Century 21 In Town Realty
421 Pacific Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
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Thursday, April 15, 2010 - Earth Day is April 22nd!
Earth Day is April 22nd! Spend some time visiting Stanley Park
-The Jewel of Vancouver
Earth Day is April 22nd!
Earth Week is April 16 - 25!
THE WONDERS OF VANCOUVER
"A city that has been carved out of the forest should maintain somewhere within its boundaries evidence of what it once was, and so long as Stanley Park remains unspoiled that testimony to the giant trees that occupied the site of Vancouver in former days will remain."
The News Herald, October 30th, 1939
1936 postcard of the fountain in the Lost Lagoon
Stanley Park - The Jewel of Vancouver
* On September 27, 1888, the park , named for Lord Stanley, then the Governor General of Canada, was officially opened, establishing the city's first official "Green Space".
* The peninsula was originally designated as a military reserve in the early 1860's. It was considered a strategic point in case the Americans might attempt an invasion and launch an attack on New Westminster, then the colonial capitol, via Burrard Inlet.
* The area was logged by six different companies between the 1860's and 1880's, but the original military designation saved the land from development.
* In 1886, as its first order of business, Vancouver's City Council voted to petition the Dominion Government to lease the reserve for use as a park.
* This statue of Lord Stanley was a commenmoration of his speech that opened the park. Engraved on the tablet below him is a quote from that speech:,"To the use and enjoyment of people of all colours, creeds and customs, for all time. I name thee Stanley Park."
* Just off the seawall, beside the Brockton Oval are the Totem Poles. Each of the 8 Totem Poles of Stanley Park tell a story all thier own. A Totem is the First Nations Coat of Arms. They are unique to the Northwest tribes and are carved out of Red Cedar.
* At 4 square kilometres, Stanley Park is more than 10% larger than New York City's famous Central Park.
* Stanley Park is encircled by 8.8 km of seawall, and includes 200 km of hiking trails and roads. the seawall is a very popular place for lots of activity like walking, jogging, cycling or rollerblading - but watch out for those lane designations!
* The Vancouver Aquarium was established in the park in 1956 and has become the largest in Canada.
* Hundreds of migratory birds call the park their home. Canada geese, swans, ducks and a rare urban blue heron nesting area, called a heronry. The Great Blue Herons of Stanley Park is a fascinating short film about the heronry.
* Other large populations of critters are racoons, squirrels, skunks, bats and coyotes. The Stanley Park Ecology Society is a fun website that has details of all kinds of activities to get involved in at Stanley Park, and parks all over the Greater Vancouver area.
Hope you've enjoyed this posting. If you have any questions, any little known facts or interesting Vancouver Stories or pictures, please feel free to contact me at:
For all your Vancouver Real Estate needs, call me,
Gerry Gramek, direct at: 604-551-2747
Posted by Gerry Gramek on April 14, 2010
Tags: BC Earth Day Earth Week Vancouver Vancouver Area Stories
Monday, April 12, 2010 - By Sea and Land We Prosper
"By Sea And Land We Prosper" - So Its' Lights Out on Saturday the 27th!
"By Sea And Land We Prosper"
That's the quote carved onto the facade of The Burrard Street Bridge. Vancouver's beloved Mike McCardell of Global TV, recently did a story on the city landmark. In it there is a wonderful close-up of the carving, under Vancouver's Coat of Arms. It's a great motto and one that is a valid reminder these days of how fragile our environment is, and that if we wish to continue to prosper from our Sea and Land, that we must always keep in mind that we are the stewards of them.
THE WONDERS OF VANCOUVER
* On the two piers which support the central concrete gallery are molded the prows of boats with figureheads to represent Captain George Vancouver and Captain Harry Burrard. Interestingly, Harry Burrard, for whom the bridge is named, never came within 5,000 kilometres of this area. He'd been an acting lieutenant with George Vancouver in the West Indies, so the bridge architect chose to honour them together.
* The pierced handrails were designed as a kind of visual shutter, (stroboscopic effect), so that at speeds from about 40 to 60 km/h., motorists see through them with an uninterrupted view of the harbour.
* The Burrard Bridge Lane Reallocation Trial started last July, and is still continuing. This was the simplest, most environmentally sustainable and the least expensive way to address a long-standing problem of biking and walking across the bridge. Three lanes heading into downtown remain unchanged, but one lane headed out has been cordoned off and protected as a bike and pedestrian lane only. City staff will report back to council soon to make recommendations as to the permanence of the lane designations.
On that environmentally friendly note, here's another great thing we can all participate in to do our bit for Our Planet, and to lessen our environmental footprint.
Earth Hour is coming up! Remember to TURN OUT your lights for one hour on Saturday, March 27, at 8:30, local time. Visit this great website to add your own story and to sign up for the Take Action Pledge. Be one of the 81478 people in Canada so far this year who have already done so! Turn out and tune in to turn on!
Hope you've enjoyed this posting. If you have any questions, any 'little-known' facts or interesting Vancouver Stories or Pictures, please feel free to contact me at:
Or, feel free to visit my other website - click on this link to take you there!
For all your Vancouver Real Estate needs, call me, Gerry Gramek, direct at : 604-551-2747
Posted by Gerry Gramek on March 23, 2010
Tags: Earth Hour Real Estate Vancouver Vancouver Area Stories
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