Current
The Emperor and the Koala Punk on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
The Koala Punk was in town last week and the Emperor got to spend a couple of days with him. Fun was had.
Vanity Plates on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
Generally, vanity plates do nothing but announce to the world ‘I am a douche who only has friends because I pick up their bar tab’. Not the case with this lovely yellow Nissan Figaro spotted on Bute Street yesterday afternoon. It hits such a perfect note that I’m quite certain the beam of sunlight highlighting it stuck around much longer than it needed to.
Modern Mistake on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
On October 7, Sears Canada will close it’s downtown Vancouver location in the old Eaton’s building. Sadly, there will be almost a 3 year renovation on the building before something new (rumoured to be Nordstrom’s) opens up. The sad part of course is that this monstrousity is being renovated at all.
‘The Toilet’ as it’s known gives modern architecture a bad name and should’ve been knocked down in the 90’s when Eaton’s went bankrupt. It sucks the life right out of the Robson, Howe and especially Granville Street where it’s porcelain-esque cladding repels all life.
I love modern architecture, this picture was taken from Robson Square just beside Arthur Ericksen’s masterful courthouse but, the old Eaton’s building is just wrong on all levels and needs to be put out of it’s misery pronto!
My understanding is that this was built by Eatons as a knock off of their flagship Toronto store. Yet another example of Toronto screwing up Vancouver! If the goal of architecture is to cause a reaction though, I guess you’d have to call this one of the most successful buildings ever. I’ve never heard of anyone who’s soul doesn’t die a little when they first see it!
On a brighter note, make sure you get to the Vancouver Art Gallery before Labour Day Weekend to take in Yang Fudong’s ‘Fifth Night’. As a rule, I hate video installations but, this one is just mesmerizingly beautiful. 7 different movies, beautifully shot all synchronized on 7 screens. I’ve spent many an hour sitting in it’s darkened gallery and plan on spending some more before the show closes.
22 Months Plus a Day on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
And, for the second to the second to the last in our Plus a Day series: Post bath, a very tuckered out Emperor fresh off a day with the Koala Punk. Always exhausting as Koala Punks are perpetual motion machines. I think tonight was the first time Trajan ever demanded to get in his crib to go to bed. :-)
The last month has been filled with more adventures than I’ve got time to relay here. Suffice it to say that the Emperor is a fan of summer and has been enjoying it to the full.
Deep Sea Survivor on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
Went to the aquarium with the Emperor and the Koala Punk yesterday, much fun was had. Trajan was entranced by the Beluga’s and understandably skeptical of the Koala Punk’s rather outlandish stories about all the marine animals at the aquarium.
This green sea turtle is an excellent example of the important conservation work they do at the Vancouver Aquarium. It was rescued off Comber’s Beach in Pacific Rim Park at the end of November, 2011 and rushed to the aquarium in extreme distress, not being native to our cold waters at all. It was touch and go for some weeks but, now the turtle is thriving in the aquarium while they try to sort out the logistics of returning it to the wild (much, much farther south of here!)
