Lynn Canyon Park (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Lynn Canyon Park

On our 27th day in Canada, our whole family (Grace, Jandy, Cheska, Bryan, Kyle and I, with dog Luffy) decided to visit the 250-hectare (617-acre) Lynn Canyon Park, one of the gems of the  District of North Vancouver’s Parks system and a great place to learn about North Vancouver’s eco-system.

 

This public park, operated by the  District of North Vancouver, is located on the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations people who called the Lynn Creek area Kwa-hul-cha, referring to a settlement in the area.

Bryan and Cheska on their way to the Lynn Canyon Cafe and Ranger Station

When settlers moved to North Vancouver, they began to log the old growth forests as part of Vancouver’s growing logging industry. The Lynn Valley area, along with Lynn Creek and Lynn Canyon were renamed after sapper John Linn (1846-1876), a British pioneer and member of the Royal Engineers who, in 1869, moved his family onto 65 hectares of land on the mouth of the Lynn Creek near Burrard Inlet.

Lynn Canyon Cafe and Ranger Station

While the creek has been dubbed Fred’s Creek after fellow pioneer Fred Howson, the name Lynn, a corruption of the original spelling, soon became the common designation.  Lynn Valley Park and Canyons, as it was known in the 1950s, soon gave way to the current Lynn Canyon Park.

Waterfall seen on the way to the suspension bridge

In 1912, after the bulk of the Lynn Canyon’s old growth forests were logged by the Lynn Valley Lumber Company under Julius M. Fromme, the McTavish Brothers donated a 5 hectare piece of land around the newly constructed Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in the hopes that a park would attract people to the real estate development.

Bryan (with Luffy) and Cheska crossing the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

The  District of North Vancouver added another 4 hectares to create the original Lynn Canyon Park. On September 14, 2012, the park was formally opened.  In 1991, the District of North Vancouver added another 241 hectares to the park, making it one of the largest and most popular parks in Metro Vancouver.

View of Lynn Creek from the suspension bridge

This forested park features stunning creek and waterfall views and hiking trails through the temperate rainforest, a relatively rare ecosystem that extends along the coast of Alaska and British Columbia down to northern California. In the rainy months of the year, mist rises from the canyon and the creek rises dramatically.

Grace and the author at Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

Rangers are on site in July and August to offer walking tours and information about the area’s flora and fauna. For advanced hikers, there are trails that lead directly to Grouse or Seymour Demonstration Forest, in addition to nice cycling trails.  Due to its natural landscape many TV series such as Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis used the area for filming.

Cheska and Grace hiking the dirt trail

From Holdom Station, we took the SkyTrain to Gilmore Station, then took Bus 28 to Phibbs Exchange and, finally, the 20-min., 4-km. Bus 227, from Bay 12 Station, to the Westbound Peters Road@Duval Station.  From there, it was just a short walk to the entrance of Lynn Canyon Park.

Moss-covered trees

Past the entrance, we passed by the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre (has over 80 informative nature videos, on a large screen, about the plants and animals of the temperate rainforest and environmental issues, plus a nature-themed gift shop) on the left and Lynn Canyon Cafe (they serve fresh siphon coffee, lattes and more, crepes for breakfast and burgers, hot dogs, pasta, fish and chips for lunch) on the right.

A large boulder amidst tall stands of trees

A very popular area for hiking, we tried the 2.6-km. Lynn Canyon loop trail (one of 7 easy hiking trails), open year-round, which is generally considered a relatively easy route to hike (though not wheelchair or stroller friendly), taking an average of 50 mins. to complete.

In this free, self-guided adventure, there are three major attractions along this loop – the  Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, Twin Falls and the 30-Foot pool. Dogs are welcome here, but must be on a leash so we did just that for Luffy.

While exploring the trail that was surrounded by second growth western red cedar, Douglas-fir, and Western hemlock trees draped with moss, we encountered a lot of people. Although there are quite a number of wooden stairs (a bit challenging for beginners), it was still a great family friendly trail, with lots of options for different level hikers. There were multiple photo-worthy stops along the route, especially as it was summer.

The first major attraction we encountered was the  Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge.  On the way to the bridge, we espied a small, thin waterfall.  The bridge was used in Disney’s Descendants (as part of Auradon) that leads to Lynn Canyon’s 30 Foot Pool (used as the Enchanted Lake).  The bridge was also featured in the MacGyver episode “The Invisible Killer.”

Though not as long as the one at the widely-advertised Capilano Suspension Bridge, this 40-m. (130-ft.) long, wooden plank suspension bridge, built in 1912, is a good one and a different experience than its complement, offering a rustic and jiggling adventure, and the views from it are equally spectacular.

The author

If you want to see a suspension bridge but don’t want to pay for the one at Capilano Suspension Bridge, then this is the place to go as it’s less commercial and some people actually prefer it. About 50 m. (167 ft., the height of a 15-storey building) above the beautiful clear pools and rivers of Lynn Creek, it was just wide enough for two people to pass each other. Originally, visitors paid 10 cents (later reduced to 5 cents) to cross the bridge. Today, it’s free to cross the bridge.

The 30 Foot Pool

On the north side of the suspension bridge, the trail to the left lead us northwest through the park and a short walk took us to the popular 30-Foot pool, one of the most popular locations among tourists and locals and a safe place to swim compared to some of the river’s other sections. It was a very large area, with great spots for a picnic, and featured a beautiful swimming hole.

Visitors getting ready to dive, off rocks, into the 30 Foot Pool

As it was summer, a number of visitors were taking a quick refreshing swim to cool off. Others were also jumping off rocks and into the water (it looked extremely dangerous).  However, even in the summer months, the water is almost always extremely cold. If you are looking for a quiet place to sit by the river, this is the spot.

L-R: the author, Jandy, Grace, Cheska, Kyle and Bryan (with Luffy)

Beginning at the 30-Foot pool, we ascended one big flight of stairs and ended up at the start of the trail heading to the Northern region of the park, the Seymour Demonstration Forest and Rice Lake entrance (another beautiful location for walking around and fishing) which is about a further 20-min. walk away.

Stair leading up to the northern part of the park

As we did not wish to venture into these areas, we took the wooden boardwalks and trails that loops back towards the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge.

East of the suspension bridge is Twin Falls  which can be accessed from either side of the suspension bridge.  If we did not cross the bridge from the main entrance, we could have proceeded east, past the Lynn Canyon Café, and followed the trail down towards the river.

Twin Falls Bridge

Twin Falls is less accessible than the 30-Foot pool and not as popular among visitors but we still wanted to get to Twin Falls so, right after the bridge, we headed south (south is right and north is left) followed a series of boardwalks, steps and staircases to Twin Falls. There was a sign that pointed us in the right direction.

View of Lynn Creek from Twin Falls Bridge

In less than 20 mins., we descended down to Twin Falls Bridge where we had a beautiful view of  Twin Falls, below the bridge, which is not large or high but rather just a section of rapids that drop a bit just under the bridge.   The hike back up the canyon took us up two large flights of wooden stairs back up the canyon on the other side (just a short walk back to where we started).

Twin Falls below the bridge

A diverse hiking experience along wooden stairs and boardwalks, the river and dirt trails, Lynn Canyon truly is a nice place for everyone.  Here, you can take your time hiking and enjoy the fresh air.  Even late in the day, the sun stayed with us most of the time.

From Twin Falls Bridge, ascending another flight of stairs

Lynn Canyon Ecology Center: 3663 Park Road, North Vancouver, British Columbia V7J 3G3, Canada.  Tel: 604-990-3755.  Email: ecocentre@dnv.org.  Website: www.ecologycentre.ca and www.lyncanyon.ca.  Open Mondays to Fridays, 10 AM to 4 PM, and weekends, 12 noon to 4 PM. Coordinates: 49°20′02″N 123°01′03″W. Walk in visits are accepted if space is available (maximum 15 people inside at a time). Proof of Vaccination required for ages 12 and up. Masks required for ages 5 and up. Admission is free but donations are accepted (suggested $2 per person).

How to Get There: the nearest bus stations are Eastbound Peters Rd @ Duval Rd. (a 492 m./7-min. walk), Northbound Lynn Valley Rd. @ Burrill Ave. (a 715 m./10-min. walk) and Northbound Underwood Ave. @ Evelyn St. (a 1.219 km./16-min. walk). Buses leave Lonsdale Quay about once every 15 mins. on weekdays (or 30 minutes on weekends and holidays). The ride on Bus #228, from Lonsdale Quay, takes just over 30 mins.

Port of Vancouver Discovery Centre (British Columbia, Canada)

Port of Vancouver Discovery Center

The exciting, high tech Port of Vancouver Discovery Centre, serving multiple arms of the Port Authority, offers a space that converts from visitor Discovery Centre to education centre, to town hall meeting space, to event venue, and at times, all in the same 24 hours.

