Attractions and events you'd like to see in Vancouver...a wish list

[jsbertram]

don't we already have open-air stages?

TUTS does their shows at Stanly Park
Bard on the Beach with their temporary facilities

so we know its possible to make outdoor stages & shows work.
Perhaps a few seasons of temporary stages on the mountains to find the right location & show that people will go there & pay for it; if its a hit then build a permanent structure.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

I'm not sure about the legal/commercial status of Harrod's, but it would be great to have a second, real, true-to-life Harrod's in Vancouver. It is SUCH a fantastic department store.

I don't think there's anything I disagree with you on, really, and you make some excellent points about the film festival and related issues.

Personally - and I know this will NOT go down well - I would change the fountain at the VAG, simply because that stone sculpture seems to clash with the neo-classical design of the VAG building, and the harsh red-blue-yellow lights jar me; I'd prefer pure white lighting if they're going to leave the fountain as is. (Personally I'd prefer a fountain with no sculpture, rather, just a play of water, but most people seem to like the sculpture. I have nothing against it, but think it might be better located elsewhere, that's all)

I'd like to see Vancouver - downtown - "Europeanized" a little bit (maybe because I live in Europe an have become accustomed to that) but all it means is more esthetic, a finer attention to detail, and a more walkable, sittable, photograph-worthy environment. (micro as well as macro-photography)

But that's just my personal taste. I doubt many will agree.

I think when the water is turned on and splashing on the sculpture, it looks amazing, truly west coast inspired. When at full power I believe the jets shoot water over 60 feet into the air and the water is pumped and circulated at the rate of three hundred thousand gallons per hour. And the hand cut mosaic on the fountain floor is quite stunning. The only thing I might do to improve the area, is mirror the landscaping that's on the West side to the East side. The only problem is that more trees might obscure the view of the building from Georgia street too much and make the space difficult to be used as a rally point (which is an appropriate use for space in the center of a city).

I also like how you can see the square and the Gallery when you walk out that "Igloo" entrance of the Pacific Center. I think cluttering the fountain area with furniture, tables and businesses would actually make it less of an attraction, and too focused on business. I like the square being a pleasant open space to be used by the people as they see fit, not be told how to use it by coffee shops or vendors. I think that's what currently makes it one of Downtown Vancouver most photogenic attractions. It's a public space, not a market.

I think in the near future, when the Georgia is finished, with it's heritage facade and magnificent modern tower behind it (and in the distant future when something stunning is built where the Sears is now), standing in an open, lawned square and enjoying the view of over a century worth of architecture and history, is what that space is all about. No need to cheapen it by selling Espresso. I would like to keep it as least douche-y as possible. Europeans are coming here to escape Europe, not see a lesser imitation of it.

I already find downtown Vancouver to be incredibly walkable. It's probably more walkable than any other major city in North America. And the stunning mix of architecture is a really marketable attraction to the city.

I don't know if you've been back to Vancouver recently, but walking down Granville now is absolute bliss. The south end might be a bit seedy around Davie still, but the area North of Smithe is amazing. The area of Granville from Dunsmuir to Cordova used to be dead to me, but now it's one of my favorite places in the city to just walk around. Once the Georgia and Jameson are done, my favorite walking path will be starting at the VCC West, up Burrard, East on Hastings, then North on Granville and west on Georgia to the Hotel Vancouver and up to Robson. The seawall is great and all, but our downtown is getting so nice now. The downtown core as a whole is becoming a marketable attraction for worldwide travelers. In fact, the downtown peninsula is probably a hotter seller on postcards than just Canada Place or any other single attraction we have to offer.

[AlexYVR]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

I'm not sure about the legal/commercial status of Harrod's, but it would be great to have a second, real, true-to-life Harrod's in Vancouver. It is SUCH a fantastic department store.

I don't think there's anything I disagree with you on, really, and you make some excellent points about the film festival and related issues.

Personally - and I know this will NOT go down well - I would change the fountain at the VAG, simply because that stone sculpture seems to clash with the neo-classical design of the VAG building, and the harsh red-blue-yellow lights jar me; I'd prefer pure white lighting if they're going to leave the fountain as is. (Personally I'd prefer a fountain with no sculpture, rather, just a play of water, but most people seem to like the sculpture. I have nothing against it, but think it might be better located elsewhere, that's all)

I'd like to see Vancouver - downtown - "Europeanized" a little bit (maybe because I live in Europe an have become accustomed to that) but all it means is more esthetic, a finer attention to detail, and a more walkable, sittable, photograph-worthy environment. (micro as well as macro-photography)

But that's just my personal taste. I doubt many will agree.

Surprisingly, I agree with you. Sort of.

