Close X
Saturday, November 16, 2024
ADVT 
National

English Bay a beacon for runners, sunbathers and sightseers in Vancouver

Bill Graveland The Canadian Press, 18 Aug, 2014 07:26 AM
  • English Bay a beacon for runners, sunbathers and sightseers in Vancouver
VANCOUVER - English Bay offers a spectacular view, ships anchored in the water, an expansive number of beaches and a surprising amount of art.
 
The 14 larger-than-life laughing bronze statues, self-portraits of a renowned Chinese artist, are hard to miss even with the many other notable distractions near Vancouver's West End residential neighbourhood.
 
Known as "A-maze-ing Laughter," the statues, created by Yue Minjun, have been a favourite of locals and visitors since their arrival in 2009. The installation was originally brought in for Vancouver Biennale, a biannual public art exhibition that features sculptures, new media and performance works by celebrated and emerging international artists.
 
"One thing that many people do not know about is the public art offered in English Bay. 'A-maze-ing Laughter' has been around for a while and was so popular that it was actually purchased by Chip Wilson, who is the founder of Lululemon, for the city to keep," said Jorden Hutchison from Tourism Vancouver.
 
"You have 14 bronze statues that are about three metres tall and they all weigh over 250 kilograms. That is one of the most popular areas in the city for taking a photograph at this point."
 
Another popular sculpture, called "Engagement," depicts two diamond engagement rings and stands nearly 10 metres tall. The diamonds, illuminated and tilting away from one another, are composed of translucent Plexiglas boxes and aluminum.
 
"They're right on Sunset Beach. They're very beautiful. Those are to celebrate romantic unions and were put in Vancouver to show they were celebrating gay marriage," said Hutchison.
 
Then of course there are the beaches. The busiest is English Bay Beach, a favourite of sunbathers, swimmers, cyclists and joggers.
 
English Bay Beach hosts the annual Celebration of Light, a fireworks competition that is held for two weeks every summer, as well as the just completed Vancouver Pride Parade and Festival.
 
The Vancouver Seawall runs all the way around English Bay and includes Stanley Park, a 400-hectare (1,001-acre) public park that borders the downtown and is almost entirely surrounded by waters of the Pacific Ocean.
 
"One of the biggest draws is Stanley Park. Recently it's been named one of the most beautiful city parks in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine. Obviously you have the beautiful seawall, but within the actual park you have tons of forested trails," said Hutchison.
 
Stanley Park has a long history and was one of the first areas to be explored in Vancouver. The land, colonized by the British during the 1858 Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, was eventually turned into Vancouver's first park when the city incorporated in 1886. It was named after Lord Stanley, a British politician who had recently been appointed governor general.
 
Much of the park remains as densely forested as it was in the late 1800s, with about a half million trees, some of which stand as tall as 76 metres and are hundreds of years old.

MORE National ARTICLES

Douglas Garland In Court: Family 'Shattered' By Disappearance Of Grandparents And Boy

Douglas Garland In Court: Family 'Shattered' By Disappearance Of Grandparents And Boy
CALGARY - A friend says relatives of a missing five-year-old boy and his grandparents are "shattered" weeks after the three disappeared and are presumed to have been murdered.

Douglas Garland In Court: Family 'Shattered' By Disappearance Of Grandparents And Boy

Fires Heat Up In Parts Of B.C. As Fire Costs Near Triple What Was Forecast

Fires Heat Up In Parts Of B.C. As Fire Costs Near Triple What Was Forecast
VANCOUVER - A fast-moving forest fire near Houston, B.C., that forced residents in 19 homes to evacuate had almost doubled in size within 24 hours.

Fires Heat Up In Parts Of B.C. As Fire Costs Near Triple What Was Forecast

Medical Marijuana Spread On Toast, Inside Cookies And Teas Backed By B.C. Court

Medical Marijuana Spread On Toast, Inside Cookies And Teas Backed By B.C. Court
VANCOUVER - The B.C. Appeal Court has ruled the federal government's restriction on allowing only dried marijuana to be used under its medical access regulations is unconstitutional.

Medical Marijuana Spread On Toast, Inside Cookies And Teas Backed By B.C. Court

Alberta gov't not doing enough about high oilsands emissions: Critics

Alberta gov't not doing enough about high oilsands emissions: Critics
EDMONTON - Critics aren't happy with the Alberta government's response to monitoring data that shows two air pollutants have exceeded trigger levels in the oilsands area.

Alberta gov't not doing enough about high oilsands emissions: Critics

Confusing Sanctions Regime Irks Canadian Industry, Prompting Plan For Single List

Confusing Sanctions Regime Irks Canadian Industry, Prompting Plan For Single List
OTTAWA - Industry players say the tangle of lists that Canadian financial institutions rely on to sanction terrorists, tyrants and other troublemakers are confusing and often out of date.

Confusing Sanctions Regime Irks Canadian Industry, Prompting Plan For Single List

Advocates call for systemic review of convictions obtained in 'Mr. Big' stings

Advocates call for systemic review of convictions obtained in 'Mr. Big' stings
TORONTO - Advocates for the wrongly convicted people are urging the federal government to set up a systemic review of convictions secured through the use of the so-called Mr. Big police sting operations.

Advocates call for systemic review of convictions obtained in 'Mr. Big' stings