Thursday, March 5, 2009

Rave Run 01: False Creek

Tuesday night I decided to take my camera along on my usual 5 mile run. The route I like to take starts in Yaletown, and follows the seawall along the waterfront of False Creek, which is actally an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and not a creek at all. It's a nice run for the scenery and it's great to run on a path where you don't have to worry about cars or traffic lights. The area around False Creek was still an industrial zone only 25 years ago and was also the site of the World's Fair in 1986. It was a beautiful evening and I think I captured a lot of why I love this route.
(Mile 1 - Yaletown)

(Mile 1 - Kyakers in False Creek)

A little while after I took this shot I ran across the Burrard Bridge, leaving the downtown peninsula and heading into Kitsilano. I then ran past the Molson Brewery and ended up back on the seawall on the opposite side of False Creek than where I started.

(Mile 2 - Entrance to Granville Island)
Granville Island, which is not an island at all but rather a peninsula, is federally owned land housing a Public Market, an art school, a lot of sailing centers, and artisan studios.
(Mile 3 - View from Fairview across the water to Yaletown)
There are a few sailboats anchored in this part of False Creek where people basically live as squatters. There's even a blog about them called "Water Squatters", here's a link: http://watersquatters.blogspot.com/.
(Mile 3 -Highrise residential condos in Yaletown, most of which were built after 2000)
(Mile 5 - Cambie Bridge)
I stopped here for a few minutes to observe a dragonboat team practicing along with some kyakers and a speedboat. The mid-rise buildings you can see on the upper right are part of the Athletes Village, which is under construction for the 2010 Olympics. The silver golf ball in the middle of the shot is Science World, which includes an Omnimax Theatre (a round, surround screen where they show films, usually of a scientific nature)

(Mile 5 - Heading back across the Cambie Bridge toward Yaletown)

9 comments:

Tim Hibbard said...

Great shots! What camera do you use?

NB said...

Hi Tim! Thanks, it's a Nikon Coolpix. I got it for Christmas. It takes pretty good video too and is very compact (great for running with!).

Anonymous said...

Very nice scenery, Looks like a great place to run. It's great to be able to run traffic free in the heart of a city.

Thanks for sharing the images.

CTBamaFan said...

Great pics. What a beautiful place to run. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Great photography, we're so lucky to live here. m

Stuart said...

Great photos, that watery winter sky is really working!

d. said...

Hey Nicole. Great pictures. I just went across the Cambie bridge today for the first time. I'm really looking forward to getting out and exploring some of the city on foot. It is just hard to know where to start sometimes. I think Stanley Park is going to be one of my first hits...as soon as it stops raining. :) We should go for a run sometime and you can show me some of these hidden treasures you that are unknown to me. :)

Marlene said...

That looks and sounds like a spectacular place to run! I'm jealous!

Kristin @ The Southern Summer said...

Beautiful pics! I wish I could carry a camera with me on some runs.

Lots of snow still where you are! I like being down here where it's warm. :)