Pictures of Vancouver Canada: Skyscrapers, Green Apartments, and Warhol Street Signs

I’m wrapping up Vancouver month on the blog with a photo essay of pics the city. These Vancouver pictures have been taken over my many visits to the city over the past several years.

Some of these were taken 10 years ago (hence the sushi store that’s no longer in business), while many others were taken as recently as two months ago. Taken together, they present a pretty accurate picture of the city.

These images cover Vancouver skyscrapers, interesting shots of urban life, and a few oddball pics that remind me of Andy Warhol. Here’s a collection of pictures of Vancouver Canada!

Vancouver Skyline Pictures

The Vancouver skyscrapers are among the most striking features of the city:

skyline-water

I loved this art piece and the way it contrasted with the colorful skyscraper behind it.

arthotel

On my first trip to the city, I came away with the impression that many of the skyscrapers in Vancouver looked exactly the same. It seemed very strange.

samebuildings

On recent visits, though, I looked more closely at the skyscrapers and noticed they were quite different. Some are made of concrete, while some are mostly glass. Some have balconies, others do not. Some are symmetrical, while others have quirks in their design.

There are some weird buildings in Vancouver. The golf ball-looking building is Science World. It was built for the 1986 World’s Fair but now serves as a nonprofit museum that is particularly popular with kids.

vancouver skyscrapers and science world
I love the view of the Vancouver skyscrapers and Science World.

Did someone say weird buildings? Here’s another tall residential building with a unique wavy design. I love this!

weird building vancouver

Here’s another weirdly-shaped apartment building with aggressively angular balconies. I like this one too!

weird apartment building

I really enjoy buildings like the one on the left which seem to defy gravity. It’s called Vancouver House, and it looks like it’s getting skinnier as the building goes down. It’s really more of an optical illusion due to its twisting facade:

odd shape building

Here’s yet another really cool-looking skyscraper. So narrow and round:

narrow skyscraper

Staying on the 20th floor of a downtown hotel is a good way to a different view of the city’s tallest buildings.

hotel skyscrapers

Incidentally, if you’re curious, here’s a list of the tallest Vancouver skyscrapers. The city currently has 56 buildings that are at least 100 meters (328 feet) tall.

city-skyline

Granville Island Images

The Granville Island Public Market is one of Vancouver’s most popular shopping and dining areas. It’s a great place to buy some local foods and to do some people watching and gazing at the downtown skyline.

granville island sign

The indoor market has all kinds of shops and foods to check out. On this day, I went with a tasty burrito.

granville island market

So much fresh fruit!

fruit market

I should’ve bought some fruit, but instead I always go for the baked goods. I can never turn down a nanaimo bar when I’m in Canada! Here’s a pistachio nanaimo bar and a mini pecan pie from a bakery in the market.

nanaimo bar

If the weather’s nice, get your lunch and then head outside. The birds know to sit near the people in case they drop any scraps of food:

granville eating area

Sitting outside at the Granville Island market provides a sweet view of the downtown Vancouver skyscrapers:

vancouver canada pictures

I love how these otherwise boring construction towers have been decked out with cartoon characters to liven them up!

granville towers

Pics From the Bridges, Beaches, and Parks

A look at the Lions Gate Bridge from Stanley Park. This bridge is so imposing and impressive.

stanley-park-bridge

Driving on it looks just as cool! Be prepared for traffic jams if you do decide to cross in your vehicle.

lions gate bridge

Here’s a look at the famous totem poles from Stanley Park. This is one of the most popular attractions in all of British Columbia!

vancouver totem poles stanley park

Each pole has a specific meaning that is explained in the informational boards. This one is called the Chief Skedans Mortuary Pole:

pictures stanley park totem poles

The sights across the river. The water is everywhere in this city!

vancouver-scenery

Stanley Park has a viewing platform to look across the water to Grouse Mountain and North Vancouver. Such a pretty view!

