There are so many gems in Vancouver. My weekend was highlighted by a fantastic Saturday morning at Granville Island. On a sunny day, this is place in my Top 10 Vancouver Places.
Before European settlers arrived, Granville Island was simple a series of sandbars that Aboriginal communities used creatively for fishing. When the settlers arrived, and eventually the railway, False Creek was dredged, deepened for large boats, and the flats under the new Granville Street bridge were developed for industry: logging, sawmills and anything and everything to do with industrial machining. A thriving industry spot employing 1200 people took a huge hit with The Depression, factories and warehouses closed, and a shanty town emerged. After a Typhoid scare and a grisley murder, the City of Vancouver evicted all Granville Island residents and the island sat until the WW2 began and the industry market was well on the mend. After the war, the demand for industrial output declined, and industry began to fall on Granville Island for the last time. Factories sat empty, would burn to the ground and the Island became an urban industrial wasteland.
The city made the decision to transform the [prime location] wasteland into a public space of parkland, housing and public exhibition space. There's a huge public market, art and unique items everywhere and lots of public outdoor space along False Creek. The roads still display old cobblestone and original rail tracks. When the sky is blue and the sun is out, Granville Island buzzes of good food, unique people, creative art and serves as a model for development: how to transform empty industry wasteland into a thriving urban community space.
With that said!
Saturday was sunny!
The breeze was stiff!
It was bright, crisp and PERFECT to be at Granville Island. Here is some photo evidence of this great place!
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| Entering the "Island" from under Granville Bridge |
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| Fresh produce! |
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| Paper-Ya: my favourite Vancouver stationary shop |
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| A very popular deli - taking a number is required! |
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| Specialty chocolate |
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| On the outside docks: Granville Bridge to downtown |
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| Love our city. |
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| Visits with Bec |
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| Fresh fish anyone? |
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| A slice of tusk from a prehistoric wooly mammoth |
Okay I have to share more about this. The above shot is a legit piece of wooly mammoth tusk. It was found, fossilized, in the Yukon. It looks like wood, but it so, so heavy. A local artist takes this stuff and makes the most amazing jewellery! I wasn't allowed to take photos, but my favourite piece was a necklace which displayed a polished rectangle of tusk that had the silhouette of a tree intricately cut out of the tusk chip. Very cool... 'only' $72! Yikes! But amazing.
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| Bakery delights |
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| Homemade pasta |
If anyone ever wants to go, I am automatically in! Love this place.
:)
Love our city!
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