2000 HSS/PSA Program 1 - History of Science Society

for a shorter walk? Consider strolling around Lost Lagoon. The lagoon,
located at the Georgia Street entrance, is home to a variety of waterfowl
including swans, ducks and Canada (not Canadian) Geese. As well, a number
of smaller paths infiltrate the woodland that forms the core of the park. From
these, one can find impressively large cedar, hemlock and fir trees. At the
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre in Stanley Park, get personal
with beluga whales in a unique animal encounter program. Just over one
hundred years ago, an English sea cannon was placed in the park. The Nine
O’clock Gun was used to remind local fisherman of fishing time limits. It is
now used as a time signal, and can be heard at nine o’clock every evening
by anyone in or near the park.
For those individuals interested in neither wandering through the
park nor venturing far from the hotel, the downtown core has a great deal to
offer. A myriad of architectural wonders, noteworthy museums, great food,
and shopping can be found by taking either a short walk from the Hyatt
Regency Hotel or a quick trip on the SkyTrain (the Burrard Station at Burrard
at Dunsmuir Street is adjacent to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown
Vancouver).
At the northernmost end of Burrard Street, on Waterfront Street is
Canada Place. Built to resemble an ocean liner with luminous white sails,
Canada Place is a Vancouver landmark. Established as the site of the Canada
Pavilion for EXPO 86, Canada Place was built upon a former cargo pier;
since EXPO 86, it has become home to shops, restaurants, a cruise ship
terminal, the Pan Pacific Hotel, the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre,
a World Trade Centre office complex, and the CN IMAX Theatre. The
latter with its five-story-high screen and wraparound IMAX Digital Sound
puts the viewer in the picture like no other movie format can.
South of Canada Place, at the intersection of Burrard and Hastings,
stands a monument to the art deco movement. The Marine Building opened
in 1930 and had the distinction of being the tallest building in the British
Commonwealth for a decade after it opened. While it no longer holds that
distinction, it is still worth seeing. Inside and out, delicate carvings and
sculptures in terra cotta, brass, stone and marble emphasize a marine and
transportation theme.
Further south and over two blocks are Robson Square and the
Vancouver Art Gallery. Architect Arthur Erickson designed these two
features of the downtown core. Located at the intersection of Robson street
and Hornby street, Robson Square is an amalgam of office and open spaces.
The New Courthouse, on the main level borders a public space replete with
a waterfall and trees. A partially-covered, lower level is open to the public.
Conference rooms, two theatres, exhibition space, and cafes and restaurants
surround an ice-skating rink, which converts, to an outdoor dance floor and
entertainment center in the summer.
Across the street, in the old Provincial Courthouse, Erickson
designed the Vancouver Art Gallery. Taking up one square block in the
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