A Visit to Vancouver

I visited Vancouver last week for the SNMMI 2013 Annual Meeting. With the ocean, mountains, ample greenery, terrific weather, and scenic parks and bridges, the place is utterly breathtaking! The perfectly mouthwatering Asian food is an added bonus. So what if it rains a bit every now and then? This Bostonian can handle rain. :-) What I covered in the little time I had is by all means just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some snapshots of the city and a few of its landmarks.

The city and Burrard Inlet as viewed while walking along the Seawall, "a scenic 22 km path that lines Vancouver’s waterfront."

A seaplane ready for takeoff

Flowers abloom on the roadside

Walking along the Seawall

Two Alaskan king crabs: Alive and kicking, on display prior to being cooked

Alaskan king crab: ready to eat

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Going back and forth on the bouncy suspension bridge over the Capilano River was a definitive thrill. Among the park's other attractions were the narrow Cliffwalk over the rainforest, the Treetops Adventure (that makes you feel like Tarzan) and a fine collection of totem poles. 

"Originally built in 1889, Capilano Suspension Bridge stretches 450 feet (137m) across and 230 feet (70m) above the Capilano River."

View of the Capilano River from the bridge

The Cliffwalk: "This heart-stopping cliffside journey takes you through rainforest vegetation on a series of unobtrusive cantilevered and suspended walkways jutting out from the granite cliff face above Capilano River to previously unexplored areas of the park. Not for the faint of heart, it is high and narrow and, in some sections, glass (very strong glass) is all that separates guests from the canyon far below."

No fishing, folks. Heron on watch!

Treetops Adventure: "Visitors venture from one magnificent Douglas fir tree to another on a series of elevated suspension bridges, some reaching as high as 100 feet (30m) above the forest floor."

Grouse Mountain

The summit of Grouse Mountain stands over 4000 ft above sea level in North Vancouver. The Skyride, a giant cable car takes visitors to the general recreation area which features a number of attractions, including a grizzly bear refuge and a lumberjack show. A chairlift then take you to the peak. (Of course some hardcores prefer to climb it. :-)) At the top of the mountain stands a 65 m tall wind turbine called Eye of the Wind. An elevator takes you to a rotating observation deck on top. It is pretty unique in that the observation deck seems to rotate around the tower when the blades face the wind. In fact, you can feel the deck shaking when the blades are at their fastest! 

Lumberjacks race to the top

Lumberjacks compete at logrolling.

Grizzly bear habitat

Eye of the Wind: The 65 m tall wind turbine, which generates electricity

Eye of the Wind: Another view

City view from the Eye of the Wind observation deck

Chairlift and city view

Stanley Park

This huge park near Downtown Vancouver is perfectly for a leisurely bike ride or a stroll. It also houses the Vancouver aquarium, which I did not have time to cover. 

I was thrilled to see Canadian geese in Canada. ;-)

A wood-carved Indian totem pole

More totem poles

Tip of a totem pole

Horse cart ride around Stanley Park

Wild flowers

Beaver Lake

Mallards in Beaver Lake

A water lily blooming in Beaver Lake

Another water lily

Lynn Canyon 

Albeit on a rainy day, our group hike inside the Lynn Canyon Park was a lot of fun. This park features yet another suspension bridge.

Hikers with umbrellas on the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

Waterfalls visible from the bridge

A banana slug. Overheard qualifiers for this creature ranged from "beautiful" to "gross" to "delicious" ;-)

A gurgling brook we hiked past

A lagoon on the way

Insects on a tiny wild flower