Entrance

Located on the waterfront at Canada Place, below Fly Over Canada, at the north end of the pier, it is one of the facility most used spaces and a great place to learn about Canada’s largest and busiest port in a fun and interactive wayas well as engage in the stories and ideas that have shaped the port city.

Through the integration of interactive panels, projection mapping surfaces, digital informational kiosks, and broadcast-quality equipment, Eos Lightmedia helped transform the Port of Vancouver Discovery Centre into a highly flexible space, working with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority as well as designers Waddell & Conder, content producers Burnkit, Resolve Design for the history wall, and fabricators Three Dimensional Services to design, supply and integrate the layers of lighting, audiovisual, software and controls technology.

It features interactive touch screens; animated graphics and informative videos; historical artifacts and ship models; west-facing views of Vancouver harbor and access to the Canada Place promenade.

The stunning historical display case spanning the length of the facility

The Discovery Centre is also the venue for a school program designed especially for local elementary students in grades four to six, who use interactive, projection driven benches with embedded touch sensors that provide hands on education about the busy goings on of Canada’s largest port. Eos Lightmedia’s custom control software allows facilitators of the space to change the vocabulary and content to make it suitable for both younger and more mature student groups.

With hundreds of square feet of projection mapped surfaces for interaction and digital informational kiosks, here you can experience the sights and sounds of a busy harbor while learning about Canada’s largest and most diversified port.

St. Roch

You can also learn about early port development; trade, innovation and shipbuilding; harbor operations today; working on the waterfront; environmental programs; and facts and statistics.  In contrast to the cutting edge technology, there’s also stunning historical display case, spanning the length of the facility, that is replete with artifacts from the ports long history in the city.

A Regal Heritage

The entire atmosphere of the room can also change, from its public setting, to a sleek professional meeting room setting with just a click of a button on the facility’s sophisticated control system.

SS Beaver

The interactive touch panels break apart into bench seating for over 100 and, for the Port Authority’s many meetings, announcements, and group functions, the large digital map wall becomes the presentation screen for keynote speakers.

Pacific Gateway

Broadcast quality lighting and audio equipment also allows for events to be live-streamed, in high definition, with professional results without the need for off-site equipment rentals.

Shipbuilding for the Wars

Within the center, every function has its own custom lighting look controlled by DMX over the dedicated exhibit network within the space. The central control system links the benches, their projectors, and the audio systems, automatically turning on and off with a preset, adjustable schedule. The facilities operations team can also instantly recall the various ‘scenes’ within the center.

The Container Revolution

Port of Vancouver Discovery Centre: 100 The Pointe, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, British Columbia. Admission is free. Open daily, 8 AM to 8 PM. Download the Port of Vancouver community map to follow along during the virtual harbout tour.

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)

Fairmont Vancouver Hotel

After our exploration of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Jandy and I visited the historic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.  Formerly and still informally called the Hotel Vancouver, it is situated within the city’s Financial District in Downtown Vancouver, bounded by Burrard Street to the northwest, West Georgia Street to the northeast, and Hornby Street to the southeast. To the southwest, the hotel property is bounded by two buildings, including 750 Burrard Street.

Check out “Vancouver Art Gallery” and “Former Vancouver Law Courts Building

Jandy and the author with the hotel in the background

This  17-storey building, opened in May 1939 and currently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, is considered one of Canada’s grand railway hotels (it was initially built by Canadian National Railway). Standing 112.47-m. (369.0 ft) high, the hotel was also the tallest building in Vancouver until the completion of TD Tower in 1972.

The view of the hotel from the Vancouver Art Gallery

Located close to several attractions in Downtown Vancouver, the hotel is situated directly northwest of the aforementioned Vancouver Art Gallery and Robson Square (a public square adjacent the art museum). Christ Church Cathedral, the oldest church in the city, also lies north of the hotel  and two SkyTrain rapid transit stations (Burrard station, and Vancouver City Centre station) are also situated near the hotel.

Heritage Building Plaque

The third hotel in the city to use the name “Hotel Vancouver,” the first and second Hotel Vancouver were both located along West Georgia Street, southeast of the present hotel. The first, a crude four-storey structure, debuted in 1888 after the arrival of the Canadian National Railway in the region. In an effort to prevent competition with the new Hotel Vancouver, Canadian National Railway closed its hotel operations at the second Hotel Vancouver once the new hotel opened and, in 1949, it was torn down after Canadian National Railway sold the property to Eaton’s in December 1948.

Bas reliefs

This Châteauesque-styled hotel (part of series of Chateauesque grand railway hotels built throughout Canada in the late-19th and early 20th centuries), designed by two Canadian architects, John Smith Archibald, and John Schofield, incorporates elements from Renaissance-era chateaus found in France‘s Loire Valley.

The spectacular copper pitch roof outfitted with many dormers

Its Châteauesque features include its prominent and spectacular copper pitched roof, outfitted with many dormers, and extensive amount of carved stonework encompassing a steel frame. Hotel Vancouver also incorporates Renaissance Revival architectural detailings, gargoyles and relief sculptures. The decorative work for the building was done by a number of artists including Olea Marion DavisCharles MaregaBeatrice Lennie, Valentine Shabief, and Lilias Farley.

Here’s the historical timeline of the hotel:

  • In the 1920s, plans to develop a railway hotel at the present site of Hotel Vancouver first emerged.
  • In December 1928, as a result of a land deal between the city, and Canadian Northern Railway (a company later acquired by Canadian National Railway), work on the present Hotel Vancouver commenced.  Shortly after the erection of the building’s steel frame however, work on the hotel was halted, as a result of the Great Depression.
  • In 1937, work resumed on the building
  • In 1938, a joint investment into the property from Canadian Pacific Hotels (a division of Canadian Pacific Railway) and Canadian National Railway made possible the completion of the new hotel.
  • In May 1939, the hotel was completed in time for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth‘s 1939 royal tour of Canada.
  • In 1962, Canadian National Hotels (a division of Canadian National Railway) acquired Canadian Pacific Hotels’ share of the property, gaining full ownership of the hotel.
  • On January 1, 1964, Hilton Hotels International assumed management of the hotel for CN, though it was never branded as a Hilton.
  • On January 1, 1984, after the management contract with Hilton ended, CN Hotels resumed management of the hotel.
  • In 1988 Canadian National Hotels sold its remaining nine properties, including Hotel Vancouver, to Canadian Pacific Hotels.
  • In 2001, Canadian Pacific Hotels was reorganized as Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, adopting the name from an American company it had purchased in 1999. As a part of this re-branding effort, the hotel’s name was changed to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
  • In 2007 Fairmont Hotels and Resorts sold 25 hotel properties, including Hotel Vancouver, to Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, although Fairmont continues to manage the hotel.
  • In 2015, the property was sold to Larco Enterprise for C$180 million.
  • In 2014, in preparation for the building’s 80th anniversary, the hotel underwent a C$12 million renovation which saw a reworked main lobby and guest rooms and restoration of the 14th floor of the hotel to its original decor from 1939. Restored items on the 14th floor include English harewood doors with bronze doorplates, bronze hallway doors, sapele-panelled walls with bronze strips at its elevator lobby.
  • In 2018, the four-year hotel renovation project was completed.

Check out “80 Years of Iconic Moments

Hotel lobby

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, with 557 guest rooms and suites (including the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite and the Royal Suite), has a restaurant (Notch8 Restaurant + Bar which also hosts the hotel’s afternoon tea service), a gym, swimming pool and spa. The Lieutenant Governor’s Suite, designed with Art Deco stylings, features black walnut veneer-paneled walls.

Notch 8 Restaurant

Aside from King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, other famous people who stayed there include:

Front Desk

In movies and television the hotel was featured in:

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver: 900 West Georgia Street, VancouverBritish Columbia VC 2W6, Canada. Tel: +1 604 684 3131.  Fax: +1 604 662 1929.  E-mail: hvc.concierge@fairmont.com.

Vancouver Art Gallery (British Columbia, Canada)

Vancouver Art Gallery

The 15,300 sq. m. (165,000 sq. ft.) Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG), the largest art museum, by building size, in Western Canada, serves as a repository of art for the Lower Mainland region. Its permanent collection consists of approximately 12,000 works (as of December 2018) by artists from Canada and around the world. Aside from exhibiting works from its collection, the museum has also organized and hosted a number of travelling arts exhibitions.The gallery connects to the rest of Robson Square via an underground passage below Robson Street.

