Across the puddle...

On Monday I went across the puddle to the mainland to have

a visit with my brother Dan, affectionately known as Brogorman,

and my nieces who are on spring break.

Dan lives in North Vancouver so aside from the big ferry you also take

whats known as the Seabus. It's a 10 minute ride across to the north shore.

Looking back to the city from the north

 

Burrard Inlet is part of the Port of Vancouver where goods coming

and going to and from all over the world are moved about from

rail cars, shipping containers and on and off of huge freighter cargo ships.

 rail yard on the city side

Container ship being unloaded

These ships are huge! 

You really get a sense of their size when you are close to them.

Each of those containers are the size of a rail car, so about 40 feet long

 and there are hundreds on board. 

Sometimes humans are smuggled in these with (as you can imagine) not very good outcomes.

We took our nieces to Granville Island which I've posted before about here.

It's a wonderful place with shops and food and art and boats but this trip 

I was focused on galvanized metal siding...here we have the gang walking through the 'gallery'...

 The textures and colours were so beautiful...

...metal turned bad ...

 ...and then good again...

 ...well, in my eyes it looked good....

Under the Granville Street bridge...

I also fell in love with the winter kale plants...

 Even in it's decay, it had a colour scheme to dream up some ideas for

felting? knitting? painting?

Canada goose feathers were all the rage this day as well...

 Hello there!

 How handsome you are!

We made time to play on the slide...

 ...gazed at kites in the market...

After we dropped off the girls to go home we stopped by 

one of my all time favorite buildings in the world.

The Marine building down on the waterfront.

Surrounded now by the most modern of architecture, this beauty remains a show stopper.

At one time it was the tallest skyscraper in the British Empire.

Built in 1930 for a cost of $2.2 million dollars, it ran $1.5 million dollars OVER budget.

During the height of the depression this was not a good thing and it was sold to 

The Guinness Family of Ireland for $900,000 dollars.

The architects who designed it wanted it to, according to Wikipedia,

"evoke some great crag rising from the sea, clinging with sea flora and fauna,

 tinted in sea-green, touched with gold."

And indeed it does just that...

 the art deco features are stunning ...

The entrance way alone stops you in your tracks.

The outside of the building is decorated with all manner of sea flora and fauna

as well as the great transportation methods of the day...

If that's not enough to make you swoon, wait till you get inside...

 It was quite dark inside so my photos weren't the best but you can get an idea...

Gorgeous brass elevator doors...

...above them the old car call board...

 ...inlaid marble zodiac floor

 I absolutely LOVE these carvings of Viking looking boat bows up along the walls...

...up on the second floor you can get a closer look at 

the intricate carvings and the beautiful colours...

 Custom tile work

Inside the elevator walls are all inlaid with local wood...

I don't think there are many buildings being designed and made in the manner

of this one. Attention to detail was first and foremost and I'm always

in awe and grateful that this building has preserved the dreams

and skills of those who came before us.

If you're ever in Vancouver you must look up (mind the pun!)

The Marine Building...355 Burrard Street.

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