Frisbees, footballs, bikini-clad bodies, blankets, and bicycles parked along the Sea Wall are scenes of summer at Vancouver’s beaches. From Third to Locarno, English Bay to Spanish Banks, the seaside landscape has changed almost as much as the summer fashion trends. Thanks to the City of Vancouver Archives, and my niece who curated this collection, […]

Bowen Island: The Happy Isle. Postcards and advertisements painted a picture of a stunning island getaway just a quick boat ride from Vancouver, where the waters were emerald green and the cottage life was bustling. Picnics, socials, dances, company retreats, hikes, swims, dives — it was the original summer getaway from Vancouver. I had my […]

On the western coast of the country, Vancouver, which is 19 years younger than Canada itself, has always known how to celebrate our nation’s birthday in style. Known as Dominion Day until 1982, Canada Day has traditionally been a time for family fun, parades, picnics, and afternoons at the beach. Not much has changed — […]

June has historically been a pretty big month for the city, hence the proclamation of “Vancouver Day” (June 13th) in 1925. June 13, 1792: Captain George Vancouver explored Burrard Inlet June 13, 1859: A seam of coal was discovered at Coal Harbour June 13, 1886: The Great Fire — the entire city burned to the […]

Heritage Vancouver has released this year’s Top 10 Watch List, their 16th annual list that accompanied a bus tour this past weekend. This year they are seeing particular threats to neighbourhoods’ character, culture and history. They range from a loss of individual architecturally significant homes to single-family neighbourhoods, to the potential loss of entire communities […]

Vancouver has had a few city hall buildings; the first was a draped tent at the old Granville Townsite (1886) at the foot of Carrall St after the Great Fire. The first real structure was a building on Powell St, followed by a building on Main St just south of the Carnegie Library. The Holden […]

Ever wonder what it was like to be a tourist in Vancouver 100 years ago? Now you can get a small glimpse at the experience with these vintage photos of sightseeing in Vancouver from 1900-1950. Sightseeing in Vancouver Last week was Vancouver Heritage Week, a part of a national campaign with the tourism theme of […]

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is celebrating Vancouver Heritage Week February 15th to 21st as a part of Heritage Week in BC. Spearheaded by Heritage BC, and kicking off with National Heritage Day celebrated Canada wide, this year the theme is “Distinctive Destinations: Experience Historic Places”. 1911: Sightseeing in Stanley Park at Hollow Tree. Archives# St […]

The History of Lost Lagoon in Vancouver, BC on the edge of Stanley Park. 1894-2016. Photos from the Vancouver Archives and more

10 Vancouver Coffee Shop Photos from the Archives