Monday, July 26, 2010

Abuzz About Granville Island & Spelling Bee

WE ARRIVED EARLY at Granville Island to take in the atmosphere before seeing the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee musical at the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver.

The sun blazed in Vancouver and thousands of tourists and locals were out enjoying the scene. While people strolled walkways, rowboats skimmed and speedboats bounced over False Creek beneath the Burrard Bridge that connects downtown Vancouver to the Kitsilano district.

Mimes clowned around with their pretty umbrellas adding colour to the day.

Talented entertainers were everywhere, including Jorge Alfaro who played multiple flutes filling the air with mystical sounds.

I was glad to later learn that Jorge’s haunting tunes are on YouTube. This Pied Piper is definitely worth following.

With feet in flames, this pair fired up the crowd with their amazing acrobatics.

An array of beautiful flowers scented the air.

The Public Market was stuffed with a medley of fresh foods, including locally grown vegetables.

It was time to see the show. We could not have been more impressed with the brilliant performances of the Spelling Bee cast. Mostly I laughed out loud at the musical comedy. But I also shed a tear or two during the moving moments.

Granville Island Stage has brought joy to many thousands of people throughout the decades. So I was glad to discover they are expanding with the help of donations, despite BC government cutbacks to the arts.

We finished the day with a fantastic meal at the Sandbar Restaurant from where we had a bird's eye view of the city.

Winged wildlife, especially seagulls, were also looking for a good meal.

These birds leave their mark everywhere. We couldn't help but notice the unwanted smudge surprise on tbe car windshield as we headed home on a cloudless and otherwise clearly wonderful day.

You can visit more sites from around the world at My World Tuesday.

10 comments:

  1. What a terrific tour around that particular section of Vancouver. I have not travelled much around your city aND appreciated having you as my tour guide.

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  2. interesting and amazing scenes from your world. what a vibrant city!

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  3. Oh, I'm SO homesick. I want an ocean, and a harbor, and some BIG bridges, and sailboats, and...
    Sigh. (At risk of repeating myself.)
    My dog would go crazy for those Granville Island veggies. And, hey, Granville Island -- you've come a long way, baby. Gorgeous!!

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  4. Granville Island certainly has changed its profile over the years. It’s hard to believe this family friendly hubbub of the arts and hot spot for tourists was once called Mud Island. :)

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  5. Looks like there is definitely something for everyone here!

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  6. Penelope, thanks for visiting my blog, Mary Tomaselli's Photos. My world photos are from Robert Moses State Park on Long Island in New York State.

    Love your shots of Vancouver...

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  7. Your pictures are making me want to take the trip accross the pond! Lovely blog.

    Jessica

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  8. Beautiful day - thanks for sharing it with us. Wonderful sunny weather too.

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  9. very colourful and lovely series, i love the city scenes.

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  10. I've been wanting to see Spelling Bee for years - I'm so jealous!

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