In 2009, the Wisconsin Tourism Federation changed its name to Tourism Federation of Wisconsin.

It’s fair to say Vancouver Public Library‘s acronym isn’t quite as crude,  but I couldn’t help chuckling as I walked through the doors.

I walked up, up, up to the seventh floor, hoping for a view from the top. Instead, Special Collections restricted access to the best windows.

I’d recommend grabbing a sunny table on the sixth floor, and making the most of that, instead.

Next stop was Gastown, primarily to visit Revolver for a cup of the best coffee in town (so I’d heard).

Here’s how my guidebook describes the neighbourhoods : Gastown is touristy, Chinatown gritty, and Yaletown yuppie.

I carried my coffee through the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, which promised to be a “journey back in time to 15th Century China”, a “window to another world”.

The BBQ pork bun I bought further down the street did a better job of that, I think.

In front of the gardens, a woman cried out and pointed at the sky. She was pointing at an eagle. Apparently, it’s a big deal to spot a bald eagle in Vancouver.

“We’re blessed!” She said.

“Where has it come from?” I asked.

“Heaven,” she said with a wink.

Then: “Nah, probably Stanley Park.”

The Vancouver Public Library: designed by renowned Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie and opened in 1995

The atrium at Vancouver Public Library

I can’t recall where this was taken, but there are a lot of theaters around the place

Good coffee: a rarity in Vancouver and North America in general

Vancouver’s Chinatown is the biggest in Canada

A corner in Downtown Eastside Vancouver

I’m not sure why there were old cars at the waterfront. Possibly a show?

On Waterfront Road, facing North Vancouver

A view from the waterfront to the CBD, featuring the city’s tallest and most iconic landmark: Harbour Centre