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.

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).

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!

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.

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.

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.

Ungrounded Goodness

Salmon Burger, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

While Canada is just north of the USA and most of its cities are within a hundred miles of the US border, it never ceases to amaze us how different Canadian customs and phrases are from ours.  Sometimes the differences are minor (e.g. washroom vs. bathroom) and sometimes the variation is more substantial.

Take the salmon burger as an example.  In the USA, a salmon burger is generally a patty of ground up salmon with some seasonings.  In Canada, it is a fresh filet of salmon grilled to perfection and served up on a hamburger bun.  You cannot imagine our delight upon receiving this lovely meal in the middle of our trip.  We thought maybe this was a peculiarity of the restaurant, but even, at the end of our trip, a cafe in the Vancouver airport served up a salmon burger that was a delicious, made-to-order filet on a bun.