Sunday, August 14, 2011

Walk to the Marina

Last week I took a rare mid-week day off to go on a cruise. What to do, do I drive downtown and pay for parking ? do I ride my bike and leave it in a parkade ? I was meeting Mrs Skoot so we would possibly have two cars down there and have to pay double for parking. Then do I take the bus which is half a block from home ? Or do I take the Skytrain (subway) instead and walk the mile to the nearest Skytrain station. Decisions, decisions . . .

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Even though my foot is not yet back to normal, I took it easy and decided to walk the mile . As I allowed lots of time, I decided to get off at the Cambie Street station and walk the rest of the way . It's amazing what you notice while you are surveying your surroundings at walking pace

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In order to get to the downtown area you have to travel across one of many bridges. Today I was going to walk over the Cambie Street Bridge

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I set a slow pace and the bridge is shorter than it seems but looking at the walkway it appears to never end, though it is only about 1 kilometer long

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I turn around to see I have walked from the top of the hill. The building on the left is Vancouver's City Hall.

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It is a pleasant day with lots of marine air which is expected to burn off around noon. The temperatures are just right with a strong breeze blowing over the water . I am soon nearing mid-span and can see my destination on the other side aboard one of those white yachts

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As I get closer I snap another close up photo

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Eventually I get to the other side and have to cross through Yaletown where there are some fancy condos with creative water features

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This one looks sort of like a tree with barren leaves so I just have to walk through it . Unfortunately I did not bring my tripod and could only put my camera on the ground and it chopped off my head

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I was still a bit early so I decided to have a snack at one of the restaurants in the Marina area. I grabbed a sidewalk table and ordered a heathly sandwich accompanied with a healthy beverage

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Two waters because I was thirsty and it was easier to carry two glasses to the table instead of having to get up a second time for the refill . My grilled salmon sandwich was simple

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and very tasty . I was still had an hour to kill so walked around the corner to the Roundhouse Turntable Plaza which is still under construction

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The Roundhouse was where rail cars and engines were put on a circular moving platform and redirected to various garages which were arranged in a cirle. CLICK HERE for more information

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Of course the turntable is now in a fixed position

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I was thinking that it would be nice to have a Roundtable mechanism in your own garage so you could turn your bike around

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The rail tracks go into each "former" garage and have been left in the ground . There is also a railway museum on site and they have restored the first engine, No 374 that entered Vancouver during May 1887 .

I took many photos of waterfront homes during our cruise and generally had a relaxing time watching the scenery float by. Here is one taken from the stern, of Lighthouse park in the background . The lighthouse is still in daily operation but recently through automated control

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8 comments:

  1. Love the shots of the subway and the rocket! Oh...and the fountain. Looks like a wonderful day out of the office, having a mental health and photography day.

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  2. Pleased to see your foot is getting better.

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  3. What's with the Buck Rogers rocket? Looks interesting. I like the refurbishing of the roundhouse though it may have been interesting to make creative use of the turntable...

    Glad to hear that your food is healing.

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  4. Hopefully, looking forward to seeing some of those places in the not too distant future :-)

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  5. Walking sure allows for a different perspective than does riding anything. Loved the photos...things seemed so quite and devoid of people and heavy traffic. Nice pics.

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  6. Steel cupcake:

    Usually when I take a day off, we go away. It is unusual to remain in the city and relax but I am learning a new lifestyle

    Gary:

    Not really, but I am taking it easy. This is a recurring problem which normally heals within 2-3 weeks. It has now gone on since April and I am afraid it may not entirely go away. I was told that exercise is what I need to do to strengthen my meagre muscles

    Richard:

    The Roundhouse is a neat concept. I would like to have a m/c one at home, then I could ride in and turn around. That rocket was part of a transportation theme somewhere before and they moved it to the current location.

    Geoff:

    I was waiting for requests . . . from the peanut gallery and your inquiring mind didn't disappoint.

    Sharon:

    In times past I used to do a lot of street photography and could walk all day. I agree with you that it is easier to blend in while walking about . I am glad you are riding again and sort of back "on-line" . They had a documentary on TV yesterday on Chicago's polluted waterway and I recognized a few places from your photos. Esp the bridges and the canal. welcome back

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  7. Dear Bobskoot:

    You're a better man than I am. I would not have walked 50 feet with a sore foot. You apparently walked from Toronto to Vancouver.

    But Bob, do I understand correctly that you walked past a railroad museum with a restored steam engine inside, and didn't stop to do homage?

    Fondest regards,
    Jack/reep
    Twisted Roads

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  8. It's like you're on vacation in your own back yard...I love it.

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