A Flying and Cruising Kind of Day

The other day I met a friend down by the Waterfront.  

I took the SkyTrain as I was running late.

On the platform catching the train to Waterfront Station.

 

On the ride to town I saw a few interesting sights for locals and tourists alike.

Science World (the globe).

  Click on Science World link above for more information if interested.

As we head northwest, I am looking westward towards False Creek

The building with "spikes" out the top is the stadium called BC Place. Smaller dome on right is "Rogers"

The BC Place is where big concerts are held and also sports like hockey, football or soccer.  It seats 54, 320 people.

It opened in June 1983 and has been the main venue for world events such as Pope John Paul IIs visit to Vancouver (1984) and the Winter Olympics of 2010.   The stadium underwent massive renovations which included the installation of a retractable roof.

 Rogers Arena is just to the right of BC Place in the above photo and is another key venue for major concerts and sporting events.  It opened in 1995 under the name, General Motors Place. In 2010, General Motors naming rights ended and sponsorship assumed by Rogers Communications. The arena is the home of the major league hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks and formerly to the National Basketball Association team, the Vancouver Grizzlies from 1995 to 2001.

The dirt in the foreground is being levelled.  I've no idea what will be built.  Probably a condo.

I asked my friend to meet me at Waterfront Station so we could go to Canada Place together.

She wanted to treat me to a 

tourist experience called "Flyover Canada". 

Canada Place which you see in the photo below used to be the main, convention centre for the city but now we have a new one which is located to the west of Canada Place (I didn't get a photo today). 

The tower in the photo houses the Pan Pacific Hotel.  The hotel has housed many famous people such as President Clinton and a host of others. 

There were a lot of tourists out and about on Wednesday.

Flyover Canada is a multi media experience. 

the name suggests that you will experience Canada but both my friend and I were rather disappointed. She is

Tanzanian and I am a Canadian and neither of us felt that the film gives a good overview and insight as to what Canada is.

One would expect at least a brief photo of key cities and important places in Canada.

That was almost entirely missing!

Also there was absolutely no mention or photo of First Nations or Aboriginal peoples.

There was like a 2 second sound bite of First Nations drummers as one "flew over" 2 dug out canoes which could easily be mistaken for something else.

Now it wasn't a total loss. I did enjoy the flyover where we were strapped into seats and treated to a simulated flying experience.  A few times when going over rapids or glacial field we were treated to a fine mist of water as we "flew" over. That was kinda cool.

But over all the images presented did not do justice either in duration of time or in selection of images.

The experience was only about 20 minutes.

Prior to the flight we were treated to a 6 minute film with no narration or explanation of what we were looking at. Much of it was not relevant in my opinion.

Final complaint is that there is absolutely no signage anywhere that tells a person with disabilities or mobility issues,

that they will have to climb 3 long flights of stairs to get to the top.

Neither do you have time to explain to anyone or ask anyone once you get in line and start moving forward. There are no elevators or escalators anywhere and the few staff on hand run ahead and rush everyone along.

I'm lucky I can climb these days but going up so many stairs and then down so many and again more stairs to get out of the back of the convention centre were starting to take their toll on  me.

I was not happy.

I made inquiries on the way out. 

they said yes they do have an elevator and a wheelchair but you must tell them in advance.

It would be nice to know that in advance. Further it would be more important that they let people know that stairs are going to be climbed. I had no idea this was the case until we were rushed inside and the staff ran ahead so I couldn't ask him anything.

Anyway, I'm not complaining too loudly.  My friend was treating me and I really did enjoy it and her company. I noted the deficiencies because my friend asked for my opinion. It turns out she felt the same way.

Also, I was shocked at the number of stairs without any signage. I managed okay but I am more concerned about visitors and locals being caught in the situation of not being able to see the show and then getting caught up in ill feelings as they have to wait for help and so on.

It is a shame in this day and age that companies that do so much business are not better prepared to deal with all the different kinds of tourists that want to participate.  It is also a pity that they couldn't do a better job of representing what Canada looks like in all it's fullness and have a little more meaningful portrayal of the country though I certainly do realize they cannot do it all. Some 'tweaks' would be advisable.

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After the event I suggested to my friend that we catch the sea bus to North Vancouver. 

We did but we didn't get a good window seat going or coming.  I did manage these photos on the return trip.

