Busy, Busy Coal Harbour

Canada Place, with its sail roof, ringed with cruise ships in Coal Harbour.

Canada Place, with its sail roof, ringed with cruise ships in Coal Harbour.

Vancouver is a water nymph floating on her back in a pea green pond. That’s the conclusion I came to after spending much of yesterday walking along the waterfront harbor, ending up at Canada Place, home of all the luxury cruise ships heading seaward as well the main press center for the Olympics.

Take enough escalators up and down Canada Place and sooner or later you’ll find a bar where you can sip a glass of B.C. wine, like a Gehringer Brothers Pinot Blanc or Mission Hill Chardonnay, while watching all the action in busy Coal Harbour, all of which reminds me of a scene from one of those Richard Scarry books like Busy, Busy Town. There is no Mr. Frumble having a very bad day or Sgt. Murphy chasing Bananas Gorilla, but the harbor is, nonetheless, busy and loud with ridiculous noises: the basso profundo blasts of the cruise ships pulling in or out of the pier; the twap-twap-twap of helicopters gently alighting at the heli-port; the gutteral buzz of seaplanes—one after the other—plopping down in the bay like hungry pelicans.

A scene from Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy Town

A scene from Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy Town

Ferries glide by, sailboats flap their sails, and huge party boats with names like Pride of Vancouver and Queen of Diamonds slowly cruise the waterfront, their decks spilling over with bundled up crowds drinking wine and cocktails. Even from high atop a hotel along the harbor, you can hear their mingled laughter, catch a fragment of a song spilling from deck speakers (it’s that Canadian goddess, Sarah McLachlan, I’m sure!), and see the tuxedo-shirted waitresses in bow ties offering up canapés to the guests.

There are floating gas stations (Chevron, Esso, Petro Canada) and a big barge with a fire engine red crane swinging buckets of river rocks to extend the shoreline just that much further out into the water. Container freighters chug past Stanley Park and the Sea Bus hurries towards North Vancouver with evening commuters. It’s mesmerizing and so you understand why I sit there, taking it all in, ordering another glass of wine, until the sun has set behind me, sky and water gone inky black, leaving me like Jay Gatsby, sitting on a pier staring at the red and green dock light across the sound.

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3 comments

  1. Fred Harwood’s avatar

    The seaplane docks are just to the west of the convention center. Was last at Canada Place in ’96, for an extended family cruise. Great fun, nice place, and great sailing among the islands.

  2. Lori’s avatar

    David,
    While you are in town you MUST visit my favourite Alchemist David at West on South Granville Street. Vancouver best kept secret. You will be amazed at his liquor knowledge!! Enjoy and try the PIE cocktail!

  3. Sonia Rodriguez’s avatar

    I have always loved Richard Scarry books..How can no not like them. Something of a feast for the eyes with all his magical details. One of my very favorite children story writers and illustrations. A god for me in childrens books…and of course Where the Wild Things Are. Playing catch up right now..Ha Ha

    Smiles

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