We were heading to a walking tour Ash had signed us up for, which met right in front of the convention center where we had been the day before. We were to look for the red umbrella but there was none to be seen when we got there at 9:50am for a 10am tour. Others had started to gather for the same tour and we found them, and the guide finally showed up right at 10am. There was about 12 people on the tour, more than half of us with the convention.

One of the first things we learned is that the blue sculpture across the way on the left is called The Drop. Some think it’s for tear drop, but it represents rain. One of Vancouver’s nicknames is Raincouver because it rains on average 120 days per year here. Greg and Mark came across this on their own that morning, on the right.

After some basic history and orientation, the first big stop on the tour was the Marine Building. Completed in 1930, it’s considered one of the best examples of the art deco period in the world, and was the tallest building in Vancouver until 1939. It’s been used in TV and movies, including being the setting for The Daily Planet in Smallville.

The stained glass windows at each end of the lobby represent sunrise and sunset. The closeup on the right is looking back at the entrance, which is the sunrise version.

The floor design was in the middle of the lobby. There were about 5 elevators, each of them different on the inside, with beautiful and complicated walls made from 12 different kinds of wood. There’s a 2nd floor balcony which overlooks the lobby and provides a nice view of the ceiling.

On the left is the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Completed in 1939, this is the building that knocked the Marine Building out of first place as the tallest and held that spot until 1972. It’s a luxury hotel built by CPR – Canadian Pacific Railroad. Many resorts were built along the railroad across the country from Vancouver to Montreal to encourage travel.  The horse in the art behind reception is Trigger – yes of Roy Rogers fame. This was a gathering place for many celebrities back in the day.

This is the public library. The tour stopped here about 2 hours in for a 20 minute break. It had a beautiful lobby. We got a coffee and nuts after using the restroom but decided to move on and not finish the rest, which had another 40 minutes or so. We were glad we did it but were full of information and kinda done.

The library had a balcony on the 9th floor which provided a nice view, including BC Place – the white roof with the points – which is where we would be in the evening. On the right: Bread and Butter Cafe where we met Greg and Mark for lunch, in the same building we’d been in earlier. We had various soups, salads, and sandwiches, but I forgot photos.

After lunch we went back to the room and everyone went down for a nap. We were, for me at least, disproportionately tired for what we had done so far. But I was down about 1.5 hours, and Greg had gotten up just before me. Mark left to meet up with other friends. We made our way out again for dinner about 5pm.

Yaletown is a district of revitalized warehouses which we walked through on our way to the stadium for the big opening meeting of the convention. We stopped at Brix and Mortar for dinner. There was a table of probably 20 people seated in that atrium on the left as we walked in. In that group was Todd, a friend of Ash’s he’d met in India many years ago who now lives in Portland.

The happy hour menu was still in play so we took advantage of that. Ash had tuna tartare, Greg and I both got fish and chips. We shared buffalo cauliflower and roasted Brussel sprouts.

It is estimated that there are 37,000 people at AA Convention. We thought we were being proactive by getting there at 6:45pm for an 8pm meeting but the crowds to get in were ridiculous. It took us probably 20 minutes to get in and find seats. GALAA had designated a section for the gay community so we made our way there. and managed to find people we knew. Lots of them actually. If anything has surprised me, it’s how many people we’ve run into that we know – if you’re Ash from literally all over the world.

The photos above attempt to capture the crowd and energy. The stadium is designed for 54,400 people so the top section was closed off. The cropping is funny in my attempt to respect the principle of anonymity but it gives you an idea.

The monitor started a countdown to the beginning of the meeting at the 2 minute mark. The flag ceremony included 89 countries represented here at the convention. Appearing in alphabetical order, the crowd went wild for Mexico, and Ukraine got a standing ovation. Canada and the USA were presented together at the end.

There were 3 speakers, which didn’t even start until 9:00pm. Ash and I left shortly after the 3rd one started, which was about 10pm.

We stopped at the market to get some more coffee pods for the room. I finished getting the photos uploaded, which I’d started in the afternoon, and was in bed again by about 11:45pm.

Today we plan to do a couple of convention sessions in the morning, then head to Whistler Mountain for the afternoon and evening.