Hollywood of the North
- Ash Collins
- Feb 13, 2020
- 5 min read
It was that time once again for we had to renew our E-3 Visas such that we could remain in the US for a further 2 years; the destination Consulate for this renewal would be Vancouver. Our appointment lasted about an hour and went without a hitch. With our Visas approved, it was time (for me) to reacquaint myself with the city that was my second stop on a global backpacking adventure some 32 years ago.
The weather was always going to be an obstacle to overcome in Raincouver. Vancouver is Canada's third most rainy city, with over 161 rainy days per year which does not include flurry or snow fall. It is also Canada's 3rd largest city behind Toronto & Montreal with a population of ~2.6 million peeps. And consistent with the #3, it is also the 3rd ranked city in the list of the world's most livable cities. Vancouver has been used as a filmmaking location for over a century and is as the third largest (yes that popular 3rd) motion picture and television production center in North America. As a result it became known as "Hollywood North" for its role as a production centre for US feature films and television programs.
Vancouver takes its name from George Vancouver, who explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792 and gave various places in the region British names. The city also had the nickname Gastown which came about in around 1867 when whisky proprietor 'Gassy' Jack Deighton settled in the area. Gassy Jack earned his nickname as he could talk under water with a mouth full of marbles so the local prospectors and lumbermen had no hesitation in saddling him with this title. Jack strolled into town with his team of horses and a large supply of whisky barrels that would later come in very handy. Gassy was missing only one thing...a saloon to sell his Tennessee Mouthwash. He gathered the local men around him and made them an offer they couldn't refuse! Build me my saloon and you will have all the FREE whisky you can drink; Gassy's saloon was erected within the day and the rest is history. The original site is marked by the Gastown steam clock which was built in 1977.
The city is compact and relatively flat making it easy to traverse on foot or feet if you are lucky enough to have two of them. We were staying in the centrally located Yaletown district directly opposite BC Place Stadium, the home of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC which is where my foot slogging journey began.
Crossing over the Cambie Street bridge, I was soon in the Olympic Village that hosted and accommodated the athletes from the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Unlike other areas that were given birth to an Olympic event, this area is very trendy, bright and populated by the city's Gen Y citizens. There are bars and restaurants a plenty in the area and none are more popular than the Craft Beer Market with over 100 beers on tap.
As this hostelry was closed I moved on walking around the perimeter of False Creek towards a large silver dome...the Telus World of Science.
As Science World was littered with young kiddies on a school excursion I decided to quickly move on in the downtown area enroute to Canada Place via Gastown where I would take my scenic flight from the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre Seaplane Terminal.
Canada Place is a building situated on the Burrard Inlet waterfront of Vancouver and is the home of the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel, Vancouver's World Trade Centre, and the virtual flight ride attraction FlyOver Canada.
My 30 minute flight with Harbor Air Seaplanes offered spectacular aerial views of the city’s busy downtown skyline and iconic landmarks including Stanley Park, English Bay, the Lions Gate Bridge and the North Shore Mountains. Raincouver would today provide a rare break in the miserable winter weather offering up blue skies creating vista views for miles around. I would certainly recommend to anyone visiting the city to put this excursion on their itinerary...
Thanks to our pilot Warren, we landed safely and docked on the calm waters of False Bay. Once again my now aching 'plates' and 'bumbles' inched me forward to further explore the remaining areas of interest around the city. Well, not really...I opted for the Hop On / Hop Off bus to take me to my next destination...Stanley Park.
Stanley Park borders the downtown area of Vancouver and is mostly surrounded by waters of the Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park was originally inhabited by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years before British Columbia was colonized by the British during the mid 19th century. The park was named after Lord Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, a British politician who had recently been appointed Governor General. As an aside the National Hockey League Trophy, the Stanley Cup, was also named after the Governor General.
Stanley Park also plays host to the world's longest seawall that was constructed around the perimeter of Stanley Park to prevent erosion of the park's foreshore. The wall extends for a total distance of about 9 kms. Other than walking, jogging, cycling, skating Stanley Park offers up many more attractions to its 8 million visitors each year. The park hosts the Vancouver Aquarium, a narrow gauge railway, the nine o'clock gun, Beaver Lake and of course the Totem Poles. The Totem Poles were erected in Stanley Park by the city in the 1920's and have become the Park's most visited attraction.
Another great landmark accessible from the park is the Lions Gate Bridge. The bridge opened in 1938 and connects Vancouver to the City of North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. The term "Lions Gate" refers to The Lions, a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver.
Funding for the construction of the bridge was provided by the the Guinness family who are better known for their very tasty frothie. The Guinness Family had acquired nearly 5,000 acres of prime real estate in Western Vancouver however without access, the land value as an investment would not appreciate. As a result, the family invested a little under $6m to fund the construction of the bridge which began in 1937. 18 months later, it opened to traffic on November 14, 1938 complete with a 25 cent toll was charged for each car or horse and carriage; five cents was charged for pedestrians or bicycles. Of course all toll revenue found its way into the family coffers (cheers Paddy). And in 1955, the Guinness family sold the bridge to the city of Vancouver for a slight profit over and above the construction cost.
Well there endeth the Vancouver BC AshTagBlog...I hope you enjoyed reading the trip details and images as much as I did providing them.
Look out for my next post that features our trip up to the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics...the Whistler Ski resort.
Cheers...
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