“Uninvited – Canadian Women in the Modern Moment” Exhibit

Here is the historical timeline of the museum:

  • In April 1931, in order to establish and maintain a museum for the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Art Gallery Association was established under the provincial Society Act.
  • On October 5, 1931, the Association opened the art museum to the public in a building, designed by architectural firm Sharp and Johnston and costing approximately CA$40,000 to construct, at 1145 West Georgia Street. It featured four galleries (one of which included a sculpture hall), a lecture hall and a library. At the time of its opening, works exhibited at the museum were dominated by British, and other European artists.
  • In 1938, during a sitdown strike in the weeks leading up to Bloody Sunday, the museum was the one of the buildings occupied by unemployed protesters. Luckily, paintings were not damaged while the protesters occupied the building.
  • In 1950, the museum expanded its first building.To reshape the design of the building towards an International Style of architecture, the building’s Art Deco façade was removed. To accommodate the 157 works bequeathed to the museum by Emily Carr, renovations, costing approximately CA$600,000 (funded by the City of Vancouver government, and funds raised by Lawren Harris) were also conducted
  • In 1951, the building was reopened to the public.
  • In 1983, the institution was relocated to its present location, the former provincial courthouse adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver.It was renovated by architect Arthur Erickson, at a cost of CA$20 million, as a part of his larger three city-block Robson Square The Annex Building was the only part of the building complex that was not converted for museum use.
  • In 2004, a result from its need for more exhibition and storage space for its collections, plans to build a new building for the museum were undertaken.
  • In November 2007, the museum publicly announced plans to move, seeking approval from Vancouver City Council to build a new building at Larwill Park, a block formerly occupied by a bus depot on the corner of Cambie and Georgia streets.
  • In May 2008, the museum and the City of Vancouver government announced its intention to relocate to an area occupied by the Plaza of Nations.
  • In April 2013, the Vancouver City Council later reversed its decision, opting to approve the original proposed site in Larwill Park.
  • In September 2013, the museum formally issued requests for qualifications to construct the new building, receiving responses from 75 architectural firms from 16 countries.
  • In April 2014, the bid of Herzog & de Meuron (the first project for the architectural firm in the country) was selected by the museum.  Perkins and Will‘s Vancouver branch was contracted as the project’s executive architects. The cost to construct the building has been estimated to be CA$330 million, with the federal and provincial governments expected to provide CA$200 million, and the museum expected to raise the rest from public and private donors.  The building was originally planned to be completed in 2020. However, developments for the project stalled due to a funding dispute between the federal and provincial governments.
  • In November 2021, to help fund the new building, the museum received a $100 million donation (the largest cash donation to a public art museum in Canadian history) from Michael Audain.
  • As of November 2021, the museum still needed to raise another $160 million to fund the project.

“The Imitation Game” Exhibit

The former provincial courthouse building, designed by Francis Rattenbury, after winning a design competition in 1905, was opened as a provincial courthouse in 1911, and operated as such until 1979 when the provincial courts moved to the Law Courts south of the building.  In 1980, the building was was designated as the Former Vancouver Law Courts National Historic Site of Canada. Both the main and annex portions of the building are also designated “A” heritage structures by the municipal government.

Check out “Former Victoria Law Courts Building

“Kids Take Over” Exhibit

It continues to be owned by the Government of British Columbia, although the museum occupies the building through a 99-year sublease signed with the City of Vancouver government in 1974 who, in turn, leases the building from the provincial government. The museum’s permanent collection is formally owned by the City of Vancouver, with the museum acting as the custodians for the collection under a lease and license agreement. Should the museum secure its relocation to its proposed site at Larwill Park, the museum would occupy the building under similar arrangements as the former courthouse, with the museum leasing the property from the City of Vancouver.

“Everything Under The Sun: In Memory of Andrew Gruft” Exhibit

The Vancouver Art Gallery has organized and hosted a number of temporary and travelling exhibitions. A select list of exhibitions held at the museum since 2005 include:

  • Brian Jungen (2006)
  • Monet to Dali: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art (2007)
  • KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art (2008)
  • VermeerRembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art Masterpieces from The Rijksmuseum (2009)
  • Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man (2010)
  • The Color of My Dreams: The Surrealist Revolution in Art (2011)
  • Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore (2012)
  • Beat Nation: Art, Hip Hop and Aboriginal Culture (2012)
  • Grand Hotel: Redesigning Modern Life (2013)
  • Charles Edenshaw (2013)
  • The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors (2014)
  • Unscrolled: Reframing Tradition in Chinese Contemporary Art (2014)
  • Cezanne and the Modern: Masterpieces of European Art from the Pearlman Collection (2015)
  • How Do I Fit This Ghost in My Mouth? An exhibition by Geoffrey Farmer (2015)
  • Embracing Canada: Landscapes from Krieghoff to the Group of Seven (2015)
  • Douglas Coupland: Everywhere Is Anywhere Is Anything Is Everything (2015)
  • MashUp: The Birth of Modern Culture (2016)
  • Picasso: The Artist and His Muses (2016)
  • Claude Monet’s Secret Garden (2017)
  • Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats its Own Leg (2018)
  • French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950 (2019)
  • Alberto Giacometti: A Line Through Time (2019)
  • Cindy Sherman (2020)
  • Growing Freedom: The instructions of Yoko Ono/ The art of John and Yoko (2022)

“Restless: Recent Acquisitions” Exhibit

During our visit, there were five ongoing exhibits – “Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment” Exhibit in the ground floor; “The Imitation Game: Visual Culture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” Exhibit at the second floor; and “Kids Take Over” Exhibit, “Everything Under the Sun: In Memory of Andrew Gruft” Exhibit and “Restless: Recent Acquisitions” Exhibit at the third floor.

Check out “Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment” Exhibit, “The Imitation Game: Visual Culture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” Exhibit,Kids Take Over” Exhibit, “Everything Under the Sun: In Memory of Andrew Gruft” Exhibit and “Restless: Recent Acquisitions” Exhibit

Self-Portrait of Emily Carr (1938-39, oil on wove paper)

The Centennial Fountain, on the Georgia Street side of the building, was installed in 1966 to commemorate the centennial of the union of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia.  In 2017, it was later removed as part of the Georgia Street plaza renovations.

Are You Talking to Me

The Neo-Classical-style building, replacing the previous courthouse at Victory Square, wasconstructed using marble imported from AlaskaTennessee and Vermont.  It has Ionic columns, a central dome, formal porticos and ornate stonework. Construction for the building, which contained 18 courtrooms, began in 1906. In 1912, an annex, designed by Thomas Hooper, was added to the western side of the building. Declared as a heritage site, it still retains the original judges’ benches and walls as they were when the building was a courthouse.

Clear Cut to the Last Tree (Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, screenprint on paper)

The front lawn and steps of the building has hosted a number of public gatherings and protest rallies, serving as the monthly meeting spot for Vancouver’s Critical Mass, as well as flash mobs, the Zombie Walk, pro-marijuana rallies and numerous environmental demonstrations. The steps on both the Robson Street and Georgia Street sides of the building are also popular gathering spots for protest rallies. In the summertime, the Georgia Street side is also a popular place for people to relax or socialize.

Amauti (Anne Maria Kigerlerk, 1937)

In March 2007, the 2010 Olympic countdown clock, placed in the front lawn of the building, was  opened for free for the public to see. Now disassembled, one half of the clock went to BC Place and the other to Whistler Village.In June 2021, Cheryle Gunargie created a vigil(consisting of 215 pairs of shoes) to honor the 215 children whose remains were discovered in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Caffeinated Diversions (Scott Eaton, 2018-19, inkjet print on paper) (1)

The permanent collection acts as the principal repository of works produced in the Lower Mainland region, with museum acquisitions typically focused on historical and contemporary art from the region. Approximately half of the works in its collection were produced by artists from Western Canada. In addition to art from the region, the collection also has a focus on First Nations art, and art from Asia. The museum’s collection is organized into several smaller areas, contemporary art from Asia, photography and conceptual photography, works by indigenous Canadian artists from the region, and artists from Vancouver and British Columbia.

Baskets (Panier)

The museum’s photography and conceptual art collection includes photographs from the 1950s to the present, and includes photos by the N.E. Thing Co. artist collective, photographers of the Vancouver School of conceptual photography, and other artists including Dan GrahamAndreas GurskyThomas RuffCindy ShermanRobert Smithson, and Thomas Struth. The museum’s collection of contemporary Asian art includes works by Eikoh HosoeMariko MoriFiona TanJin-me YoonReena Saini KallatSong DongWang DuWang JianweiYang Fudong, and O Zhang.

Children Playing (Thomas Kakinuma, ca. 1960)

Serving as a repository for art for the region, the museum holds a number of works by artists based in the Lower Mainland, in addition to artists based in other regions of British Columbia. The museum’s collection includes works from Canadian artists, including members of the Group of SevenGathie FalkMichael Snow, and Joyce Wieland.

Kitwancool Totems (Emily Carr, 1928, oil on canvas)

The museum’s collection also features a significant number of works by Emily Carr, dating from 1913 to 1942. The painting Totem Poles, Kitseukla, by Carr, was among the original set of works acquired for the museum’s collection prior to opening in 1931. The permanent collections of the Vancouver Art Gallery, along with the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, hold the largest number of works by Carr of any collection in the world.

