The Games’ opening and closing ceremonies, along with nightly ‘Victory Ceremonies’ (which we assume means medal presentations) will be held at BC Place in downtown Vancouver.

North America’s largest air-supported roof will ensure all these festivities can proceed without interference from inclement weather. For the opening ceremony in particular, a vast security cordon was in place to ensure planned protests¹ did not disrupt proceedings.

Right next door is Canada Hockey Place, perhaps the focus of this hockey-mad nation’s attentions for much of the next few weeks.

Olympic naming regulations mean the arena has to be stripped of its usual branding as General Motors Place, despite the fact that GM is one of the IOC’s largest sponsors. Also the arena’s usual tenants – the Vancouver Canucks – have been forced to go on the longest road trip in NHL history because of the Games.

Some hockey games will also take place at the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Arena.

East of downtown, the Pacific Coliseum will house the figure skating and short-track speed skating events.

Dating to the 1960s, this arena has undergone significant renovations to prepare it for the Olympics.

A number of new venues have been constructed for these Games, including the spectacular Olympic Oval with stands beside the Fraser River in the suburb of Richmond.

While emphatically non-oval in shape, the building is named for the long-track speed skating course inside, which will hold close to 8,000 spectators. The $178 million construction project includes an elaborate rainwater collection pond and associated sculptures known as the Water Sky Garden.

There has been a minor controversy regarding practice time at this venue, with allegations that Canadian athletes are benefiting from privileged access.

Another new venue is the Vancouver Olympic Centre which will host the curling competitions.

This building is conveniently surrounded on all sides by baseball diamonds, should the athletes want a change of sport. It will be converted into a community centre after the Games.

As part of an effort to stage the ‘greenest’ Games ever, both new buildings were constructed to high levels of LEED certification. The wood used for the roof of the Richmond Oval came from forests killed by a pine-beetle infestation, rather than cutting down live trees.

The 2,700 athletes participating in the Games will be housed in the Vancouver Olympic Village on the south-east shore of False Creek.

Construction of these buildings hit serious financial difficulties courtesy of the same investor that may have to sell the Whistler resort during the Games, as mentioned in the Mountain Venues post. They were finally finished at a total cost of $1 billion, and will be sold off after the Games to recoup some of that money.

Meanwhile, the thousands of media representatives will work in the Media Centre located in the Canada Place / Convention Centre complex on the waterfront.

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The port and harbour will host a significant number of cruise ships for the duration of the Games – providing accommodation for visitors unable to secure a hotel room, as well as members of police and security forces.

To the west of the harbour, near Stanley Park, a 14m tall set of Olympic rings lights up every evening.

Locations: British Columbia / Categories: Buildings, Stadiums and Sport, Street Views

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Earlier this week Google really pulled out all the stops to give us the first ‘Slope View’ – ski trail images from Whistler captured by snowmobile – along with trike views of the village and a couple of other venues².

The brand-new Whistler Sliding Centre can hold 12,000 spectators for bobsled, luge and skeleton events. From the upper and lower start houses athletes will go through as many as 16 turns on the 1,450 m long track. A maximum incline of 20% propels sliders towards the finishing area at speeds of up to 140 km/hr.

Alpine skiing events will take place at Whistler Creekside which will accommodate 7,700 spectators near the finish line. Street View gives us an idea of how steep the course really is.

One slight concern regarding this venue is the financial status of its owner Intrawest, or more specifically its financiers missing debt payments, which presents the possibility that Whistler may be put up for sale during the Games.

A few kilometres west of the town in Callaghan Valley we come to Whistler Olympic Park, a brand new $117 million CAD venue constructed to host ski jumping and two nordic events, with up to 12,000 people attending each of the three sports.

The ski jump towers are modestly called the ‘normal’ (bottom) and ‘large’ (top) hills, but with launch speeds approaching 100 km/h and jump distances up to 140 m, I don’t think they’re fooling anyone about how utterly terrifying they must be to experience.

Cross-country skiing events start and finish in this area, with the longer races (up to 50 km) taking the tracks off through the surrounding woods.

