Empress Hotel (Hotel Vancouver)

Some may confuse the Empress Hotel in Vancouver with the Fairmont Empress Hotel situated in Victoria, BC, which is known for its' stunning history, decor, and afternoon tea. Where at one time, the Empress Hotel in Vancouver was a ritzy, sister hotel to the Fairmont, times have unfortunately changed. The eight story Empress Hotel in Vancouver resides on Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside, and has become a safe haven for many trying to survive the reality that has become of this area. Where many flocked to the Hotel Empress for the comfort of an upper-class home to stay, the building still stands now 100 years old that many refer to as "a symbol for strength that many still call home".

                          

The Empress Hotel was built between 1912 and 1913 by British architect F.N. Bender, and depicts Edwardian style and design of the late Victorian era. It actually used to be called the "New Empress Hotel", as it was built next to a neighbouring hotel, now called the Shaldon. It was once referred to as the "world's narrowest, tallest hotel", as the building is only two hotel rooms wide, and was the tallest building on Hastings Street back then. The interior finishing of the Empress Hotel, including white mosaic tile floors and marble stairwells, was designed to attract tourists and business men that were expected to arrive after the Canadian Northern Railway and the Panama Canal finished building in the early 1900's.  It is hard to miss the Empress Hotel, as it also boasts three different forms of signage, one that is neon that was installed in 1940. Times have certainly changed, and Hotel Empress is not what it used to be, but is still considered an integral part of the British Legacy in Vancouver.

Ballantyne Pier

Ballantyne Pier is a commercial and passenger dock at the Port of Vancouver. It also called Ballantyne Cruise Terminal. The pier was built in 1923 to lighten the dock shortages in Vancouver that came about during WWI. At the time it was the biggest port in the British Empire.

In 1995 the pier was gutted to create two modern cruise ship berths. It is currently used as for overflow for cruise lines.

The Dominion Building

On the corner of West Hasting and Cambie Street stands the Dominion Trust building. Built from 1908-1910 by J.S. Heyler, it was the highest building in the British Empire standing at 53 meters high. This building is known as one of the most colourful and unique buildings in Vancouver. It is built around 10 stories of of spiral staircases with unique marble floors and Corinthian columns at the front entrance.

The Dominion Building now occupies a variety of offices along with Opus Arts Supplies and a restaurant. 

Queen Elizabeth Park

Queen Elizabeth Park was created in 1902 and is located in the geographical heart of Vancouver. This city landmark originally sat on a small mountain 550 feet above sea level, however it no longer sits at this height as at the turn of the century it was quarried for rock to build the city's first roadways and remained an abandoned eyesore for decades.

In 1929 the Vancouver Park board acquired the property, and in 1930 this unsightly park was transformed into a blooming garden when the BC Tulip Association suggested turning the quarries into sunken gardens. By the end of the decade the Vancouver Parks Board acquired the site for park and recreation purposes, and was dedicated as such by the Commonwealth King and Queen at the time, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, on a visit to Vancouver in 1939.

This 130 acre park receives approximately 6 million visits per year, and is second in the world in annual visits, with Stanley Park being number one.

Queen Elizabeth Park is home to various tourist attractions, such as the Arboretum, the Quarry Gardens, and the Bloedel Floral Conservatory. This site also houses a restaurant, various sculptures, a fountain with over 65 high powered jets, and a drinking water reservoir.

The Bloedel Floral Conservatory was the country's first geodesic conservatory surrounded by covered walkways, lighted fountains and a magnificent sculpture by artist Henry Moore. The conservatory contained many climatic zones which housed a huge variety of plants and vast selection of tropical birds, and was opened on December 6, 1969.

English Bay

English Bay is an area of water in an indentation of the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean, located South of Burrard Inlet and West of False Creek in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Stanley Park Seawall runs from Stanley Park to False Creek along the shoreline of English bay.

English Bay and nearby Spanish Banks were named in 1859 by Captain Richards in commemoration of the meeting here in June 1792 between the English under Captain Vancouver and the Spanish under Captains Galiano and Valdes. 

English Bay Beach, also called First Beach, is an immensely popular sunbathing, swimming, and sunset-watching destination for tourists and local Vancouverites alike. Locarno Beach, Spanish Banks beaches, Jericho Beach, Kitsilano Beach, Sunset Beach, Second Beach, Third Beach and Ambleside Beach are other major oceanfront tourist destinations located along the shoreline of English Bay.

New Westminster

The city of New Westminster is a member of the Greater Vancouver Regional District municipality, and is located directly south of Burnaby and alongside the north bank of the Fraser River.

New Westminster was founded as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia in 1858, but gave up this title in 1866 when the Mainland and Island Colonies were merged. Queen Victoria named the city after Westminster, a city in London, England in which the parliament buildings stand, and due to this naming became known as "The Royal City". As of the 2011 census, the city of New Westminster has a polycultural population of close to 66 000.

Queensborough was the original name intended for the city, however this name did not appeal to London and subsequently the name was applied to the LuLu Island portion of New Westminster, located across the north arm of the Fraser River from the southern end of the city.

New Westminster is connected to Queensborough and Richmond via the Queensborough Bridge, and via the Alex Fraser bridge, Delta. The Pattullo Bridge links New Westminster to Surrey, and the lesser used Derwent Way Bridge connects Queensborough to Annacis Island of Delta.

Stanley Park

Stanley Park National Historic Site of Canada is a large urban park that borders downtown Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. The park was named in honour of Lord Stanley of Preston on September 27, 1888. Lord Stanley was Govenor General of Canada at the time, but hailed initially from London England. 

Stanley Park's old-growth forest contains a variety of large Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock and Sitka Spruce trees, giving the park a more natural character than most urban parks. Man-made attractions such as the Aquarium, Second Beach park and pool, the pitch & putt golf course, Malkin bowl, and the 8.8 km seawall, which encircles the entirety of the park's parameter, allows for users to partake in a variety of activities while visiting the park. Lions Gate Bridge connects Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver to the municipality of West Vancouver.