Vancouver recent comments:

This is Trout Lake, where my dad swam with his buddies when he was a boy in the 1920s. (They skinny dipped.) In those days the lake was surrounded by trees. In the winter, the lake would freeze over, and everybody went there to skate. I skated there, too, when winters were cold enough, though that was years later. When I was a teen in the late 70s, I swam in Trout Lake as well. But brown clouds of - what, pollution? - would float to the surface if I so much as touched my feet on the bottom. I thought that was icky, and mentioned to my dad that this creeped me out. "You silly kid!" he said, "...that is PEAT on the bottom of the lake, and it has always been that way." Except for where they added the fake sand, that is. The fake sand has not always been there. Just the lake, with its peaty bottom.

Vancouver's downtown Westin Bayshore Hotel offers luxurious accommodations in spectacular natural surroundings. Our 191 guest rooms in the Tower building have upgraded amenities, Wireless Internet Access, and balconies with views of the mountains, harbour, and Downtown Vancouver http://www.greatervancouverhotels.com/vancouver/westin_bayshore_resort_and_marina.htm

http://www.greatervancouverhotels.com/vancouver/blue_horizon_hotel.htm Located downtown in Vancouver in the heart of famous Robson Street Fashionable Robson Street offers shopping, sidewalk cafes, restaurants, nighttime entertainment and all this at your doorstep.

http://www.greatervancouverhotels.com/vancouver/sutton-place-hotel.htm Stay at one of Vancouver's most romantic hotels. Located in the middle of downtown Vancouver on Burrard Street, this hotel features a celebrity lovers restaurant called Fleuri, a sun deck, pool and amenities. It is close to all Restaurants, downtown Attractions, and Trendy Shopping on Robson Street .

http://www.allure-hotels.com/vancouver/sandman_hotel_downtown.htm

Probably the nicest hotel in the area of GM and BC Place, try the William Tell for a real nice Dinner http://greatervancouverhotels.com/hotels/georgian_court_guest_services.htm

Great Hotel right across the Street from BC Place http://greatervancouverhotels.com/hotels/hampton_inn_guest-services.htm

Former Canada Packers abbatoir located close to the train stockyards. Had cooling fountain on the street side for decades. Now an assortment of smaller shops.

Was part of UBC in the 1990s, but public company under Dr. Julia Meyers after. This location was sold off in 2008 and demolished as part of tri-university campus

This should be removed. This location has been replaced by Meinhardt's

Was filled by tide and therefore salt-water in the old days. Only pool or beach on the East side, or in the Vancouver side of the harbour. Now concrete bottom and fenced with fixed hours, I'm not sure that it has been improved. PNE wanted access closed off and had Hastings Pool opened at Hastings and Renfrew. Various reasons, patronage, seasonality and geotechnical location lead to the Hastings pool closure. Many family and 'ethnic' festivals in the park over the summer.

Ah, Happy Rock. Was centre for school heroin trade. No longer. Good kids, struggling harder in the Kingsway poverty strip. Large Chinese schools take over on Saturdays

Not that I've noticed. It is mostly a younger crowd, majority gay but friendly toward all.

Some worries about sanitation of the lake.

Private school in small building. Unusual for EastSide.

Second branch of the Nanaimo and Hastings store

10 pin! 5 pin. Pool and billiards upstairs

Fun neighbourhood -- something for everyone -- gay, straight, young, old -- and everybody pretty much gets along.

It's an awesome place to look out over the harbour and enjoy the amazing cruise ships which dock there.