You will see a cruise ship in the dock and also a helijet on the way to the provincial capital of Victoria, BC.

The sea bus on the way to North Vancouver had much bigger windows that the one on the return trip.

I was famished as by now it was mid afternoon. I had calamari and Greek salad. Delicious!

I end with a few more photos down at Vancouver waterfront. I didn't get photos in North Vancouver other than my lunch as by then my phone was losing juice.

There were 3 big cruise ships docked.

This is the smaller cruise ship.

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I hope you enjoyed the tour. 

Have a great weekend.

Joining in with 

Friday Foto Friends

and 

Skywatch Friday

Accidental Detour

A few posts ago I mentioned I had a broken washer. I've been spending time on line since then researching washers, washer/dryer pairs and checking out flyers and pricing.

In the end I purchased a May Tag washer and dryer.  I didn't even consider May Tag during my research. You never really know what is in store until you get to the store no matter how much research you've done.

I've always believed May Tag is reliable and dependable. A message I got from the many years I watched May Tag commercials as a child.  I've posted just one of their many old commercials for you in case you are unfamiliar with them.

Initially I was going to purchase the Whirlpool brand.  Whirlpool and May Tag are made by the same company and I thought May Tag machine looked to be better quality of the machines I was checking out.  It comes with a great warranty and I purchased an extension to make sure any labour repairs will be covered for the first few years.  I think I will be more than happy with the machine.

On our way to check out laundry appliances, we took the wrong turn on the highway and ended up in a place called Horseshoe Bay. This is the place where the ferries depart to various destinations on the smaller islands around these parts. This is also the departure point for the big ferry over to Nanaimo located on the much larger island called Vancouver Island.

We decided to stop for lunch at a restaurant called Trolls.  I've been wanting to have fish and chips there for a very long time.  It was a spectacular day and the food was delicious. The bonus was we got to sit outside and enjoy the air and the view.  Afterwards I crossed the street to take these photos to share with you. Unfortunately I just had my phone camera.  Thank goodness for phone cameras.

At the park area, across the street from the restaurant.

 

The big ferry is readying for departure. I'm guessing this one goes to Nanaimo.

The pier.

My view from the restaurant patio. My face was literally in the plant.  The flowers had fragrance.

It wasn't all rosy and light today.  Earlier I had notice that Grandma Sally is not doing too well. The doctors don't hold out much hope for her and the family members have been asked to visit.  Grandma Sally has been in hospital for about 2 months and most of that time has been spent in ICU. I pray for her healing and comfort but her advanced age and length of time she has already been in hospital make it unlikely she will get strong enough to return home. Only God knows for sure though and I try not to limit him.  My fervent hope and prayer is for Grandma Sally's comfort.

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 I'm a bit late with the link up but I'm
joining in with

Our World Tuesday

Skywatch Friday

and

Friday Foto Friends

Thanks for stopping by! 

Saturday's Critters ~ October 30, 2015

A collection of  critter photos taken down at the beach recently.

I don't know what all the commotion was but there were swarms of birds in the sky.

There were more than this but I didn't have a chance to capture them. they were moving too quickly for me.

This nice dog had lots of fun watching the water and digging a hole in the sand for his ball. His owner was relaxing with a book.

This was a smaller swarm of black birds. I think they are crows.  The black colour looks so nice against such a beautiful blue sky.

The birds perched atop a few trees before flying off again a few minutes later. 

Boy did they make a racket as they called to one another as they flew off.

I often wonder what it is they are telling one another. 

Since they made racket in their landing and their leaving, I assume they were

cawing about where to land and when to leave.

Joining in with host Eileen

at Saturday's Critters.

Yesterdays' Skywatch Friday pics.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Seagulls on the Island

Seagull at Granville Island in Vancouver

Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver is a destination for tourists and locals alike. There is a lot to look at and admire on the waterfront and the atmosphere is very peaceful and enjoyable even when there are hordes of people around. At least, I find it so, but I don't get to this place too often anymore. I may get there at least once, perhaps twice a year. 

This time I was with a friend who likes to go there and it was probably the quietest I have ever seen it. It looks like the group of ladies in the background were enjoying shopping and picture taking. I think they may have been waiting for one of the Aqua buses that goes from one end of the Island to downtown Vancouver.

