Lord Stanley Blog

Insights into the local Vancouver Area.


Spring is in Full Bloom around Lord Stanley Suites!

It’s undeniable; the signs of spring are just about everywhere you look as soon as you step out the doors of Lord Stanley; in fact, down the block at Chilco & Alberni, right at the entrance to Stanley Park, there’s a magnificent grouping of cherry trees in frothy, pink splendour. Saunter across Georgia St to Coal Harbour; there you’ll find spectacular splashes of pink blossoming trees that line the seawall walkway. Even the majestic Sliding Edge waterfall is flanked with carefree branches of blossoms swaying in the breeze and heralding the first breath of spring.

If you venture into English Bay on a sunny spring day, the area is teeming with activity: cyclists young and old, pedestrians out for a stroll and pleasure boats bobbing gently in the water. You’ll notice the spring sunshine has coaxed a multitude of seasonal blooms to reveal their beauty: a plethora of daffodils, pansies, hyacinths and glorious magnolias, planted right at the foot of Denman St. alongside the beach. A seasonal highlight is the Cherry Blossom Festival (now in it’s 10th year) which has numerous events in various locations across Vancouver from painting the blossoms “en plein air” to a blossom-filled cycling route to tree talks & walks. Perhaps one of the most dramatic offerings of the festival is the Sakura Illuminations, a spectacular evening event showcasing a large installation including a rainbow of lights gently bathing the blossoming trees with a luminous glow and held this year at the Japanese Canadian Memorial in Stanley Park. Insider tip: to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival, the newest and perhaps most ambitious offering is the Blossom Barge, a floating installation filled with thirty-six blossoming cherry trees as well as performers on board parading past False Creek, Coal Harbour and English Bay: isn’t that perfectly pink-a-licious?!