Vancouver!

[brigdh]

Last month I went to Vancouver for the Society of American Archaeologists' annual meeting. I myself wasn't giving a paper, though I was participating in their 'ethics debate'. But then I got back, and forgot had no time to post about it till now. So, uh, photos! Of Vancouver! Click the pictures for larger versions.


Vancouver is really a gorgeous city, and we happened to be there at the right time of the year for the cherry blossoms. This is the view from my hotel across the water to downtown Vancouver.



The city itself looks far more futuristic than any other place I've ever been. The buildings are all glass and reflective metal, shiny and clean, and the buses run on electric lines. It's also the cleanest city I've ever been too, both in terms of actually trash on the ground, and in the pollution in the air. It smells so fresh.



The convention center the conference was in was a pretty awesome building itself, and right on the water (river? bay? I don't even know.)




Which meant that we had a gorgeous view to admire between going to talks.




Little water planes kept landing and taking off right next door, which explained the constantly roaring noises I'd been wondering about for the first day.




But usually it was raining, and so instead we admired the view from inside the doors.




As good archaeologists, we of course also had to visit the local museum of Anthropology.




Which featured totem poles,




masks of Raven and Mosquito,



trays of random shit and hidden frog statues,



a wall of hands that disapproved of Adam (another graduate student),



the Raven who discovered the world (or humans, or the gods, or something. I am not up on my Northwestern mythology) squishing me,



and a necklace of human teeth.


Unfortunately, I can never move to Vancouver, because all of its good is far outweighed by the weather, which has a tenedcy to manifest as hell-spawned mixtures of snow, rain, sleet, and hail sharp enough to cut that appears rapidly and daily.

Comments

[miep.livejournal.com]

yay for raven! and tooth necklaces! and future!cities. I have never been to the northwest, and I really ought to go.... so thank you for the pictures and further enticement.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked the photos! And it's a nice place to visit, though I wouldn't want to live there.

[marzipan-pig.livejournal.com]

The weather isn't like that all the time, it's just particularly crazy this year.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Heh, that's what I keep hearing.

[wordkink.livejournal.com]

See, this is the exact same problem I have with Vancouver. I just can't handle the terrible cold of the frozen north. If only San Diego were cheaper. And with better public transit.


Also, way to be crushed by an awesome bird! :D

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Very true. Though, overall, NYC probably does have worse winters than Vancouver, so I probably don't have any room to complain. If only everywhere had San Diego's climate!

And thanks, hee!

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's amazing! Great pictures.

The weather feels like home. Only slightly wetter.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked them.

[lensflair.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, we were there too... odd we didn't run into you. didn't present either