The BMO Vancouver Marathon is happening this coming Sunday, May 6th and they have two new courses to showcase. The route will wind through neighbourhoods and around shorelines, from Queen Elizabeth Park to Pacific Spirit Park and UBC, clear through to Stanley Park and the Sea Wall.
Traffic disruption will occur in the West End, Coal Harbour, Chinatown, Yaletown, Riley Park, South Cambie, Kerrisdale, Dunbar, UBC, Kitsilano, Point Grey, and False Creek.
Organizers want to make sure the public is aware of this major event and that the Sea Wall will be closed entirely to pedestrian traffic from 9:00am to 12:00pm on Sunday — from Second Beach to Lumberman’s Arch. One lane will be open on the Sea Wall from 8:00am to 4:00pm around English Bay and Coal Harbour. This is to accomodate both the full and half marathon runners.
Major road closures will be 33rd & Main St (local access only, 12:00am to 11:00am), Cambie from 29th to 41st (6:00am to 9:00am), Burrard from Pender to Hastings (1 lane 6:00am to 4:00pm), Pender from Burrard to Georgia (westbound lanes closed 6:00am to 4:00pm), and all Stanley Park Roads (excluding the causeway) will be closed from 7:00am to 10:30am. Download this PDF document for a full list of closures.
Charlene Krepiakevich, Executive Director of the Vancouver International Marathon Society said: “Runners are eager to participate in the inaugural launch of our new courses. Building on the 40 year legacy of this event, the BMO Vancouver Marathon has now become a Canadian flagship event, is a Boston and NY qualifier and is now recognized as a Forbes top 10 destination marathon.”
This is the most significant traffic plan (600 pages) since the Vancouver 2010 Olympics as it covers 63 kilometers and could affect over 33,000 residents. Any residents or visitors with questions or concerns can call the 24-hour service line at (604) 872-2928. Follow the BMO Vancouver Marathon on Twitter for news and updates.
Add a Comment
by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Unpaid, Personal Opinion — I was not paid to write this post or any other. This post is not an endorsement or advertisement. I have a genuine interest in this development as we have lived in the West End (in view of the buildings) for several years. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Being a West End resident for the last six years, I’ve been watching the gold and brown Pacific Palisades towers undergo a transformation. I don’t cover real estate development often, but it’s been interesting to see the Robson and Jervis based hotel buildings (circa the 1960s) shift into rental properties.
Now owned by Austeville Properties, Pacific Palisades (“PaPa on Robson”) is hosting an open house on May 5th as they near completion of their remodel from a hotel to rental suites. They gave me a hard-hat tour of the Robson Tower and a few of their one bedroom and studio suites.
The furnishings in the presentation suites that will be open during Saturday’s event are all from CB2 which is located at the foot of the Robson Tower.
The Alberni Tower (750 Jervis) is 23 floors with 128 suites (42 studio, 84 one bedroom, 2 one bedroom penthouses). The Robson Tower (788 Jervis) has 106 suites on 20 floors (34 studio, 68 one bedroom, and 4 one bedroom penthouses). Studios start at $1100/month and one bedrooms start at $1500/month.
The former covered pool area for the hotel has been completely re-done into an amenities building for the two towers. It will feature a bike workshop, laundry, and public art space. The property is smoke-free and WIFI is available in the common area.
Stop by the rental centre at 1289 Robson Street from 11:30am until 5:00pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012 to learn more. Visitors will also be entered to win $500 to spend at CB2. You can view more photos of the transformation on the PaPa Flickr account.
The Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay has been making its way across Canada for the last 250 days with over 7,000 Canadians participating as medal-bearers. The relay is currently in Kelowna and will wind up in Vancouver on May 22nd where the Rick Hansen Celebration 25 event will wrap up this accomplishment in style.
What: Rick Hansen Celebration 25 When: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 7:30pm Where: Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver Tickets: Available online for $25 and all are welcome to this family-friendly event. Who: David Foster, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden, Sean Jones, Marianas Trench, The Canadian Tenors, Shane Koyczan, David Suzuki, Craig Kielburger, Lauren Woolstencroft, and more.