Biathlon events are focused just to the north, with the rectangular area being the firing range where, very shortly after climbing lung-bursting hills, athletes have to swiftly steady their pulse and breathing to be able to shoot straight.

Athletes in all these sports will be housed in Whistler Olympic Village a short distance south of the town. Google’s new images show the housing mostly complete but the rest of the facility still under construction.

The world’s media will be based in the Whistler Conference Centre in the centre of town, while nightly medal ceremonies will take place in the new Medals Plaza, which is seen under construction in these images.

The one weakness of Whistler as a venue is the single access road – the infamous Sea to Sky Highway which often has a cliff on one side and ocean on the other. The province has gone to great expense – approximately $600 million CAD – to widen the road and straighten the more dangerous sections, but bad weather or landslides could easily cause disruption to the thousands of people travelling between city and mountain.

While Whistler has been enjoying near record snowfall, the other mountain venue for these Games has been suffering through one of the warmest Januarys on record. Cypress Mountain is due to host the snowboard halfpipe, ski/board cross and freestyle skiing competitions.

While Google’s images do show snow, other than at the very top of the mountain, constant rain has currently washed most of it away. A massive effort is underway to transport snow from other areas, with straw bales being used to shape the various features needed for these sports.

Locations: British Columbia / Categories: Buildings, Stadiums and Sport, Street Views

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For 10 months out of the year, Alert is either in complete sunlight or darkness all day long. The remaining two months offer a tease of the regular sun up, sun down process the rest of the world is used to.

According to the 2006 Canadian census, Alert is home to only five permanent residents, but the presence of a military intelligence facility adds 74 more temporary residents.

The facility is known as Canadian Forces Station Alert (CFS Alert), and houses a weather station, a Global Atmosphere Watch laboratory, and its own airport.² The 74 crew members are often referred to as “The Frozen Chosen”.

So what is there to do in Alert? Downtown Alert has everything you need; general stores, all-you-can-eat buffets, $2.50 drinks, and a workout facility which gives out free t-shirts to those who complete 500km of exercise.

“Top of the World Radio” CHAR-FM used to broadcast trivia games and music to the residents, but when CHAR moved to cable broadcasting in 2006, Alert’s over-the-air service ended.

Most of Alert’s supplies are shipped in via C-130 aircraft just once a week, but you can see some infrastructure in the area thanks to Google’s high resolution images. Some of the notable sights include the 8 fuel tanks used for providing heat, and water pumps that supply potable water to the base.

One of the most photographed objects in Alert is likely its sign. Originally built in 1967, the “Alert Sign” has been highly customised over the years by station personnel, each wishing to add their own personal touch to the post.³

For more information on Alert, check out this great article by Jerry Proc or of course, Wikipedia.

Thanks to Tom for the suggestion!

Locations: Nunavut / Categories: Buildings, Structures

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Travelling again from east to west, we begin in Winnipeg, location of the magnificent Fort Garry Hotel.

Constructed in 1913¹ in the now familiar Chateau style, it was the tallest building in the city at the time. The hotel was named after the nearby Upper Fort Garry, which was a prominent trading post in the 1800s.

The hotel was, for a while, totally self-sufficient – with heat, food, water and laundry all being taken care of on-site. There was even a working printing press, which was lifted into place before a room was constructed around it (it’s still there but currently unused). Unlike the majority of railway hotels which are today owned by Fairmont, the Fort Garry is independently operated.

Another non-Fairmont hotel is in Saskatoon, The Bessborough.

Named after the then-Governor General, the Bess was built in 1932 but the great depression meant it didn’t receive its first guest until 3 years later. This hotel is noted for its extensive private gardens which stretch down towards the South Saskatchewan River.

Following the route of The Canadian to the west, we get to Edmonton and the Hotel Macdonald, which brings us back into the Fairmont properties.

Named for Canada’s first prime minister, The Mac was constructed in 1915 in the Chateau style, though the use of Indiana limestone gives it a different appearance to many of the other hotels. This hotel was in poor condition and closed for a while in the 1980s. Heritage designation from the city saved it from demolition, and it reopened in 1991 after a major renovation.

