Cruising Along

Today Vancouver shone and glittered with late summer sun. I wore jeans for my walk and was actually too warm by the time I started to head home.

I was going to walk to Gastown and take some photos there but I didn't make it. While strolling down Powell Street I caught a glimspe of a building on the next street - Railway Street.

So I walked around the corner and started taking photos.

Looks like there is a bit of history here but I have been unable to find out anything. So you get to look at the pretty buildings. And the amusing sign:

I kept heading towards Gastown but my interest was peaked by the bypass leading to Crab Park.

Burrard Iron Works Limited has been in business since 1912. The company is involved with the shipping industry by supplying, servicing and manufacturing engine room and deck machinery. That company has been operating for close to one hundred years. Imagine the changes they have seen.

Just as I climb the stairs to the bypass I see this gift that was given to Vancouver by our sister port, Shanghai Port Authority.

This is one of a set. Very majestic looking I thought. The Port of Shanghai is a deep sea and river port. Since 2005, it has been the world's busiest port by cargo tonnage.

Port Metro Vancouver, as it is now known, is the largest port in Canada, in the Pacific Northwest and on the West Coast of North America according by metric tons of total cargo.

The port has 25 major marine terminals, three container, seventeen bulk cargo and five break bulk cargo terminals. Over 30,000 direct jobs are linked to the port in a variety of areas including the cruise ships. The port is home to the Vancouver - Alaska cruise which runs from May to September.

When the Panama Canal opened in 1914 Vancouver's seaport was able to compete with major ports since we could be an alternative route to Europe. In the 1920s our provincial government fought against freight rates that discriminated against products transported by rail through the Rockies. They were successful in getting rid of the excessive rates and thereby opened up the door for more business from the prairies. Instead of  shipping the product east, companies found it less expensive now to go west.

I watched a television special on the port one evening and I have to tell you it is a maelstorm of activity. Everyone that is working there knows their job and every person is so important to keep everything moving smoothly.

(That weird looking thing in the forefront of the photo is part of the chain link fence. I was trying to put my little camera through it to avoid the 'behind bars' effect.)

I didn't go right into Crab Park, rather just took a few photos from the bypass.

Those white sails belong not a ship but Canada Place just to let those of you who are not Vancouverites know.

Crab Park is actually called Crab Park at Portside. And it is not named for those delectable creatures that scurry along the sand. Rather the name is an acronym for Create a Real Available Park.

I still intend on making it to Gastown and fillng you in on the stories of Gassy Jack and Granville and show you lots of pictures. As long as I don't get distracted I hope to do that soon.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Port Metro Vancouver, Shanghai Port,Crab Park,cruise ships,walk,history,