Motor Hotel

One of the first images taken with my new 35mm f1.8 lens ...
… that I didn't completely screw up.

Canadian

Fred at The Mile Long Jam

I don't drink beer but by all accounts Molson Canadian is pretty generic stuff.

Signmaster

Signmaster Signs has been on Clark Dr for as long as I can remember but in fact they've only been there since I was about 13 years old.

Use Lower Gear

Maybe truck drivers know what '22% grade' means, but I doubt it. If they did they'd be engineers.

'Steep Hill' works, even I know what that means.

A Banner Year

50' or 100' banners (read ads) are quite common now that we've contracted the Olympic virus (or is it fever? I always confuse those two)

Seen from the cemetery you can make out the skier on the Royal Bank building at Georgia and Burrard, 5 or 6 kms away.

Looking at another of my famous 'cropped to death' images, it's not clear but the caption reads 'we're proud to support Team Canada'.

The building is about 300' high.

The Royal Bank is an official sponsor of the Games. I'm curious to know the cost of making, installing and removing that banner.

Tar Sands Rant

Some people in Canada are actually so dumb that they don't believe (or they pretend not to believe) that the Alberta Tar Sands are an environmental catastrophe. Odd thing, most of these people are politicians.

The petro-companies in the Tar Sands, and they are all there, use up astronomical amounts of natural gas and fresh water to separate gooey bitumen from sandy soil and convert it into dirty oil. One investment banker likens the process to turning gold into lead.

The curious can see the massive toxic tailing ponds and thousands of acres of forests stripped down to a muddy moonscape by entering 'Fort McMurray, Alta'. on Google Earth or Google Maps. There are flickr photos here.

The Copenhagen summit is a failure because politicians are more concerned with protecting industries that devastate the planet than they are with the well being generations to follow.

The same people who came up with trillions of dollars in a matter of days to save some of the biggest banks in the world and two of the three largest (and most inefficient) car makers could not come up with a plan to save the planet.

End of rant

Lucky Red

This little building is on E. Georgia, just off Main St. I had never paid very much attention to it until it's most recent incarnation. I think it's a gallery now although I haven't noticed it open lately. 

I think it was a restaurant at one time and I have a hazy recollection of having been told, many years ago, that it was a BYOB sort of place. Under B.C. liquor laws BYOB restaurants are verboten.

Marketing Goof?

Let me say right off that I know bupkis about marketing. Nevertheless, if I'd been asked, I would not have recommended changing the name from Hasty to Nasty Market. 

Renewal

The Hotel Pennsylvania is a good news story from the Downtown Eastside, Canada's poorest postal code.

The hotel was built as Woods Hotel in 1906. Some time after that it became known as the Pennsylvania Hotel. After a more or less steady decline in recent decades it has been given new life. The 70 or so SROs (single room occupancy) with bathrooms down the hall have been converted to 44 mini apartments providing supportive housing for DTES residents.

The building looks better than I ever remember it looking in my lifetime but the best part of the restoration is the recreation of the neon sign which has not been in place for ages. I just happened by shortly after the grand opening attended by politicians, community workers and residents or the neighbourhood. 

Another significant addition to the reno is the conical roof on the corner turret which had been removed some time back when I wasn't paying attention. 

Huge?

I don't know what to make of this. I wouldn't know Hugh Jackman if I tripped over him but I know how to spell his name. 

Sure he's big but is he huge? Maybe in Australia. Perhaps they ran out of Hs. If I'd run out of Hs I'd have used an S. 

Truth In Advertising

I see this cute little truck around town from time to time. This is the first time I've seen the sign on the tailgate. 

It's an Austin truck from around 1949. I don't think there is a Bushwack Motors. But if there were at least you'd know where you stood.

The Station

It's going to be a long time before I refer to this as Pacific Central. It is, in my opinion, a goofy name and the result of a lame compromise. 

This was the Canadian National Railway Station. We had other stations as well, the Great Northern Station was next door and has been a ginormous weed patch for decades. The Canadian Pacific Station is downtown and now serves as a commuter hub, among other things.

Canadian National, CN, is just a freight hauler. Since 1972 passenger service across Canada has been handled by VIA Rail. So, to make a long and boring story short and boring, somebody, CN I guess, didn't like the idea that the sign on top of the station read Canadian National since the building had nothing to do with them. The sign had historical significance and the usual brouhaha erupted over what to do about it. We ended up with Pacific Central in the same style as the original sign. 

Amtak goes south from here and all the highway bus services run from here as well. I'm hoping to take the train to Toronto in the next couple of months. If I do there'll be more train pics on here than any normal person will be able to tolerate. 

The Great Northern station is pictured below. It was demolished more than 40 years ago and nothing has been built in it's place. Imagine the creative opportunities for new uses for a building like this. The apparent lack of vision in Vancouver in the 60s is just staggering. I remember the building well and regret that I never got to see the interior. 

The Mighty Fraser

Lulu Island is the largest island in the Fraser River. The river divides at the eastern tip of Lulu Island and becomes the North and South Arms of the Fraser which then empties into the Strait of Georgia, a.k.a. the Pacific Ocean. This is the North Arm.

Horse owners in Southlands know this trail and some cyclists find their way here but it seems hardly used. This path is quite new and is the result of the demolition of most of the shipyard buildings which fronted on this part of the river. I'm upset about the demolition. It's more history gone forever in favour of building lots which will sell for $700,000.00 each. There was opposition to removing the old buildings but it was not successful. 

Tomorrow I'll show part of what is left of the shipyards. 

A while back I went into a rant about signs directed at idiots. Along the trail I saw signs which, in my opinion, were written by idiots. 

This is the very reason I wear a hockey helmet whenever I leave the house.

Idling Away

I'm curious to know how many CDP cities have an idling by-law. 

Vancouver's has been on the books for two years. I hope the signs have only been posted for a couple of weeks because I've only noticed them for a couple of weeks. 

No engine idling for longer than 3 minutes (it will be 2 minutes when I'm mayor). There are fines for violators but, of course, we hope for voluntary compliance. Trying to nab offenders seems like a non-starter. Is that a pun?

The Idiot Factor

Pardon me while I wax philosophical. 

Why do we post signs directed at morons? Anyone whose knuckles don't drag on the ground knows not to dump garbage at the side of the road. The knuckle-draggers will ignore the sign. 

Thank you for your forbearance.

This is the road leading to the UBC Farm. The farm is currently threatened by development. I'll post another pic tomorrow with a link to information. Plus, at no extra charge, I'll throw in my usual brand of level headed, unbiased and only occasionally factual editorializing. 

Shed

This shed got a new coat of paint since I was by here last.

Real Estate prices in Vancouver have reached the pinnacle, they are going downhill now. How fast and how far is $64,000.00 question. 

Vancouver is home to several excellent RE blogs. Condohype is entertaining whether you live here or not. Check it out for a clever, insightful take on the fantasy world of condo marketing.

If the pic is slightly blurry it's because my camera was on the wrong setting.