
The Dunbar Simpsons Mural
Dunbar and 41st is not where one would expect to find elaborate graffiti murals. Yet, there in the IGA parking lot is a colourful swirl of characters that includes Homer Simpson’s extended family and Moe the barkeep. Most improbably, these citizens of Springfield find themselves neighbour to Mother Theresa.

Sinclair Clock Tower
For some, the Sinclair Centre may trigger chilling passport office flashbacks. Please do not let me look down and miss my number. The building is, however, one of our few historic landmarks, with its earliest section – the Edwardian Baroque Post Office – having been designed by architect David Ewart and built

Second-Hand Stills
Never mind the streak-free mirror balls and the carefully-draped overcoats. Some of the most interesting store displays are well away from the windows, tucked into the back-corners of second-hand shops. Here’s one of many on Main Street.

Land Of Giant Letters
On the Streets of Sesame, giant letters pop up in the most unusual of places. Upper case D and lower case d are headed out for a song-filled canoe ride. A 1970’s R is hoisted awkwardly up onto the top of a New York hotel. Big K and Little k are spinning

Beatty Street Mural
It has been a controversial site. The original block-long mural, in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre area, was painted over blue, prior to the 2010 Olympics. Many, including Vancouver artist Vincent Dumoulin, were less than pleased with the erasure. The public reacted and a new team of artists – headed by

VAG Office Supplies
You see it as you walk from the Eaton’s/Sears/Nordstrom building towards the Vancouver Art Gallery. It is arms and legs outstretched – to music? In struggle? – and it is entitled Dancers. This mixed media mural on the exterior walls of the VAG is the work of Office Supplies Incorporated,

Stadium Portraits
If you’re heading to Nat Bailey stadium for a baseball game or to Riley Park for assorted sports, you’ll see the paintings of famous baseball players looming over you: Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Smokey Joe Williams . These are the work of Jennifer Ettinger, a sports artist. Ettinger

Culinary Love Affair
If you’re wandering around Gastown, you might notice a particularly striking mural spinning out the tale of a love affair between a baker and a chef. It was finished in 2012 and, fittingly, adorns the exterior walls of The Baker & The Chef sandwich cafe. This 320 Cambie Street painting is the work

1000 Parker
If you landed in the parking lot, you might be intrigued. You might notice some unexpected things – the colourful tenant signs, the naked man tied to a horse. But, you would need to set foot in the door and walk in for a distance to realize that you were in a hive of

The Green Copper Roof
The green copper roof is one of the most recognizable landmarks in our city and it’s at the Hotel Vancouver, no less. Now owned by Fairmont, this hotel was the third to be given the name ‘Vancouver.’ The grand opening was scheduled on May 24th, 1939 to coincide with the Royal Visit of Queen