Vancouver - condominium balconies in a courtyard

I wasn't very happy with the previous sketch at the baseball game. It was done very quickly while standing in a crowd of people.  For this one, I had more time.

This courtyard is similar to many others that you find in those areas that are close to downtown Vancouver, not quite in the core of the city.  Many condos in Kitsilano and Fairview, for example, are not very high, just two to four storeys. They maintain a close-knit feel that is similar to some European designs.

Another skyline view

Looking out the bedroom window, this is part of the Vancouver skyline I see. Mainly apartment buildings, condos and the downtown office towers.

Siwash Rock, Stanley Park

Siwash Rock is one of the more interesting sites along the trail that encircles Stanley Park. It was created by volcanic activity millions of years ago, when magma was forced upwards. Over time, the surrounding rock weathered away leaving this unique stack. Many stop to marvel at the tree growing at the top of the rock in what is a most unlikely spot for such a plant to take root. The Kitsilano peninsula is in the background.

There is something special about the air down by the water. When you walk or ride your bike along the seawall and make the turn under the Lions Gate bridge heading west, if you are fortunate enough to do so with the incoming tide and a breeze on your face, then you get the full aroma of good clean ocean air with salt and mussels and seaweed in the wind.

Canada Place on a summer weekend

Cruise ships at the dock at Canada Place in Vancouver. During the summer months, ships depart from here for trips north to Alaska. In the background on the left is Princess Cruises' Coral Princess, with the distinctive logo on the funnel of a woman's hair blowing in the wind. On the right is the Holland America Line ship, Zuiderdam. The large sail structures on the pier are decorative elements that distinguish this Vancouver welcome centre and harbour attraction.

De Havilland Twin Otter seaplane

West Coast Air offers many regional flights out of Vancouver's Coal Harbour. The company's largest plane is the deHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter. These distinguished seaplanes fly year-round to various destinations on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Related posts:

Aircraft at the airport
The dashing Dash-8
Bombardier Q400 at the Toronto Island airport
Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis

Vancouver view

Vancouver's north shore mountains loom over the city, as seen from 6th Avenue near the Cambie bridge

Vancouver skyline

As winter returns, so does the snow on the nearby mountains. This is the view from Cambie Street near City Hall looking north.

Waiting on the sidewalk

Two Asian men sitting on the sidewalk at a coffee shop on Robson Street, at the corner with Homer. The men with the briefcase were waiting for someone to arrive. The young woman was with them and paced up and down. They had an extra chair, but she didn't want to sit down. The imagination runs...

For more posts on Robson Street, see this post , of the square, or this one, of the public library.

499 Drake Street, Vancouver

Every time I go by this condo in the Yaletown area, I stop to look at how intricately this narrow entrance was conceived and developed. It's an odd mix of European-inspired design, with lots of stairs and plants and strange gargoyles resting on columns. Known as "Grace," the rest of the building consists of tall residential towers. It's a unique building. Residents use fingerprint scanners to gain access to the main doors and elevators.

More info:

-Grace condo

-Another Yaletown sketch

End of the line

This historic streetcar seems to have reached the end of the line. The European-built tram is part of the collection of the Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway, a heritage line that runs between Granville Island and the Olympic Village station. This particular streetcar is sitting near the intersection of Ash Street and West 6th Avenue and looking rather forlorn behind the chain link fence and the grass growing at its base.

The Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway did not operate during the Olympics to make way for the special Bombardier train that ran during the Games. The railway web site says the line is scheduled to reopen this year, but so far the grass keeps growing and nothing else seems to be happening.

Vancouver skyline

A view of downtown, looking westward from Clark and First Ave.

Vancouver's shrubbery

Many of Vancouver's sidewalks are green pathways around pruned hedges, trees and all kinds of large shrubs. Sitting in a temperate rain forest zone, the city is a lush, green garden most of the year.

This was drawn at the corner of Cambie and West 29th, just south of Queen Elizabeth Park, looking north towards downtown. I liked the tunnel effect of the shrubs near the bus stop bench.

An interesting totem

This totem stands right next to the pedestrian path that winds under Burrard Bridge overlooking False Creek. The carved figure seems to rise out of the trees and bushes.

The city of Vancouver is built on the land of the Squamish First Nation, descendants of the Coastal Salish Aboriginal peoples.

Dusk at Kitsilano Beach

People enjoy relaxing on this beach during the day and also after the sun goes down. The big old logs provide convenient and natural seats and backrests.

I tried this one with a thick ink pen and marker.

Bridge on a cloudy day

This is a view of the Granville Bridge, looking northwest from 7th Avenue. Typically for Vancouver, we've had a lot of overcast days in recent weeks. Sketching outdoors often requires dodging raindrops. The bridge and the traffic, as seen from this side of False Creek, seem to my eyes to get swallowed up by the condominium towers of Yaletown.

For a different perspective (from under the bridge), see this earlier post, found here.

Skateboarder at the corner

Waiting for a friend at the corner of Cambie and Broadway

Palm fronds next to the fabric store

I found this large palm-like plant interesting. I have to say I'm still surprised when I come across palm fronds in the Pacific Northwest. We seem so far from the more tropical climates where they thrive.

This rather healthy plant grows next to the Natural Textile Company. It's on Oak Street in Vancouver, between 7th and 8th Avenue. The simplicity of the store window and the thickness of the leaves just around the corner make an interesting contrast, I think.

Fishing boats in False Creek

A large number of fishing boats moor in a sheltered corner of False Creek, near Vancouver's Granville Market and just east of the Burrard Bridge. While much of the fish is destined for wholesalers, some is also sold to the general public. It's a nice spot to watch boats coming and going.

Chinatown street lamp

Vancouver's Chinatown is graced by these streetlights, featuring a dragon on top and a decorative element underneath. Every street corner has these. I sketched this one at the intersection of Main Street and East Pender.

Cambie Bridge

Done very quickly on my way home. I was trying to get a sense of the sweep of the Cambie Bridge as it crosses over False Creek. This is looking south, with Vancouver City Hall at the top of the next hill.