The anniversary relay has retraced a segment of the original Man in Motion World Tour that Rick Hansen completed in 1987. From coast to coast, covering over 12,000km and stopping in over 600 communities, the anniversary relay continues to raise awareness for the Rick Hansen Foundation which has raised more than $250 million over the years to accelerate progress towards a cure for spinal cord injury, and a more accessible and inclusive world.
Opening night will be this Friday, May 4th with a screening of Bear 71 at Saint Andrewʼs-Wesley United Church. The closing film of the festival will be Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry on Saturday, May 12th at Empire Granville 7.
What: DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2012 When: Friday, May 4, 2012 to Sunday, May 13, 2012 Where: Saint Andrewʼs-Wesley, Pacific Cinémathèque, Vancity Theatre, Denman Cinemas, Empire Granville 7 Tickets: Single tickets are $12 (except opening night, which is $20). A full Festival Pass is available for $150 and 10-ticket packs are $55 or $100. A $3 membership will be required if you’re not already a DOXA member. Tickets are available online, at Peopleʼs Co-op Books (1391 Commercial Drive), and Zulu Records (1972 West 4th).
DOXA is presented by The Documentary Media Society, a Vancouver based non-profit, charitable society (incorporated in 1998) devoted to presenting independent and innovative documentaries to Vancouver audiences.
Follow DOXA on Twitter and Facebook for more festival information.
The Burrard Contest
As a festival partner and hotel sponsor, The Burrard has offered up a prize pack to one lucky reader of mine that includes a night at the hotel and a pair of tickets to the sold out screening of Coast Modern:
Filmmakers Michael Bernard and Gavin Froome’s exquisitely cool film glides through the sleek interiors, and lush gardens of some of the most stunning examples of modernist architecture from Vancouver, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle. But these houses are not museums—they’re homes for families and real people. In the words of Arthur Erikson: “Honesty was the rallying cry of early modernists and they reduced everything to absolute essentials.” The film traces the emergence of the modernist movement from its first incarnations in 1922 through to current day. Featuring interviews with architects and cultural critics, including a memorable turn from Douglas Coupland, Coast Modern pays particularly sharp attention to cultural values embodied in architectural form. –DW
The Burrard will give these movie passes to my contest winner as well as a room at the hotel for the night of May 8th, following the screening at the Vancity Theatre.
Perfect for a weekend in the city, The Burrard re-opened last fall after extensive renovations to its 1950s-era amenities. It’s now retro a gem in the heart of downtown, within walking distance to the entertainment district, shopping on Robson, Davie village restaurants, and more. Follow them on Twitter @TheBurrard.
Here’s how you can enter to win this prize package:
Leave a comment here naming your favourite documentary (at DOXA, or not) (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win a @DOXAFestival prize pack from @TheBurrard & @Miss604 http://ow.ly/aBKGu
The winner will get one night at The Burrard on May 8, 2012 and two passes to the screening of Coast Modern. Contest closes at 12:00pm Thursday, May 3, 2012. Must be 19 years of age or older to enter and win. Estimated value is over $200. Prize cannot be redeemed for any other prize or cash value.
On April 30th 1886, Lauchlan Hamilton – a CPR land commissioner and surveyor – laid out the plans for the corner of Cambie and Hastings. This is the site of Victory Square today, and the subject of this week’s Vancouver Icons photo post.
1924. Archives# CVA 99-1477. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.
1918: Land was left vacant at Cambie and Hastings Streets, after the old provincial law courts were demolished. Funds to develop a park there were donated by the Province newspaper, at that time right across the street from the new park, which would be named Victory Square (to commemorate victory in the First World War).
The iconic cenotaph was unveiled on Sunday, April 27th, 1924. Its inscriptions read: “Their name liveth for evermore” (facing Hastings), “1914-1918” (within a stone wreath), “Is it nothing to you” (facing Hamilton), and “All ye that pass by” (facing Pender).
Over the last century Victory Square has been the site of protests, reading of the riot act, Remembrance Day ceremonies, and community festivals.