Finally, we go beyond the reach of the railway, to Victoria and the unmistakable ivy-covered walls of The Empress, which opened in 1908 to serve passengers from Canadian Pacific’s steamships.

Perhaps most famous for its afternoon teas, The Empress has a storied history of Royal and celebrity visitors. Similar to The Mac, a period of decline almost saw its destruction, but local sentiment was strong enough to save the building. That same civic pride forced Fairmont to abandon plans to alter the iconic sign on the hotel’s exterior.

There are many more railway hotels across Canada, but this concludes our look at the majority of the grandest and most historic properties.

Locations: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan / Categories: Buildings, Street Views

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A scenic drive through moorland and stunning coastal scenery brings visitors to the Cape Spear parking lot, from where footpaths lead to historic sites and cliffs – the latter being somewhat dangerous due to high winds and waves.

Near to the most easterly point of the continent, bunkers and a pair of rusting 25cm guns are stark reminders of WWII, when this was a key location for the defence of St John’s harbour.

A short distance away stand a pair of lighthouses. The southern structure is the original, and dates to the 1830s. Over the years oil and gas were both used to light its warning lamp, but it was eventually converted to electricity almost 100 years after it was built. It was replaced by the new automated lighthouse in 1955, but the original building today serves as a museum, as it’s the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland.

Locations: Newfoundland and Labrador / Categories: Buildings, Natural Landmarks, Street Views

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The biggest news is that Singapore has received coverage for the first time, becoming the third Asian country to get coverage after Japan and Taiwan earlier this year.

Raffles Hotel in Singapore

Canada, which has only had Street View for a couple of months, has just been blessed¹ with new coverage of Edmonton, Hamilton, London (Ontario), Saskatoon, St. John’s, Sudbury, Winnipeg and Victoria!

BC Parliament Buildings, ‎Victoria

That’s not all either – remember when Google asked for the UK public’s feedback on where the Google Trike should go next? Well the imagery has been released and they’ve visited some of the most iconic off-road locations across the country! We’re posting them all to our twitter feed today, but we’ll be rounding them all up later on too.

The original Stonehenge

Expect to see loads of funny, crude, rude and fascinating new sights posted to our Twitter feed in the coming weeks! If you don’t already, you really should follow us on Twitter!

Thanks to Google Maps Mania and Mapperz

Locations: Canadian Regions & Territories, England, Singapore /

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The rocky East Coast of North America is dotted with islands and rocky shoals which have been a treacherous problem for ships since the beginning of cross-Atlantic seafaring. Many of the famous coastal shipwrecks are the result of sandbars – shifting, shallow mounds of sediment often hiding just beneath the surface of the water and impossible to detect at night. Ships run aground on the invisible sandbars, sometimes incurring serious damage and ending up beached when the tide rolls out.

A number of islands and coastal features, notorious for attracting shipwrecks due to their prevalence for sandbars, have received the ominous nickname “Graveyard of the Atlantic”.

1. Sable Island, Nova Scotia (Canada)

Sable Island is a narrow, 42 km long crescent-shaped barrier island¹ about 180 km off the coast of Nova Scotia. Perhaps the oldest and best documented of the Atlantic Graveyards, between 1583 and 1999 Sable Island lured over 350 ships to their doom.

Most of the shipwrecks have today been washed away or buried by the shifting sands, and the Google imagery of the island doesn’t include any visible wrecks; but the precarious sandbars are visible just off the island’s edges.

The government of Nova Scotia has produced a map listing the location, names, and dates of about 200 Sable Island shipwrecks which occurred between 1797 and 1946.

Sable Island today is a nature preserve, known as much for its wild horses and endemic species as for its dark nautical history.

2. Cape Cod, Massachusetts (USA)

Perhaps Massachusetts’ most noticeable geographic feature, Cape Cod is the large “hook” extending from the state’s south shore. Known today as a major seaside resort area, and the playground of New England’s upper classes, Cape Cod was one of the first places visited and settled by Europeans in the New World. As a result, it became a major shipping destination from colonial times through the 1800s.

