The Atlas Obscura is an online directory resource for unique, intriguing, amusing, and peculiar attractions around the globe. Being a fan of historic and cultural oddities, I figured this would be a great thing to cover. On March 20th they are hosting “Obscura Day” highlighting the best destinations from South America to the North Pole. […]

Exploring more of Vancouver’s history this week I took a gander at the listed photograph subject terms that I can search through on the City of Vancouver Archives website. Finding some of the most obscure results, I thought it would be fun to post a few retrospective photos of our city, featuring some unusual imagery. […]

Photo: Kris Krug – 2005 Meeting under the Birks clock is as “Vancouver” as whistling the $1.49 Day Woodward’s jingle or stampeding through Army & Navy on shoe sale day. The iconic timepiece stood outside Birks’ flagship store on Granville and Hastings and was moved to Georgia and Granville – spending time at town major […]

Although Stanley is our most famous, there are more than 200 other parks in our City that range from wetland, dog parks, beachfront, forest trails, golf courses, and colourful playgrounds. Some parks are named for their neighbourhood or geographical location however many are named in honor of a person. Lord Stanley – Stanley Park, Photo […]

It was the site of the Miracle Mile and where the Beatles took the stage in Vancouver, now after being demolished in 1993 Empire Stadium will once again be filled with cheering fans. Life.com – August 1954, Photographer: Ralph Morse Here are some historic events that took place in the old Empire Stadium, located on […]

Drenched to its core on a bleak and dreary Monday morning, the city has come alive for another workday. Even though I do not have a commute, I can still feel the cold damp chill of downtown’s enveloping concrete soak through my skin, as though I were standing on a corner mid down-pour. It’s just […]

My History Tidbits series has contained everything from Fountains, Trails, and Mansions but today I thought I would play the Name Game once again. Every day I wonder where a street, building, or bridge in Metro Vancouver got its name. I’d have to say my favourite so far is the history of Mr Duff Pattullo […]

ITEM #: SGN 113Photographer: Bailey Bros. I thought of continuing my weekly Then and Now photo series until I realized that most “then” images would not accurately depict the city’s fall hues in black and white. However, as I glanced at one of my favourite local history resources this morning, I found the following and […]

Even though Vancouver is surrounded by water there are man-made aquatic creations placed around the city which each have a unique story to tell. Salmon Fountain-Shrine – Water and Abbott Installed in 1987, this fountain was designed by Sam Carter, an instructor at the Emily Carr Institute of Art. It was commissioned in honor of […]

We had what many called snowmageddon this winter and now we’re busting the thermostats with record heatwave temperatures across the Province. All this wonderful sunshine might be getting too hot and uncomfortable for most to bear as we hear grumbled complaints about the weather around town. The following history tidbits serve to remind us of […]