Patriotism (Joyce Wieland, 1967, vinyl, textile,photograph, paper, cotton, wood, thread)

The museum’s also features a collection of indigenous Canadian art from the region, including works from HaidaHeiltsukInuitKwakwakaʼwakwNuu-chah-nulthNuxalk, and Tlingit artists. Regular acquisitions of indigenous Canadian works was undertaken by the museum beginning in the 1980s; with the museum’s practices prior to the 1980s typically leaving the acquisition of indigenous Canadian works for the collections of ethnographic, or history museums.

A Descent of Lilies (Pegi Nicoll MacLeod, 1935, oil on canvas)

In 2015, George Gund III bequeathed to the museum 37 First Nations works, including totem poles by Ken Mowatt and Norman Tait, drawings by Bill Reid, and thirteen carved works by Robert Davidson. Other works in the museum’s indigenous Canadian collection includes works by Sonny AssuRebecca BelmoreDempsey BobDana ClaxtonJoe DavidReg DavidsonBeau DickBrian JungenMarianne Nicolson, and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun.

Actual Photo Series (Laurie Simmons and Allan McCollum, 1985, azo dye prints)

The Vancouver Art Gallery Library and Archives is a non-circulating library that specializing in modern, contemporary and Canadian art. Its holdings include more than 50,000 books and exhibition catalogues, 30 journal subscriptions, 5,000 files that document various artists, art forms, and works. Access to the museum’s library and archives require a scheduled appointment.

Sea and Shore (Florence Wyle, ca. 1950, marble)

The museum’s archives contain the institution’s official records since its founding in 1931. In addition to institutional documents, the archives also includes files from B.C. Binning, and the books and serials where Bill Bissett’s concrete poetry was published.

In a Food Court (Evan Lee, 2019, oil pigment, pastel on canvas) (1)

The Vancouver Art Gallery offers a wide range of public programs throughout the year, including live performances marketed under the FUSE program, scholar’s lectures, artist’s talks, as well as dance and musical performances. In its most recent year, the gallery has featured over 60 presenters, including historian Timothy Brook, writer Sarah Milroy, and Emily Carr scholar, Gerta Moray. In May 2015, the gallery welcomed architect Jacques Herzog as he presented his first lecture in Canada on architecture and the new Vancouver Art Gallery building.

Neri Oxman and the MIT Mediated Matter Group

Vancouver Art Gallery: 750 Hornby Street, VancouverBritish Columbia V6Z 2H7, Canada.    Open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM, Tuesdays and Fridays, 12 noon to 8 PM. Admission: $24.00 (adults), $20.00 (seniors), $18 (students), $6.50 (children, 6 – 12 years old) and free (children 5 years old and under).  Tuesdays, from 5 – 9 PM are “donation nights” (pay whatever you want or can afford). Coordinates: 49.282875°N 123.120464°W.

 

Former Vancouver Law Courts Building (British Columbia, Canada)

Former Vancouver Law Courts Building

The three-storey, grand Former Vancouver Law Courts Building, situated on a city block bounded by Georgia, Howe, Hornby and Robson Streets, is a good example of Neo-Classical design in the Beaux-Art tradition, widely promoted for public buildings in North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Replacing the previous courthouse at Victory Square, it was designed by noted Victoria architect Francis Mawson Rattenbury (responsible for many prominent public buildings in British Columbia including the Legislative Building in Victoria), after winning a design competition in 1905.  Construction began in 1906 and the provincial courthouse,containing 18 courtrooms,was opened in the fall of 1911, at which time it was praised as the finest building of its kind in Canada.

Check out “”Legislative Assembly of British Columbia”

By 1914, the city had outgrown the original building and a large new wing, connected to the main building by an enclosed two-storey corridor, was added to the western side of the building according to the 1912 designs of Thomas Hooper. It operated as such until 1979 when it was decided that the building could no longer accommodate the needs of the court and the decision was made to construct new facilities.

Vancouver architect Arthur Erickson was commissioned to design the new Law Courts House,located across the street south of the building,and to convert the former Court House into the Vancouver Art Gallery.In 1980, the building was designated as the Former Vancouver Law Courts National Historic Site of Canada.

Entrance to Vancouver Art Gallery

Both the main and annex portions of the building are also designated “A” heritage structures by the municipal government. As a heritage site, it still retains the original judges’ benches and walls as they were when the building was a courthouse.

The massive staircase

The building continues to be owned by the Government of British Columbia, although the Vancouver Art Gallery occupies the building through a 99-year sublease signed with the City of Vancouver government in 1974 who, in turn, leases the building from the provincial government.

Check out “Vancouver Art Gallery

One of two granite guardian lions

The building consists of three parts with two wings on west and east facades faced with inset Ionic columns flanking a massive projecting central pediment. The latter features an imposing formal portico supported by four columns and surmounted by a flat roof and a copper-clad central dome(with four semicircular occuli) on an elevated base.

On the north and south facades are granite pilasters. Rusticated Nelson Island granite cladding was used for the base section and smooth Haddington Island stone cladding for upper levels.Marble was imported from AlaskaTennessee and Vermont.

Throughout the facade are decorative stone and plaster scrollwork with acanthus leaf, garland and wreath motifs and stone balustrades along the roof line.Some of the recessed and symmetrical fenestration have protruding granite sills and canopies.Cast iron grates are found above the foundation. Also on the west and east facades are massive granite stair entrances. The twin, ca. 1910 granite lions, on pedestals, symbolize British justice.

Rotunda

 

The original interior layout features a twinned, marble clad staircase with ornamental wrought iron balustrades; a central rotunda, beneath the dome on the mezzanine level, with a series of two-storey arcades; terrazzo flooring in fan and Greek key motif;tapered marble columns on the mezzanine level;plaster egg and dart,garland and wreath motifs on the ceilings, cornices and walls; British Columbia fir and oak for the paneling,cornices, wainscoting and architraves; and British Columbia and Alaskan marble for foyer, floors, baseboards, vestibule halls, stairs and risers.

Marble staircase

Original signs identifying “OFFICES,” “LAND REGISTRY,” “POLICE” (with accompanying “Sheriff” signage) are still incised into offices on the north and south first floor level.

The front lawn and steps of the building has hosted a number of public gatherings and protest rallies, serving as the monthly meeting spot for Vancouver’s Critical Mass, as well as flash mobs, the Zombie Walk, pro-marijuana rallies and numerous environmental demonstrations.

Dome and oculus

The steps on both the Robson Street and Georgia Street sides of the building are also popular gathering spots for protest rallies. In the summertime, the Georgia Street side is also a popular place for people to relax or socialize.

Former Vancouver Law Courts Building: 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6z 2E1, Canada.

Sculpture Garden (Seattle Center, Washington, USA)

The Seattle Center landscape is dotted with art and architectural works that together form urban vistas of mixed form and scale. The Sculpture Garden, at Broad Street Green, a nearly three-acre open space, is framed by the retro-futuristic backdrop of the Space Needle and the post-modern Experience Music Project building.  It is made up of four unique pieces.

Check out “Space Needle

Sculpture Garden

Ronald Bladen’s Black Lightning  (1981), a striking, black-painted monumental steel sculpture, is currently sited in the Sculpture Garden southeast of the Space Needle. Measuring 355.6 x 1706.9 x 1120.1 cms. (140 x 672 x 441 in.), it’s simple Z-shape outlines the iconic form of lightning and sharp edges, formed from the juncture of acute angles, animate the black steel bolt with alternating planes of light and shadow. Two polygonal bases, reminiscent of blacksmith’s anvils, support the sculpture.

Black Lightning (Ronald Bladen, 1981, painted steel)

The Alexander Liberman‘s Olympic Iliad (also known as Pasta Tube), a 1984 orange-red painted steel sculpture consisting of large steel cylinders cut at different angles and lengths, is installed in 1984 on the lawn southwest from the Space Needle. It was featured on the cover of Brazilian musician Amon Tobin‘s album Bricolage.

Olympic Iliad (Alexander Liberman, 1984, painted steel)

Doris Chase’s Moon Gates, a group of three bronze sculptures, from 9′ to 17′ tall, that play with oppositions inspired by space and form, was installed in 1999 and is located in the Sculpture Garden just south of the Space Needle. In the artwork, two sculptures (one rhomboid and one ovoid), with convex surfaces, are each pierced by a circular hole. The third sculpture’s concave surface also contains a round void at its center but its missing piece can be found attached to the top of the sculpture on a bearing that rotates. A gift to the city of Seattle by Seattle Center Foundation, Chase’s Moon Gates was selected, with Alexander Liberman’s relocated Olympic Iliad, as the completing piece for the garden.

Moon Gates (Doris Chase, 1999, bronze)

Moses, a black-painted, mild steel sculpture by American Tony Smith (1912-1980, is located just northeast of the base of the Space Needle.  Fabricated in 1969 and measuring 460 x 350 x 223.5 cms. (181 1/8 x 137 13/16 x 88 in.), it has been on the Center’s grounds since 1975.  The abstract sculpture, weighing 5,500 lbs., is a geometrical abstract composition consisting of connected solid black steel volumes. It is the first major art acquisition under the city’s 1% for Art program.

