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 […]

I recently did a tour of the Downtown Eastside with BC Housing to learn more about their renovated properties. They scooped up over 20 hotels on the east side, some known as being the most dangerous buildings in Vancouver, and proceeded to bring them up to code so that tenants could have better living standards. […]

As Vancouver’s most famous beach, English Bay has been a source for views, sunsets, fireworks, and strolls since the dawn of our fair city. In 2010 I was running a contest to win two tickets to view the Honda Celebration of Light Fireworks from the top of the Bathhouse at English Bay. I had a […]

There are few places in Vancouver where public can get a panoramic view of the city without heading up one of the North Shore mountains. There’s the Lookout at Harbour Centre (which recently celebrated a birthday), then Cloud 9 restaurant atop the Empire Landmark Hotel. The other vantage points are mostly from private suites. However, […]

After a bit of a break from the Then and Now series I’ve decided to get it up and running again. Usually I explore the Vancouver Archives online database however I’ll be pulling from the Vancouver Public Library‘s collection for today’s “then” images. The “now” images have been captured from Google Maps. 1908 – Hamilton […]

Being a seaside town, Vancouver has always had several lighthouses standing guard atop rocky perches. This morning I put the call out on Twitter for history post suggestions and the theme of lighthouses came from Tyler Ingram. Three lighthouses in particular came to mind so I have decided to profile them in a “Then and […]

Inspired by today’s soggy weather, and the recent announcement that English Bay will be getting a Cactus Club, I thought I would profile Vancouver beaches, Then and Now. Tidal Flats at Jericho Beach 1890 Archives item # Be P41 2010 Photo credit: Brad-514 on Flickr Kitsilano Pool / Beach 1931 Archives item # Be N51.1 […]

Continuing my Then and Now photo series of Vancouver I went on the hunt for aerial images this morning. Funny thing is, after hosting the Olympics in your town “aerials” bring up images of athletes on skis and not views from a plane. It was a pleasant surprise however the following all feature pictures taken […]

Bringing back the “Then and Now” series this week, I have once again researched the depths of the City of Vancouver Archives online comparing images of yesteryear with Google Street Views of Vancouver today. This week’s theme is Hastings Street. Hastings and Howe West Hastings at a time was known as Seaton Street, named by […]

It took me a while to figure out a theme for this first “Then and Now” series installment of 2010. Last year I featured hotels, apartments, wintery scenes and even dogs in the city. I’ve come to the conclusion that the most effective “Then and Now” features buildings and streets, which are the easiest to […]