I agree with the principles of what you're getting at. Walkable, beautiful settings, and I'm ALL about upscale variety in shopping. The part where I disagree is that I think Vancouver can still look like Vancouver - rather than the Vatican or Trafalgar Square - and achieve all these goals. I don't think we have to turn Vancouver into an European city to make it a success. I think the fact that it ISN'T and still generally achieves most of these things is what makes it pretty great.

Attractions I'd like to see in Vancouver:

Nordstrom, please!

Way, way more street meat.

Bring back the petting zoo

A real Apple store

Wouldn't mind Jack Poole Plaza being extended and becoming a true over-the-water stage and venue. It'd serve the same purpose as a mountain amphitheatre but of course on a smaller scale. . .

[MistyMountainHop]

Originally Posted by idunno

That would be amazing - the Gorge is possibly the best outdoor venue in North America. I could see something like that up on Mount Seymour since Grouse has the gondola and Cypress is a park. Could you imagine? - looking over the city at sunset as bands play. If only we had more consistent weather here, especially up on the mountaintops.

Originally Posted by thenorthofvan

pretty sure grouse mtn on the cut would be a 100x better of a venue haha. seymour, not so much.

Grouse Mountain is accessible by public transit, which could easily be increased for concerts. Of course the SkyRide would limit capacity by quite a bit.

The main problem with Seymour would be a severe lack of parking. Perhaps there could be special buses and with the cost included in the ticket price (like during the Olympics).

I'd also love to see a venue a bit farther away from the city, but with camping. Maybe the Pemberton Festival grounds could be made into a more permanent location? It's a shame that the festival was cancelled once again this year.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by AlexYVR

Surprisingly, I agree with you. Sort of.

I agree with the principles of what you're getting at. Walkable, beautiful settings, and I'm ALL about upscale variety in shopping. The part where I disagree is that I think Vancouver can still look like Vancouver - rather than the Vatican or Trafalgar Square - and achieve all these goals. I don't think we have to turn Vancouver into an European city to make it a success. I think the fact that it ISN'T and still generally achieves most of these things is what makes it pretty great.

Thank you for your feedback, Alex. I'm not trying to turn Vancouver into London or Rome!! That's pointless, and the end result would be tacky and hybrid. There are just a few points that (very personally) rankle me. One is the VAG fountain. It's nice, but I don't think it is in keeping with the location or design of the main building, that's all. Also, just an overall refinement in the look and feel of the central city is what I'm talking about.

A good example in the North American context is Union Square in SF.

And a central plaza (the VAG Georgia Square) made of stone paving instead of concrete slabs would soften the effect and make it more inviting, as well as touches like a cappucino bar, wrought iron chairs to sit at .... stuff like that, including floodlighting the magnificent stone lions at night. It's gloomy down there.

But no, not London, Paris, or Rome !!!!

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

I think when the water is turned on and splashing on the sculpture, it looks amazing, truly west coast inspired. When at full power I believe the jets shoot water over 60 feet into the air and the water is pumped and circulated at the rate of three hundred thousand gallons per hour. And the hand cut mosaic on the fountain floor is quite stunning. The only thing I might do to improve the area, is mirror the landscaping that's on the West side to the East side. The only problem is that more trees might obscure the view of the building from Georgia street too much and make the space difficult to be used as a rally point (which is an appropriate use for space in the center of a city).

I also like how you can see the square and the Gallery when you walk out that "Igloo" entrance of the Pacific Center. I think cluttering the fountain area with furniture, tables and businesses would actually make it less of an attraction, and too focused on business. I like the square being a pleasant open space to be used by the people as they see fit, not be told how to use it by coffee shops or vendors. I think that's what currently makes it one of Downtown Vancouver most photogenic attractions. It's a public space, not a market.

I think in the near future, when the Georgia is finished, with it's heritage facade and magnificent modern tower behind it (and in the distant future when something stunning is built where the Sears is now), standing in an open, lawned square and enjoying the view of over a century worth of architecture and history, is what that space is all about. No need to cheapen it by selling Espresso. I would like to keep it as least douche-y as possible. Europeans are coming here to escape Europe, not see a lesser imitation of it.

I already find downtown Vancouver to be incredibly walkable. It's probably more walkable than any other major city in North America. And the stunning mix of architecture is a really marketable attraction to the city.

I don't know if you've been back to Vancouver recently, but walking down Granville now is absolute bliss. The south end might be a bit seedy around Davie still, but the area North of Smithe is amazing. The area of Granville from Dunsmuir to Cordova used to be dead to me, but now it's one of my favorite places in the city to just walk around. Once the Georgia and Jameson are done, my favorite walking path will be starting at the VCC West, up Burrard, East on Hastings, then North on Granville and west on Georgia to the Hotel Vancouver and up to Robson. The seawall is great and all, but our downtown is getting so nice now. The downtown core as a whole is becoming a marketable attraction for worldwide travelers. In fact, the downtown peninsula is probably a hotter seller on postcards than just Canada Place or any other single attraction we have to offer.

