We have been in Vancouver now almost three weeks and we have definitely been taking advantage of our extended time here. I am happy to announce that I have started volunteering with the Red Cross helping out in the kitchen to prep and serve meals. A lot of the places that I reached out to had an extensive onboarding process that required volunteers to commit to volunteering year round, so I am so grateful that wasn’t the case with the Red Cross. I have added more information about the location I’m volunteering at and how to support in the “Showing Up” tab so check it out if you’re interested in learning more. 😘 Last Thursday I was also approved to volunteer at Stanley Park, helping remove invasive species, much like I did when I was in Oahu, and will be participating in that for my first time tomorrow so stay tuned. I am so grateful for the opportunity to give back to the communities that give so much to us and I hope that I am able to continue to do so in other countries that we visit. I am not sure how it will work in places where English is not the primary language and I do know that there are Red Cross locations in over 192 countries so I think that will be a good place to start!
One thing I noticed being in Vancouver for our second time is how much my way of creating lists has changed. Some of you may know that I create a list for every city that we visit. They are full of sites to see and museums to visit, as well as libraries, restaurants, bars, shops, and grocery stores. So, if you ever plan on visiting any of the cities that you’re reading about in my blog, feel free to reach out to me and I’d be happy to share my list of recommendations with you! Because of how much my lists have changed/improved with experience, I still had a lot of research to do about Vancouver when we first arrived. I think part of it was that the last time we were here we only had two weeks, and we went to Vancouver Island for the weekend in between, so it didn’t leave time to do much else. Also, I think that what we like to do in cities has changed over the past almost three years as well. For example, I didn’t even have libraries on my list for Vancouver, even though I know I went to one, and now finding the nearest library is one of the first things I look for, after the grocery store, when we arrive in a new place.
As I was researching things to do during our time in Vancouver I came across a bit of information that I didn’t know before. I learned “Vancouver claims the smallest carbon footprint of any major North American city, and is a recognized leader in green building and sustainable planning.” After I learned that I found an “Urban Future Walk” that was being led by a University of British Columbia doctoral student who is researching Urban Futures for her thesis. I was immediately intrigued. I signed up to take the walk on July 30th and learned so much about what Vancouver is doing to earn the title of “smallest carbon footprint.” Here are some facts that I learned:
Vancouver has over 330km (approx. 205 miles) of bike lanes. It also has 250 bike share stations with 2,500 bikes, including 500 e-bikes. Making biking one of the easiest forms of active transport to take advantage of, I’m assuming after walking.
Another thing that they have implemented is streets with “Green Rainwater Infrastructure, GRI is a cost-effective approach to rainwater management that protects, restores, and mimics the natural water cycle. It uses soils, plants, trees and engineered structures to capture, store and clean urban rainwater runoff before returning it to our waterways and atmosphere.” -City of Vancouver. I saw an example of this on Richard Street. They had a concrete barrier dividing the bike lane from car traffic and trees planted along the sidewalk with a permeable layer on top to capture the rain and runoff. GRI soaks up 3,962,581 gallons of water every year which is equivalent to six olympic swimming pools! You can learn more about it here: https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/green-infrastructure.aspx
I also learned about the Sea2City initiative that “was designed as a deeply collaborative initiative to demonstrate a more decolonized approach to the shoreline.” -City of Vancouver. You can learn more about that here: https://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/sea2city-design-challenge.aspx
There was much more and the last thing I feel is worth mentioning is all the green space in Vancouver. Stanley Park being one of the largest covering 1,001 acres of land which is about ⅕ larger than New York City’s Central Park. “Green spaces do more than beautify cities, they cool urban air 2-6 degrees Celsius (a range up to seven degrees Fahrenheit), absorb carbon, reduce stormwater, support biodiversity, and improve physical and mental health.” Way to go Vancouver!
