Vancouver Views

Yesterday I had the day off and so I did a lot of wandering between some favourite places in Vancouver. Zulu Records in Kitsilano, Yaletown, Downtown, the Waterfront, Commercial Drive.

For my money (which is not much), one of the best views in Vancouver is the west side of the Granville Bridge, and I enjoy walking it when I get the chance. You can see a lot of the city's finest features from one spot. You're about ten storeys up so you can see for quite a distance. There's none of the restrictions of office building views - no window frames or glass reflections. And of course it's free and accessible. Just don't drop your camera.

As I was crossing it yesterday I considered the futility of trying to capture the view with a single picture when I realised my phone's camera has a panorama feature which would be a good match for it, so here's that view after all.

If it's unfamiliar, here's a bit of a tour, from left to right. In the left foreground are the sheds of the Granville Public Market and Granville Island. On the horizon you can see some of the mountains of Vancouver Island and the beginnings of the North Shore mountains. There are cargo ships anchored off the coast. There's the lovely Burrard Bridge, a glimpse of Stanley Park, towers of the distant West End, and towers of Yaletown and Downtown, ending in the barely-visible attractions of Granville Street.

Later when I was on the waterfront I took another panorama from the upper plaza of the Convention Centre. The North Shore mountains are better represented, as is Stanley Park on the left and centre.