STANLEY PARK, VANCOUVER,BC

                                       Lovely Stanley Park

     In Vancouver, B C, Stanley Park was named for the Stanley who was Governor General in 1888. Established that same year, it is the largest city park in North America. Seven miles of sea wall surround the 1000-acre park. Many walkers and bikers use the 50 miles of trails throughout the park. Two-thirds of the park is forested with fir, hemlock, spruce, and cedar trees being the most numerous.

     Douglas fir grows up to 300 feet tall and has a deeply grooved bark. The red cedar has a stringy bark and is the tree that is used for totem carving. Looking at the bark it is easy to tell the trees apart.

     Enroute to the park we passed a strange looking building with a mural painted on its side and We were to learn that it was one of five houses another Stanley built for one of his five families. He kept these families separated so they would not meet each other. He became very wealthy, making his money in Asian casinos. He is the Stanley who donated the money for the famous Stanley cup.

     The Guinness family bought 4000 acres on the other side of the Lion Gate Bridge for $70,000. He then built a twelve foot wide, two-lane bridge to connect his property to the park. The height of the bridge is only 13 feet 2 inches so the double-decker buses at 13 feet 6 inches cannot transit it. Years later the bridge was replaced without ever being closed. Each evening at 8:00 PM a ten-foot long section of bridge was removed by crane and replaced with a wider section of bridge. When completed, the bridge had a true three lanes.

    Riding along the beach we learned that the Tea Room Restaurant was officers’ quarters during WW II complete with a cannon.  One evening during a blackout a fishing boat sailed into restricted waters. The people on shore got anxious and fired a warning shot over the bow of the fishing vessel. But, for whatever reason, they had forgotten about the American ship anchored on the other side of the fishing boat. The cannon shot hit the U S ship sinking it. However, all the crew was ashore partying so there was no loss of life, and that is the total sum of the Battle of Stanley Park!

    Dead Man’s Island lies off the coast of Stanley Park. Originally it was a burial ground for First Nation’s Chiefs.  Later 200 Burrard Inlet warriors, who were slaughtered during a hostage exchange with northern raiders, were buried on the island. In the 1880s pest houses appeared to quarantine those with smallpox. Later sick prostitutes were banished to the island.  In 1943 the island became the home of HMCS Discovery and the Naval Reserve.

      There are several ways to enjoy this lovely urban park. One can take a guided tour or see the park from horse-drawn carriage, shuttle trolley, or tour bus---or by biking or hiking. Paths are well maintained. The seawall offers great views.

      We chose walking and intended to rent bikes one day but we ran out of time. There are many totem poles which incidentally are no longer call totems but story poles as they document a family or tribe’s history.

     Canada's largest aquarium   is in the park and is one of the most visited sites in Stanley Park. It is home to more than 70,000 creatures including dolphins, sea otters, anacondas, three-toed sloths, eels and more as well as a couple options for eating.

      Stanley Park Pavilion is one of the most distinguished buildings in the entire park - and it's also one of the most historic having been built in 1911. It's an architectural draw located in the park's famous rose gardens. The main draw is its restaurant, Stanley Park Bar & Grill.

      There are several playgrounds in the park, including the city's first. The playground at Ceperley Meadow near Second Beach was built in the 1920s and features a seafaring theme. There are also playgrounds near Lumberman's Arch and the Stanley Park Pavilion.

      One can spend a lot of time or several days in this lovely park.  

VANCOUVER, B C, CANADA

                       A Melting Pot of Peoples
           Vancouver, a city of two million, unites urban excitement with outdoor adventure. Surrounded on three sides by water there are some areas where the mountains literally meet the sea. Walking trails along the water surround down town. It is an exciting, busy, cosmopolitan, healthy, fairly quiet, clean city that is pedestrian friendly. Downtown is easy to walk and distances are short.

The year round balmy climate is perfect for the plentiful lush parklands. Exquisite formal gardens contrast with bold architecture throughout the city. Recreational facilities are abundant throughout the city.  The city is a mosaic of people, cultures, food, and language. The rich combination of cultures from around the world has brought the best of native cuisine to Vancouver with the 4000 restaurants, bistros, and cafes serving 25 different kinds of food. We had wonderful Asian meals and after each said we’d have to return to that restaurant, but the next one was just as good and we never visited the same restaurant twice!

Today the city is one of immigrants with many Chinese, Japanese & East Indians. Between 1881-1885 17,000 Chinese arrived to work on the railroad, mines, (copper, zinc, lead, coal and gold) canneries, and to serve as house servants.  The 1885 Chinese Immigration Act prohibited the Chinese a vote, able to lease land, or to choose a profession.

Japanese arrived in large numbers in 1886. They worked in the herring and fish industry, in the mills, on farms, and opened shops and stores. By the 1890s the original Musqueams and Squeamish peoples saw their life style disappear.

By the turn of the century Vancouver had become the financial, transportation and supply center of British Columbia. Salmon canneries boomed and the demand for paper & pulp created 100 new forestry companies in 10 years. Between 1910-1912 the population swelled from 27,000 to 122,000! Streetcars traveled over 250 miles of track. Roads were brick, macadam, or mud. High-rise buildings---4-5 stories high---started to emerge.

The West End is densely populated with 40,000 people living there, which translates to 625 people per square kilometer. That compares to 4.5 people per square kilometer in all of British Columbia! Here people walk to work. There are no freeways in the city, they all end just outside the city.

British Columbia is larger than Texas. There are 197 Nation Bands (indigenous people) in the province. If you remember that the north to south roads in the city are streets, and the east to west roads are avenues, it is easy to find your way around.

It was immediately obvious that glass towers and spires dominate the city’s skyline. Many of the glass buildings were built when the city hosted the 1986 Expo. Dark glass indicates that the building was built in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The later buildings have lighter glass.

The classical columns of the Vancouver Art Gallery, the art deco detail of the Marine Building, and the Roman echoes of the Vancouver Public Library temper the glass-sheathed business towers. The Marine Building, built in 1929, now has the only art deco remaining in the city. The depression hit the city hard resulting in much unemployment and many bankruptcies, and in the early 1930s the Guinness family (of liquor fame) bought the building for $900,000. In 1933 the first four floors (of 20) were leased out.

The Gothic revival tower on the Holy Rosary Cathedral, built in 1900, is 66 meters tall and contains eight bells that are still rung by hand.

The Hotel Vancouver built in 1887, was replaced in 1916, and replaced again in 1936. Until 1972 it was the tallest building in the city.

An exotic mix of ancient aboriginal settlements mix with ultra modern high rise buildings to surround the beautiful and busy harbor. The port of Vancouver, stretching 145 miles along the Burrard Inlet, is the largest in North America

The Sea Bus Terminal is in the old Canadian Pacific Railroad building, just at the edge of Gastown.

Canada Place with its five distinctive white sails is the ship terminal. A million people a year pass through the terminal on cruise ships on their way to Alaska.

More Vancouver next time.

Check posts 11/3/10 , 3/9/11 , 7/20/11 for more info