Some other cool things that we have done while we’ve been here are visit Lynn Canyon Park which is a “free 617-acre public municipal park in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Established in 1912, it features a famous 40-meter-long suspension bridge hanging 50 meters above Lynn Creek, temperate rainforest hiking trails, waterfalls, swimming holes, and the Lynn Canyon Ecology Center.” The second weekend we were here we visited the Cleveland Dam and the Capilano River Hatchery on Saturday the 1st and celebrated Vancouver Pride by going to the joy inducing parade on Sunday. Last weekend we took the shuttle bus to Squamish for the day. It was Dave’s first time and the weather was perfect. They have done a lot of work along the Howe Sound since I was there two and a half years ago. They have created a beautiful park called Sp’akw’us Feather Park, where you can watch kite surfers and parasailers, drink a tasty lager at House of Lager and it even offers a view of Shannon Falls, Mount Garibaldi and Stawamus Chief “The Chief, a massive 700-meter granite monolith towering over Howe Sound.” We even had time to do a little hiking at Smoke Bluffs park to get a view above the Sound before we caught our shuttle back to Vancouver.
We have about a week and a half left in Vancouver before we make our way down the West Coast of the United States and we still have several things we want to do. We want to spend some time in Stanley Park together and also visit the Museum of Anthropology at UBC which has a special emphasis on First Nations peoples. Next weekend we’re taking a different shuttle to Whistler for the day. Neither of us have been and we’re excited to see it. We haven’t decided yet if we’ll take the Sea to Sky Gondola or do the Cloudraker Skybridge and whatever we do it’ll be fun to walk around Olympic Village and hopefully do some hiking. If it is anything like everything else we’ve seen and done while in British Columbia it is sure to be beautiful! We are grateful for this time and what we have learned while we’ve been here, and we are looking ahead to the next couple months excited to see what the Universe has in store for us.
Until next time,
❤️Alison and Dave
Rediscovering our neighborhood. I can’t remember if I mentioned that our Air BnB just happens to be in the same building we stayed in two and half years ago. The globe outside of Science World is decorated like a soccer ball and you can see some of the North Shore Mountains beyond that. Vancouver also hosted matches for the World Cup, adding to our list of World Cup match destinations this leg. Funnily enough, we still have three more destinations to add to our list before we return to the Midwest in November! I suppose that makes sense since North America hosted this year and that is where we’ve stayed. 😂Interesting question considering my existential crisis last post. 😉 This is a public art installation by Justin Langlois located along the False Creek seawall. The view of False Creek and Science world from the Cambie Bridge. I’m on my way to find the Central Library downtown Vancouver. Even though the World Cup is over you can feel remnants of it all over the city. This is on Robson Square.I made it to the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library (VPL). It’s a beautiful space!Visiting Granville Island. A tiny island in False Creek. “Friendly Canadian Wildlife” by @parallel.pedram“The Giants” by OSGEMEOS (Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo) who are twin street artists from Brazil. It is located at the Heidelberg Materials plan on Granville Island. This mural is on the False Creek Neighborhood Energy Utility building along False Creek Path. Although the artist isn’t directly identified the description says “the figure is an indigenous man resting on the rocks of his ancestral home.”On Saturday, July 25th we went to Lynn Canyon Park in North Vancouver. The Coast Douglas Fir trees were incredibly beautiful. Lynn Creek. The water was beautiful. So many shades of green. The Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge towers 160 feet over the canyon,and offers great views of the falls (cascades) 🙂After Lynn Canyon Park we took the bus to the Lower Lonsdale neighborhood of North Vancouver,and ate lunch at Q Market.Inside Q Market.This amazing floor mosaic was created by Canadian mosaic artist Liz Calvin and is inside Q Market. After lunch we walked along Pier 7 and took in the view of downtown Vancouver before we took the SeaBus home. It was a great day, in spite of a little rain, and it felt good to save money by going to a free park and taking public transportation.Inside of the Central Library. I