west coast dream

I was so relieved that Vancouver didn't disappoint me. You know how, sometimes, when you're so excited to see something, and the excitement just builds and builds to the point that a let-down is inevitable? Titanic was like that for me. So was Miami. But Vancouver...well, I basically fell in love with it. It's too bad that UBC doesn't want me this year, because I was ready to pack up my life and drive it across the continent without looking back. Ah well. Maybe someday. At any rate, I do hope to be back next year, if not sooner.

So here are some photographic gems from my sightseeing day in Vancouver. Meg played tour guide for us again on Monday, which ended up being one of the only days we had to enjoy the city. Tuesday-Sunday were spent at the arenas, so the rest of the highlights from my trip will be of the event. We didn't get as beautiful of a day as we did in Seattle, and there were some rainy moments, but at least the weather was tolerable, and it was still quite a bit warmer than what Michigan was getting.


Canada Place! It looked important, and I am a sucker for provincial flags, so I took a picture. It's at the north end of downtown, right on the water, and it's a hotel and convention centre, I believe. 1/200, f/2.8, ISO 100.


This is a rear view of the main train station in Vancouver. I love the architecture of the building, and the contrast of the trees against it, but I do wish the sky had been blue that day. 1/100, f/5.6, ISO 400.


In keeping with our theme of "First Starbucks" moments, this is the first Canadian Starbucks, located inside the Vancouver train station. No themed merchandise here - just a small plaque. It's not much more than a kiosk, actually, and I didn't even get a coffee here. Something about being on vacation makes me crave lemonade, and there was a yummy juice place competing with Starbucks inside the train station, so that won. Jules did support this Starbucks, though, so I didn't feel terrible about playing paparazzi with it. 1/100, f/2.5, ISO 400.


Google helped me decide that this is St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church. It's on Nelson St. in downtown Vancouver, across the street from the Sheraton Wall Centre, which was the official hotel for the 2008 Canadian Championships, and where I stayed later in the week. I had to go there on Monday to pick up my media credential, and we did some photoshooting in the space in front of it, when there were a few moments of sunshine. 1/100, f/14, ISO 400.


Oh, Robson Street. We spent quite a bit of time here - including several hours in Chapters, two separate meals at Tsunami Sushi, and half an hour in Meg's car while we waited for a tow truck to jump-start it after the battery died. Here, I managed to grab a shot of the street between cars that features Lush, one of my favourite stores. 1/100, f/5.6, ISO 400.


This is why Vancouver is incredible. Seriously. This picture doesn't do it justice, but just look at that. 1/100, f/5, ISO 200.


I'm not so great at night shots, but I thought that this one turned out okay. There was a windowpane dangling above Georgia Street downtown, so we were caught in traffic for almost an hour. By the time we made it to Stanley Park, it was completely dark, so this is the best shot that I took there, unfortunately. I guess I'll just have to go back. 1/125, f/1.8, ISO 800.

Next up: first day or two of my assignment in Vancouver, so...skating! Lots of skating.