Pacific Metropolis

Canada Line cars are on their way

For those who haven't checked out the Canada Line website's photo gallery lately, there's some fantastic pictures of the new trains, which have already begun to roll off the assembly line.

It seems that some have even started to make their way over to Vancouver (from South Korea), based on the photo below.

 

Woodwards Construction Video

Aside from the chance to see the Woodwards implosion all over again, the following Newway Group video has some recent shots of their work on the Woodwards project down in Gastown.

The emphasis is on concrete being poured, however there's a few good pictures of the entire site as well.

Mark Your Calendars

The cuddly creatures that will be emblematic of the 2010 Winter Olympics is set to be revealed November 27th. Note that more than one is mentioned.

The fact that they're being revealed in Surrey doesn't bode well, however.

Original post from February 2007:

Vancouver's Olympic Mascot

According to this article from last weekend's Sun, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics mascot will be unveiled sometime later this year - possibly by the summer, but most likely in the fall.

Apparently, it's 'always supposed to be [a] cuddly, kid-friendly' emblem, which event organizers will subsequently begin to market like hell.

Let's hope that we do better than past Olympics' mascots like the Montreal Games' Amik the Beaver (above), or the memorable Sydney Games' Syd the Platypus, Millie the Echidna, and Olly the Kookaburra.

As for the 2008 Beijing Games, you can have a look at their five mascots here - Hello Kitty meets the Troll Dolls.

With this dismal history in mind, we have rather low expectations for Vancouver's mascot, despite the fact that our Inukshuk logo (and related merchandising) turned out surprisingly well.

So, among the obvious choices of cuddly creatures that are emblematic of the British Columbia region, which one do you think will wind up being Vancouver's mascot?

• An orca whale
• A grizzly bear
• A sockeye salmon
• A 'huggable homeless' person
• Pamela Anderson

Infernal Tootling

A couple weeks ago, Metroblogging Vancouver innocently asked what was up with the empty lot located at the corner of Davie and Howe streets, which had become somewhat of an ugly pit.

Apparently, the site was once occupied by a Texaco gas station, which was torn down in 1989. Soil remediation ensued.

It's now slated to go condo, under the name of Alto Life.

According to this (link to pdf) Development Permit Staff Committee report, the new building will be 15 storeys (164 feet) high, and contain 109 new residential units.

At least 30 condos will have two bedrooms, making them appealing to families. And as might be expected, there will also be some kind of retail space at ground level. Maybe a saxamaphone shop.