very pretty place in the middle of a bustling city. A perfect lunch spot.

Checked into my hotel. Had some internet problems but was solved pronto and I was ready to get out and do some sightseeing.

4.23.2012 Vancouver Day 1

The Plan:

The walk from the train station to Gastown wasn't as nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It's cherry blossom season in Vancouver so the walk was quite lovely, even with a heavy backpack.

 

How's this for coincidence? One of the first things I see in Vancouver, a T&T supermarket.

Gastown. I love the architectural styling of the buildings. In a way, it's reminiscent of New York City. The famous steam clock. I got there just in time to hear it chime (?) whistle (?). The inner mechanisms are extremely cool to look at, especially the ball bearings.  

Vancouver Lookout. Normally, I'm not a big fan of going up tall buildings, but the ticket was already included in my Vancouver City Passport and who am I to say no to a freebie? The elevator ride up went surprisingly smooth. I don't know if someone secretly slipped diazepam in my morning breakfast while I wasn't looking, but I was super calm and steady throughout the visit.

The view from the top. Nice right?
The ticket actually allows for multiple entries, which would have been really nice for some nighttime shots. Unfortunately, I didn't want to risk walking around downtown at night in a foreign city... sighs... next time. 

4.23.2012 Arriving in Vancouver

Vancouver at last. Here we are, just waiting for a boat to pass through before the train can use the lift bridge.  

 The view from the bridge.

Our final destination: the city of Vancouver.
I miss the train already.

 Inside the Pacific Central Station.

 Outside the station.

4.23.2012 Pre-Vancouver

Hours before the train reaches Vancouver, we were treated to some lovely scenery.

Breakfast of champions. The Transcontinental. 

4.22.2012 Jasper Wildlife (?)

It rained for hours as I scanned the trees and rivers for signs of wildlife. I really wanted to see a bear. Finally, I got tired and decided to go and shower. And wouldn't you know it, a bear appeared just off the track while I was in the shower.  I then spent the next two hours fervently scanning for any and all signs of wildlife. In the end, my wildlife sighting count was a miserable 0.5 (I may have saw a bear or a just bear-shaped blob. It's highly contestable at this point.)

Wait. Make that 1.5. I saw the behind of a white-tailed deer. It was really just a white spot bouncing around in the field, but I have witnesses on that sighting.

Luckily, the rain finally let up and I was able to snap a couple of decent pictures of Jasper at twilight (I hate how Stephenie Meyer has forever tarnished the word twilight for me.)

 

FYI, dinner was a lovely rack of lamb with blueberry balsamic sauce. Yum!