The first Granville Street Bridge opened on this day in 1889. Spanning False Creek, it was but a low-rising timber trestle designed mainly by the CPR.
1890 – View from 2nd Ave at Birch. Photographer: W Chapman. Vancouver Archives Item# Van Sc P58.
In 1909 the Granville Bridge would be rebuilt in steel with a through truss swing span.
1908 – Second Granville Street Bridge under construction. Vancouver Archives Item# SGN 936.
The first civilian to drive over it would be the first again 45 years later when the third iteration of the bridge (which we use today) opened up on February 4th, 1954. The woman cruised over in a brand new Cadillac each time. [source]
1925 – Looking North. Photographer: Stuart Thomsom. Vancouver Archives Item# CVA 99-2234.
While the Granville Street Bridge itself lacks ornament or era-specific aesthetic like the Burrard Bridge, it offers one of the most stunning views of our city, placing the bright neon of our entertainment district against a majestic mountainous backdrop when heading North.
2010 – Photo credit:
achow on Flickr
121 years after the first Granville Street Bridge was built, the eight-lane thoroughfare we know today is crossed by thousands daily on foot or by bike, bus, and car between downtown and South Granville.
Mount Seymour’s Guys Night Out, Girls Ride Free event returns for a 5th season starting January 10th, 2011.
Women have the opportunity to enjoy free night skiing every Monday throughout the event when they pick up a voucher in advance from participating retail locations:
Coastal Riders
10310 152nd Street, Surrey (604) 581-9234
Pacific Boarder
1793 West 4th Ave, Vancouver (604) 734-7245
Comor Sports
3700 Hastings Street, Burnaby (604) 291-0475
Street to Snow
3807 East Hastings Street, Burnaby (604) 299-7669
The Boardroom
2057 Lonsdale Ave, North Vancouver (604) 985-9669 (North Vancouver location Only)
Vancouver Ski & Board Services
#271 East 2nd Ave, Vancouver (604) 879-1833
Vouchers are available after January 7th for one complimentary lift pass valid from 6:00pm on Mondays until March 14th, 2011.
In exchange for the free lift, women are encouraged to donate to the BC Cancer Foundation at Guest Services and during Apres Ski Night (Mondays at 8:00pm) in The Rock Chute Inn. With all the ladies on the slopes, men are invited to enjoy the scene (and to donate to the BC Cancer Foundation as well).
Over the last two years alone the mountain has raised close to $20,000. Make your Monday a guys or girls night out for a great cause this season and give that fundraising total a boost.
As the wheels on Duane Storey‘s plane pull up off the YVR tarmac tomorrow he’ll be on his way to an adventure some of us may only dream of living. For the last year or so, Duane has been planning a working holiday that will take him below the equator, over the Atlantic, and across dozens of time zones.
Back in January of 2009 Duane quit his job downtown and moved from his False Creek apartment to a condo in his hometown of Chilliwack, BC. He had previously founded Brave New Code with Dale Mugford of Hamilton, Ontario and they had already begun to change the way we all use WordPress by creating popular plugins such as WPtouch and WordTwit.
With his new-found employment freedom, an idea began to sprout and it will come to fruition tomorrow when he leaves for Argentina from where he will be working (and blogging) for the next few months before moving on to another location.
“As much as I’d like to kick my feet up and relax every day, I’ll be working and helping run our company on most days during normal business hours,” Duane told me.
“Instead of having a small farm town as the backdrop though there will be various cities in the world, such as Buenos Aires, where I’m starting. Hopefully as the year progresses I’ll be able to do more four day weekends and week long trips. But at first, most of my exploring will be in the evenings and on weekends as I go.”
Having the freedom to work from anywhere is one thing but when your business relies heavily on internet usage and web applications, connectivity is something Duane needed to research diligently.
“Most countries have fairly reliable internet these days, and some even have better internet than in North America (such as Japan). I’ll mostly be renting furnished apartments as I travel, and most of those have high-speed internet included.” If he doesn’t have luck with WIFI, Duane said that getting a cellular data plan is the next best option as they are fairly easy to acquire abroad.
While he only planned to be away for about six months, Duane’s wandering appetite has grown and he will most likely be gone through the fall of 2011.
“My rough plan is to do South America for three months (where it will be summer), then hit Europe for three or four months (where it will be spring going on summer),” said Duane who plans to chase the season. “I’ll then move on to Asia for three months (where it will be summer going on fall), and then end the trip in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and then home again for Christmas.”
You can follow Duane’s travel tips, tours, and adventures by following Migratory Nerd on his blog, Twitter, and Flickr. We’ll be checking in with him over Skype and FaceTime as he makes his way around the globe.
Chinese and Scottish traditions collide with the annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy event happening later this month. Combining the Chinese New Year with Robbie Burns Day, this legendary fusion is distinct to Vancouver and has become so popular that there are now multiple events happening across the city and as far south as Seattle.
Photo credit:
bmann on Flickr
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Gala
The Vancouver Public Library’s celebration with poetry by James Mullen, Steve Duncan, Michael Morris, Dr. Ray Hsu. Performances by Rob McDonald on bagpipes and Ariadne’s Dream Dragon Dance.
Where VPL 350 W. Georgia St., Alma VanDusen Room, Lower Level
When January 24, 2011 from 7:00pm until 8:30pm
Tickets Free, but seating is limited. Call (604) 331-4044 for more information.
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner
Toddish McWong’s 14th Annversary Dinner, celebrating the 252nd Anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth and the incoming Chinese New Year of the Rabbit.
Where Floata Chinese Restaurant, #400-180 Keefer St.
When January 30, 2011 doors at 5:00pm, dinner at 6:00pm
Tickets Students $54.50, adults $65, children $44. Group rates are available for tables of 10.
Should you know of any other Gung Haggis Fat Choy events please feel free to leave details in the comments section.
This afternoon I grabbed my new Nikon D90 and we bundled up for our third annual ‘first photowalk‘ of the year in Anytown, USA – otherwise known as my husband’s hometown in Iowa.
The sun peeked out and began to melt piles of snow that quickly re-froze as solid puddles, causing my less-than-adequate soles to slip and skid. We walked by houses with frosted tire swings, porches laden with piles of firewood, and flags waving proudly on the front lawn.
Next we strolled past main street’s salons, boutiques, and hardware stores before making our way to the park down by the river.
The pond was solid, covered in snowmobile tracks and footprints, and we crunched along buried paths trying to chase the sunset’s light.
While I have much to get used to using a DLSR camera, I have hit the ground running and look forward to trying out my new toy on the streets and beach-side strolls of Vancouver upon our return.