I found these seagulls just in time for Saturday's Critters with Eileen. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

If you missed my post from Thursday please see it here. Especially if you are the praying kind. 

Thanks so much!

Two Parrots & A Cockatoo

I  am finally getting around to sharing a few more photos of the beautiful birds I photographed this summer. 

I will be joining in with host, Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

Thank you Eileen for managing this wonderful meme.

 If
you missed my Skywatch post & brief update on medical missions in Kenya, you can find it by clicking here.

Bloedel Conservatory located in Vancouver's beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park & home to the birds.

Casey, the Amazon Parrot

Kramer, the Moluccan Cockatoo

Moluccans are the largest of the cockatoo family and are extremely intelligent. I've read that Kramer loves peppermint tea, baseball hats, and is a very good dancer.  Sometimes he swings upside-down from his perch and puts on a show.  I was fortunate enough to see him put on a show when I visited though.  He was quite cooperative in posing for photos for me and only put the show on when he had an audience. Kramer has a large vocabulary and says things like "What is that?", "I' m a bird.", and "Let's party" among other things.

Rudy, African Grey Parrot

Rudy is an African Grey Parrot and is about 17 years old.  It is said that these parrots are loving and playful and bring joy and laughter into the lives of all who have the pleasure of knowing one. They are very intelligent birds and are considered to be the “Einstein’s” of the parrot world because of their incredible talking ability. African Greys are considered to be among the most intelligent of all birds, ranking alongside dolphins and chimpanzees for their ability to associate human words with meanings, shapes and colours.  While I was there Rudy was quite quiet and looked like he was trying to catch up on some sleep.  No doubt he gets tired of all the people that watch him every day

Scenes from Vancouver's Chinatown

Today I had to go downtown for an appointment. I decided to stop off in Chinatown as I wasn't too far from there and I needed to find myself a bamboo steamer (to steam frozen dim sum).

I always enjoy the street scenes and today was no exception.  The array of product in a store in Chinatown is always astounding. There are also a lot of exotic to me things that I don't get to use or see every day. I  still remember my early days in Vancouver and how a trip to Chinatown was always such a delight. Buying simple things like Sandalwood soap (heavenly fragrance) was a true cultural experience.

Truth be told I only walked a square block and a few extra streets in Chinatown.  There is actually much more to see.

I loved the artful tree in front of this traditional looking roof top. There is even a bird perching on top (see side right as you are looking straight at the photo).  The sky looks rather gray. It was actually an overcast day today though it cleared up and became quite warm.

If you look off in the distance of the photo below you will see the sky scrapers. They are located in down town Vancouver just a stone's throw away.

These plants make a nice, colourful addition to the street. I am not sure if they are on sale or if they are gifts to the store owners for a new business perhaps.

All over Chinatown the evidence of economic decay is present. So many shops have closed up. For many years now Chinatown has been declining and many shop owners have migrated to the suburb of Richmond (near the Vancouver International Airport) where there is a sizeable Asian community.  I admire the business people who stick it out in Chinatown and try to keep things going. I know there have been some efforts over the years to try and revitalize this area. Sadly I think the revitalization is going to change the entire nature of the area.

Already today I saw several businesses that just do not match the historical charm and nature of the businesses here. I also saw evidence of numerous residential building projects that are going to bring in masses of residents and change the nature of the area too.

I know change is always happening but I will personally miss the charm of what was.

It was nice to see some beautiful murals in the area.  The one depicted in the photo below is adjacent to an empty lot which is scheduled for a condo project.

This ruby red lamplight  post with Chinese writing at the bottom is quite beautiful.

This sign alerts the passersby to the coming condo development. There are several other developments in the general area.

This fast food restaurant, Kent's Kitchen is a very well known and highly frequented restaurant. I stopped by for lunch.

I love this charming, yellow building. At the bottom of the building you can see that other ethnic businesses are moving.  There is now a Filipino Restaurant in what used to be a clothing store. In the next block I saw businesses run by Caucasians and Vietnamese people.  Chinatown is losing it's historic and distinctly Chinese ambience and I'm guessing that building owners are giving good incentives to other businesses just to keep things going.

I just hope that in years to come there will still be a distinctly Chinese flavour to this area even if things change.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday today.
My the time does fly!
Have a great weekend everyone :-)