While the long peninsula offers excellent protection from storms and heavy ocean currents to the inner waters of Cape Cod Bay, the interaction with the ocean generates many long, treacherous shoals. Over 3,000 ships are believed to have wrecked off the shore of Cape Cod between 1626 and 1898, including American War of Independence vessels like the decorated HMS Somerset. Over 20 lighthouses lie along Cape Cod’s eastern shoreline to warn navigators of the danger.

The sheer amount of shipwrecks on Cape Cod made it a haven for “mooncussers“, the pejorative term for scavengers who would, upon discovery of a wreck, rush out in skiffs and gather up any lost cargo and other goods, to then sell for their own profit. During this time the Cape became known as “Graveyard of Ships“.

Recently, the remains of a 19th century 50-foot schooner washed ashore on Newcomb Hollow Beach, well-preserved by the shifting sands for an estimated 90 years or more, so perhaps you’ll be the one to discover more undiscovered wrecks in the satellite imagery.

3. Outer Banks, North Carolina (USA)

From North Carolina to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia lies a series of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks. Like the long, curved shores of Sable Island and Cape Cod, this coastline has been responsible for over 1,000 shipwrecks dating as far back as 1526. Just like the others, this stretch of shore is also nicknamed “Graveyard of the Atlantic”, but it’s also home to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.

The coast between South Carolina and Virginia is lined with sunken vessels, many of them naval ships such as the most famous of the area’s shipwrecks, the USS Monitor, an early ironclad warship that saw action during the U.S. Civil War. The Association of Underwater Explorers has a map showing some of the most notable shipwrecks off the North Carolinian coast.

(Another area known for its shipwrecks is the Florida Keys, with hundreds of shipwrecks dating as far back as 1733. This area has not been granted the title “Graveyard of the Atlantic” but is known as Shipwreck Trail.)

You can read more about Sable Island, Cape Cod and the Outer Banks at Wikipedia.

Locations: Massachusetts, North Carolina, Nova Scotia / Categories: Islands, Watercraft

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Continuing our journey from east to west, looking at Canada’s grand railway hotels, we start in Toronto and the Royal York Hotel.

The largest Fairmont hotel in Canada, the Royal York is directly across the street from Union Station, still the departure point for trains which head across the country to Vancouver¹.

When it opened in 1929 the hotel was the tallest building in the British Empire, and it is typically where members of the Royal Family stay when visiting the city.

Hopping across the still-lacking-in-Street-View-imagery provinces, we head to Alberta and the Palliser Hotel in Calgary, located right next to the Calgary Tower.

Opened by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1914, the Palliser is now home to the CPR Pavilion, an exhibition showing the historical links between hotel and railway, including some vintage train cars². Once the tallest building in the city, the hotel is now dwarfed by skyscrapers that have sprung up in this oil-rich city.

Following the Street View car west we get to the Rocky Mountains, and two hotels that can perhaps be considered the grandest of the grand hotels. CPR President William Van Horne declared “If we can’t export the scenery, we’ll import the tourists”, and those tourists still flock to these hotels in huge numbers every year.

The Banff Springs Hotel opened in 1888 and was rebuilt 40 years later after a fire, though it took another 40 years after that for it to be made suitable for winter use.

The Banff Springs takes its name from the natural hot springs which rise in another part of the town – the hotel’s current spa is only ‘reminiscent’ of the natural springs!

Named a National Historic Site in 1992 (and located in the UNESCO World Heritage Banff National Park), the hotel is now a major ‘resort’ with a world-renowned golf course, huge conference centre, on-site staff housing and multiple accommodation wings for guests.

About 60km to the north-west is Chateau Lake Louise, which has also developed into resort status.

At the edge of a stunning glacier-blue lake, surrounded by soaring mountain peaks – this has to be one of the most scenic hotel locations in the world³, though it is amusing to see trail-ragged hikers wandering through the opulent surroundings after a long day’s walk. And despite its size, this hotel did not open year-round until the 1970s. Winter activities now include skiing and skating on the lake, as well as horse-drawn sleigh rides.