Moses (Tony Smith, 1975, painted steel)

Sculpture Garden:  Broad Street Green, Broad and John Street, Seattle CenterSeattleWashington

Pike Place Starbucks Store (Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.)

Pike Place Starbucks Store

After lunch at Seafood City, Val drove Danny and I to the historic Pike Place Market in the downtown core of SeattleWashington,.  Once parked, we walked towards the Pike Place Starbucks Store (also known as the Original Starbucks), the first Starbucks store in the world.

Check out “Pikes Place Market

The store front

A known tourist attraction, it was hosting crowds during our visit. In fact, they say there was never a day without The Line which winds out the door and stretches down the street but it also keeps on moving as the baristas there are said to be as good as any on the planet.

However, many people, just like us, didn’t come to 1912 Pike for a cup of coffee. Instead, we came to experience the place where it all began. Founded in 1971, the store was opened by Jerry BaldwinZev Siegl and Gordon Bowker, three partners who were inspired by Alfred Peet of Peet’s Coffee to open the store and sell high-quality, freshly roasted coffee beans, tea and spices from around the world to take home as well as coffee making equipment and accessories.

The store interior

The name was inspired by the  Moby Dick, the 1851 classic tale of Herman Melvillewhich evoked the romance of the high seas and seafaring tradition of early coffee traders.  The name of the store was originally going to be called Cargo House or Pequod (Captain Ahab”s hip in the book), but the brand consultant (who also designed the chain’s logo , produced from an old 1800s map), but decided on Starbuck, the first mate and no-nonsense crew member on the Perquod. Starbos is also the name of a mining town which features in the book.

Everything in the entire store, truly one of a kind, is original, from the floors, the fixtures, the counters, etc.  They also still proudly display the brass labels that were on their bulk coffee bins in 1971.  However, while it commonly referred to as the first Starbucks location, the current address is the second for the Pike Place store as, for five years, the first restaurant was located at 2000 Western Avenue. In 1977, it moved one block away to 1912 Pike Place where it has been in continuous operation ever since.

Val Salgado, the author and Danny Macaventa outside the store

The sign outside this branch, unlike others, features the original logo – a seductive, bare-breasted siren that was modeled after a 15th-century Norse woodcut. It also features a pig statue called “Pork’n Beans,” a sculpture created locally for the 2001 Pigs on Parade competition that raised money for the Pike Place Market Foundation.

Starbucks logo from 1971 to 1987

Pike Place Starbucks Store: 1912 Pike Place, Seattle 98101, Washington .  Tel: +1 206-448-8762. Coordinates: 47.609899°N 122.342441°W.

Burnaby Village Museum (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)

Hill Street at Burnaby Village Museum

On our 23rd day in Canada, right after lunch, Grace, Jandy, Kyle and I opted to visit the Burnaby Village Museum, an open-air museum located at Deer Lake Park.  From Holdom Station, we took the SkyTrain to Sperling-Burnaby Lake Station then rode Bus 144 to the museum.

Administration Building and Discovery Meeting Room

Our visit was timely as the museum only opens seasonally, from May to September, and opens for special events taking place from September to March. Upon entering, we crossed a wooden bridge, with signs talking about Deer Lake Brook and, once across, the trees opened to the reconstructed 1920s village, the most noteworthy part of the museum.

Bridge over Deer Lake Brook

Previously known as the Heritage Village the museum has grown from 1.7 hectares  (4.3 acres) site, with a small number of displays, to a 4 hectare (10 acre) heritage site and major attraction in Metro Vancouver. The Museum is affiliated with the BC Museums Association, Canadian Museums Association, and the Canadian Heritage Information Network. Burnaby Art Gallery is in the same park.

Grace, Kyle and Jandy

Coincidentally, our visit coincided with the museum’s 50th anniversary. and near the entrance were life-size Anniversary Arches which showcases the Museum’s evolving role in the community through the eyes of local artists.  The first arch had the Filipino greeting Tuloy Po Kayo (“Please Come In”).

Anniversary Arches

Here is the historical timeline of the museum:

  • On November 19, 1971, the museum was officially opened (officiated by Roland Michener, then Governor General of Canada). Over 15,000 visitors attended the museum during its special three-day (November 19-21) opening.
  • On July 1, 1972, 2 PM, the museum opened for its first full public season. It included several shops located in replica buildings on the main street, and the “manor house” (the 1922 home of the Bateman family, today known as Elworth). Livestock, including horses that were shod in the blacksmith shop, were part of the display. An early promotional brochure promised visitors they would be able to “smell the burning hoof.”
  • In 1975, the B.C. Society of Model Engineers opened a model railway at the Village.
  • In 1979, the Heritage Village became the set for the Canadian/German co-production of the 26-part TV series Huckleberry Finn and His Friends.
  • In 1984, the museum’s name was changed to reflect its role as Burnaby‘s community museum
  • In 1985, Iredale Partnership was hired to create an expansion concept for Burnaby’s Municipal Council to consider.
  • In 1986, the plan was completed
  • In 1987, the plan was accepted by Council. At that time, the site was expanded to approximately 9 acres, with new lands across Deer Lake Brook made available to the Museum to expand, and to create a new entrance facility and administration building.
  • In 1989, the miniature railway moved to Confederation Park.
  • In 1990, the Municipality of Burnaby took over operation of Burnaby Village Museum from the Century Park Museum Association.
  • In 1999, the Museum’s popular “Business as Usual” school program was launched
  • In 2000, the “Home Sweet Home” program was launched.
  • In 2010, the Burnaby Village Museum was an official stop for the Olympic Torch Relay.
  • For the 2011 summer and Christmas seasons, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Museum, Burnaby City Council agreed to offer free admission to museum visitors.

The first place we visited was the Don Wrigley Pavilion, a pavilion located at one of the museum’s two entrances (earning the entrance the name “Carousel Entrance”).  Here, my grandson Kyle, accompanied by Jandy (Kyle needed to be accompanied by an adult), tried out one of the museum’s major attractions – the C. W. Parker Carousel, a carousel  built in 1912 by Charles Wallace Parker (owner of the C. W. Parker Company at LeavenworthKansas).

Don Wrigley Pavilion

One ride cost $2.65 per person.  This would be the second time they would ride a carousel (the first was in Butchart Gardens in Victoria). Setting the tone for the carousel was a Wurlitzer Military Band Organ (Style 146B), built by the Rudolf Wurlitzer Co, ca. 1925, which recreated the sound of a 20-piece military band.   The machine was bought from a collector in Spokane, Washington who obtained it from a closed down traveling carnival in Reno, Nevada.

Check out “Butchart Gardens

The Carousel Ticket Office and Gift Shop

The carousel also had a colored history.  Also known as the Parker #119 and the Burnaby Centennial Parker Carousel, the carousel, the 119th such machine built by the C. W. Parker Company (earning it its “Parker #119” nickname), contains 41 horses.  In 1913, it was sold for $5,886.00 and, for two years, the carousel toured Texas  with the Lone Star Circus.

The C. W. Parker Carousel

In 1915, the machine was shipped back to the factory where it is believed that the machine was rebuilt and some fancier horses and heavier rounding boards may have been added. Each horse is a work-of-art that was hand-carved and painted. Some of the horses were built in 1917 and some in 1920–1922.

1925 Wurlitzer Military Band Organ

From 1915 to 1936, the history of the carousel is unknown. In 1936, the carousel was purchased by Happyland, an amusement park in VancouverBritish Columbia and remained there until the amusement park was demolished in 1957.  The carousel was moved to the new small pavilion in Playland, (another amusement park in Vancouver) until that too was demolished in 1972.

Kyle and Jandy

From 1972 to 1989, Parker #119 was operated outdoors, and was put away each winter.  In 1989, the PNE’s historic carousel was decommissioned and it was announced that the carousel would be sold off, horse by horse, at an auction in New York but local residents came together to raise the money to purchase and save the carousel, forming the “Friends of the Vancouver Carousel Society.”  It was at this time that the carousel was nicknamed the Parker #119.

In May 1989, the Burnaby Village Museum agreed to provide a home for the carousel and the “Friends” led by President Don Wrigley, set about raising the $350,000 to purchase the machine. Keith Jamieson, a carousel expert, was brought in to coordinate the rebuilding project. In 1990, the carousel was purchased and funds were also raised to pay for the restoration.

The Carousel Gallery

People who donated money could sponsor a horse and later name it. The museum agreed to build a new pavilion to house the carousel. Named the Don Wrigley Pavilion, the pavilion was completed in 1993 and, that same year, the carousel (now named the Burnaby Centennial Parker Carousel) was officially opened.

