The Honda Celebration of Light fireworks continued in Vancouver last night as hundreds of thousands people packed English Bay and the surrounding shores to watch France’s display.
Thanks to those who shared their photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool and #Photos604 on Instagram, I have another wonderful collection of images to share that give you just a sample of what summer fireworks nights are like in Vancouver:
France Vancouver Fireworks Photos
As always, please click through on these images to view more work from the photographers and feel free to share your own photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool or with the tag #Photos604 on Instagram. View all photo collections here.
The final fireworks night this summer is Saturday, August 2nd as we see what Japan has to offer.
Win a Trip to France!
The Honda Celebration of Light is also hosting a photo contest with KLM, here are the details: Upload your best picture of the fireworks at the 2014 Honda Celebration of Light in the Entries section of this website. When voting opens, get your friends (and friends of friends) to vote for your picture. They can vote once a day for one week. Once voting has closed, a panel of industry experts will decide who gets to go on the trip.
We walked down to Coal Harbour from our place in the West End on a simmering, sunny afternoon and reached Harbour Green Park just as the Blue Heron pulled up to the dock. Cody from Simplicity Sailing Charters had reached out to me about coming for a sunset sail and I couldn’t possibly turn down the opportunity to get out on the water in Vancouver, especially on a spectacular summer evening in July.
Vancouver Sunset Sailboat Cruise
Owners Cody and Jared Doolan were our crew for the sail and after a brief safety message, we left the city behind and took the water as a light serenade from Jack Johnson wafted from the galley’s radio.
We soon learned that Cody and Jared — brothers from Bend, Oregon — aren’t your average crew or tour guides. Jared’s background is in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering, and Cody’s is in Chemical Oceanography and Ecology. They can tell you everything about the Aloha model boat you’re in to air foils, head sails, and the 150% genoa good for light winds, to why sails move the way they do.
On the tour, your involvement with the sailing is entirely up to you. You can learn to sail or refresh your skills, or simply sit back and relax. Since we were with John’s two nephews who are visiting us from Iowa this week, we did a bit of both (well, the boys did). John was, for lack of a better term, geeking out because in that short time he learned so much about the mechanics of sailing.
We all sat in the calm waters off English Bay as the motor was cut and our movements were left up to the wind. It was peaceful, even as we looped between anchored tanker ships which were fun to look up on Google to see what they were carrying.
Cody brought up a nautical map from the galley to show us the shipping lines and I learned quite a few new things, including that the thoroughfare between Bowen Island and West Vancouver is the Queen Charlotte Channel.
A sunset sailboat cruise sounds romantic, and it is perfect for such occasions — gliding over waves, watching the sun slip behind the mountains — but what made me swoon was seeing our city and our gorgeous region from another perspective.
As the sky turned orange and the Third Beach drum circle began to pipe up, echoing from the shore, we made our way back around the Sea Wall, under Lions Gate Bridge, around Brockton Point, and into Coal Harbour. The salty sea air that was tickling my nose was suddenly pierced with the warm and familiar scent of Douglas Firs and Cedars, emanating from the green slopes of Stanley Park. I said aloud, “I love this city.” My nephew from Iowa replied, “I love this city, and I’ve only been here for 6 hours.”
Packages, for groups up to 6 people, start at $450 and they are all 3 hours or more. Enjoy a late morning sail, afternoon sail, sunset sail (like we did), a sail to Granville Island, a sail to Bowen Island, or a fireworks sail during the Honda Celebration of Light. We’re already planning our next trip out, which will most likely be to Bowen Island to find some great cafes Cody told us about.
Non-alcohol beverages are provided, you can bring your own food and beverages, and when you book the boat it’s entirely yours during your time slot. If you’re ready to go, you can book online and prepare for your lovely experience of Vancouver from the sea. Following Simplicity Sailing on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Cordova Street, which runs through the most history-laden part of Vancouver, was once called Willow Street and Oppenheimer Street, before eventually being named after Don Antonio Maria Villaces y Cordova, Spanish Viceroy of Mexico thanks to L.A. Hamilton.
1886: View of Granville [Townsite] looking west from Westminster Ave (Main Street) and Oppenheimer (Cordova) Street. Archives# Dist P8.3.
Lauchlan Alexander Hamilton was a CPR land commissioner and surveyor that arrived in Vancouver in 1883 where he surveyed and named streets from English Bay to Hastings and as a city councilor he proposed Stanley Park and laid out its perimeter. Lisa Smedman of the Vancouver Courier writes:
A map of the township published in August 1885 shows only four streets, each little more than a block long. The mapmakers gave these streets arbitrary names: Front (now Water Street), Willow (now Cordova Street), Water (now Carrall Street), Wood (now Abbott Street). The map shows three hotels-Sunnyside Hotel, Granville Hotel, and “Gassy Jack’s” Deighton Hotel-as well as a dozen smaller buildings including shops, a meat packing plant, boarding houses, cow barn, real estate office and Chinese wash house.