stanley park viewpoint

Stanley Park is a great place to take pictures of Vancouver, especially the downtown skyscrapers. Just be aware of all the bicyclists zipping past!

bicyclists stanley park

Vancouver has some other bridges that are awesome for pedestrians to walk across.

walk-across-bridge

The Burrard Street Bridge has a fun Art Deco style. Most bridges these days don’t have this much personality!

burrard street bridge

From the Burrard Bridge, the city views are fun. This is a good place to take Vancouver pictures if you’re a pedestrian.

burrard bridge - pictures of vancouver canada

This city has a lot of awesome beaches too. Kitsilano Beach is close enough to downtown that you can walk there via the Burrard Bridge.

kitsilano beach

Kitsilano has a ton of beach volleyball courts in the summer. I wish Seattle had this many sand courts!

kitsilano sand volleyball

Drive a little further south, and you’ll reach Wreck Beach, a massive nude beach! I was surprised how many folks were here. It’s obviously not cool to post up-close pictures from Wreck Beach, so we’ll have to go with this distant photo:

wreck beach photo

Pics from the Vancouver Lookout Viewing Deck

One of the best vantage points in the city is the Vancouver Lookout. It’s a viewing deck 553 feet up near the top of Harbour Centre, a downtown skyscraper.

skyline vancouver

From up here, you can see 360 degree views of the entire city, the surrounding mountains, and even Mount Baker way down in Washington state.

vancouver lookout

The top of Mt. Baker is always covered in snow. Can you see it there in the distance?

mount baker lookout

Try to visit the Lookout on a clear, sunny day for the best photos and views of the city.

yvr lookout tower

Vancouver Neighborhood Photos

I took this photo because that classic VW van stood out in front of the modern apartment building. I must have this van!

van-neighborhood

Going into the neighborhoods was fun, because I got to see cool sights like this. A ravioli store! That’s what you call an extremely specific niche. Sadly, it is no longer there.

raviolistore

This sushi place had a cool outside decor and a nice view. This one is no longer in business either.

toyosushi

More storefronts from the neighborhood business districts. Some of these may actually still be there:

neighborhood-shot

I’ve never seen a high-rise apartment building with this much greenery. Gotta give them credit!

pictures of vancouver canada - green skyscraper

I like this art piece:

yvr pix art piece

Words of wisdom from a neighborhood church:

vancouver-church

North Vancouver is technically a separate city from Vancouver. You may find yourself here if you drive across the Lions Gate Bridge:

north vancouver

The Orpheum Theatre is nearly 100 years old! It’s the place to go to see the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, as well as live rock concerts, stand up comedy, and musicals.

orpheum theatre

More Random Pictures of Vancouver Canada

Here’s one of the coolest art pieces in Vancouver. It’s called “A-maze-ing Laughter” and it’s located in Morton Park.

amazeing laughter
This is one of my favorite pictures of Vancouver Canada: The A-maze-ing Laughter sculptures!

Look how cheap gas is in Canada! Except it’s in Canadian dollars… and it’s per liter, not per gallon. Doing all the conversions takes some getting used to.

canadagas

Vancouver has some weird street signs. To me, this one says “Watch for grown men playing bocce”:

pics of vancouver canada playground

And here’s another odd sign. I think it means that there are cameras at the stoplights, but I love that the picture is one of those old-timey Andy Warhol-style cameras.

warhol vancouver sign

I had a chance to see an in-store concert by punk rocker Andrew WK at Neptoon Records. It was a wild and crazy show that I will never forget.

wkshow

neptoon-records

More scenes from amid the Vancouver skyscrapers, including an urban garden:

urban-garden

trolley-canada
That wraps up our pictures of Vancouver Canada!

This is a really fun city to hang out in. Check out my tips for visiting Vancouver. If you’re a first-time visitor, those will come quite handy to help you navigate the city more successfully than I did!

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