Get on the Bus

Water Taxi, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

We think this little pontoon water-taxi from aquabus is so cute.  It runs up and down False Creek in Vancouver from Granville Island to BC Place.

Floating Hotel

Diamond Princess, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

From the stern, the Diamond Princess cruise ship looks more like a hotel atop a barge instead of an ocean-going cruise ship.  Such construction and shapes showcase the wonders of modern architecture and shipbuilding.

Perfectly Imperfect

Tomatoes, Granville Island Public Market, Vancouver, Canada

With irregular shapes and scuff marks, these beautiful tomatoes would never make it to a big chain grocery store.  Nonetheless, these are likely more tasty and healthy than those "perfect" tomatoes could ever hope to be.

Night Lights

City Lights, Vancouver, British Columbia, USA

In many a city there is a tall building which affords panoramic views.  Seattle has the Space Needle, Chicago has the John Hancock Center, New York has the Empire State Building, Atlanta has the Westin Peachtree Plaza, and Vancouver has the Lookout.

We visited the Vancouver Lookout during the day and night for some cool views of Vancouver.

In this night view looking south, we love how the lights of Gastown and the Olympic Stadium (aka BC Place) are brightened and how the freeway looks like a river of light bulbs.  We also love the various colors illuminating the buildings, streets and False Creek.

To take this photo, we set a shutter delay (10 seconds) to allow the camera to stabilize and then held the lens open for a slightly longer period than normal (perhaps 4 seconds).

Go Team!

Flowers, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada

These flowers remind us of cheerleader pom poms!

Oil and Water

Harbour Air DHC-3 Otter, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Not only do planes float at the Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH/CYHC), aka
the Vancouver Coal Harbour Seaplane Base, but the petrol station does too!

Sea the Runways?

Victoria Harbour Water Aerodrome, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

The Victoria Harbour Water Aerodrome (YWH), also known as Victoria Inner Harbour Airport, is a seaplane airport for downtown Victoria.  You can see both runways and taxiways in this photo.

Good For Plants and Animals

Dragonfly and Sprinkler, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada

This sprinkler keeps a section of the world-famous Butchart Gardens lush and beautiful.  When it's not sprinkling the flowers, it is also used as a landing pad for dragonflies.

Heavy Lifters

Centennial Terminal, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

This cargo ship is being loaded or unloaded at Port Metro Vancouver's Centennial Terminal.  Specialized container cranes and standardized containers help speedily move products to and from ships and accelerate commerce.

Floating Jetbridge

  Vancouver Harbour Water Airport, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

This floating walkway brings passengers to and from the seaplanes docked on the water.  Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH) is the busiest water aerodrome in Canada and sports the worlds tallest control tower.

Building Illusion

Commerce Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The mirrored glass and modern architecture of Commerce Place creates illusions at all angles.  It reflects itself and the buildings around it to confuse and delight observers.

Mother and Child

Sunset, English Bay Beach, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Taking pictures into the sun is always hard.  Sometimes, you can't get a good balance of the light or keep the sun from distorting and shooting rays all over the picture.

In this case, it doesn't really matter, as this mother and her child are the real stars here and we delighted in watching them.

Walk the Plank

Walkway, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

This is a close up of a walkway plank from Granville Island in Vancouver.  Every day billions of people walk on sidewalks, boardwalks, dirt, and more.  Beneath our feet are often varied patterns of beauty.

Moonshine

The Moon, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

We took this picture of The Moon using a small tripod, a delay (to ensure a steady camera after pressing the shutter button), and a slow shutter speed.  After a few tries, this is what we captured.

Red Light District

Exit Sign, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

This vintage exit sign was in the Royal British Columbia Museum.  While it may be less effective than modern exit signs, it is certainly attractive and interesting.

Our Big Fat Greek Meal

Mezé Plate, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

We enjoyed this "little" Mezé plate of spiced olives, tomatoes, and cucumbers at a Greek restaurant in Vancouver's West End neighborhood.  We emphasize the word "little" because the main course portions at this restaurant were enormous!

When asked why the normally healthy Vancouverites would consume such vast quantities, the owner shared that the competing Greek restaurant a few doors down had increased their meal sizes, so they had to keep up.

As an aside, our meals were delicious.  We imagine the homeless folks we gave our left-overs too felt the same way.  The restaurant was kind enough to even include napkins and plastic-ware for them too.

Spiced Grill

Kabobs, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

We took this picture at a Taiwanese street festival the instant the chef was applying more spices to the kabobs.  The smell was terrific and we bet the taste was too.  This photo highlights the strength of a good zoom lens.  We shot this from about 20 feet away!

See Plane

Air Traffic Control Tower, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Sitting atop a skyscraper, the Vancouver Harbour Control Tower is the highest air traffic tower in the world.  Designed to handle seaplane traffic, the control tower's height makes it easier to see all of the aircraft and boats in and around the harbour.  From the lofty Vancouver Lookout, we were able to look over to the tower.

A Colorful Convention

Palais des congrès, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

The Palais des congrès de Montréal was our first entrance to the vast underground city beneath the streets of Montréal.  The building captivated us with its rainbow of colored windows.  It must be very festive to see a show or event in this space.

Up With the Stars

Elevator Doors, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Every day, millions of people ride elevators (lifts) to go up and down multistory buildings.  These beautiful elevator doors were found in Vancouver's Marine Building.  Designed in the 1920s and completed in 1930, the building is an Art Deco landmark.