Rodney Graham's 58 inch copper sculpture appears to be riding high among the rooftops. Commissioned by Qualex-Landmark this weathervane has been added to Vancouver's list of public art and can be seen at the residential highrise, Pomaria on Howe Street.
Even with a building boom going on in Vancouver right now, money lending services appear to be popping up everywhere. While other store owners struggle to pay high rents in the city, these businesses don't seem to have that problem. Offering cash advances, payday loans and in some cases cash for gold, they are opening up much in the same way that Starbucks coffee shops and Dollar Stores have in the past.
Tucked down a back lane and painted on the the back wall of a Commercial Drive store Keith Richard lives on.
Okanagan's Blasted Church Vineyards teamed up in with Vancouver's marketing whiz Bernie Hadley-Beauregard
resulting in this distinctive artwork.
Purple kush, space queen, budder, hash fudge, sweet skunk, bubble hash and traffic jams were all part of the scene today at the Vancouver Art Gallery in celebration of cannabis culture. Road closures along with thousands of people enjoying the great weather and wide assortment of cannabis products caused havoc for anyone trying to drive through the downtown core. April 20th, is seen as a counterculture holiday in many North American cities and Vancouverites were out in full force to show their support. Vancouver schools scheduled a professional development day for April 20th and classes at most schools were canceled. Not sure if this accounted for the large crowds.
With tourist season about to begin in Vancouver, tour buses are getting into high gear. Although some operate year round others only appear for a short period over the busy summer months. It's always exciting to see what new vehicles and color schemes will be used in a bid to entice tourists to take that one tour.
In partnership with the province of British Columbia, the city of Vancouver has committed to building 14 new social housing developments in an attempt to reduce homelessness. The building now going up just across from St Paul's Hospital on Burrard Street is the 10th project to be built on city owned land. When completed this 16 storey, 141 unit building will house homeless youth and adults. The building will be managed by the Kettle Friendship Society and Family Services of Greater Vancouver. Two floors of the building will house the Directions Youth Services Centre which will provide numerous services including counseling support, medical services, life skills programs and on-site peer support services for homeless youth and youth at-risk.
Other cities that have been successful in reducing homelessness include Toronto, Calgary, Portland and New York and Vancouver in using similar models hopes that these 14 developments will do the same here.
The month of April is filled with exciting events to celebrate Vancouver's Cherry Blossom Festival. Established in 2005 this festival is a spinoff of the Japanese Sakura Festival held every spring in Japan. With more than 37,000 ornamental cherry trees gifted to the city from Japan in the 1930's, the streets of Vancouver are filled with these blossoming trees and there's lots to do in celebration of them.
The Cherry Blossom Society is hosting numerous events throughout the month of April, including Tree Talks And Walks free guided walking tours, Plein Air Painting where you can create your own artistic masterpiece at Van Dusen Botanical Garden
and Bike The Blossoms which includes a free guided bike tour along the blossoming streets and includes a talk by Parks Board Arborist, Bill Stephen. Check out the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival site http://www.vcbf.ca/ for more info.
After being in business for more than 25 years proprietor Eric Cohen of Architectural Antiques is holding a retirement sale and closing the business.
Located at the corner of Main St and 8th Ave in Vancouver, it has long been the place to pick up architectural and decorative antiques, including antique lighting and hardware. Definitely worth checking out before the doors close forever.
Someone in very good spirits has been plastering the posts of Hastings Street with Random Acts Of Kindness and Take What You Need signs. Seemed to be working as people were helping themselves to the various slogans.
Heading north across the Granville Street bridge you can't miss Robert Wyland's impressive whale mural Vancouver Island Orcas. Painted on the wall of the old Continental Hotel in 1994 and restored by Pure Painters in 2010, this mural has added vibrant colors and new life to the wall of this fading hotel.
Built around 1910, this former hotel is now run as a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel by the city. It provides low income housing with over 100 rooms rented out. The city is looking at constructing modular units on this site to provide temporary housing for the homeless.
The sign on the windshield says it all Please Do Not Touch The Magnetic Letters They Are Glued On
With news that all 428 units have sold before the official launch of Telus's new condo tower in the downtown core, the dust has yet to settle around the Kingston Hotel. Tucked between two parking garages on Richards Street, the Kingston Hotel will be the only building left standing when demolition is completed. Owned by Fred O'Hagan, it was originally run as a rooming house by his grandfather when it opened in 1910. In the 1930's/40's a beer parlour was added and it has stood it's ground ever since offering accommodations and a place to have a cold ale.
Telus will be building a 53 storey condo tower, the second tallest in the city, next to the 62 storey Shangri-la building on Thurlow Street. Telus will also build a 24 floor office tower and the development is expected to transform the area between Robson and Georgia street.
Fred O'Hagan's Kingston Hotel will eventually be squeezed between these two towers and in good spirits he will be offering Hard Hat Specials in the bar.