Old Curly Locomotive Shed

Another machine with a colorful history here is the Old Curly Locomotive, the oldest surviving steam locomotive in British Columbia.  Built in San Francisco in 1879, this “pony locomotive,” initially named Emory, was a yard locomotive employed in building a seawall in San Francisco.  In 1881, it was brought north, just outside of Yale, British Columbia, to work on the construction of part of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Four wheel tenders, with 600 additional gallons of water, was added.

Old Curly Locomotive

Following the completion of the railway in 1885, it was barged over to Vancouver Island for use to log most of the timber in Surrey as well as several railway logging operations along the coast by the British Columbia Mills Timber and Trading Company until 1927. Its name may be a reference to Satan although the broadcaster Red Robinson believes it was named after his grandfather Curly Surgenor.  After years of neglect, it was restored by the CPR in the 1930s and placed on display at Hastings Park (PNE) in Vancouver.  In 1973, it was moved to the Burnaby Village Museum.

War Memorial Drinking Fountain

Along a shaded arterial pathway, we passed by the War Memorial Fountain, a granite drinking fountain built by local stonemason William Williamson. Erected in 1923 by the Burnaby Civic Employees Union (now CUPE Local 23), it was originally located in front of Burnaby‘s original Municipal Hall at Kingsway and Edmonds Street.  An engraved memorial, at the top of the fountain, commemorates Burnaby’s municipal employees who lost their lives in World War I. At the bottom of the memorial is a stone drinking bowl for dogs.  In 1974, the memorial was moved to the museum.

Interurban 1223 Tram Barn

At a meadow is the Vorce Tram Station and the Interurban Tram Barn.  The Interurban 1223 Tram Barn houses a restored 1912 British Columbia Electric Railway interurban tram, complete with information about the history of the BCER and its role in the development of Burnaby.

1912 British Columbia Electric Railway Interurban Tram

The author

In 2001, the 1912 interurban tram was moved offsite to a warehouse, where it would undergo a 5-year restoration project by the Friends of Interurban 1223. In 2007, the restored Interurban 1223 was returned to the Museum, and installed in the newly constructed tram barn.

The barn also houses displays, posters, and photos, with knowledgeable staff members providing operational details to visitors (did you know that trams of the era had a unique feature?   Their seats can be reversed, allowing passengers to always face forward.

Vorce Tram Station

The Vorce Tram Station, a modest utilitarian passenger tram shelter, was originally built in 1911 at the foot of Nursery Street as part of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company’s (BCER) Burnaby Lake Interurban Line. In 1953, it was moved to a local farm by the Lubbock family and, in 1977, was acquired by the Burnaby Village Museum and installed adjacent to the tram barn.  In 2008, under the auspices of the City of Burnaby Community Heritage Commission, it was restored to its original appearance.

Designed and built by the BCER, it is typical of the small local passenger stations on the Burnaby Lake and Chilliwack interurban lines. The wood frame structure, with is rectangular plan and hipped roof, is enclosed on three sides, with an open side for access to the train platform and a single long built in bench across the back of the station. Named after C.B. Vorce (the Chief Engineer for the company), it is the last remaining interurban station in Burnaby and one of the few extant structures left in the Greater Vancouver region that were once part of the extensive British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) interurban system.

Elworth

Next, we visited the one and one half storey, wood frame Elworth, the “manor house” designed by English born and trained architect Enoch Evans (1862-1939) of E. Evans and Son and built in 1922 by contractor William Dodson for retired Canadian Pacific Railway executive Edwin Wettenhall Bateman (1859-1957) and his wife, Mary (Dale) Bateman (1865-1935).

Living Room

The adjacent Elworth Garage is the original garage of the Elworth home. Both are the only historic buildings standing on their original site within the grounds of the Burnaby Village Museum.

Dining Room

This beautiful home, once part of the exclusive Deer Lake neighborhood, was named after Edwin Bateman’s birthplace in Cheshire, North West England. and is a typical example of the eclectic Period Revival influences that were common to domestic architecture in the post-World War I era.

It has an imposing, full open front veranda supported by exaggerated Ionic columns, cedar shingle sidings, two flanking brick chimneys, and multi-paned, double hung wooden sash windows.

Bedroom

In 1970, Elworth was purchased by Burnaby and became the focal point for the development of the museum.

Bathroom

Both the interior and exterior of the house have been restored and interpreted to the date of original construction, including recreated room interiors and period furnishings.

Kitchen

As we moved further along the Village, we felt we entered a movie set. In fact, a number of movies and TV series have been filmed here including LuciferHuckleberry Finn and Friends, Supernatural and Christmas in Evergreen, a Hallmark movie. The grounds of Burnaby Village Museum (BVM) has four streets – Finlayson Avenue, Hill Street, Brookfield Lane and Bate Avenue. Annually, more than 150,000 people visit the museum to experience the area’s insightful past.

Burnaby Village Museum contains 31 full scale buildings, some of them original heritage buildings, moved from other locations in the community and restored. They have designated working antiques and there are a total of 50,000 artifacts throughout the various buildings. Each building offers a little bit of history about how it contributed to the development of Burnaby.

Dow, Fraser & Co. Real Estate Office

The Dow, Fraser & Co. Real Estate Office, a 1927 heritage building, was originally a grocery store annex along MacKay Avenue.  In 1976, it was set up as a real estate and surveyor’s office.

The Royal Bank of Canada Building

The Royal Bank Building, constructed in Britannia Beach in 1950, was moved to the village in 1976 and set up to look like Burnaby’s Royal Bank which opened in 1921. Its interior fixtures are from Nelson, British Columbia.

The Royal Bank of Canada Building – Interior

The original Bell’s Dry Goods Store Building, a typical commercial false front, single storey, wood frame building, was built in 1922 by Clifford Tuckey with a small lean-to structure on the back housing a kitchen and bedroom.

Bell’s Dry Goods Building

Soon afterwards, the store was sold to William and Flora Bell, who then lived and worked their dry-goods business here for a number of years until 1937.  Later, the building was sold to Maurice and Mildred Whitechurch, who ran it for many years as a hardware store.

Bell’s Dry Goods Building – Store

In 1974, the structure was relocated to its present site at the museum. Between 1993 and 1996, the building was restored to its 1925 appearance.

Bell’s Dry Goods Building – Dining Room

Originally located along Sixth Street in East Burnaby, in a small commercial district that served residents located along the streetcar line between New Westminster and Edmonds, it is one of the last remaining intact false front retail structures of its time to survive in Burnaby as well as one of East Burnaby’s few surviving early commercial buildings.

Bell’s Dry Goods Building – Bedroom

Representative of other typical commercial structures of the period, this store also served as the location of the East Burnaby Post Office, one of a number of local post offices located throughout the municipality during the early twentieth century.

Farmhouse of Jesse and Martha Love

The Farmhouse of Jesse and Martha Love, the oldest building in the village, was built by Jesse Love and his wife Martha who arrived in Burnaby in 1893 and, over the years, had 11 children.

In 1988, it was moved to the Museum to be part of the “rural zone” display established in the newly acquired museum space across Deer Lake Brook.

Decorated in a 1925 Victorian style, it has a wraparound verandah and has all the modern conveniences –  from hot-running water to a radio. Guided tours are available.

Seaforth School Building

The restored Seaforth School Building was originally located on the north side of Burnaby Lake, at 7881 Government Street cor. Piper Avenue.  The one room school, designed by architects Bowman and Cullerne and constructed by local contractor Alphonse J. Toebaert, was opened in the rural Lozells District of Burnaby in 1922 with 20 students. By 1989, the popular “3R’s” school program was being offered on a regular basis at the schoolhouse.

Seaforth School – Classroom

In 1983, the historic building was moved, from its original location at Government Road to the Burnaby Village Museum and, in April 1987, the school was opened to the public as part of the Museum’s permanent exhibition.

Tom Irvine’s House. At left is the outhouse

The Tom Irvine’s House, a small, two-room  (living room/kitchen and a bedroom), wood frame bachelor’s house, was built in 1911 by Irish-born Burnaby resident Tom Irvine (a prospector in the Yukon and, later, a pile driver working with the British Columbia Electric Railway Burnaby Lake Interurban Line) and his friend Robert “Bob” Moore.

Tom Irvine’s House – Interior

Bob Moore died soon afterwards but Tom lived in the house until 1958.  In 1929, running water was added and electricity in the 1950s.  Tom never married and died in 1964, aged 100.  Originally located along Laurel Street in Central Burnaby (now the site of the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex), just west of Burnaby Lake and the tram line, it was moved to the site in 1975 and restored to its 1920s appearance.

Vancouver Heights Sheet Metal Works

The little Vancouver Heights Sheet Metal Works Building was once a shed used for horseshoeing on Burnaby’s Lubbock Farm. Today, it houses tinsmithing tools used to make a variety of items out of sheet metal.

Burnaby Lake General Store

Other buildings are replica buildings, created to house specific displays and artifacts.

Burnaby Lake General Store – Interior

The Burnaby Lake General Store is a 1920s General Store based on an actual store from Burnaby.  On stock were cleaning items, coffee beans, daily grocery items, etc.