volunteered for my first time with the Red Cross at Belkin House on July 29th. Afterwards I took the SeaBus back to North Vancouver to visit the Polygon Gallery which is free and focuses on photography and media based art. This sculpture “Eye of the Ancestor” by contemporary Squamish Nation artisit James Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry is made of yellow cedar and is carved with Coast Salish designs. It is the first thing you see when you enter the gallery. This is a piece by Simranpreet Anand is part of their “Living with the Eternal” exhibition. “Simranpreet Anand’s latest body of work weighs the spiritual significance of sacred materials against the costs and modes of their mass production.”I initially went to the Polygon because I had read about Anand’s exhibit and then was excited to discover one by photographer Greg Girard as well. Girard is from Vancouver and fully relocated to Asia in the 1980s where he lived for three decades. This photograph is of Qingdao [China] Airport, 1995.“Greyhound Passenger, Texas, 1978”“Residents, #147 Miezhu Lu, Shanghai, 2006” I just love how Girard captures so many different stories in one shot. I also think it looks older than 2006. Dave and I were in Shanghai together over New Years in 2008. “Occupation of Tiananmen Square, Beijing, 1989” I was only 10 at the time and I remember hearing about this on the news. Entering the Forbidden City in January, 2008. Crazy!The view of Q Market from inside the Polygon Gallery. As you can tell, it was a much nicer day. The “Urban Future Walk” began at the University of British Colombia sign on Robson Square. We walked through downtown to Richard Street where we learned about the Green Rainwater Infrastructure. This is Cathedral Square. The art is part of the Blanketing the City IV public art project and was created by Musqueam weaver and designer Debra Sparrow and opened in 1986. This urban park was part of an initiative to beautify downtown Vancouver and sits on top of an underground BC Hydro substation.The “Urban Future Walk” finished outside of the Vancouver Convention Center. The sculpture “Digital Orca” was created by Douglas Coupland in 2010. The artist says “the use of natural imagery modified by technology bridges the past to the future.”On August 1st we took the bus to the Cleveland Dam. Lake Capilano sits on top of it. It is a pretty incredible place!We hiked around Capilano River Regional Park which was also free.
I thought these Red-Belted Conk mushrooms kinda looked like toads sticking out of the side of the tree.
Banana Slug. Another view of the Cleveland Dam from below. First views of the Capilano River Hatchery. Layers on top of layers on top of layers. Beautiful British Columbia. Fish ladder. Since this was the second fish ladder I had seen on this leg of the adventure, I thought I should do a little research about what purpose a fish ladder served. This is what I learned: “Fish ladders help migrating fish swim past human-made barriers like dams and locks. It uses a series of stepped pools or low steps so fish can safely climb up and over rushing water to reach their natural spawning grounds.” Google. “The more you know!”The hatchery has viewing windows underneath the fish ladder. This is a Chinook Salmon. “The Capilano Hatchery estimates that 9,600 Chinook, 65,000 Coho, and 350 Steelhead Salmon contribute to contribute to the commercial, sport, and native fisheries every year.”Exploring our neighborhood of Mount Pleasant. “The Reflection” by Dimitri Sirenko. We stumbled upon an artist studio that was filled with miniature models of buildings in Vancouver. He said that he just makes them as his hobby. Views from our rooftop. Green rooftops for the win!More rooftop views. This is Metrotown in the Burnaby neighborhood. On August 2nd before the Pride Parade began we visited the visited the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Center in Yaletown and saw the historic Canadian Pacific Railway Engine 374. “Built in Montreal in 1886, the engine famously hauled the very first trans-continental passenger train directly into Vancouver on May 23, 1887.”The beginning of the parade. “Vancouver Pride—along with 2SLGBTQI+ communities globally—stood with Berlin to condemn a tragic, fatal act of violence and hate that occurred during Berlin Pride (Christopher Street Day) celebrations, that took place on July 24th and 25th. This message of solidarity served as a powerful reminder that safety for the queer community is globally interconnected.”The feeling of love, joy and pride was palpable. Everyone represented. I learned about EVO on my “Urban Future Walk” as well. It is a car sharing company that