I very much appreciate what you say about not cluutering up the plaza into a "market." On that, I agree with you 100%. I just thought that a discreet place to get a cappucino and sit and admire the buildings converging overhead would be cool.

As for the fountain; I LOVE fountains, but I just don't think that the current fountain is in keeping with the locale, that's all. It clashes. It could be relocated to another home. I'd prefer, as I said, a pure water fountain, and more than anything else, get rid of those tacky red-blue-yellow lights. Replace them with pure white, or pale violet or something.

The VAG building is elegant neo-classical and needs something in the same vein to complement it.

Again, this is all a matter personal taste.
But as I said to AlexYVR, I don't imagine St. Peter's Square in Rome, the Place de la Concorde in Paris, or Trafalgar Square ! ! ! Far from it.

[mr.x]

That amphitheater idea would be most ideal for Vanier Park or Stanley Park....and until most recently, the Plaza of Nations was sort of like one.

[SpongeG]

there is an ampitheatre on stanley park - malkin bowl - has had a number of huge concerts already this year - massive attack, LCD sound system to name two of the big name acts passing through

[mr.x]

Weren't there some visions of turning the Georgia plaza in front of the VAG into a water fountain plaza?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by mr.x

Weren't there some visions of turning the Georgia plaza in front of the VAG into a water fountain plaza?

Yes there were. Do you like that idea, or reject it? I think most people reject it, but if done right, it could be an ultra-dramatic focal point.

Wikipedia images, for examples:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...2006-07-15.jpg

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1113...-Stockholm.jpg

http://rezio.net/photos/blue/DSC_1167.jpg : Copenhagen

http://www.traveljournals.net/pictur...rome-italy.jpg

http://www.roadtripsforfamilies.com/...ain_006_aa.jpg : Kansas City

http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~clee/i..._fountains.jpg : Southern France

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1285/...197421f488.jpg : Madrid

http://csichicago.us/buckingham_fountain.jpg : Chicago

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

I very much appreciate what you say about not cluutering up the plaza into a "market." On that, I agree with you 100%. I just thought that a discreet place to get a cappucino and sit and admire the buildings converging overhead would be cool.

As for the fountain; I LOVE fountains, but I just don't think that the current fountain is in keeping with the locale, that's all. It clashes. It could be relocated to another home. I'd prefer, as I said, a pure water fountain, and more than anything else, get rid of those tacky red-blue-yellow lights. Replace them with pure white, or pale violet or something.

The VAG building is elegant neo-classical and needs something in the same vein to complement it.

Again, this is all a matter personal taste.
But as I said to AlexYVR, I don't imagine St. Peter's Square in Rome, the Place de la Concorde in Paris, or Trafalgar Square ! ! ! Far from it.

On that I would disagree. Vancouver is anything but a homogeneous city. I don't see the need to have everything match. Having pieces from different eras or locals in the same space is what Vancouver is about. There is plenty of European flavor in Gastown. The Georgia Square is about Vancouver and BC, and I don't see how removing a fountain that has historical value to replace it with something to just show off how largely phallic we are is respectful to the space.

And I don't see how you could possibly ever move a fountain that's composed of a beautiful mosaic bottom without ruining it. Vancouver has had a history of being a little to hasty to upgrade and it's cost us some amazing buildings. Imagine if the Second Hotel Vancouver, Birks Building or Great Northern Station still stood today. Is that empty lot next to Pacific Central really that much better than if we still had the (better looking) Great Northern station? How would downtown look if we still had the Vancouver Opera House instead of the Sear Building?

I'll agree that the space there is significant and important and would be a good site for a central water piece attraction. But I disagree that the current fountain doesn't meet that need. When it's turned on, I think it is quite charming. Anything bigger could just obscure the view you get of the amazing buildings located around it.


source: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/12246190

Vancouver's not really a city of one major fountain, but a city of many unique fountains. Instead of worrying about this fountain, I would like to see some more fountains and public space built along the Easter end of W Georgia. The proposed location of the new Art Gallery could house a spectacular fountain that would greet pedestrians on the way to the gallery or events at GM and BC Place. I also think the lot accross from the Library, where there is a Budget rental car spot, would be a great location for a new public square. The Library is a nice building, but I feel it's potential of being a focal point is lost on the buildings and space around it.

There are a lot of great ideas for attractions in this thread that can actually happen without the need of replacing ones we already have that work pretty well.

EDIT: Here's a good before and after of the Sears someone did:

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/entheos...n/photostream/
Sometimes we can be a bit too eager to upgrade and replace. At the time Pacific Center and Sears was a shopping oasis and a dream come true, but it also destroyed Granville Street for 30 years

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

. The Georgia Square is about Vancouver and BC, and I don't see how removing a fountain that has historical value to replace it with something to just show off how largely phallic we are is respectful to the space.