Royal Oak Garage

Royal Oak Garage – Interior

The Royal Oak Garage, based on a 1925 garage on Kingsway in Burnaby has, on display, a vintage gas pump, a 1924 Ford Model T and a CCM Motor Bicycle.

1924 Ford Model T

CCM Motor Bicycle

Vintage gas pump

Silent movies, from the 1920s, are played in the 20-pax Central Park Theatre.

Central Park Theatre

The Wagner’s Blacksmith Shop is a working blacksmith shop based on a 1925 Burnaby business.

Wagner’s Blacksmith Shop

Staff, dressed in 1920s period attire, demonstrating tinsmithing at Wagner’s Blacksmith Shop

The Log Cabin, built in 1973 (as a North West Mounted Police post to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RCMP) by Earl Robert Carter using only hand tools, is a reproduction of a log house built in 1860 by William Holmes, Burnaby’s first settler.

Log Cabin

Log Cabin – Interior

Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee, a replica Chinese herbalist’s shop opened in 1975, houses the contents from a store which operated in Victoria from about 1900 to 1971.

Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee Herbalist

Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee Herbalist – Interior

The Drugstore has a rotating chart that helps patients identify their disease based on their general symptoms.

The Drugstore

Drugstore – Interior

There’s also a shining globe, in front of the store, made up of different colors that showed how seasoned the chemist was.

McKay Barber Shop

McKay Barber Shop – Interior

Beside it was the McKay Barbershop, a 1920s barbershop modeled after Burnaby’s McKay barbershop that operated on Kingsway.

Stride Studios

The Stride Studios, a temporary exhibit gallery on Hill Street, was opened in 2000.  Each year, it features a different special exhibit that explored topics beyond Burnaby in the 1920s to be featured as part of the visitor experience.

Stride Studios – Interior

In 2011, the gallery hosted “Prints from CPR Magic Lantern Slides, 1885-1930,” curated by Michael Lawlor and Bill Jeffries and circulated by the Simon Fraser University Gallery.

Fire Robot, 1990s

Ongoing, during our visit, was the “We Are 50: Expect the Unexpected – The Collection of the Burnaby Village Museum.”  It showcases objects rarely seen by the public before

The Burnaby Post

The Burnaby Post – Interior

The Burnaby Post, a working print shop representing the offices of Burnaby’s weekly paper, the Burnaby Post, demonstrates how an early printing press operates.

Treble Clef Phonographs

Treble Clef Phonographs – Interior

Treble Clef Phonographs is a 1920s music shop with an operating player piano.

Home Bakery

Home Bakery – Interior

The Home Bakery is a replica of the original “Home Bakery” which was located on Kingsway, just east of Boundary Road.

Japanese ofuro

There’s also a replica of an ofuru (Japanese bathhouse), built in 1977 in partnership with the Japanese-Canadian Citizens Association, to commemorate the arrival in B.C. of the first Japanese immigrant in 1877.

Bandstand

The Museum’s bandstand is based on the Central Park bandstand, built in 1895 and used until the 1920s.

the 1920s replica church

The nearby replica 1920s church, opened in 1974, is used for small weddings, memorials or baptisms.  It has hardwood floors, an upright piano, traditional stained glass windows and 14 authentic wooden pews.

Learning House

The Indigenous Learning House, an important addition to the Village, showcases the culture, language and traditions of the Skwxwu7mesh First Nations (Squamish) who lived here before Burnaby was colonized.

Learning House – Interior

Accompanying this house is the Matriarch’s Garden which contains special indigenous Coast Salish plants, some of them endangered, used for weaving, making tea and food for both humans and animals. The stones here are shaped in a Coast Salish eye, representing the grandfathers. Here, indigenous educators share their knowledge about plants.

Matriarch’s Garden

The Museum’s costumed historic interpreters or staff members, dressed in vintage clothing of the 1920s, have expert knowledge of the era and demonstrated the traditional trades. There are steam equipment that show how steam was once used to power sawmills and industrial equipment.

Ice Cream Parlour

Steam donkeys were used to move logs in the forest by winching steel ropes.  After our long walk exploring each and every building, we stopped for a sweet gelato treat at the iconic, 1920s-style Ice-Cream Parlour, beside the Home Bakery.

L-R: Kyle, Grace, Jandy and the author enjoying gelato at the Ice Cream Parlour

Burnaby Village Museum and Carousel: 6501 Deer Lake Ave., Deer Lake ParkBurnabyBritish Columbia V5G 3T6, Canada. Tel: (604) 297-4565.  Fax: (604) 297-4557.  E-mail: bvm@burnaby.ca. Website: www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca. Coordinates: 49.2391°N 122.9661°W. Admission is free, except for special events like their Spring Break Scavenger Hunt in March and Haunted Village in late October. There is also a small charge for their carousel rides (around $2.50 in normal years).

Burnaby Village Museum opens seasonally.  For 2022, it is open, from 11 AM to 4:30 PM, for school Spring Break, from March 14 to 25; and during summer, from Tuesdays to Sundays, between May 7 and September 5 (as well as on statutory holidays like Victoria DayCanada DayBC Day and Labour Day). Admission is free. The Haunted Village (also called Eerie Illusions) takes place from October 20 to 30. Admission to the Halloween attraction costs adults around $10 and $5 for children. Heritage Christmas is set to run from November 26, 2022 until January 2, 2023.

How to Get There: by bus: 110, 123, 133, 144, by SkyTrain: EXPO LINE, MILLENNIUM LINE.

Cultus Lake Provincial Park (British Columbia, Canada)

Cultus Lake Provincial Park

On our 20th day in Canada, Grace, Jandy, Bryan, Cheska, Kyle and I were invited to join a family picnic hosted by our Vancouver friends Nene and Lito Del Rosario, with their children, sons-in-law, grandchildren and family friends, to be held at the 656-hectare Cultus Lake, one of the most popular destination areas in the Lower Mainland.

Tintin Del Rosario-Legaspi, Grace, Cheska and Kyle with our dog Luffy

We were picked up at Burnaby by Jullius and Tintin Legaspi, son-in-law and daughter, respectively, of Lito and Nene.  The 91.3-km. drive, via the Trans-Canada Highway/BC-1 E, took almost 1.5 hours. From the Trans-Canada Highway, we turned at the Yarrow (you can also turn at the Sardis Exit) Exit and drove a further 16 kms., along the Columbia Valley Highway, which lead directly into the park.

The Cultus Lake community

The placid Cultus Lake,  the source of the Sweltzer River, is a large, warm freshwater lake within a 2,729-hectare provincial park amidst scenic forest-clad Skagit Mountain Range in the Fraser Valley region of southern British Columbia.

Our picnic spot

At one time, the lake had a sawmill and booming ground until it became a provincial park on February 10, 1948. Cultus Lake, an important place for spirit quests of the Sto:lo people, was named with the Chinook Jargon word meaning primarily “bad,” “worthless” or “good for nothing,” though the same word can also mean “free,” “without purpose” or simply “nothing.”

The packed Main Beach

The wildly popular, generally calm lake is located 11 kms. (6.8 mi.) south of the Chilliwack River, near the city of Chilliwack and approximately 80 kms. (50 mi.) east of Vancouver.  The park is almost evenly divided between the mostly undeveloped northwest and the visitor-oriented facilities confined to the southeast sides of Cultus Lake.

Children’s playground, well within eye and ear shot to all the picnic tables, where kids can play while parents relax and enjoy lakeside lounging

The area, a popular recreation destination, has four campgrounds (Clear Creek, Delta Grove, Entrance Bay and Maple Bay) managed by British Columbia Parks/Sea to Sky Park Services in the area (in addition to a few privately-owned campgrounds), a large day-use area for swimming, picnicking and boating, and ample opportunities for fishingwater skiingwind surfingwakesurfing, kayaking, standup paddle-boarding and hiking.

Paddle boat, paddle board and kayak rental shop

As we visited during August 1, British Columbia Day (a public holiday), the tiny associated resort community of about 1,100 people grew considerably in size as folks like us flocked to the region to enjoy the lake, park and the area’s numerous outdoor activities.

The path leading to Jade Bay

The water, the picturesque views and the sandy beaches are what feed the park’s popularity during the warmer and busy summer months.  However, in the off season, it gets pretty quiet.

Paddle boats, paddle boards and kayaks for rent

As we arrived early in the morning at the Entrance Bay Campsite, we had first choice among a plethora of picnic tables in an expansive, flat grassy field offering plenty of shade from tall Douglas fir trees.  Nearby was a small children’s playground; toilet and changing facilities and a quick public boat launch.

I am guessing these are sculls

Our late breakfast was homemade pan de sal with spam and scrambled eggs while lunch was to be grilled pork liempo, hotdog and fish; igado (an Ilocano pork and liver stew), fried chicken and fried wonton.  For dessert, we had fried turon (banana lumpia).