uses hybrid Toyota Prius cars to help reduce the amount of cars on the road and gas that is being used. Yay schools and teachers! It was an incredible day and I am so glad we were able to help celebrate it!After the parade we finished our day at English Bay,and walked along Sunset Beach Park. This statue is called Inuksuk and “is a foundational stone landmark with deep roots in Inuit, Iñupiat, Kalaallit, and Yupik cultures across the vast North American Arctic. In the likeness of human or that which acts in the capacity of humanity, the statues act as beacons or physical road signs, they point out safe travel routes across a landscape dominated by snow and ice. They are physical indicators to tell other travelers that “you are on the right path.”” Talk about a good omen. Last week I walked up to Queen Elizabeth Park and you could definitely see the effects of the wildfire smoke.Queen Elizabeth Park is beautiful!You could see the haze from sunrise…to sunset. More cool murals in our neighborhood. @maebaebayI was supposed to have my first volunteer experience removing invasive species in Stanley Park last Friday but it was canceled due to the air quality. I was happy to be able to pop in at Belkin House and help out for a few hours prepping and serving lunch. On my way home I noticed that our neighborhood has it’s very own Wishing Tree. I know the story of the with Wishing Tree from the book that my fifth graders had to read while I was teaching and for those of you who don’t know; “A wishing tree is a special tree used as a focal point for hopes, prayers, and votive offerings. Across global cultures, people tie ribbons, notes, or coins to these trees to symbolize intention, release personal worries, and connect with the sacred or natural world.”Last Saturday we took the shuttle to Squamish. We started out with lunch at The Copper Coil Still & Grill re: my sister’s recommendation and my goodness was the BBQ delicious!The intersection outside of the restaurant. It was a beautifully clear day after the week of wildfire haze and you could see the mountains from everywhere you looked. This is part of the Tantalus Range. The epic Mount Garibaldi with O’Siyam Pavilion in the foreground. The hill in the background of many of the pictures you’ll see is Stawamus Chief “The Chief”.You’ll also see a lot of Mount Garibaldi. Just gorgeous!Zoomed in picture of Shannon Falls from the Sp’akw’us Feather Park. Sp’akw’us Feather Park. This art instillation/sculpture entitled “Gravity as Thief and Protector” was created by Maskull Lasserre. Howe Sound. Stawamus Chief. I couldn’t get enough of the contrast between the water, mountain and sky.This sculpture is called “Welcome Gate” was created by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) artist James Harry. This is the artist statement; “The piece evolved from James Harry’s efforts to imagine what would have historically been out on waterfronts when Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people would carve welcoming figures, to welcome those coming to shore. He thought of how important the canoe is for his people. The waters were their highways, and this would have been the first thing they would see coming into Squamish. If you could imagine one paddling up or boating into Howe Sound you would see Nch’ḵay̓ [Mount Garibaldi] at the back. There is a really old story that’s perhaps 10,000 years old of how his people were flooded out during the great flood, referencing the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh tale of ancestors attaching themselves to the mountain’s peak to ride out the rising flood waters. In addition, the piece symbolizes the interconnection between the supernatural and the natural world. Being lit at night, symbolically, the light represents that spirit. The piece pays homage to history and tradition, while putting a modern spin on it. He came up with [the name] Welcome Gate because he didn’t want to quite say a welcome figure, but he wanted to say that it’s like a welcoming or like a portal of entry into Squamish.” Very impressive!Kite boarders and parasailers on the Sound. The view of Sp’ákw’us Feather Park looking back from the “Welcome Gate”.I created a side-by-side of Mount Garibaldi from April 2024 (left) and Aug 2026 (right).We ended our wonderful visit to Squamish with a hike at Smoke Bluffs Park. This is view of the town, Sp’akw’us Feather Park and Howe Sound from above. Beautiful British Columbia. 🙂We finished our weekend off at one of our favorite local breweries Strange Fellows. We met this adorable puppo Honey,saw one incredible sundog halo,and ate some delicious quesabirria tacos from Top Rope Birria @birriayvr 🤤🤤🤤