And I don't see how you could possibly ever move a fountain that's composed of a beautiful mosaic bottom without ruining it.

First off, this has NOTHING to do with showing how "phallic" we are. Secondly, I like the mosaic tiles; but I don not like the black centrepiece WHERE IT IS, because it clashes with the neo-Roman architecture and esthetics are esthetics whichever city in the world you happen to be in.

Mixing the current fountain with the Georgian design is a bit like apples-and-shoe polish.

My third major complaint about the fountain is the raw primary colours of the lights: red-yello-blue. I vote for something softer; either off-white, pure white, or some kind of pastel lavender-green (whatever).

I understand an appreciate your point about Vancouver being too quick to knock down heritage buildings!! The destruction of the Edwardian Birks Building is a classic example.

But somethings look well together, and other things clash, and, IMHO, the black centrepiece should be found another nice home, in a fountain, in front of a more contemporary building. That's all.

[mr.x]

Georgia plaza most certainly needs an overhaul, and the fountain concept was quite neat. It would also be a great way to get rid of the protesters that like to gather there.

Of course, if there's ever a museum expansion under the plaza it would likely change the ground level design quite a bit...but the plaza as is is quite sad looking...for starters, the dying grass and WOODCHIPS?!!! fml.

Even the fountain could user a big overhaul...it doesn't really fit with the context of the area and the VAG building.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

First off, this has NOTHING to do with showing how "phallic" we are. Secondly, I like the mosaic tiles; but I don not like the black centrepiece WHERE IT IS, because it clashes with the neo-Roman architecture and esthetics are esthetics whichever city in the world you happen to be in.

Mixing the current fountain with the Georgian design is a bit like apples-and-shoe polish.

My third major complaint about the fountain is the raw primary colours of the lights: red-yello-blue. I vote for something softer; either off-white, pure white, or some kind of pastel lavender-green (whatever).

I understand an appreciate your point about Vancouver being too quick to knock down heritage buildings!! The destruction of the Edwardian Birks Building is a classic example.

But somethings look well together, and other things clash, and, IMHO, the black centrepiece should be found another nice home, in a fountain, in front of a more contemporary building. That's all.

i don't think they have coloured lights anymore - its just plain white now

i'll have to go down and look at night but i haven't seen coloured lights there in years

I think you are due for a visit back to vancouver to see how different it is from when you left

[mr.x]

A major aquarium is being proposed in Toronto at the base of the CN Tower. It'll be under the Ripley's aquarium franchise, with phase I being 100,000 square feet (what Vancouver is today) and a future phase II to reach 150,000 square feet (similar in size of what Vancouver Aquarium plans for its expansion).

Toronto: a city with non-selfish and non-narrow minded people, building attractions for all types of interests - not just one.


From Taller,Better at SSC:

[jlousa]

Do you have any idea how many hoops Jim Pattison jr had to jump thru to get it to this stage? Toronto didn't just allow this, it was a very long and expensive process.

[Prometheus]

One of the cool things about the Vancouver Aquarium is its authenticity. Vancouver has a profound connection with the sea and marine life, and its academic institutions are leaders in marine biology and science.

[SpongeG]

toronto also has about 20+ million within hours of their city - something vancouver will never have to support such things

[BCPhil]

How about a Wax Museum?

The Royal London Wax Museum in Victoria appears to be closing it's doors, and not due to economic hard times or lack of interest; but due to seismic upgrades in the building it's in (which is an amazing building itself).

The building management (Provincial Capital Commission) wants a short term lease that they can raise in the near future if the upgrades run over budget. The lease would be too short to attract investors to cover costs during the renovation. IE: It would cost the museum almost $1 million to survive through the remodeling and upgrades, and would need a lease that's longer than 3 years to make back the extra money, so they can't find investors to drop the $$$ because the lease is so short.

While I would really like to see the Wax Museum stay at its location in Victoria it's been at for 40 years, as it's right in the center of the Victoria attraction hub (Legislature, Empress, Undersea Gardens, Royal BC Museum), if the Province really thinks the location would make more money as a pub (and Victoria has had a recent string of amazing pubs with huge successes due to the cruise ship industry and visiting navies), then I would really like to see it move to Vancouver.

I think Victoria will really hurt losing it, as there's not many daytime activities left, but it could bring good balance to tourist activities in Vancouver with Gastown being a natural location. I know we already tried there once before, but Gastown has really grown up in the last couple of years, and the Royal London Wax Museum collection is pretty impressive (and has a great name).

http://www.timescolonist.com/busines...850/story.html

[SpongeG]

that would be cool - put it somewhere in gastown or near the convention centre