Waiting for Summer

The lifeguard's parking spot looking forlorn in the small parking lot above the Inukshuk (an image of which figured prominently in the 2010 Olympics branding) at English Bay Beach. Let May come soon, and September linger. I'm ready for some warm weather.

Post title from this song by The Pandamonium.

We're So Starving

This bit of sidewalk graffiti on Davie Street in Yaletown is part of "People Are Fragile", a City of Vancouver campaign to raise awareness about pedestrian safety. The words "for a quick bite" trail off onto the street and get lost, presumably as the blissfully unaware fictional pedestrian who was uttering them stepped out into traffic and was promptly struck dead.

Or at least that's how it goes in my head.

Post title from this song by Panic! at the Disco.

Winter Birds

In the plaza in the middle of what was the Athlete's Village during the 2010 Olympics, stand "The Birds" by Myfanwy MacLeod. Standing at 18 feet high, they dwarf the people who stop to look, the kids who try to climb up their tails, and people like me, who point their lenses at the sculptures.

Post title from this song by Ray LaMontagne.

My Old Friend The Blues

The Yale Hotel is one of Vancouver's oldest buildings. When most of Vancouver was destroyed by fire in 1886, The Yale was separated from the rest of what is now the downtown core by forest and was spared. It has served as a bunkhouse and hotel, first for CPR workers, then for loggers, miners, and fishermen, developing a reputation for wild night life. Eventually it became Vancouver's home for live blues performances. It closed late last year for renovations, as the site it sits on is redeveloped. I've spent many an evening listening to fabulous music in that room, and its neon sign's been a mainstay of this section of Granville St for at least the twenty years that I've lived here. I'm sad to see it's gone dark, albeit temporarily.

Post title from this song by Steve Earle.

Mystery Train

For reasons unknown to me, there has been a train car at the corner of Hamilton and Nelson for at least the last year or so. It sits on a section of track all by itself on the street. The door's locked, there's no signage, and it sits there, a mystery train.

Anyone know the story behind it?

Post title from this song by Elvis Presley.

Columns

The Vancouver Public Library Central Branch, which takes up a full city block bordered by Robson Street, Hamilton Street, Georgia Street, and Homer Street, is one of downtown Vancouver's most distinctive buildings, but this photo reduces it to a study in sameness and repetition. These columns form a portion of the outside of the building, on the ground level on the Homer Street side.

Post title from this song by Age of Consent.

Fog

Some fairly dramatic fog and low lying cloud over Stanley Park and Lost Lagoon, yet the North Shore Mountains stand out against clear sky. Grouse Mountain is the one with the patch of snow at the top. The helicopter at top right is a Helijet, a local company that flies scheduled passenger flights between Vancouver and Victoria, among other places. They also provide air ambulance service for the local health authority.

Post title from this song by Radiohead.