A few months ago I put the call out on Twitter to see what people have been curious to know about Vancouver’s past. There were some great suggestions about Joe Fortes and the Great Fire along with several more tidbits that would be interesting to research. A few people asked about the Burrard Bridge and in particular, the enclosed space between the towers. To answer a few of these questions, here’s a brief history of the Burrard Bridge – from busts to bike lanes.
Burrard Bridge History
Opening Day, 1932. Archives item# CVA 99-2656. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.
The basics are that the bridge was constructed from 1930-1932 in order to join downtown Vancouver with Kitsilano by going over False Creek. It officially opened on Canada Day, July 1st 1932 with “A snip of a pair of golden scissors in the hands of Mayor Louis D. Taylor.” [source]
Architect George Lister Thornton Sharp and engineer John R. Grant used various styles of trusses to create enough of a span for boats to pass underneath and also for the flow of traffic along the deck. The enclosed spaces between its towers on either end are referred to as galleries with small windows that peer out onto the traffic below. From what I hear, those spaces were never used for anything else (no actual gallery or office space) and are just there to hide the steel structure of the bridge. Other unused or now-defunct features include a stairwell from the deck to the beach that was shutdown in recent years as well as a railway bridge underneath the car deck that was scrapped.
The lamps on either end of the bridge that flicker with a red glow at night are a tribute to Canadian WWI prisoners of war. [source] Vancouver’s coat of arms graces the front of the galleries while busts of Captain George Vancouver and Sir Harry Burrard-Neale adorn bows of ships that jut out from either tower, above pedestrian archways. I wrote a quick piece about the bridge a few years ago and discovered at that time that Sir Harry Burrard-Neale never even came within 5,000km of Vancouver at any time in his life. As he often did with waterways up and down our coast, Captain Vancouver simply named the inlet after an old navy buddy.
1932. Archives item# CVA 99-4214. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.
For many, this bridge offers the best views of a sunset of the annual fireworks in English Bay. The bridge was actually designed so that you can still enjoy the view even while you’re driving. According to the Burrard Bridge Heritage Study by Donald Luxton & Associates in 2001, the handrails along the bridge are meant to provide an unobstructed view of the bay when vehicles are driving between 40 and 64 kilometres an hour. This visual effect is referred to as “stroboscopic”.
In 2007 the Burrard Bridge was listed on Heritage Vancouver’s Top Ten Endangered Sites and in 2009 it began a bike lane trial. It continues to link the downtown core with Kitsilano, Vanier Park, and UBC whether you travel by car, bus, bike, or foot. For a great view of the bridge at any time of day, check out the legendary KatKam webcam.
Six-time Olympic medalist Clara Hughes will be in Stanley Park tomorrow morning (October 7th) for a bike ride with the Take a Hike Foundation. Hughes, who is also set to be honored on Canada’s Walk of Fame this year, is hosting this event to celebrate Take a Hike’s 10 year anniversary.
Take a Hike is an alternative education program that engages at-risk youth through a unique combination of adventure-based learning, academics, counseling, and community involvement.
I sat in on a press conference during the Vancouver 2010 Games after she won a medal as a part of the speedskating relay team where she announced that she was donating her medal bonus ($10,000CDN) to Take a Hike. She also gave the teacher who founded the program tickets to her 3000m race at the Olympics.
Thursday’s event will start off with a press conference at 10:30am over at Second Beach. Hughes will give a talk about her life journey and the Olympics, which is bound to be incredibly motivational. She and Take a Hike students will then set out on a biking tour of the park.
If you’re in the area, I encourage you to check out her speech – even during the press conference in February I was moved by her determination and inspirational words of wisdom.
Joe Fresh is a brand typically associated with Superstore that produces clothing for men and women. They’ll be hopping outside of the giant green box and launching a flagship store in downtown Vancouver this month, bringing more fashion options to the entertainment district.
On October 16th they’ll be celebrating their grand opening with one giant street party outside of 540 Granville Street. This will include free concerts from Mariana’s Trench, Divine Brown, Stereos and Sweet Thing — some of the country’s hottest acts right now.
Things will kick off around 2:00pm and go until 6:00pm on Granville between Pender and Dunsmuir. Follow @JoeFreshStyle on Twitter for store opening announcements, events, and the latest from Joe Fresh.
With Halloween right around the corner, thoughts of witches, pirates, bags-full of candy and of course jack-o-lanterns fill children and parents’ minds a-like. In a follow up to my pumpkin patch write up from a few years ago. Here a few tips for those of you headed out to pumpkin patches over the next few weeks.
- Don’t pick your pumpkins too early in the season. Pumpkins are living things after all and if you pick them too soon they will be stinking piles of mush long before your munchkins can take a knife to them. Either that or they will just be too soft to carve. Don’t wait too long either, the closer you get to Halloween the less choice there is and if it’s been rainy (which is fairly common) the pumpkins start to get soggy sitting in the fields.
- Try to head to the pumpkin patch during ”non-peak” times. Obviously weekends are the busiest but be mindful of when bus loads of school kids on field trips might also be showing up. I recommend mid afternoon during the week to avoid crowds. Of course check websites or call ahead to confirm hours of operation.