Finally to Vancouver, end (or beginning, depending on your direction of travel) of the cross-country train journey, and the Hotel Vancouver.

A joint construction by Canadian Pacific and Canadian National, the hotel is a short distance from the current VIA Rail station. It opened in 1939 with a visit from the King and Queen.

Similar to the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, the Hotel Vancouver housed the local CBC studios for a number of years.

We hope to conclude this series with the hotels in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Victoria – when Street View makes it to those cities.

Locations: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario / Categories: Buildings, Street Views

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It is often said that Canada was built on the railroad, with expansion of the train tracks from east to west ensuring that the population – particularly new immigrants – spread across the country. A network of grand railway hotels was created to encourage wealthy tourists to take the train. With the arrival of Google Street View in Canada, we’ll take a look at these hotels, starting with Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City.

Opened in 1893, the hotel’s history is apparent the moment you step into the ornate wood-panelled lobby, while the exterior is typical of the style of hotels built by the Canadian Pacific Company, with soaring turrets and towers.

Its position atop a rock outcropping gives stunning views across the St Lawrence river from many of the rooms and makes it the dominating feature of the city’s skyline – see the view from the Old Town about 60m below.

The Chateau is now owned by the Fairmont hotel chain, as are most of the other grand hotels, including the Queen Elizabeth in Montreal.

The last railway hotel to be constructed (in 1958) before air travel became the preferred form of mass transit, it has a rather more modern architectural style. It is located directly above Montreal’s Central Station and is the largest hotel in Quebec with 1037 rooms.

This hotel is perhaps most famous as the location of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1969 Bed-In. They took up residence in room 1742 for a week, receiving the world’s media and many celebrities and other guests. The bed-in culminated with the recording of Give Peace a Chance.

The Queen Elizabeth was preceded in Montreal by two other – externally more elegant – hotels, both of which have now been converted for business or educational use: the Windsor Hotel and Place Viger. The Windsor Hotel was the first of the grand railway hotels, opening in 1878; it closed 103 years later. Place Viger opened 20 years later but closed in the economic depression of the 1930s.

In Ottawa the Chateau Laurier stands beside the Rideau Canal, just a few meters from Parliament Hill.

Originally located across the street from the train station¹, the hotel was commissioned by Charles Hays, chairman of the Grand Trunk Railway. Unfortunately Hays chose a ship called the Titanic to make the journey to the hotel’s opening celebration, which was subsequently delayed by a couple of months. Hays may have made the journey anyway, as a number of guests have reported seeing his ghost wandering the hallways!

Being in the nation’s capital, the hotel routinely plays host to visiting heads of state and other dignitaries. For 80 years it was also the home of the local CBC studios, while portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh had a studio and apartment in the hotel.

We’ll cover the rest of the country in part two of this post.

Thanks to Denis Gravel, Stephen Salomons and Dave.

Locations: Ontario, Quebec / Categories: Buildings, Street Views

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We’ve already found some great Street View sights, which you can see on our brand-new Street View page or even better, follow us on Twitter to get the latest sights the moment we find them.

Montreal’s Olympic stadium was one of the very first sights we posted to Google Sightseeing, when the site was just 3 days old. Now 4 and half years later, we get a much better view of the bizarre building and the world’s tallest inclined structure.

Outside the stunning Canadian Parliament building we can see Tamil protestors, calling for action on the Sri Lankan Civil War. They protested non-stop throughout most of April 2009.

Probably Canada’s most recognisable landmark, the CN Tower in Toronto can be spotted from miles around. This unique view, complete with truck about to crash into the tower, comes from the CTV’s television station.

The impressive Czech National Museum sits atop Prague’s Wenceslas Square. The facade had to undergo major repairs following severe gunfire damage during the 1968 Warsaw Pact intervention.

Have you found anything cool on the new Street View? Send us a tweet so we can tell the world!

Locations: Czech Republic, Ontario, Quebec / Categories: Street Views

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