Next, it was time for some sight-seeing downtown.
This is Victory Square, Vancouver's war memorial. It used to be overrun with homeless people (being on the infamous Downtown East Side), but the area has cleaned up somewhat in recent years.
This is the Dominion Building. When it was built it was the tallest building in Canada. Apparently it is haunted by the architect, who died falling down the big spiral staircase in the centre of the building becore it was completed. The building is trangular.
That tall building you can see in the background is the new Woodwards building. Woodwards was a department store that went bankrupt in 1993. It was vacant until it was purchased by Simon Fraser University a few years ago to become part of its Vancouver campus. The building will be the new home of all of the fine arts programs, as well as a community centre for the Downtown East Side, student residences and low-income housing. Part of the original facade was kept, and once construction is complete they will restore the old, neon Woodwards 'W' that sat atop the old building.
This is the Gastown Steamclock, the first clock of its kind to run solely on steam power. It is a huge tourist attraction. It chimes every quarter hour and releases a lot of steam in the process. Unfortunately we just missed one of those moments, as it would have made a good photo.
This is not a great photo, but down the street you can see the district of Gastown, the oldest business district in Vancouver.
In the distance you can see Canada Place. It has many large halls and is used for conventions and parties. The sails are lit up at night.
This is Waterfront Station, which is the terminus station for many different modes of transportation. The commuter train West Coast Express stops here, as well as the Skytrain, Seabus and many buses.
This is the Marine Building. It is the best example of art deco architecture on the West Coast of North America. The interior was used in the Fantastic Four movies. It was built right at the beginning of the Depression, and because the contractors went bankrupt, the interiors were not completed as they were originally meant to be until recently.
Here is a close up of some of the detailing.
