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The original soft Baby Groot! |
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Groot overlooking Vancouver from the top of Harbour Centre! In the background you can see Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains |
My photos with Groot weren’t turning up well up there so I took a picture without him just to show the view:
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Canada Place with a cruise ship in port, and the mountains in the background! |
I gave up on trying to take pictures of Groot in front of the background (he ended up completely dark each time), and switched to taking some pictures of him in front of the giant maps inside the lookout. I don’t know, it amused us!
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You are here! |
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Me posing with baby Groot |
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A more detailed photo of downtown Vancouver – Groot’s checking out the lay of the land! |
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Groot wanted a photo op with Vancouver’s steam clock! |
Next up we were off to FlyOver Canada, a relatively new Vancouver attraction located down at Canada Place on the waterfront. I hadn’t been yet and since we include tickets for it in our tour packages sometimes I thought it was time to check it out. I’ve got a picture of Groot hanging out at the entrance below, but photos aren’t allowed inside so that’s it. Basically, FlyOver is a virtual flight simulation where you get to ‘fly over’ Canada from the coast of Newfoundland to the coast of British Columbia. It takes about 30 minutes in total including the pre-show portion/introduction, with the ‘flight’ itself coming in around 8 minutes. I’m wary of these kinds of things because I get motion sickness easily (even, or especially, if it’s simulated motion), but I was fine and I have to say it was pretty nifty! So check it out if you’re in Vancouver, but try to avoid mid-day when the cruise ships are in… we had to wait about an hour.
http://www.flyovercanada.com/
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Groot wants to fly over Canada! This is the closest he will get… |
We took a few photos from Canada Place as well, overlooking North Vancouver and the mountains.
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Groot and the North Shore mountains |
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Cruise ship! Looks like a Holland America one, no doubt heading up to Alaska. |
We had planned to do a bunch more, but we were both tired and not feeling 100% so we decided to head to North Van and just chill at my place. Which means that Groot got to ride the Seabus! The Seabus links downtown Vancouver to North Vancouver in about 12-15 minutes. It’s largely a commuter ferry (I take it twice a day to and from work), but is also a great trip for tourists. For only a few dollars and a quick scenic boat trip, you’ll reach Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. From there, you can head up to popular tourist destinations like Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain, or explore other slightly less touristy sights such as Lynn Canyon (for a free suspension bridge and none of the tacky tourist stuff at Capilano!), Deep Cove, and Lighthouse Park.
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Groot’s going on a boat! |
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Looking back from the walkway that leads to the Seabus – there’s Harbour Centre/Vancouver Lookout, where we were earlier! |
15 minutes later we arrived at Lonsdale Quay, a marketplace on the waterfront overlooking downtown Vancouver. If you want to get a picture of the Vancouver skyline, you have to come to North Van! I’ve been going to Lonsdale Quay my entire life (check out Dex’s Burgers in the food court – one of my favourite quick burger places in the city, it’s affordable, fast, and fresh, and I’ve been eating there since I was a kid). As a child it was an exciting treat to visit, and now I pass through it pretty much every day on my way home. Lots of fresh produce, meats, seafood, and bakeries, plus random shops scattered throughout. It’s lovely to sit outside on a nice sunny day, there’s always buskers and lots of activity. And a farmer’s market on Saturdays in summer!
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Groot’s at Lonsdale Quay! |
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Vancouver skyline in the background. This picture didn’t turn out well, unfortunately… too much sun. |