The author taking a hike along Cultus Lake

After lunch, I tried to burn the calories by hiking all the way down to Jade Bay which is easily accessible from our campsite.  It laso has additional bathrooms and a boat ramp.

Main Beach Iced Coffee

The broad, roped-off swimming area had a long, pebbly and gently sloping beach with clear waters ideal for the kids. Our hosts brought along their inflatable stand-up paddle boards and kayak plus a unicorn-shaped party island for the kids. Jandy and I, as well as the others, tried kayaking.

By lunchtime, the area soon filled up with vacationers and, by late afternoon, the winds grew stronger and the waters choppy, making stand-up paddle-boarding almost an impossibility. Still, nothing can erase the enjoyment of the children as they frolicked along the beach.

Luxury lakeshore homes

Nearby is the fairly modern Cultus Lake Adventure Park (opened in July 2014 as the expansion of Giggle Ridge Adventure Golf, it has 18 rides and attractions) and also in the area is the Cultus Lake Waterpark and the scenic 18-hole Cultus Lake Golf Club.

A public boat launch

Cultus Lake Provincial Park: British Columbia, Canada. All four campsites are open from April to mid-October and offer free hot showers and flush toilets.  Parking is free throughout the provincial park, but not at Main Beach. Tel: (604) 986-9371.

Queen Elizabeth Park (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Queen Elizabeth Park

As Grace, Jandy, Bryan, grandson Kyle and I, with our dog Luffy, didn’t make it in time to visit the Van Dusen Gardens, we decided to, instead, just visit the nearby 52-hectare (130-acre) Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver’s horticultural jewel, which was just a 1.6-km. walk via Oak Street and West 33rd Street.  This municipal park, located approximately 125 m. (410 ft.) above sea level on top of Little Mountain (the highest point in Vancouver proper), at the geographic center of Vancouver, attracts more than 6 million visitors a year.

Entering the park

It is the location of former basalt quarries (dug in the beginning of the twentieth century to provide materials for roads in the city) that has been converted into a beautiful city park with peaceful flower gardens and trees and stunning panoramic views. It features a rose garden, the meticulously manicured Quarry Garden and an arboretum with about 1,500 native and exotic trees.

Before European settlement, the park was an old-growth forest and a spawning ground for salmon frequented by grey wolves, elk and bears. In the 1870s, settling began in earnest and the population exterminated the grey wolves, elk and bears, chopped down all the old growth forest and paved over the salmon creeks. The salmon creeks that extended, from Queen Elizabeth Park to False Creek, do still exist today but, however, they have been paved over.

In 1936, the BC Tulip Association suggested, to the city’s park board, the creation of sunken gardens within the old quarries and, by the end of that decade, the site had been turned over to the Vancouver Park Board for park and recreation purposes.

During their visit to Vancouver in 1939, King George VI, and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (the mother of Queen Elizabeth II), as King and Queen of Canada, dedicated the park. From that time, with a generous donation from the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, park staff incrementally transformed the overgrown hillsides into Canada’s first civic arboretum.

The typically meticulously maintained Queen Elizabeth Park, one of Vancouver‘s most popular outdoor spaces (second only to Stanley Park), is a very popular area for walking near Vancouver and a great place for us to spend an afternoon.  Its 2.3-km. loop trail, generally considered an easy route, takes an average of 34 mins. to complete. Often a bit busy, the park offers paved paths, hills, ponds, and lots of flowers. There is also an off leash dog park.

Check out “Stanley Park

Bloedel Floral Conservatory

The most prominent structure in the park is the domed Bloedel Floral Conservatory, the country’s first geodesic conservatory, funded by Prentice Bloedel’s gift of $1.25 million (the largest the city of Vancouver had received to that date).  The 43 m. (140 ft.) diameter, 21 m. (70 ft.) high triodetic dome frame, manufactured entirely in Ottawa, was shipped 3,000 miles across the country to Queen Elizabeth Park. Upon arrival, the structural framework was erected in just 10 days and the entire dome and plaza took 18 months to complete. On December 6, 1969, it was opened amidst much jubilation.

Conservatory entrance

Its enclosed tropical garden, with three different climate zones, houses 500 exotic plants and flowers (bougainvilleas, browalliascitrus trees, coffee trees, eucalyptiepiphyteseuphorbia, various figsgardenia, hibiscusmagnolia trees, liliesyucca with pteris, etc.), more than 120 free-flying tropical birds plus an array of tropical fish. It might take you about 20 minutes to get through, depending on how interested you are in tropical plants.  Too bad it was already closed during our visit.

Dancing Fountain

Kyle frolicking at the Dancing Fountain

As it was summer, kids (including Kyle) couldn’t resist playing in the Dancing Waters fountain display beside the Celebration Pavilion. Since the park sits at the highest point in Vancouver, we had had beautiful photo opportunities of spectacular views of the city skyline of Vancouver and the Coast Mountains and shoreline from the Grace McCarthy (named after the late Vice-Chairman of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation) Plaza and at a lookout by the Bloedel Floral Conservatory.

Grace McCarthy Plaza

Lions Clock donated in April 1995 by the Vancouver Mandarin Lions Club and the Kowloon Lions Club (Hong Kong) to commemorate the twinning of the two clubs

Several sculptures are scattered throughout the plaza.  Beside the Dancing Fountain is the bronze sculpture “Knife Edge Two Piece 1962–65,” created by noted British artist Henry Moore.  Bought at a cost of $150,000 (part of $1.25 million donation), it was unveiled during the opening day of the new Bloedel Floral Conservatory in 1969.  With neither front or back, the sculpture was meant to be seen from all angles and, as you move around, from the west and east sides.

Knife Edge Two Piece (Henry Moore)

At a lookout by the Bloedel Floral Conservatory is the bronze, life-size, multi-figure sculpture The Photo Session, one of the “man in the street” series of sculptures created by American sculptor J. Seward Johnson, Jr. (born 1930 and heir of the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune) and installed in 1984.

The Lookout

View from the Lookout

It depicts a man with a camera photographing three people (two women and a man).  Real people, like us, joined the appealing statues to have our pictures taken.

Photo Session – The Photographer (Seward Johnson)

In June 2008, the figure of the photographer was stolen by metal thieves but was, fortunately, found abandoned and unharmed, two months later, in an Aldergrove field.

Photo Session – The Subjects (Seward Johnson)

We were planning to dine at the highly rated Seasons in the Park, located right at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park but tables by the window and the al fresco dining area, both wonderful places from which to enjoy the views, were full. US Pres. William “Bill” Clinton and Russian Federation Pres. Boris Yeltsin dined here on April 3, 1993.

Seasons in the Park

Seasons in the Park interior

Instead, we went down a trail to the popular Quarry Gardens.  Redesigned by Park Board Deputy Superintendent Bill Livingstone, it was unveiled in the early 1960s.

Quarry Garden

It is similar, in some ways, to the famous Sunken Garden at Butchart Gardens in Victoria (British Columbia’s capital city) which we visited just two days ago.  Both beautiful and located on the former site of a mining rock quarry.

Check out “Butchart Gardens

Grace, Kyle and Jandy at the Quarry Garden

On a lookout above the Quarry Garden is the 5.5 m. (18 ft.) diameter and 4.3 m. (14 ft.) high Love in the Rain sculpture, designed and fabricated with stainless steel by well-known Vancouver artist Bruce Voyce, was installed in August 2016.

Love in the Rain (Bruce Voyce)

This new public art project, embodying love in the temperate forest, depicts four entwined couples celebrating the shelter that love brings and the union that it forms.  The public was invited to celebrate their love by lovingly attaching locks to the skirts of each couple.  It has an integrated receptacle on site for the keys to be melted down to become part of a future sculpture.

Celebration Pavilion

 

Other attractions in the park include a Painters’ Corner, a pitch and putt golf course, Little Mountain disc golf course, tennis courts, lawn bowling club and offers tai chi and jogging. Several episodes of the long running TV show Stargate SG-1 were filmed there. Aside from summer, the best times to visit Queen Elizabeth Park are in the spring (for the flowers) and fall (for the autumn leaves).

Painters’ Corner

Queen Elizabeth Park: 4600 Cambie St. cor. 33rd Ave., VancouverBritish Columbia V6J 5L1, Canada. Tel: (604) 873-7000. Admission to the park is free.    Bloedel Floral Conservatory admission: $8 (adult). Coordinates: 49°14′32″N 123°06′54″W.

How to Get There: Queen Elizabeth Park is located across the street from the Hillcrest Aquatic Centre (at 4575 Clancy Loranger Way) and Nat Bailey Stadium (where the Vancouver Canadians baseball team plays and where the Riley Park Farmers Market takes place). The park is also accessible, via the Canada Line, on the SkyTrain.  The Oakridge-41st Avenue Station and the King Edward SkyTrain Station are within walking distance of the park. There is free on-street parking down the hill though on Cambie St. and along West 29th Ave. and Midlothian Ave., by the northern end of the park.