Cordova Street
Hamilton helped shape and name the streets of Vancouver as we know most of them today. As for Cordova, it starts in Coal Harbour, splits past Gastown’s Water Street, runs past longstanding shops like Woodward’s and Army & Navy, borders the south of Oppenheimer Park, and leads into Powell to the east. As far as the archives go, it’s one of the most photographed streets in Vancouver history.
Taking a closer look at Cordova, it’s the theme for today’s collection of photos from the City of Vancouver Archives:
1886: June right after the
The Great Vancouver Fire. H.T. Devine. Archives# LGN 455.
1886: Cordova, 5 weeks after The Great Vancouver Fire. Archives# Str P7.1.
1887: Inauguration of Vancouver, upon occasion of the terminus of the CP Railway being completed and arrival of first train from Montreal. Archives# CVA 677-25.
1890: George. T. Wadds. Archives# CVA 677-777.
1890s: Looking east on Cordova from Cambie. Canadian Pacific Scenery R.H. Trueman and Company. Archives# Str P89.
1890: Bailey Bros. Photo. Archives# CVA 1376-91.
1901: Arch on Cordova, between Cambie and Abbott, erected for visit of Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. Archives# SGN 928.
1902: Looking east on Cordova. Trueman Photo. Archives# CVA 2 – 143.
1960: Cordova at Carrall. Archives# CVA 780-768.
1914: Construction of the 3rd CPR building (at Seymour). Price Family. Archives# CVA 152-1.100.
1981: Cordova at Seymour. Archives# CVA 779-E04.03.
BC Place is one of the easiest landmarks to spot on a map of Vancouver aside from Stanley Park. It’s an icon of our fair city, opening in June of 1983 and again in 2011 following $150 million in major renovations, it has hosted everything from the CFL, MLS, and the NHL Heritage Classic to Madonna, U2, and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Now thanks to the BC Sports Hall of Fame, you can go behind the scenes to get unique views of this legendary venue.
The history of BC Place, and overall sport in BC, can be found at the BC Sports Hall of Fame, right inside the stadium doors at Gate A. This important attraction is full of history, interactive displays, games, the hall of inductees, and galleries including tributes to some extraordinary Canadian heroes like Terry Fox and Rick Hansen.
Public Tours of BC Place
This summer, the BC Sports Hall of Fame is hosting a new All Access Experience providing an enhanced visit and behind the scenes tour of BC Place. You’ll visit the media lounge, premium suite areas, team locker rooms, and have field access.
I tagged along for a tour earlier this month, joining visitors from Mexico and The Netherlands. It was interesting to see their reactions to facts and information, and to see how incredibly impressed they were with the BC Lions’ locker room.
On the tour you’ll learn things like why the seats have a colour pattern, how long it takes the roof to open and close, what is the pitch made of, player history, and other tidbits of information about BC Place as a building and venue.
Each tour has room for 20 guests and the cost is $20 per person. A group rate, for 10 or more, is available for $13.50. Current available tour dates are Tuesday, August 5, 2014; Wednesday, August 6, 2014; Tuesday, August 26, 2014; and Wednesday, August 27, 2014. Time slots are 10:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Call the BC Sports Hall of Fame at 604-687-5520 to secure your time today.
The BC Sports Hall of Fame is open daily at Gate A of BC Place from 10:00am-5:00pm. Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for more special event and exhibit information.
Summer 2015 Tours
The BC Sports Hall of Fame is offering All Access Experience tours of BC Place on August 11, 12, and 18 at 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm.
New Dates Added: Monday September 14th at 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm. October 6th, 13th, 14th, 2015. Check this link for the latest dates that these tours are available.
The Capilano Suspension Bridge, almost as old as the City of Vancouver itself, is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, and spread the joy, everyone with a birthday between August 1st and November 29th is invited up to Capilano Suspension Bridge to enjoy free admission on their own birthday. Just show your government-issued ID when you visit.
1900s: Archives# CVA 371-460.
1906: Archives# CVA 677-891 and 2011: Photo by Bryan Garnett-Law on Flickr
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, including the Treetops Adventure and Cliffwalk, is currently open 8:30am until 8:00pm for the summer. BC Residents get special perks and deals on admission and you can enter to win a $20,000 dream wedding at the park as well. Share your Capilano Suspension Bridge memories and stories by following and contributing to the tag #CapBridge125 on Facebook and Twitter.
Visit Capilano Suspension Bridge This Summer
It’s not often enough that we get to be tourists in our own hometown but the Capilano Suspension Bridge wants to change that. They are offering an awesome summer staycation package to one lucky Miss604 reader and their family. The prize includes: 4 tickets to the bridge, 1 pound of homemade birthday fudge, 2 baseball hats and two stuffed animals (valued at $225). Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment sharing your best birthday memory (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, August 5, 2014. Contest is open to all, not just those with a birthday between August 1st and November 29th (they just get the free admission on their special day).
Update The winner is Liz!