- Don’t get carried away. It’s easy to get excited (we’ve done this several times) when picking your future jack-o-lanterns and end up with too big or too many pumpkins. Little ones tire quickly of cleaning pumpkin guts and some of the fun of carving your pumpkins will be lost. Try not to chose the biggest pumpkins in the patch but something you can picture your kids being able to clean and carve (with help). Also, don’t pick too many as carving pumpkins is time consuming and you- know- who ends up doing all the work once the kids get tired.
- Have fun. Put on your boots and old jeans. Let the kids get dirty as they wander the muddy fields finding that ”perfect” one. It’s usually a good idea to bring cash as some places don’t take interac or credit cards. Also, bring a bag to carry pumpkins and to protect the trunk of your car. Don’t forget your camera either.
For more information here are the links to a few local and very popular pumpkin patches. Most have additional activities but also charge admission (which may or may not include a pumpkin): Laity Pumpkin Patch, Country Pumpkin Patch, Aldor Acres, Apple Barn, Maan Farms, Petey’s Pumpkin Patch.
Vancouver’s downtown has many neighbourhoods; some officially named while others are giving nicknames by locals. There’s Gastown, then if you head along Beatty you’re in Crosstown until you get to Yaletown. The West End starts at Burrard and there’s Davie Village, English Bay, and Stanley Park. Coal Harbour faces the North Shore while the Financial District along West Pender and West Hastings sleeps over the weekend. The Entertainment District along Granville is then in a sort of limbo — placed between Yaletown and the West End. This is where The Rolston condo development is setting up shop and promoting “Midtown”. This area is defined between False Creek and Helmcken, Burrard and Homer.
The Rolston will be popping up where the Cecil currently sits on Granville Street. Their goal is to show how liveable the surrounding area is – which is sort of Yaletown meets False Creek, Sunset Beach, and the Entertainment District. To promote this, they sent John and I on a “Midtown Experience” tour this past weekend. Armed with an agenda filled with 12 hours of fun, here’s a glimpse of what we got up to in “Midtown”.
Stop: Tartine Bread and Pies
Location: 770 Beach Avenue
Our experience: It’s hard to avoid the incredible aromas wafting out into the neighbourhood from Tartine’s ovens. Fresh breads, muffins, brioche, cookies, croissants and pies filled with delectable ingredients tempt all who pass. We each ordered a coffee and filled up on baked-goods including the ham brioche, cherry tart, cheese scone, and morning glory muffin.
Stop: Absolutely Fabulous Urban Spa
Location: 1500 Hornby at Beach Avenue
Our experience: I admit, this isn’t the first time I taken my husband for a pedicure although rather than a quick n’ speedy soak and file, this was the full-on day spa experience wrapped in about 90 minutes. We shared a room and faced each other as our feet soaked, toe nails were filed, calves were massaged and (in my case) polish was applied. I mucked up my polish on two toes when I put on my shoes and the staff touched it up on the spot and offered additional touch ups throughout the week if I needed, which I thought was a nice gesture. They also played some really pretty piano music on the sound system which made it easy to close our eyes and enjoy our time at this urban oasis.
Stop: Nu Restaurant
Location: 1661 Granville St, under the Granville Bridge & right on top of False Creek
Our experience: Sunday brunch at Nu is “must do” in Vancouver. Located across from the Granville Island Market you’ll enjoy jazz music and passing sailboats from the dining room. Complimentary hot chocolate and scones warm your palette before trying one of their divine eggs benedict. For $23 you can select a beverage (coffee, tea, or brunch cocktail), an appetizer, and any of their bennies. It’s a little more than a Denny’s breakfast but the atmosphere and the view are worth it.
The next suggested stop was a VIFF film at either the VISA Screening Room, Pacific Cinematheque, Vancity Theatre, or the Empire Granville 7.
Stop: Sanafir Restaurant
Location: 1026 Granville St
Our experience: We were first sat at the window on little cube chairs, which were pretty uncomfortable but our server was kind enough to move us over to a booth upon inquiry. We ordered several tapas including the gazpacho shrimp and black pepper calamari then John recalled the “lamb balls” we had at the Rogers/VIFF party we attended at Sanafir the other day. He asked our server and she brought us out some the Lamb Kafta along with some Mediterranean ribs. When she asked how the ribs were we both looked up from licking our fingers and said in unison, “amazing”. We also had a shrimp vindaloo upon recommendation and the mango banana spring rolls for dessert (with chocolate ganache for dipping).
Stop: Sip Lounge
Location: 1117 Granville St
Our experience: The final stop on our tour was at Sip for some after dinner drinks. Turns out, it was Oktoberfest and all of the servers were wearing fun and flirty costumes to celebrate the occasion. The open kitchen behind the bar smelled delicious and we talked about our day and upcoming week over a pair of martinis.
The goal was to show that this part of downtown isn’t just for Friday and Saturday nights. Given the walking distance, range of activities, and quality of restaurants, it’s definitely a community in which you could spend a lot of time.
Disclosure: cmp.ly/2 – I was not paid to write this post & the establishments we visited were unaware that we were on a media tour. All photos in this post are by John Bollwitt for Miss604.
