Vancouver: Gastown HDR 23/52

Gastown is a national historic site (since 2009) in Vancouver, BC located in the northeast area of downtown Vancouver. It was named after Jack "Gassy" Deighton (wonder how he got that nickname), a steamboat captain who opened the area's first saloon. Gastown soon became a center for trade and commerce for fishermen and loggers alike. At one point, Gastown was scheduled for demolition to build a major freeway, but local businessmen and property owners fought to have the area preserved as a historic site. Today, it is a thriving contemporary area with nightclubs, bars and fashion stores. It's famous landmark is the Gastown steam clock which was built to harness the steam power from Vancouver's steam-heating system and supposedly to prevent bums from sleeping on the grate during the winter.

F-11, ISO 200, 1/40, 1/25, 1/10 sec exposures.

Vancouver: Olympic Cauldron HDR 20/52

I will be starting a series of Vancouver, Canada over the next several weeks starting with the Olympic Cauldron which has now become a permanent landmark on the Vancouver waterfront. If you don't know already, Vancouver was the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. With the Winter Games now complete, the chain-linked fence (source of controversy during the games) has now been removed and visitors are now able to take a closer look at the cauldron. Despised by some and loved by others, it's five flame concept was considered unique.