Easter 2007_Vancouver Trip 268, uploaded by amybaeder.

I love this photo. I love old buildings. So there.

muskrat photo, uploaded by amybaeder.

..I found an early 1900s book on practical muskrat raising at the awesomely disorganized MacLeod’s bookstore next to our hotel. In one of the high piles of dusty books lay this gem. I was going to go for more impractical muskrat raising, but this book saved the day! Hooray!

Easter 2007_Vancouver Trip 505, uploaded by amybaeder.

Reminiscent of the Swinging Bridge I knew so well, the Capilano bridge sways high above the rushing river below it. Visit my other flickr pages for a better idea of its “majesty.”

Easter 2007_Vancouver Trip 509, uploaded by amybaeder.

On Wednesday, we ventured north of town to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It’s kind of a temperate rain forest tourist trap, but we had fun. In this photo, we’re on the walkways/bridges in the forest canopy. Sadly, this is the only photo of us together on our trip, mostly because I am too chicken to ask someone else to take our picture. I must say it was refreshing to be in the woods again, even if it was on built paths. I could have gone for more trails–maybe 2 or 3 more miles worth.

Easter 2007_Vancouver Trip 274, uploaded by amybaeder.

Tuesday night, after our experience at the aquarium, our drive through the UBC campus and the rich, yacht-club section of town, our adventure to MacLeod’s bookstore, and our relaxing coffee house time, we went to donation-only night at the Vancouver Art Gallery. This is one of the few places I actually remembered visiting when I came here with my family at the age of 16. This time around, Justin and I got there around a quarter to 8, so we didn’t have much time to explore, as they closed at 9 (or, to be precise, more like 8:50). The two exhibits we got to see were “Acting the Part: Photography as Theater” and “House of Oracles: A Huang Yong Ping Retrospective.”

The “Acting the Part” exhibit had some…unusual pieces, as I expect any modern art exhibit to have. One I recognized as a classic, however, was the photograph by Robert Doisneau–Dawn and David have a print of it in their bathroom. It’s called “The Kiss by the Hotel De Ville”–google it. you’ll recognize this one, if not his other one of the sailor returning from war kissing his sweetheart.

Here is a description of the other exhibit from the art gallery’s website: “House of Oracles is the first retrospective of Huang Yong Ping, one of the most influential contemporary Chinese artists working today. Showcasing paintings, drawings and sculptural installations that evoke the fun house, diorama and menagerie, the exhibition celebrates an artist whose work elegantly traverses the divide between East and West, tradition and the avant-garde.

Renowned for his extravagant large-scale installations, the exhibition will feature more than forty works, including a monumental sculpture that positions a snarling tiger atop an elephant, a 100-foot long wooden python skeleton and the re-creation of a Beaux Arts-style bank using 40,000 pounds of sand. In addition to these spectacular installations, the exhibition includes significant early works from the artist’s career, reflecting his interest in ideas on chance, creative process and divination.” What they didn’t mention was the highly controversial “Theater of the World” exhibit underneath the python skeleton. It had live scorpions, millipedes, tarantulas, crickets, and lizards in a turtle-shaped cage/arena. People discuss it as an animal cruelty issue….What do you think?

Easter 2007_Vancouver Trip 427, uploaded by amybaeder.

Some of you may have seen the “Otters Holding Hands” video from youtube, cute overload, or boingboing. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. Seriously cute. Anyway, I got to see these celebrity otters in their element and their squeal-inducing cuteness at the Vancouver Aquarium. Not only are they “holding hands”–they are also chewing on their little paws. Awww!

Easter 2007_Vancouver Trip 295, uploaded by amybaeder.

On Monday after exploring Stanley Park and checking into our hotel, we walked around a bit. We walked down the street north of Pender until we reached Chinatown. Before we got there, we reached a rather sketchy part of town. We didn’t stop to take photos, as stopping could have been a terrible idea. All the buildings were closed–the gates guarding the entryways to buildings were chained up. The few people milling about begged for money, stumbled about, or licked their fingers before putting them on the ground to pick up marijuana seeds (a popular commodity in Vancouver). I felt like I was in a post-apocalyptic movie, perhaps 28 days later or Children of Men. Before we reached Chinatown, we walked through a mall in search of food or a movie worth seeing. Most of the mall’s vendors had pulled out, leaving empty “mall lots” or furniture covered in white cloth inside the former stores. We decided to take a few photos near Chinatown, which equally deserted and eerie (yet colorful), then make our way back for some dinner at the Hotel Kingston.

Easter 2007_Vancouver Trip 386, uploaded by amybaeder.

One of the perks of our admission price to the aquarium was getting to see their four beluga whales being trained. We sat outside in the sun with our meals (cream of asparagus soup in a sourdough bread bowl for me!) while we waited for the show to start. I love how the whales always seem to be smiling.

Easter 2007_Vancouver Trip 477, uploaded by amybaeder.

On Tuesday, Justin and I ventured to the Vancouver Aquarium at Stanley Park. Though it cost about $50 Canadian dollars to visit (if you include parking and lunch prices), it was worthwhile. I really enjoyed the jellyfish exhibit, mainly because the lighting helped show the vibrant colors of these creatures. The orange-red and blue hues of this exhibit happen to be my favorite colors.

Easter 2007_Vancouver Trip 212, uploaded by amybaeder.

Our first stop after our hotel in Vancouver was Stanley Park, a huge city park for hikers, bikers, roller-bladers, tourists, Sunday drivers, and, apparently, raccoons. This little guy was the least-wild component of wildlife I’ve ever seen. He climbed right over the fence at Stanley Park onto the stairs. He’s not nocturnal anymore, and he’s somehow lost an eye. He was traveling with a buddy whose photo is on flickr, too. After visiting the raccoons, we spent a couple of hours on the trails and driving about. Recently, the park suffered major damage from the windstorms–it lost over 10,000 trees in December, which will take a large sum of cash and several years to fix.